Top 10 'Dragon Ball' Arcs

TV & Film

May 16

Dragon Ball characters — Image Source: IMDb

Akira Toriyama was an absolute genius in creating his stories and unique animation style. Not only did he create arguably the best anime and manga series of all time with the Dragon Ball universe, but he also paved the way for most manga and anime artists that would come after him. With more than 500 episodes and multiple movies, Toriyama's legacy will live on forever. Let’s take a look at ten of the best story arcs to come out of his Dragon Ball universe as we all await a release date announcement for the next installment. I will only be including the series that he worked on, so that leaves out Dragon Ball GT. WARNING!! Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super!

10. OG Search For The Dragon Balls

One of the best story arcs is the original search for the Dragon Balls. During this time we get to meet most of the main characters plus we get to understand what the Dragon Balls are, how they work, and why they are so important. This is one of my favorite arcs because it is peak Dragon Ball. There is no threat to the world, and our group gets to just enjoy looking for the Dragon Balls and having fun as kids/teens. I also really enjoy the Emperor Pilaf arc that falls right in the middle of this one.

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9. Tournament Of Power

It’s no secret that the tournaments are some of the very best arcs within the Dragon Ball universe, but they outdid themselves with the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super. Unlike the previous tournament arcs, this one gave us a look at all the other planets and universes that had existed without our knowledge. We got to see how they operated, and what their fighters were like. The tournament itself was an all-out brawl, and it was so fascinating to watch! The structure was interesting, and you honestly had no idea what to expect or how to comprehend what happened to the losers.

8. The Android Saga

I know that some Dragon Ball Z fans might think it is weird that I am separating this arc from the Cell Saga since they happen simultaneously, but I think that they are strong enough to be two separate arcs. I love this saga because we not only see some of the best fighting we ever get from the Z Fighters, but we also get to see Krillin finally fall in love. Plus, this arc coincides with Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks which is arguably one of the best Dragon Ball movies.

7. Majin Buu Saga

Buu is one of my favorite characters in the Dragon Ball universe because I find him fascinating. He seems like this sweet little character and then you learn that he is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. I also really enjoyed how much lore there was for his character because it made it more fun to have him around later on when he was back in his more innocent form. I am not the biggest fan of the mind control part of the arc, but we do get one of Vegeta’s best moments during this arc so it had to be mentioned!

6. The Saiyan Saga

The beginning of Dragon Ball Z is almost as good as the beginning arc of the original show. I love that we get to know more about Goku and why he is so different, but we also get our first introduction to an enemy that Goku can’t defeat. The only reason that this arc isn’t further up on the list is that it includes the horrendous Snake Way arc which is easily the worst arc in the entire universe. I also really love that we get to see Piccolo training Gohan during this arc because it helps to bring attention to Piccolo’s character growth. Plus the battle with Vegeta and Nappa is one of the best fights to take place on Earth.

5. King Piccolo/Piccolo Jr. Saga

The introduction of King Piccolo is one of the best arcs in the original series. This is our first alien enemy that poses a real threat to Goku and his friends. I hate that they kick off this arc by killing Krillin, but it is one of the most emotionally charged arcs in the entire universe. While the actual battle between Goku and King Piccolo is over fairly quickly I like that we get a continuation fight in the final tournament of the series. Everything about the King Piccolo arc is perfect.

4. Tenkaichi Tournament

As I mentioned above the tournament arcs are some of the best arcs in the entire franchise. I couldn’t pick between them so I decided to just lump them all in together here. The original tournament is one of the most endearing, but I think my favorite is probably the last one we get in Dragon Ball when Goku and Piccolo have their showdown. If it wasn’t for this tournament we wouldn’t have Piccolo training Gohan in Dragon Ball Z.

3. The Frieza Saga

I hate the Golden Frieza arc that they give us in Dragon Ball Super because it falls so short of the original Frieza arc that we get in Dragon Ball Z. Frieza is one of my favorite villains in the franchise because he is a formidable enemy for Goku and the Z Force. This arc also takes us to Namek which is one of the best planets we get to visit in the series. Meeting the Ginyu force is another massive plus of this arc, and learning about the Super Sayan for the first time. Honestly, this is one of the best things to happen in all of Dragon Ball.

2. The Cell Saga

This arc just barely beats out the Frieza Saga for me because they are both so good! I really like watching Cell transform throughout this arc because his evolution coincides with the evolution of our characters, especially Gohan. I also really enjoyed that they started to bring in time travel during this arc because it allowed the show to expand in a way that felt natural. Cell is easily one of the best villains we get because he is so formidable.

1. The Red Ribbon Army

This may seem like an odd choice to most Dragon Ball fans, but I love the original series more than any of the others and I think that this is one of the best arcs to come out of the series. One of the things I love so much about this arc is that we get to see how much Goku has grown in strength and fighting style, but he still keeps his kindness and compassion for others. We also get to meet Eighter in this arc which is a massive plus!

You can stream the entire Dragon Ball universe plus many of the movies on Crunchyroll.

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