For longtime fans of the anime, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z are often considered separate series, with the latter being the most popular and recognizable around the world by far. However, the original manga in which both series were adapted from was simply titled Dragon Ball throughout the entirety of its run, since the very beginning adventures of Goku as a young boy to his final battle against Majin Buu as a grown-up were considered one continuous story.
Sadly, the Dragon Ball portion of the series, which mainly focused on Goku’s adventures as a young martial artist, is often ignored by Western fans for being more focused on slapstick comedy rather than brutal martial arts battles. Both attempts to bring the precursor to Z to television resulted in lackluster ratings, causing Z to be the full marketing focus. Needless to say, it was an unfortunate but also wise decision, as Dragon Ball Z finally succeeded in turning Goku and friends into a household name in the West (and even giving the battle-hungry Super Saiyan the honor of getting his own balloon in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, making him the second anime character to be immortalized in this manner after Pikachu).
That’s why today’s list recounts some of the most entertaining, interesting, and all-around awesome moments that Dragon Ball accomplished in its own right, with some examples failing to cross over to Dragon Ball Z. The stakes may not have been as universe-defining, with an emphasis on exaggerated martial arts over planet-destroying energy blasts, but they were just as entertaining (and for some hardcore fans, even more entertaining).
25 Boss Rabbit
Many years before Majin Buu would terrorize his victims by turning them into delicious treats, Boss Rabbit had a brief-but-notable appearance in Dragon Ball, where the rabbit mobster would punish anyone who defied him by turning them into carrots.
This has led to a few fun fan theories on whether Boss Rabbit could turn anyone into carrots, even powerful villains like Frieza or Cell. The catch is that he must make physical contact with his opponents, which is considerably risky considering how powerful later threats become.
24 Goku Went To The Moon
Thanks to a team effort from Yamcha and Puar, Goku was able to beat Boss Rabbit and turn Bulma back into a human form. To permanently deal with the defeated mobster, Goku used his Power Pole to extend all the way toward the moon, where he dumped Boss Rabbit and his cronies to spend their days making treats for children.
The gag is based on an old Japanese fable, but it does raise all sorts of questions: why didn’t Goku transform from visiting the moon? Did Boss Rabbit perish when Master Roshi (and later Piccolo) took out the moon later on?
23 Bruce Lee's Cameo
Dragon Ball is full of gags and references from all sorts of martial arts-themed media and mythology. One of the most obvious examples is a character that looks, sounds, and fights just like the legendary cinema star, Bruce Lee.
Rather than a loving tribute, however, the cameo was more of a parody as both Goku and Krillin easily dispatched with the legendary fighter with almost no effort. The intention was to demonstrate the superhuman abilities both children possessed, though it was at the expense of a legend considered the greatest martial artist of all time.
22 Launch
The femme fatale has been mentioned plenty of times before, but still bears repeating. Launch was a kind, often naive girl on the surface, but would turn into a more violent, weapon-toting criminal with a change to blonde hair (hey, that sounds familiar) whenever she sneezed.
Launch’s split personality was one of the more memorable examples of Dragon Ball’s humor, and she remained an integral part of the cast until she vanished entirely during the switch to Z. To this day, she has not made a proper return and is unlikely to ever will.
21 The Brief Moment Yamcha Mattered
The longest-running punching bag in the history of the franchise, Yamcha is a constant source of ridicule and pity, a washed-out martial artist who couldn’t even keep his relationship with Bulma, with his most memorable moment being his lifeless body lying in a small crater.
But once upon a time, he was...still comic relief, but at least he was no slouch in fighting, giving Goku and Tien a run for their money and always remaining devoted to training. His Wolf Fang Fist technique is also unique with a cool visual, something lovingly restored in Dragon Ball FighterZ.
20 The Comedy
It’s no secret that Dragon Ball was a much more lighthearted affair than Dragon Ball Z. The series prioritized potty humor, lewd jokes, and the occasional fourth wall break that stemmed from author Akira Toriyama’s history as a comedy writer for manga.
While a good number of jokes wouldn’t exactly fly well with today’s audience, Toriyama does often regret that he had to make the series more focused on superhero battles and violent stakes, since it was that shift that turned the series into a mainstream success.
19 Young Master Roshi
During most of Dragon Ball’s run, Master Roshi was considered the undefeated martial arts master, and Goku’s most noteworthy master. Eventually, the Turtle Hermit retired, acknowledging the new generation of fighters who have surpassed him, such as Goku, Tien, and Krillin.
For one filler episode, we actually got to see what a young Roshi looked like, as an inexperienced pupil still mastering his technique. It was an uneventful but still fun episode and the only known appearance of the Turtle Hermit in his youth.
18 Chi Chi Was A Fighter
Chi Chi is mostly known for being a constant source of contention for Goku and Gohan, as the overbearing housewife prefers her husband get a real job and her son studies to become a scholar.
But prior to that, she was an actual martial artist who challenged Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament. Though she was no match for her husband-to-be, she was still a respectable fighter that could have moved on to greater strides instead of settling down as a stay-at-home mom.
17 Goku Takes Out The Red Ribbon Army
The Red Ribbon Army was the first legitimate threat Goku and friends had to face, not counting the comically incompetent Pilaf Gang. With thousands of soldiers and firepower to boot, not to mention a group of powerful fighters and one really frustrating life-taker, the stakes had risen considerably.
Which is why it was fascinating to see Goku take out the entire army in a single solo raid. Flying right into their main headquarters, the young fighter completely decimated the remaining forces, a move that shocked all of his friends who had arrived too late to help out.
16 Goku's Power Pole
Once upon a time, Goku’s most iconic means of fighting was his trusty Power Pole, a staff that could extend to near limitless lengths. The pole was passed down to him by his grandfather and was an inseparable part of Goku’s gear until he hung up the pole during his later years.
The first promo art for the upcoming movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly actually shows Goku wielding the pole once again, leading fans to hope the staff will finally make a return appearance.
15 King Piccolo
Before Frieza, Cell, Vegeta, and Buu terrorized the Earth with their violent fury, King Piccolo (not to be confused with the current Piccolo, who is actually his son) was the first truly sinister villain in the series and is even considered one of the most iconic villains in anime history.
King Piccolo’s appearance was also the start of more tragic ends for characters, as the arc kicks off with Goku discovering the lifeless body of his best friend Krillin. Naturally, it also introduced the concept of frequent resurrections using the Dragon Balls.
14 Piccolo Day
A big part of what made King Piccolo so memorable, aside from his incredible strength and merciless army, was just how much he enjoyed being sinister. When the green menace takes over the largest city in the world, he lays out some mandatory regulations that all the other cities must follow, including his self-titled holiday “Piccolo Day.”
“Piccolo Day” was to occur every May 9th, in which the villain would randomly choose the name of a city from a raffle and subsequently destroy it in celebration. In an ironic twist, May 9th is celebrated in real-life Japan as “Goku Day.”
13 Goku Met (Grandpa) Gohan
In what must still be a constant source of confusion for less-knowledgable fans, Goku’s son Gohan was actually named in memory of his grandfather, the kind martial arts master who adopted the baby Saiyan after he crash-landed on Earth. Tragically, an accident involving Goku’s transformation as a Great Ape ended his grandfather’s life.
In one of the most heartwarming moments in the series, young Goku briefly reunites with his grandfather, who was resurrected for a single day thanks to Baba’s magic.
12 The More Diverse Fighters
Leaving aside the fact that most of the franchise’s most prominent fighters are either Saiyans or aliens with bizarrely non-human physiology, Dragon Ball actually featured a more diverse cast of fighters that came from different ethnicities and cultures.
Examples include Namu, a Hindi who practices in Buddhist techniques, King Chappa, who was once World Champion, and Bora, a musclebound Native American. This isn’t counting the various talking animals, monsters, and other fun and freaky characters that pop up throughout the series before mostly being filled with “weird aliens and weirder aliens.”
11 Mercenary Tao
The Chinese-garbed life-taker with the ridiculously steep hiring fees, Mercenary Tao is notable for having a strict personality that mercilessly dispatches his targets while receiving his due compensation.
He’s also the first villain to soundly defeat Goku in a fight. Even in his early days, Goku rarely faced defeat from an enemy, causing the injured fighter to redouble his training efforts so that he could overcome Tao in a rematch. He was also the first enemy to eliminate a friend of Goku’s before his very eyes, causing his normally carefree personality to snap with rage.
10 Oolong And Puar
Oolong and Puar would still make regular appearances in Dragon Ball Z, but they are relegated into background characters at best. A shame, considering how unique and potentially useful their abilities are.
Both of the talking animals have the ability to shape-shift into whomever (or whatever) they desired, a technique Oolong would use for his own selfish gains while Puar would use to assist her master, Yamcha. Both also engaged in some of the funniest moments in the series.
9 Krillin Was Goku's Rival
One of the most drastic characters changes between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z belongs to Krillin, Goku’s lovable (and short statured) buddy. Prior to that, however, he was actually Goku’s biggest rival, though said rivalry was more one-sided.
As both kids were training under Master Roshi, Krillin was often envious of Goku’s increasing strength, and would often find sneaky ways to interfere with his training. A big difference from how reliable he ends up (even if it means acknowledging Goku’s superior strength).
8 Goku's Janken Style
Most fans are aware that Goku has dabbled with all sorts of different power-ups, techniques and fighting styles, with his most iconic move being the Kamehameha.
But at the start of the series, Goku’s main technique was based around the Japanese game of Janken, also known in the West as Rock-Paper-Scissors. This move involved Goku taking one of the random hand gestures in order to throw his opponents off-guard, be it a poke in the eyes (scissors) or a knockout punch to the jaw (rock).
7 Fights That Prioritized Martial Arts Over Powerlevels
Possibly the most sorely-missed feature from Dragon Ball is when the fights were more focused on fight choreography rather than scouter-breaking power levels. After all, Toriyama’s main influence for the series was, unsurprisingly, classic martial arts movies.
This meant that many of the earlier fights were based on actual martial arts, albeit in a typically exaggerated manner. Nevertheless, it was fun to see the latest fighting style and bizarre technique, whereas most fights later in the series are about punching people through mountains, yelling really loud, and shooting massive beams.
6 The Time Tien Mattered
In many ways, Tien’s fading into obscurity is even more depressing than Yamcha’s. While the latter was considered comic relief from day one, Tien was once billed as Goku’s equal, their first match ending on a narrow victory in Tien’s favor. Tien was even the fighter that led to Roshi’s permanent retirement, as he stated that the three-eyed fighter would be his successor.
Unfortunately, Tien’s tireless training did little to keep him relevant once the threats started coming from outer space and Goku’s hair changed all sorts of colors.