The BEST episodes of Dragon Ball
Every episode of Dragon Ball ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Dragon Ball!
Long ago in the mountains, a fighting master known as Gohan discovered a strange boy whom he named Goku. Gohan raised him and trained Goku in martial arts until he died. The young and very strong boy was on his own, but easily managed. Then one day, Goku met a teenage girl named Bulma, whose search for the dragon balls brought her to Goku's home. Together, they set off to find all seven dragon balls in an adventure that would change Goku's life forever. See how Goku met his life long friends Bulma, Yamcha, Krillin, Master Roshi and more. And see his adventures as a boy, all leading up to Dragonball Z and later Dragonball GT.
#1 - The True Colors of the Masked Man
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/26/1987
Gohan repeatedly slams Goku against the floor. Meanwhile Pilaf is trying out his new power suit and Shu and Mai spy from a satelite on Goku. It turns out Pilaf has the final dragonball and has jammed the dragon radar. Eventually Goku's tail rips off. Gohan surrenders and reveals his face to Goku. Bulma retells her adventures with Goku. Gohan chooses to stay dead and vanishes after a farewell. Baba reveals the exact location of the last dragon ball.
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#2 - Number One Under The Moon
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/27/1986
Night begins to fall as the final match continues. Jackie Chun hypnotizes Goku and puts him to sleep. Goku can't wake up unless Jackie tells him to. Just before the count reaches 10, Bulma yells "Goku! Your dinner is ready!" and Goku wakes up. Then Goku uses janken attack moves, but Jackie defends them. Goku tricks him by saying "paper," but throwing rock. Jackie decides to use an attack that he's only ever used once before: the Lightning Flash Surprise attack. He gathers his energy and shoots it at Goku. This energy is transformed into 20,000 volts when it hits Goku. Just as Goku is about to give up, he glimpses the moon, and transforms into a gigantic ape again. Knowing that he must stop Goku's rampage at any cost, Jackie Chun fires his most powerful Kamehameha wave. When the dust clears, it looks like Goku is dead.
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#3 - The Final Blow
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 9/3/1986
Jackie Chun actually fired the wave at the moon, not Goku. Goku is found sleeping in the rubble, so they wake him up to continue the match. Krillin lends Goku his clothes. Once the match resumes, Jackie Chun tries to fire another Kamehameha wave at Goku, but finds that he doesn't have the energy. Goku kicks him out of the ring, but Jackie avoids hitting the ground by sticking his foot inside the wall. With both of them completely exhausted, they on a straightforward finish to the match. After a long bit of fighting, Goku and Jackie jump and kick each other in the face, knocking them both down. The count goes past 10, so the rules say the first person to stand up and declare victory wins. Goku struggles to his feet and nearly finishes his victory declaration, but collapses. Then Jackie Chun gets up and declares victory. After the match, Jackie secretly takes off his disguise, and they all go out to eat. Goku eats so much that Master Roshi has to spend his entire $500,000 prize on the meal.
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#4 - The Grand Finals
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/20/1986
The final match begins. Goku jumps up in the air, but Jackie Chun sees it coming and kicks him out of the ring. Everyone thinks that Jackie has won, but Goku flies back into the ring by spinning his tail like helicopter blades. Jackie challenges Goku to use the Kamehameha wave, and to his great surprise, Goku can do it just as well as he can. Jackie uses a double after-image to fool Goku. Goku counters with a triple after-image. Jackie then begins staggering wildly around the ring. With his unpredictable movements, he begins beating up Goku. Yamcha tells Goku that he's using the drunken boxing technique, so Goku counters with his crazy monkey attack. He runs around like a monkey, and Jackie Chun can't follow him. Once this is over, Jackie Chun says that his next move will win the match.
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#5 - Danger From Above
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/13/1986
Goku starts his semifinal match against Nam. He uses a tornado attack to push Nam out of the ring, but gets too dizzy before he can finish it. Nam then uses his aerial attack, which is supposed to leave the victim unconscious. Goku is somehow able to stand up afterwards, and jumps up in the air just like Nam. Once Nam lands, Goku kicks him out of the ring. Afterwards, Nam packs up to leave, but Jackie Chun stops him. He gives him a dyno capsule that can be used for storage. Nam asks Jackie how he knew about his water problem, and Jackie says that he read his mind. Nam realizes that Jackie Chun is Master Roshi, but Jackie keeps him quiet. He explains that he is fighting undercover to beat Goku and Krillin. He doesn't want them to know that they're already the strongest in the world. Nam then does Jackie a favor by dressing up like Master Roshi and standing in the crowd. Yamcha sees him, and no longer thinks that Jackie Chun is Master Roshi.
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#6 - Ninja Murasaki is Coming!
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/5/1986
Goku enters the fourth floor of Muscle Tower and finds himself in the middle of a forest. Ninja Murasaki, who is hiding in the trees, has been sent to kill Goku. After games of hide and seek, racing and shuriken throwing Ninja Murasaki finally decides to fight, and Goku breaks his sword with the power pole. Murasaki throws a boomerang at him which hits and knocks out Goku.
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#7 - The Fallen
Season 4 - Episode 33 - Aired 2/17/1988
Having barely escaped the devastating tri-beam attack, Goku and Tien are now high above the stadium. Goku's surprise use of the Kamehameha Wave leaves both fighters helplessly falling and, with the ring destroyed, the first one to hit the ground loses. Due to a collision with a truck, Goku hits the ground first and Tien is declared the winner. As former rivals become friends and celebrate a well fought tournament, a mysterious enemy's attack steals a friend's life.
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#8 - Final Showdown
Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 8/10/1988
The fierce fight between Goku and Piccolo continues. But Piccolo gains the advantage when he breaks Goku down limb by limb. To make matters worse, Tien is used as a pawn in the battle. Goku is forced to make an awful choice. Will he surrender to Piccolo and save his friend or choose to fight and risk his own life?
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#9 - Eternal Dragon Resurrected
Season 5 - Episode 25 - Aired 9/14/1988
After Goku mistakes Kami for the villainous Piccolo it is time for the young warrior to begin his grueling three year training for the next World Martial Arts Tournament. In exchange for Goku's promise Kami agrees to revive the Eternal Dragon!
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#10 - The Tournament Begins
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/2/1986
After several months of training, the boys are anxious to learn fighting techniques. Master Roshi tells them that he has no technique to teach them. The whole point of turtle hermit training is to get your body in superhuman condition. He says fighting is just the expression of your power. Then he gives them 100 lb. turtle shells to wear from now on. After a couple more months, the day before the tournament finally arrives. After everyone checks in, Yamcha, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar meet up with Goku. The next morning, Master Roshi gives Goku and Krillin fighting uniforms to wear.
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#11 - Krillin's Frantic Attack!
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/6/1986
The first semifinal begins. Unfortunately, Jackie Chun's punches are too fast for Krillin to see. He attacks Jackie Chun, and after a brief instant, they fly away from each other. The announcer asks them to slowly reenact what happened. Jackie Chun tried to kick Krillin, but he dodged it and then tried to land a punch, but Jackie spit at him. Krillin countered this with his own spit. Then they played janken, which was just a distraction, allowing Jackie to kick Krillin in the face. After the reenactment, Krillin distracts Jackie with a pair of panties, then kicks him far out of the ring. Jackie uses a Kamehameha wave to blast himself back into the ring. Then he uses the after-image technique to distract Krillin, allowing him to land a powerful kick, which knocks Krillin out. After the match, Yamcha, thinking that Jackie Chun is Master Roshi, tries to pull his wig off, but can't. Even though it seems like Jackie Chun is Master Roshi, no one can prove it.
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#12 - The Victor
Season 6 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/8/1989
The end of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament finds Goku struggling for survival as Junior gets the upper hand, poised to take the Title and his life. Kami devises a way to rescue the young hero, but his plan calls for the ultimate sacrifice!
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#13 - The Strong Ones
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/19/1987
The final fight begins with a struggle. Both opponents are evenly matched. The masked man launches Goku in the air and sends him crashing through the stage, but Goku attacks back. The masked man launches a Kamehameha Wave, which Goku avoids. Goku does his own Kamehameha Wave on the masked man. The masked man grabs Goku's tail, disabling him from fighting. The masked man is getting more familiar to Roshi all the time and he has a good idea who is under the mask. Roshi reveals that the man is none other than Goku's deceased grandfather Gohan.
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#15 - Confront the Red Ribbon Army
Season 3 - Episode 37 - Aired 6/10/1987
Commander Red receives word that Colonel Violet has tracked another dragonball. Her divers successfully procure the ball. As they are attacked by a giant alligator and savages, Violet selfishly leaves her men to die, giving her the chance to escape with the ball. Violet hands the ball to Commander Red receiving a pint-sized reward. Bulma has completed her spy camera to find Goku and launches it. As Goku makes his way to the RR HQ, Commander Red is convinced it is Mercenary Tao. Bulma's spy camera is destroyed when it hovers above the RR base. Bulma, Launch and Roshi realise Goku is making a direct attack on the RR base. Yamcha, Oolong and Puar receive the news and off to take the others to follow Goku.
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#16 - Cold Reception
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/22/1986
The girl called Snow, takes Goku back to her house to recover. She and her mother explain that the Red Ribbon Army has taken their village chief hostage and are forcing the men to help them look for the Dragon Ball. The chief is being held in a fortress called Muscle Tower. Two soldiers break in, just as Goku is in the bathroom but Goku beats them. Snow gives Goku warm clothes to wear outside. Goku arrives at Muscle Tower and makes short work of the guards waiting outside. He uses his power pole to vault up onto the first level.
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#17 - Goku's Rival
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/28/1986
Goku stops by his house to gather his things, then heads towards Master Roshi's island. When he arrives, Master Roshi tells him that he will only train him if he brings him a girlfriend. Goku brings back a big ugly-looking girl but Master Roshi wanted a beautiful girl. So Goku got a mermaid, but it didn't go well. Suddenly, a small boy named Krillin paddles ashore on a boat and requests training from Master Roshi. With the help of a bribe, Master Roshi agrees to train him. He sends Goku and Krillin into the city to find him another girl. Meanwhile, Yamcha's ship crashed, so he, Bulma, Puar, and Oolong are forced to walk through the desert.
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#18 - The Turtle Hermit Way
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/25/1986
The boys continue their workout by plowing an entire field with their hands. After a quick breakfast, they head over to a construction site. Here, they dig holes and haul equipment. Their speed dazzles the foreman. They eat lunch and then take a nap. Goku is getting impatient, and wants to learn fighting moves, but Master Roshi says he won't teach them fighting moves until their bodies are in the proper condition. Their next task is to swim ten laps on a lake while they're being chased by sharks. Then Master Roshi ties them to a tree and makes them dodge angry bees. At the end of the day's training, Master Roshi tells them they will be doing the same thing every day for the next eight months, but with 50 lb. turtle shells on their backs.
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#19 - Monster Beast Giran
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/30/1986
Goku's match is postponed by rain. While they're waiting for the weather to clear up, they relax in the bar. Giran, Goku's opponent, comes in and starts causing trouble. Yamcha warns Goku that Giran has been known to cheat. When the match finally starts, Giran tricks Goku into dropping his guard, then punches him. Goku responds with a furious attack and throws Giran out of the ring. Giran reveals that he can fly, and he lands safely back in bounds. He then spits rock-hard gum onto Goku, paralyzing him. He throws Goku out of the ring, but Goku calls the flying Nimbus Cloud to save him. Just as Giran is about to punch Goku, his tail grows back and he dodges the punch. Since he is stronger with his tail, he is now able to break the gum. Shocked at this incredible display of strength, Giran forfeits the match.
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#21 - Pilaf and The Mystery Force
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/17/1986
Goku stops at a lake for a swim. When he gets out, he finds that the dragon radar has been stolen. He picks up on the thief's scent and follows it to its source. The thief tells him that he sold the radar to an antique salesman in a nearby town. Goku locates the shop and finds his dragon radar there. He picks up a signal coming from the shop, so he turns around and sees Emperor Pilaf and Mai holding the four-star ball, having just bought it from this store. They are able to escape on their ship, but Goku follows them on the Nimbus Cloud. Back at the antique store, a mysterious military force has arrived looking for a Dragon Ball. The salesman gives them a four-star ball, but they recognize it as a fake. Pilaf's four-star ball was also a fake, but Goku doesn't yet know. The signal he picked up on was the six-star ball in a nest above the shop. A bird then flies away with the ball in its talons.
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#22 - Major Metallitron
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/29/1986
Goku enters the second floor of Muscle Tower and defeats the guards waiting for him. He heads up to the third floor where he finds a large android named Major Metallitron. Goku and Major start to fight, and after a few hits, Goku knocks him over. Goku is caught off guard when the giant gets up and grabs him. Major launches a missile at him, but he dodges it. Goku counters with a Kamehameha wave and blows Metallitron's head off. Despite being decapitated, the android is still moving. Goku punches a hole through the robot's chest, but even that doesn't stop him. The fight finally ends when Major Metallitron's batteries die.
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#23 - Look Out for Launch!
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/4/1986
Because Krillin can't sit on the Nimbus Cloud, he is forced to cling to Goku's back during their search for a girl. They find a girl being attacked by two men. Goku beats up these two guys, and they bring the girl back to Master Roshi's island. Unknown to either of them, the girl, Launch, was actually being arrested when they found her. When she sneezes, she turns into a mean, aggressive, blonde criminal. Back on the island, Roshi likes Launch so much that he agrees to take her on as a student, along with Goku and Krillin. Launch sneezes, and then takes out a machine gun and shoots at the three boys. After another sneeze, everything is back to normal.
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#24 - Milk Delivery
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/18/1986
Master Roshi wakes the boys up early to begin their training. Their job is to deliver milk, but there are several miles between each house. After several exhausting runs, they are made to climb a mountain to deliver milk to the monk at the top. While at the top, Master Roshi tells them that in eight months, they will be competing in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. This encouraging thought is enough to drive Goku and Krillin through the end of their milk delivery. Once the delivery ends, Master Roshi tells them that they will be delivering milk every day until the tournament. The boys are shocked to find out that the milk delivery was only their early morning training, and that they have much more to do every day. Meanwhile, Yamcha is also training for the World Martial Arts Tournament.
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