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By the Namek arc, Dragon Ball Z was forced to drag out some of the manga’s best fights with filler episodes – an issue the anime never really recovered from. Dragon Ball Z isn’t as slow-paced as its detractors make it out to be, but some fights overstay their welcome in the anime.
Updated October 11, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Dragon Ball Z is a legendary battle shonen anime that needs no introduction. Despite being a continuation of Dragon Ball, a lot of fans got into this series from Dragon Ball Z, with the series exploding in popularity after the introduction of the Saiyans. Watching Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of the Z Warriors tackle countless threats made for a great watch that is still infinitely palatable to this day. Here are some of the longest fights in the series and some of the most notable moments in these battles.
15 Goku & Piccolo Vs Raditz (3 Episodes)
Episodes: 2 to 4
It’s only fitting that one of the first fights in the series that establishes the identity of Dragon Ball Z is also a rather lengthy fight in its own right.
Watching the grown-up cast of Dragon Ball is quite a treat, and the manner in which the duo of Goku and Piccolo take on the Saiyan Raditz makes it extremely clear that the formula of the series was going to be way different from its predecessor.
Notable Moment(s)
After holding Raditz down for the second time, Goku opted to sacrifice his life and died along with Raditz to save Earth from his powerful presence.
14 Majin Vegeta Vs Majin Buu (3 Episodes)
Episodes: 220 to 222
After realizing that he was nothing more than a pawn for Babidi, Vegeta decided to take matters into his own hands and broke through the mind control spell that the wizard had used on him.
The timing of this couldn’t have been more perfect, with the new threat of Majin Buu looming over the earth. After realizing his mistake, Vegeta decides to take on this threat before it can destroy Earth, and ultimately sacrifices himself in the process.
However, this sacrifice was for naught, and Majin Buu escaped to terrorize Earth and its inhabitants.
Notable Moment(s)
After understanding the error of his ways, Vegeta acknowledges the people he grew to love and respect before sacrificing himself in a powerful attack that was meant to take Majin Buu out for good.
13 Earthlings Vs Nappa (4 Episodes)
Episodes: 19 to 22
Dragon Ball Z has a lot of adaptational problems that undersell the manga’s greatest qualities, but the Saiyan arc kicked off the series on a high that it was never able to recapture. The opening episodes do an excellent job of respecting the source material while actually bolstering the manga’s plot points.
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The fight against Nappa is far more emotional in the anime, using each episode to highlight the rising stakes. Watching Yamcha, Chaozu, Tenshinhan, and Piccolo die back to back to back – across multiple episodes – carries more weight than their fast-paced deaths in the manga. The animation and Japanese voice work during this part of DBZ are also spectacular.
Notable Moment(s)
Tien, Nappa, and Piccolo sacrificed their lives against Nappa before Gohan tried his hardest to overpower the Saiyan. Before Goku’s son would meet the same fate as his comrades, his father came to save the day.
12 Everyone Vs Vegeta (4 Episodes)
Episodes: 23 to 26
It’s almost staggering just how good the final battle against Vegeta is in the Saiyan arc – across both mediums. In the manga, Vegeta’s debut fight is a gauntlet that leaves Goku utterly broken and the supporting cast desperately wearing down Vegeta chapter by chapter.
In the anime, the fight with Vegeta borders on movie quality with animation, pacing, and fight choreography that makes it genuinely difficult to look away. The fact this quality is carried over throughout the entire fight set a high standard for Dragon Ball Z’s biggest battles. From Goku’s one-on-one duel with Vegeta to Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe saving the day, not a single episode is wasted.
Notable Moment(s)
The iconic beam struggle between Goku and Vegeta before the latter turns into a Great Ape is the stuff of legends. The Spirit Bomb fired later on bounced back and forth before hitting Vegeta, with a Great Ape Gohan crushing him near the end served as the icing on the cake of Vegeta’s embarrassment.
11 Trunks Vs Perfect Cell (4 Episodes)
Episodes: 147 to 150
After watching his arrogant father get the beatdown of his life at the hands of Perfect Cell, Trunks decides to unveil his power as well. Trunks tried to put the training of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to good use and end the threat of Cell once and for all.
However, regardless of how hard Trunks tried, he was no match for Perfect Cell’s immense power. Using the power of Super Saiyan Third Grade proved to be the final nail in the coffin — his agility was extremely low, turning him into a plaything for Perfect Cell.
Notable Moment(s)
Trunks bulking up to a Super Saiyan Third Grade was great, but this came at the cost of his mobility. This allowed Perfect Cell to easily overpower and beat down Trunks without so much as a second thought.
10 Goku Vs Majin Vegeta (4 Episodes)
Episodes: 214 to 217
The rivalry between Goku and Vegeta is easily one of the most legendary in shonen history, and it’s only befitting that their clashes have made this list twice.
The fight between Goku and Majin Vegeta is quite a blast to witness firsthand, with both Saiyans giving it their all in a battle to satisfy both their hunger for battle… and their pride as well. The latter was especially important for Vegeta, who even enslaved his mind to Babidi in a bid to gain more power and attain a leg-up over his rival.
Notable Moment(s)
Majin Vegeta taking about his growing issues on Earth before giving Goku the beatdown of his life was a great watch. Of course, this fight was interrupted by the revival of Majin Buu, marking the entry of the series’ antagonist.
9 Goku Vs Cell (4 Episodes)
Episodes: 177 to 180
Goku’s fight against Cell could have realistically been adapted in one airtight episode since splitting it up across four episodes does it little favors. Not only does the fight not need to be this long, but the anime also breaks up the pacing with shenanigans from Mr. Satan’s peanut gallery.
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Focus is taken off of one of Goku’s best battles in Dragon Ball and instead placed on comic relief that neither lands nor fits the tone of the arc.
Notable Moment(s)
Goku fired off an Instant Kamehameha against Cell, only for his top half to be completely obliterated. Of course, Cell could regenerate and was back into fighting form once again.
8 Everyone Vs Captain Ginyu (5 Episodes)
Episodes: 54, 55, 57, 59 & 60
While Captain Ginyu certainly made himself seem like a complete goofball, he was obviously no slouch in battle. However, his power couldn’t match up to Goku, prompting the leader of the Ginyu Force to switch bodies in one of the weirdest yet most iconic moments in the entire series.
The ensuing series of events involves Goku — in Ginyu’s body — trying to convince his friends to battle the doppelganger, before eventually using a frog to save Vegeta from the same fate and trap Ginyu in the body of an amphibian.
Notable Moment(s)
Ginyu found it impossible to get into his own body and tried to take over Vegeta’s body twice… only to fail both times. The first time, he returned to his old body, with Goku’s impressive frog throw sealing this captain’s fate once and for all.
7 Gotenks Vs Super Buu (5 Episodes)
Episodes: 242 to 246
By the time Akira Toriyama reached the Majin Buu arc in the manga, it was clear that Dragon Ball was running its course. Although one of the longest arcs in the series, the Majin Buu arc consistently has the shortest fights – at times not even giving battles a proper arc. One of the only comprehensive fights in the manga is Gotenks’ fights against Evil Buu.
This is one instance where the anime actually does a good job in adapting a fight to its fullest. At a respectable 5 episodes, Gotenks’ fight with Evil Buu in and around the Room of Spirit and Time is able to build up to Gotenks turning Super Saiyan 3 while giving all of the battle’s major beats time to shine.
Notable Moment(s)
Super Buu terrorizing and turning everyone on Kami’s Lookout into candy was a source of great dismay for Gotenks and Piccolo. However, the fused fighter got his time to shine after turning Super Saiyan 3 and tearing a hole through space and time itself through sheer force of will.
6 Vegito Vs Super Buu (5 Episodes)
Episodes: 253 to 257
On the flip side, Vegito’s fight with Buuhan is so short in the manga that it realistically could have been adapted in a single episode (if that). Instead, Dragon Ball Z spends just as much time as it did with Gotenks & Buu as it does with Vegito and Super Buu. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough material in this fight to pad 5 episodes.
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The end result is a battle that drags out for nearly an hour & a half that was finished within minutes in the manga. Worse is that Vegito’s raw power means Super Buu stands no real chance, meaning this is a 5 episodes straight beatdown of a single character. It’s hard not to feel bad for Majin Buu, honestly.
Notable Moment(s)
Vegito absolutely flexing his strength and toying around with Majin Buu is great to watch. Of course, his overconfidence comes to haunt him later on when Super Buu manages to absorb this fighter when he’s not paying attention.
5 Vegeta Vs Cell (8 Episodes)
Episodes: 139 to 146
Vegeta’s fight against Cell midway through the Android arc has a lot of moving parts – the actual fight itself, Krillin’s confrontation with Android 18, Trunks’ presence through it all, and Cell’s obtaining of his Perfect form – but not enough where the fight needed 8 full-length episodes.
Rather than the pacing, though, Vegeta’s fight against Cell stems from animation and direction issues. What’s a frantic battle in the manga whose arc clearly builds to Cell pulling one over on Vegeta drags out in the anime, making it difficult to stay invested in the storytelling.
Notable Moment(s)
Vegeta unleashing the Final Flash against Perfect Cell is one of the best beam attacks in the entire show, with the attack being strong enough to destroy Earth had Vegeta not fired the move tactically.
4 Everyone Vs Frieza (8 Episodes)
Episodes: 64 to 71
For what it’s worth, the fight against Frieza starts off well-paced enough in the anime. The first 8 episodes are dedicated to everything before Goku shows up, which actually does have a fair bit of material to adapt – perhaps not 8 episodes’ worth, but it’s not an unreasonable number when taking into account how much of an endurance match the battle with Frieza is.
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Problems start to arise when you look at the arc in perspective, however. Along with these initial 8 episodes, the final fight against Frieza lasts nearly 30 episodes in Dragon Ball Z. That’s over half a year of syndication for a single battle. In the grand scheme of things, it’s simply too much.
Notable Moment(s)
All of Frieza’s transformations are great to watch, with the Z Fighters having to increase their power exponentially in a bid to even stand a chance against this powerful foe.
3 Everyone Vs Kid Buu (9 Episodes)
Episodes: 279 to 287
Kid Buu serves as Dragon Ball Z’s final villain, so it does make sense to some extent to stretch out the finale for all it’s worth. Even the manga – after spending all arc blitzing through fights – takes its time to detail the final battle. Goku, Vegeta, Majin Buu, and Mr. Satan all play a key role in stopping Pure Buu.
While the anime arguably spends too much time adapting the fight against Kid Buu, it’s handled remarkably well. Goku’s initial battle features some of the best filler (and plain old animation) in the anime, while Vegeta and Majin Buu’s turns don’t overstay their welcome. It’s a lengthy but earned conclusion to the arc.
Notable Moment(s)
Vegeta acknowledging his rival as he fought Kid Buu was a defining moment for Vegeta’s character growth. The final Spirit Bomb that Goku launches on Kid Buu is also pretty great to witness in its own right.
2 Gohan Vs Cell (11 Episodes)
Episodes: 181 to 191
Between Gohan refusing to fight, Cell creating his Cell Juniors, 16 dying, Gohan transforming, and Goku sacrificing his life, a lot happens after Gohan steps up during the Cell Games. 11 episodes might be pushing it (and there are certainly some sections of the fight that could be trimmed), but the sheer emotion at play during this part of the franchise is hard to ignore.
The Dragon Ball Z anime plays up the Cell Games considerably, turning Gohan’s transformation into a Super Saiyan 2 into one of the anime’s most legendary moments – arguably carrying more impact than Goku’s own transformation on Namek. It’s an emotional resolution that carries the fight through each episode.
Notable Moment(s)
Gohan’s Super Saiyan 2 transformation is the biggest highlight of a fight that has many other memorable moments too. Gohan bashing the Cell Jr.’s into oblivion, Goku sacrificing himself to save the Earth, Trunks’ death triggering Vegeta’s rage, and Gohan sacrificing his arm to save Vegeta are all notable moments in this arc. The final beam clash between Cell and Gohan is also extremely iconic in its own right.
1 Goku Vs Frieza (19 Episodes)
Episodes: 87 to 105
Infamously the longest fight in shonen anime history, Goku vs Frieza was not adapted as elegantly as it should have been in Dragon Ball Z. With Toei dangerously close to catching up with the manga, the anime had no choice but to drag out the story as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately, Goku’s fight against Frieza was the only thing DBZ had to work with at the time.
The end result is an excruciatingly slow final battle where plot development happens at a snail’s pace. The manga had a substantial beat happen every chapter of the fight, never overstaying its welcome, but Dragon BallZ has no choice but to chew on every little detail of the battle. The last few episodes with Goku as a Super Saiyan move at an especially slow pace.
Notable Moment(s)
Goku’s transformation into a Super Saiyan was undoubtedly the biggest highlight of his arc. He absolutely disrespected Frieza and caused him to get severed from his own move as well, which showed just how powerful Goku really was in comparison to Frieza.
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