Dragon Ballis one of the most popular shonen series of all time. The sheer scale of the battles in this series coupled with a whole host of memorable characters has helped this show stand out and remain popular to this day. Fans can’t wait to see the next chapter ofDragon Ball Super, with recent developments leading to several great fusions, transformations, and the like.
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Dragon Ball’s biggest strength is the manner in which complex and interesting themes are woven into the very fabric of the series' many battles. Battling is not just a test of two mighty warriors, but of two contrasting ideologies as well, as evidenced by the best examples ofDragon Ballfights with great thematic importance.
1Goku VS Vegeta
The battle between Goku and Vegeta is absolutely dripping with greatness, with this classic encounter being a thing of beauty indeed. Vegeta, being a high-born prince, laughs in the face of weaklings and can’t fathom a member of the inferior warrior race like Kakarot standing up to him.
However, not only does Goku pull his weight, buthe actually gives Vegeta a run for his money. That beam struggle is a thing of beauty, and while Vegeta manages to gain the upper hand by becoming a Great Ape, Goku’s humility allows him to take the help of those around him to score a victory after a grueling struggle.
2Goku VS Frieza
Frieza is a tyrant who terrorized weaker races and destroyed Planet Vegeta out of fear that someone stronger from the planet would take him down. Vegeta was so aggrieved by this monster that he went so far as to beg Goku to defeat him, which is the first time people have really seen Vegeta so desperate and defeated.
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The sheer emotion inthe conflict between Goku and Friezais palpable from the get-go. Goku holds his own against Frieza but slowly gets outclassed in terms of strength, bringing out the Spirit Bomb to end things once and for all. Things don’t go as planned, and Krillin’s death triggers a wave of rage that causes him to become a Super Saiyan and absolutely humble the once-great emperor before refusing to fight a weakling in a show of strength that completely shattered what remained of Frieza’s ego.
3Vegeta VS Semi-Perfect Cell
In many ways, both Vegeta and Cell were pretty similar to each other. This is understandable given that Cell is essentially a biological creation from the cells of the strongest warriors on Earth, including the Prince of all Saiyans himself.
So,after Semi-Perfect Cell is beaten to a pulp, Vegeta decides to stroke his own ego and thirst for battle by letting Cell absorb Android 18 in one of the most bone-headed moments in the series, which, sadly, is perfectly in line with the Prince’s character. The ensuing beatdown definitely bruises Vegeta’s ego, who went so far as to beat his own son to allow Cell to reach his perfect form.
4Gohan VS Perfect Cell
Gohan is not like his father when it comes to fighting, preferring pacifism instead of all-out brawls. It’s a fact that his own father takes too long to understand, but the Saiyan blood within this child was triggered after a passionate speech by Android 16.
Transforming in a blaze of fury, Gohan decided to remove the restraints tying him down and pushed himself to the limits against Cell, releasing his dormant potential and absolutely schooling this bio-android. Of course, the pride and ego did cloud his judgment, leading to his father’s avoidable death. Regardless, Gohan pushed on and usedone of the most iconic Kamehamehas inDragon Ballhistoryto destroy Cell once and for all.
5Goku VS Majin Vegeta
During a time of peace, Vegeta decided to settle down on Earth with a family of his own. However, his Saiyan pride didn’t let him just stand by and enjoy a life of peace, becoming disillusioned in the process. So, when Babidi came knocking and promised to increase his strength to new levels, Vegeta jumped at this opportunity.
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This leads toa brilliant confrontation between Goku and Majin Vegeta, with the Saiyan Prince’s friend striving to make him see reason at all costs. While this battle ended in Vegeta’s favor, no one really won since Babidi was just manipulating Vegeta to unleash a ton of energy during his battle with Goku to trigger the rise of Majin Buu.
6Majin Vegeta VS Majin Buu
Realizing that he’d been played like a pawn, Vegeta decided to fight back against Babidi’s orders and freed himself from the mind control of this wizard. It was a powerful moment, with the awakening of Majin Buu leading Vegeta to realize that he needed to stop this monster in his tracks tosave the lives of his friends and family.
After fighting against Majin Buu and realizing that his normal attacks wouldn’t do anything, Vegeta decided to go all out in a Hail Mary attack that would take his own life. It’s a powerful moment, with Vegeta being thankful for everything in his life and redeeming himself before going out with a rather large bang.
7Goku, Vegeta, & Future Trunks VS Future Zamasu & Goku Black
Human life is anything but wasteful, even if humanity itself is capable of carrying out some dreadful atrocities. However, the great thing about mortal life is that it survives against all costs and never lets evil take permanent hold of it. This is something Zamasu never understood, going so far as to take over Goku’s body to destroy all life on Earth.
The battle between Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks against the villainous duo of Future Zamasu and Goku Black made for a great time. The heroes weren’t going to give up on humanity at all, and Zamasu ended up hitting the nail in his own coffin byfusing with Goku Black and ruining his own immortal body.
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