Brace yourself for the most mind-blowing moments in Dragon Ball history! Get ready to relive the scenes that left fans absolutely stunned.
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00:00It's those eyes, they have the same eyes.
00:11Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most surprising events
00:16in the Dragon Ball franchise.
00:18Now, where were we?
00:21Oh yes, how could I have forgotten?
00:27In the dystopian future, things aren't great.
00:34Future Trunks attempts desperately to return to the past.
00:37However, after his mother Bulma is killed, Trunks barely escapes her killer, Black.
00:49Meeting up with Future Mai, Trunks hopes that they can return to the past together.
00:54However, Black pursues them, and seemingly kills Mai too.
00:58Killing two prominent characters, even if it's in an alternate timeline, would be bad
01:02enough to make a shocking first impression.
01:04But then we see Black's face, and… he looks like Goku.
01:13An evil version of the protagonist is a familiar trope for Dragon Ball, but this reveal still
01:18gets our hearts racing.
01:28Most Dragon Ball villains will fight the heroes, and then, when things don't go their way,
01:33threaten to blow up the planet they're fighting on.
01:35Kid Buu cuts out the middle bits, and just decides to blow up Earth, relying on his ability
01:41to regenerate to survive.
01:49Even as Goku and Vegeta flee, hoping to save some of their family and friends, we all assume
01:54there'd be some way out of the situation.
02:03But then Buu unleashes his attack, and planet Earth, as well as most of the extended cast,
02:08is no more.
02:10Sure, they come back later, but in the moment, it's absolutely terrifying.
02:25The original Dragon Ball anime is initially more of a gag-adventure series, and when Master
02:30Roshi is introduced, he seems like nothing more than a perverted old man.
02:42When Goku calls upon him to put out the fire on Fire Mountain, saving Ox King's castle,
02:48Roshi doesn't seem up to the task, but then, he bulks up to an incredibly muscular form.
03:02Roshi powers up the iconic attack, Kamehameha, and proceeds to put the fire out.
03:08Well, it's only out because he blows away the entire mountain.
03:24Roshi's surprising transformation and incredible attack change the entire course of the series,
03:30and raise plenty of eyebrows.
03:36In the pecking order of the Ginyu Force, Goldo may rank pretty low.
03:40Nonetheless, the little green man still proves challenging for Gohan and Krillin to fight.
03:55Goldo's ability to stop time while holding his breath is an incredible advantage.
03:59And when Goldo switches tactics to freezing their minds with his psychic powers, the two
04:04heroes look to be done for.
04:10However, Vegeta, of all people, steps in to save them.
04:18With little to no warning, the Saiyan Prince cuts off Goldo's head with an energy beam.
04:30It's not only a surprising moment of altruism from the former antagonist, it's also a pretty
04:35graphic death.
04:41Amidst all the panic about the androids, the heroes hear rumblings about towns going missing.
04:46After fusing with Kamehameha, Piccolo decides to go and investigate Ginger Town.
04:58While exploring the deserted city, littered with clothes and discarded items, Piccolo
05:03is approached by the monstrous Cell.
05:06The big green bug is dragging the richest man in town, who offers to pay Piccolo to
05:11save him.
05:21Piccolo challenges Cell, despite being shocked at how familiar the creature's power feels.
05:26Cell then pierces the rich man with his tail, draining him like a capri sun before Piccolo
05:32can do anything.
05:42It's a disturbing scene that feels like something out of a horror movie.
05:51Goku begins the series as an orphan, living in the woods after the death of his grandfather
05:56Gohan.
05:57Gohan was supposedly killed by a monster while Goku slept.
06:01When he and his friends are imprisoned by Emperor Pilaf in a cell with a view, Goku
06:06mentions how his grandpa warned him never to look at a full moon.
06:16His friends begin to suspect that Goku may have become the monster that killed Gohan.
06:21This is soon confirmed when Goku looks at the moon and transforms into the enormous
06:25Usaru.
06:33It's shocking enough for us to learn Goku's a weremonkey, and even more tragic once Goku
06:38realises the truth years later.
06:454.
06:48Goku's Death – Dragon Ball Z
06:51The second series of Dragon Ball practically begins with the battle between Goku and Piccolo
06:56against Goku's brother, Raditz.
07:06Despite being the two strongest fighters on Earth, the duo can barely match the Saiyan
07:10warrior in combat.
07:12Ultimately, Goku decides to sacrifice himself by restraining Raditz so Piccolo can kill
07:17them both.
07:32Long-time fans of Dragon Ball were surprised, as Goku had rarely been backed into a corner
07:36like this, much less killed.
07:39Even viewers who started with Z were shocked that the protagonist died in the first few
07:44episodes.
07:513.
07:55Krillin's First Death – Dragon Ball
07:58The martial arts tournament is over, time for the gang to celebrate and eat their fill
08:02at a restaurant.
08:04But oops, Goku has forgotten his Dragon Ball and the Power Pole at the arena.
08:09It's fine though, Krillin is running back to go get them.
08:21Goku has a bad feeling, but he dismisses it.
08:24Nothing bad will happen, except Krillin doesn't come back.
08:33Returning to the arena, Goku sees Krillin and the announcer lying on the ground.
08:38The announcer tells him a monster attacked them and took the Dragon Ball.
08:43And Krillin's not just injured, he's dead.
08:50Characters dying happens all the time in Dragon Ball, but it all started with this one.
08:55The fact that it sprung on us this way leaves quite the impression.
08:592.
09:00Goku's Origins – Dragon Ball Z
09:03Along with being a brand new show, Dragon Ball Z changed everything, starting with Goku.
09:08A trip to Kame House is interrupted by the surprise arrival of Raditz.
09:20This powerful warrior sports a tail just like Goku used to have.
09:24He reveals that not only is Goku's birth name Kakarot, but he also belongs to a race
09:29of alien conquerors called the Saiyans.
09:32Oh, and they're also brothers.
09:35Although everyone who starred with Z probably took this in stride, this revelation completely
09:47reshaped the way veteran Dragon Ball fans saw the franchise's hero.
09:571.
10:14Future Trunks Wrecks Freeza – Dragon Ball Z
10:17The Z-Warriors are in a panic after Freeza, the guy who just killed most of them, arrives
10:22on Earth.
10:23However, before they can do battle with the new and improved cyborg alien, a mysterious
10:28kid with a sword shows up.
10:34This Trunks guy has jaws dropping both on and off screen when he turns Super Saiyan.
10:39He proceeds to utterly dominate the most powerful villain seen in the franchise until this point,
10:45and his father, King Cold.
10:54It's an incredibly badass sequence, but there's also zero build-up, making this perhaps the
10:58most shocking moment in Dragon Ball history.
11:06Is there a Dragon Ball moment that you found more astonishing than Yamcha's losing streak?
11:10Tell us your favorites in those comments below.