That being said, Dragon Ball Z is far from being a perfect anime. The show suffers from various problems, with its pacing being the biggest deterrent to watching this classic. The release of Dragon Ball Z Kaihas mitigated this issue… and also brought to light the sheer amount of egregious filler in the manga, which will be elaborated upon below.
Updated on June 16, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Dragon Ball Z is a shonen anime that needs no introductions. The exploits of Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of the Z Warriors as they fight against countless powerful threats is a joyful moment that never ceases to be entertaining. The mere fact that people still consider this show to be better than Dragon Ball Super shows exactly how much people love this series. Even the filler of this show has become iconic in its own right, and here’s a more detailed look at this anime-original content in Dragon Ball Z.
Dragon Ball Z Filler List
9 Season 1 Filler: 9-16
The first season of Dragon Ball Z covers the events all the way to the end of the Saiyan Saga. It’s during this time that Goku passes away and Piccolo is given the responsibility of training Gohan, forming the building blocks of a relationship that will stay strong throughout the entirety of the Dragon Ball series.
The anime expands upon this moment by extensively showing Gohan’s training regimen. It might seem like an unnecessary extension, but this filler actually did a great job of showing the development of Gohan’s strength… and his relationship with Piccolo. This is great for two reasons — it further reinforces why Gohan considers Piccolo to be his guardian, and it also makes a later moment in the series more emotional too.
8 Season 2 Filler: 39-44
The Namek Saga is one of the best arcs in Dragon Ball Z. That being said, anime fans had to wait a bit before the trio of Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan actually landed on this planet. There are five episodes in Season 2 where the Earthlings end up landing on a fake version of Namek, where shape-shifting aliens take on the form of Namekians in a bid to steal a ship and escape the planet they’d been stranded in.
This entire arc is a huge waste of time, and viewers are better off skipping this part of the story entirely and focusing on the events of the real Namek instead. It’s especially egregious given that the jokes in this arc really fall flat and the placement of this arc really undermines the impact of landing on Namek and finding a new set of Dragon Balls.
7 Season 3 Filler: 100, 102
Season 3 mainly deals with Frieza himself and the terror he unleashes on Namek and the visitors of Earth. It also marks the series’ first appearance of a Super Saiyan, with Goku transforming into one after watching Krillin perish in front of his eyes in what he thought was a permanent death. This is one of the most iconic moments in the show, with many people considering the Frieza Saga as their favorite arc for this moment alone.
In the manga, the Super Saiyan transformation leads to Frieza standing no chance against the might of this Saiyan. However, the anime prolongs this fight massively and gives Frieza more of a fighting chance, with Goku being incapacitated for a while and Gohan returning to the battle as well!
6 Season 4 Filler: 108-117, 124, 125
Season 4 begins with the onset of the infamous Garlic Jr. Saga, which is nothing short of complete-time waste. It might be a great way to showcase just how far the Z Warriors have come since their trials on Planet Namek, but the battles in this arc feel almost lifeless. It doesn’t help that Garlic Jr. is a pretty generic and unengaging antagonist as well.
Aside from this, episode 124 is a fairly uneventful episode that shows the Z Warriors training in preparation for the Androids. However, the next episode is actually one of the most legendary filler episodes of all time, showing Goku and Piccolo struggling to get their driving licenses in one of the most hilarious moments in the entire show.
5 Season 5 Filler: None
Season 5 marks the appearance of Cell and how he strives to reach his perfect being by absorbing Android 17 and 18. It’s a wildly entertaining arc, and it’s befitting that there’s absolutely no filler in this arc. Watching Imperfect Cell try his hardest to find these Androids and using clever tactics to disguise his lack of power is surprisingly fun to watch even now.
That being said, there are a few dragged-out episodes in otherwise canon scenes. It’s a staple of the old Dragon Ball Z episodes, so this won’t really catch anyone by surprise. All of this is worth it just to see how Cell develops as a villain and the central antagonist of this arc.
4 Season 6 Filler: 170, 171, 174
The Cell Games kick off in Season 6, with a few episodes beforehand showing the Z Warriors preparing along with a host of other canon occurrences. However, the animators also snuck in a bit of filler before the Cell Games started. For the most part, these additional storylines are fine, but most people would understandably want to jump directly into the Cell Games since it’s the best part of the entire show.
These fillers include the return of General Tao, a rather humanizing look at the victims of Cell, and flashbacks of Gohan as a child. The latter is a pretty brilliant inclusion, given that his battle against Cell is when Gohan sheds the last few dregs of his immaturity and turns into one of the most powerful Saiyans of all time.
3 Season 7 Filler: 195-199, 202-204
Season 7 depicts a brief period of peace before the next threat that Earth faces. During this time, Gohan transforms into The Great Saiyaman and participates in the World Tournament as well. It’s not exactly the most liked arc in the series, in no small part due to its treatment of Gohan. Watching this powerful Saiyan turn into a gag character is a major blow to his reputation that Gohan is still reeling from to this day.
The season starts off with the Other World Tournament where Goku, Pikkon, and a bunch of other dead warriors compete in a heavenly tournament. This arc is completely missing from the manga and was just meant to show off Goku’s skills once again. The other filler episodes mainly take an extended look at Gohan’s time as The Great Saiyaman, although episode 204 does have a canon moment where Videl and Gohan’s relationship blossoms as well!
2 Season 8 Filler: None
Babidi and his vile magical powers make their appearance for the first time in Season 8, making for a great introduction indeed. It features the brilliant clash between Goku and Majin Vegeta before the rise of Majin Buu and the terrors that ensue. It’s a strong start to an arc that might be too long for many people’s liking but is still undoubtedly a great part of the series.
This season thankfully has no filler, barring a few episodes with extra scenes in them. Thankfully, this minor filler doesn’t take away from what is otherwise a pretty great season of Dragon Ball Z. After all, most episodes of Dragon Ball Z used lengthy shots to pad out the runtime, so pointing this season out, in particular, feels a bit accusatory.
1 Season 9 Filler: 274, 287, 288
There’s only a bit of filler present in the final season of Dragon Ball Z. Episode 274 takes a look at Goku and Vegeta’s adventures through the body of Super Buu before they reach their compatriots. It’s a pretty meaningless episode, although watching Goku and Vegeta bond over the course of this icky adventure is pretty engaging in its own way.
Meanwhile, episodes 287 and 288 focus on the pleasant aftermath of Kid Buu’s demise. This involves Majin Buu trying to fit in with Earthlings who hate him for his past actions, while the latter episode focuses on Goku’s ordeals to protect four dragon eggs. Given that Dragon Ball Z is a show that many people would start loving, these anime-original stories feel like the cherry on top of a well-stuffed and satisfying cake.
More: Dragon Ball Z: Things Goku Forgot That Drives Fans Crazy
