In its nearly 300 episode run, Dragon Ball Z posted almost too many iconic moments to count. While deciding which episodes are the best of the best is likely to inspire some fiery debate among fans young and old, there is one way to keep things at least somewhat objective: IMDB ratings. Seeing the top-rated episode from each saga should be fairly revealing in regard to which moments rank the highest to the most people.
Note: IMDB’s episode list is of the original Dragon Ball Z dub, which is a total of 277 episodes rather than the original 291. Therefore, the names and episode numbers won’t line up perfectly, but there’s no doubt that these moments would still rank near the top if they did. Also, most shorter sagas have been condensed into their larger arcs.
10 Saiyan: “Goku vs. Vegeta…a Saiyan Duel!” (8.5)
It only makes sense that the highest rated episode in Goku and company’s clash with the Saiyans would be the moment when the show’s two heaviest hitters went at it for the first time.
Vegeta remained one of the strongest characters throughout the entirety of the series, but at this point he was absolutely terrifying, having just killed his own partner in cold blood for being a disappointment to the Saiyan race. The tension of Vegeta and Goku flying to a safer location to battle it out was a powerful moment, and when the blows started landing, well, it was one of the high points of the whole series.
9 Ginyu Force: “Goku…Super Saiyan?” (8.6)
No, this isn’t actually the moment where Goku finally goes Super Saiyan, but his newfound power upon returning from King Kai’s planet was enough to make Vegeta question whether or not he had. After everyone else had been struggling mightily with the Ginyu Force, Goku just drops in and dispenses Recoome with incredible ease.
It’s easy to imagine why fans rank this one so high. The legendary hero had returned from the dead, and this time he was far stronger than ever before. Plus, it was also a blast to see the incredibly annoying Recoome get his comeuppance so swiftly.
8 Frieza: “Transformed At Last” (9.1)
When Frieza brutally murders Goku’s best friend right in front him, he takes his power (and the whole series) to an entirely different level. Filled with a righteous rage so powerful that apocalyptic lightning bolts rain down on the surface of Namek as he transforms for the very first time into the legendary Super Saiyan. Even Frieza looks shook.
It’s safe to say that every last fan on planet earth absolutely lost it while watching this scene for the first time. It’s easily one of the greatest highlights of the entire franchise and to this day remains unbelievably cool.
7 Trunks: “Another Super Saiyan?” (8.6)
When fans first saw a cyborg Frieza land on Earth along with his father, King Cold, without Goku there to protect it, the consensus was one big “Uh Oh.” Which is why it was completely mind-blowing to see a brand-new character appear out of nowhere, turn Super Saiyan and then absolutely obliterate them both.
Once Goku returned to Earth and Trunks had an opportunity to explain where he came from and why, things got even more mind-blowing. And thus, a fan favorite was born.
6 Androids: “Upgrade To Super Saiyan” (8.4)
One thing that Akira Toriyama absolutely nailed with Dragon Ball Z was the art of making a villain seem so insurmountably powerful that it genuinely struck fear in the heart of the reader/viewer. The awful Android 20 decimating an entire city in front of Goku and crew without breaking a robotic sweat while Android 19 just hangs out next to him is a great example of this.
Another thing Toriyama absolutely nailed was his way of revealing that his heroes had another trick up their sleeve when things were looking bleak. This is exactly what happens when Android 19 tells Vegeta he knows all of his moves, to which he responds, “Let me ask you: does a machine like yourself ever experience fear?” and proceeds to turn Super Saiyan for the first time. The ensuing battle is a stone-cold DBZ classic.
5 Cell: “Super Vegeta” (8.2)
A betting man might wager that Gohan going Super Saiyan 2 and obliterating Cell with a little help from Goku and Vegeta would be the favorite moment in the Cell Saga, but it turns out the fans (at least those who rate episodes on IMDB) prefer Vegeta’s ascent to Super Vegeta and subsequent throw down with Semi-Perfect Cell was even cooler.
It makes enough sense: Vegeta has always been a fan favorite and this was definitely a spectacular moment in the series. However, it’s safe to say that in a ranking of all the greatest moments in the history of the franchise, Super Saiyan 2 Gohan vs. Cell would have come in near the very top. This episode's higher rating is an interesting (and kind of fun) anomaly.
4 World Tournament: “Videl Is Crushed” (8.1)
It’s interesting that before the World Tournament Saga the last time fans of the Dragon Ball franchise got to see a truly powerful female character (that wasn’t an android, at least) do battle was also the last time they got to see a World Martial Arts Tournament. First it was Chi-Chi in the final saga of the original Dragon Ball, in this episode it’s Videl.
This may just be a total coincidence, but it’s also possible that Akira Toriyama saw the potential for a fun through line and decided to come full circle with it. The result was the highest rated episode in one of the sagas that received the least fanfare.
3 Majin Buu: “Final Atonement” (9.1)
Vegeta lays claim to a ton of the greatest moments in all of Dragon Ball Z, and this episode may be his finest. The Saiyan Prince had long been the unusual villain who hangs around to antagonize the heroes, kind of like the Roger Klotz to Goku’s Doug Funnie, but in this shining moment fans got to see him inarguably become a full-on good guy.
In a last ditch effort to stop Majin Buu, Vegeta sacrifices himself in one massive explosion. As the blaze expands across the screen, the narrator reads his awesome obituary: “And so, one of the Earth’s greatest warriors has vanished in a blinding flash of light, having made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his loved one’s. His name was Vegeta, a proud Saiyan prince.”
2 Kid Buu: “Vegeta’s Respect” (8.3)
It’s quite clear by now that everyone really loves Vegeta. But this episode is a bit different from some other fan favorite Vegeta moments. When he steps in to take on Kid Buu after Goku collapses in a heap, he really doesn’t seem to stand much of a chance. He keeps fighting, just like Vegeta always does, and by the end of it all he comes to a tremendous realization.
What fans really got to see in this episode was an honest look at the reluctant respect masked as hatred Vegeta has for Goku. The dynamic between these two characters is perhaps the major story across the entire series and this episode is the one where it seems to finally reach its heartfelt conclusion.
1 Filler Arcs: “Duel On A Vanishing Planet” (8.2)
Filler rarely, if ever, compares to the episodes of an anime adapted directly from the manga, but Dragon Ball Z had a few filler moments that could almost pass as the real deal. This episode is probably ranked so high on IMDB because it was one single entry that actually fit right into one of the most epic battles in shonen history: Goku vs. Frieza.
Of course, it’s also one of the reasons why this particular part of Dragon Ball became a meme. The five minutes until Namek exploded were notoriously drawn out to a comical degree, and it has provided many anime detractors with some decent (but flawed!) ammunition over the years. Still, it’s a pretty fun episode for filler.