It’s hard to find a medium that the late artist Akira Toriyama didn’t influence in some way, and most of his work has attained (much-deserved) international renown. However, his most famous contribution to pop culture is likely the Dragon Ball franchise, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary later this year. Centered around the exciting adventures of Goku, a character driven by interminable willpower and fighting spirit, it has become a household name in a way that many series can only aspire to be and served as the gateway manga/anime for millions of fans. And in the wake of Toriyama’s passing, fans around the world have joined to remember its significance, from Dragon Ball watch parties to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs offering their sympathy and El Salvador giving an official statement on Toriyama’s legacy.
Meanwhile, certain moments have transcended the page and the screen to become iconic in their own right, like the first Kamehameha, Goku’s initial Super Saiyan transformation, and a Vegeta quote that turned into an ubiquitous meme. Some didn’t just change the course of Dragon Ball, but entire industries. And others became so famous that they’ve entered our global vocabulary and our shared cultural lexicon. Here are fifteen episodes from across the Dragon Ball series that illustrate its monumental effects.
Dragon Ball Episode 1, “The Secret of the Dragon Ballsâ€
Knowing the world-changing impact that Dragon Ball will inevitably have, the first episode is extremely quaint. There’s an extended scene devoted to little Goku peeing in a river! And the final action sequence doesn’t involve an unbeatable enemy warrior but rather a pesky pterodactyl that Goku whacks with his Power Pole. (Yeah, Goku used to carry around an extendable stick to hit people with. Not really known for that anymore!)
But the foundation is there, especially when it comes to Goku’s first interaction with Bulma, another central character who is absolutely befuddled by this tiny feral boy that she’s found in the woods. It won’t be the last time that the rest of the cast is astounded by Goku’s wild energy and together, they ride off to search for the Dragon Balls and end up heading into pop culture history.
Dragon Ball Episode 8, “The Kamehameha Waveâ€
Dragon Ball isn’t the first series to include characters yelling out attack names. (It had been a staple in anime since at least the super robot shows of the 1970s.) But none are more famous than the memorably vowel-heavy “Kamehameha,†a fabled attack that apparently takes decades to learn and yet is mastered by Goku on his first attempt. A massive blast of energy, the Kamehameha will set the standard for the attacks of countless anime heroes to come, moves that serve as not only a finishing move for them, but a catchphrase of sorts for fans to yell out themselves in their living rooms, middle school hallways, etc. There’s even a world record for the biggest one!
Dragon Ball Episode 19, “The Tournament Beginsâ€
Longtime fans know that, though the franchise will become most famous for its copious battles and blazing power-up sequences, the first bits of the original Dragon Ball are kind of an on-the-road comedy where Goku and Bulma meet an assembly line of weirdos and the easily-provoked. That changes, though, when Goku and his future best pal Krillin go under the tutelage of Master Roshi and begin participating in martial arts tournaments while wearing their classic fighting gi’s. It’s a transition that will forever change the Dragon Ball series both narratively and aesthetically, and even when the series returns to more gag-heavy adventures, it will always be broken up by bouts of combat. The push it will have on its manga and anime peers will be indescribably massive, and everything from Yu Yu Hakusho to Naruto, My Hero Academia and One Piece will take obvious inspiration from it.
Dragon Ball Episode 148, “The Victorâ€
The final tournament of the original Dragon Ball concludes with Goku beating Piccolo, the latter the offspring of a wannabe world conqueror and a character driven to become the strongest fighter out of misplaced dedication to his evil elder and his own inner motivation. Piccolo swears vengeance on Goku, but what eventually comes out of their relationship is mutual kinship among warriors.
This is a common thing in Dragon Ball (and is replicated in many anime to come): Characters that start off as heinous, unsympathetic villains eventually become allies because they respect one another’s fighting skills so much. Other characters have gone from foe to friend (Poor ol’ Yamcha starts out as a desert bandit that joins Goku’s crew because, well, Goku would probably have just kept beating the snot out of him), but Piccolo kicks off a trend where even the most irredeemable find atonement through Goku punching them a lot. It’s a little weird, but it seems to work!
Dragon Ball Z Episode 2, “Reunionsâ€
Fans often question just how much planning Toriyama did in advance, especially when it comes to the mythology introduced at the start of what will eventually become “Dragon Ball Z.†(In the manga, it’s just a continuation of Dragon Ball.) “Reunions†will not only reveal that Goku has a brother, but that Goku’s real name is “Kakarot†and that he is a “Saiyan†who was put on Earth for the purposes of destroying it. It’s a lore dump that once again changed how veteran fans saw Dragon Ball.
But for kids in America and in other countries, many of whom were introduced to Dragon Ball through Z, it informed their entire viewing experience. Dragon Ball Z was always a bit more serious than Dragon Ball and as a pillar of programming blocks like Toonami, Goku now had dramatic pathos far more intense than just “guy who simply wants to kick the world’s butt.â€
Dragon Ball Z Episode 5, “Gohan’s Rageâ€
If you Google “goku is a bad dad,†you will find an argument that stretches into infinity. When he dies in this episode (spoiler warning: Goku dies a few times), Piccolo decides to take Goku’s prodigal young son Gohan under his wing and train him. As such, many believe that Piccolo might as well be Gohan’s real father, as it was during his mentoring of Gohan that Piccolo finally began to reveal his own humanity while keeping his unwavering resolve. That relationship has been embraced universally by Dragon Ball fans, to the extent that the latest film, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, was essentially a feature-length tribute to the pair.
The character of Piccolo, a man with a deep well of honor who seemed to stick out among the “Earth†characters, was important to many young fans. Jordan Calhoun, author of the absolutely wonderful memoir Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture, stated that Black-coded characters like Piccolo had “a story that mirrored what we recognized as the Black experience in the United States†and that Piccolo taught him a “degree of confidence…in a place where you are not well represented.â€
Dragon Ball Z Episode 28, “The Return of Gokuâ€
Goku’s comeback is a little hilarious in retrospect. Viewers that had begun the franchise with Dragon Ball Z had grown accustomed to a series where the main character was just…dead. And when he does arrive fresh from his training in the afterlife, the main moment that everyone recalls isn’t the glory of Battle Christ risen, but rather DBZ villain Vegeta’s eternally quoted reaction to his power level in the series’ English dub. “It’s over 9000!†would become one of the most popular memes in history, something often shared without the context of the series that birthed it.
And while it would turn one of Dragon Ball’s most melodramatic moments into a joke, it helped solidify the franchise’s pop culture legacy. Vegeta himself would go on to become a favorite: When actor and anime fan Michael B. Jordan saw people making comparisons between his character in Black Panther, Killmonger, and Vegeta, he loved it.
Dragon Ball Z Episode 95, “Transformed At Lastâ€
Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation, which we see for the first time in this episode, didn’t just inspire many other manga creators to implement their own ridiculous power-ups on characters. It became international lingo for “getting stronger.†Professional athletes, comedians, and rappers alike have used it as a go-to reference point, breaking down the walls that many have assumed exists between “niche†interests like anime and mainstream entertainment in America. Many have tried to pinpoint the particular watershed moments where anime crossed over and became truly accepted on a massive level in the United States and this is definitely one of them. When you can quote an anime upgrade without the fear of having to continue with “Okay, well, Goku is a Saiyan and, ummm, now he’s able…,†whatever you’re talking about is pretty well known.
Dragon Ball Z Episode 120, “Another Super Saiyan?â€
A new super-powered character showing up and immediately dismantling a previously unstoppable character with ease is not uncommon in anime. But rarely has it been done as effectively as with the introduction of Future Trunks, who slices through Mecha Frieza with ease and immediately gains the attention of the entire cast. He’d also gain the attention of everyone watching at home as well: With his sword, cool purple jacket, and typically grim, angsty persona, no kid left the screen without wanting to be Trunks at least a little bit. Decades later, that desire has likely not diminished.
Dragon Ball Z Episode 125, “Goku’s Ordealâ€
The “filler†episode is sometimes a nuisance for anime fans, as they’re often used to pad out the length of an anime in order to not step on the manga source material’s toes by out-lapping its development. There’s even a whole website devoted to helping you skip filler content. That said, “Goku’s Ordeal†is generally regarded as perhaps the best anime filler episode of all time, mainly because of its ludicrous plot. Here, Goku and Piccolo, two men that can fly, comically attempt to obtain their driver’s licenses. Neither one succeeds, but the episode reminded us that Dragon Ball was just at home bathing in inherent silliness as it was participating in world-changing conflicts.
Dragon Ball Z Episode 191, “Save The Worldâ€
Welp, Goku died again. Bummer. However, as he helps Gohan power up a final, massive Kamehameha from the after life in order to finally stop the outrageously resilient Cell, Dragon Ball Z reaches one of its most powerful moments, one that could’ve easily ended the entire franchise on a high note. Vegeta even helps out, aiding the son of the man who was once his most bitter rival. The franchise would certainly go on and Goku would certainly be back, but it’s a great thematic resolution to the show and can be enjoyed as its climax.
Dragon Ball Z Episode 280, “Vegeta’s Respectâ€
The battle manga genre that Dragon Ball revolutionized isn’t exactly known for its completed emotional arcs. But that doesn’t mean that they’re nonexistent - far from it, in fact. And Dragon Ball Z was proof that if you’re willing to stick by a character through thick and thin, sometimes you’ll be rewarded with a breakthrough. For example, as Goku fights against Kid Buu in the final lap of Z, Vegeta admits that Goku is the better fighter and that Vegeta’s anger has been to his detriment.
As such, Dragon Ball Z’s most consistently prideful character is humbled and joins the rest of earth in wishing Goku well. Does he have his pride and his flaws fully removed? No. Vegeta will always have his temper. But he shows that the genre itself is not bereft of humanity and that even the most stubborn amongst us can embrace our wider community.
Dragon Ball GT Episode 1, “A Devastating Wishâ€
A few anime have continued even after the original manga has been wrapped up, but Dragon Ball GT is one of the most notorious. It isn’t based on any Toriyama source material and is often considered a lesser work just due to that. In comparison to Z, it’s a little more wild and wooly, and the first episode turns Goku back into the size of the diminutive rabble rouser that he was in the original show. It’s also a series where the memory of the fandom often sharply contrasts from the reaction of Toriyama who, for the most part, seemed to enjoy it. He even heavily praised the work of character designer Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru: “…there have been times that even I have been like, ‘Did I draw this character design, or did Nakatsuru-kun?,’ not being able to tell the difference.â€
Dragon Ball Super Episode 14, “This Is Every Ounce Of Power I Have! The Battle of God’s Conclusion!â€
Dragon Ball’s return with Super, based on a manga with a story by Toriyama but illustrated by the mononymous artist Toyatarou, received tremendous fanfare when it was announced. It was the first Dragon Ball series in almost twenty years, but it begged the question: Where does Goku go from here? That question was answered in the first few episodes, when the series pitted him against Beerus, an actual god. Goku doesn’t win this encounter, but he does earn the respect of Beerus, which saves the Earth from destruction. As it turns out, even deities are pretty impressed with Goku, effectively turning his never-give-up-in-a-fight attitude into the pinnacle of nobility.
Dragon Ball Super Episode 130, “The Greatest Showdown of all Time! The Ultimate Survival Battle!!â€
When ten-thousand fans gathered in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico in 2018, it wasn’t for a sporting event or for any holiday. (Well, that depends on how you define “sporting event†or “holiday.â€) Rather, they had gathered to watch a screening of Dragon Ball Super’s 130th episode, which featured Goku’s hard-hitting battle against Jiren. For decades, Latin America has always carried an outsized passion for Dragon Ball (and anime in general. Many series, like Saint Seiya, received underwhelming reactions in other regions, only to find a welcoming home there.)
If anything, it proved that anime didn’t really follow the clean Japan-US pipeline that many observe as the main trajectory of the medium. Instead, in the form of Dragon Ball Super and Goku, it proved that it was a truly worldwide obsession. The little Saiyan who peed in the river became a global celebrity.
Dragon Ball Super Episode 131, “The Miraculous Conclusion! Farewell, Goku! Until We Meet Again!!â€
Dragon Ball Super’s 131’st episode is a fitting ending for the anime and a new beginning in other ways. It marked the episode directing debut of wunderkind Megumi Ishitani, a woman who then went on to deliver stellar entries in One Piece and pretty much helped redefine the animation outlook of the show. Within the episode itself, Goku and Frieza, formerly arch enemies, team up to take on Jiren in one of the most exciting battles in the long history of the franchise. And the final scene featured Goku and Vegeta sparring with one another, concluding everything in the most fitting possible fashion.
Dragon Ball’s main theme has always been reaching the next level and always finding a way to improve yourself. And though the Dragon Ball anime is set to continue with Dragon Ball Daima later this year (which will feature contributions from Toriyama), the ending of Super manages to wrap up the ethos that the franchise has embodied for nearly four decades now: that there is no wrapping up. There is no pinnacle to strength. Or goodness for that matter. We can always try to become better and try to take our next step. It’s what Goku would want to do anyway.