No franchise is as defined by its heroes as the Dragon Ball franchise. The many techniques and especially the hair of the series’ central characters have gone on to become iconic staples of pop culture that helped Dragon Ball evolve into one of the most popular anime and manga series on the planet.
But these heroes are not just simply heroes because they star in the series. Fans have viewed the Dragon Ball main characters as heroes because of the admirable and overall important actions that they committed throughout the series. Each character’s heroism can be boiled down to a single, solitary moment for each.
10 Goku Saved The World From Cell’s Explosion
Sacrifice is common throughout the Dragon Ball series, and the Z-Fighters do it for each other on multiple occasions. What makes Goku’s sacrifice so special, especially compared to all of the other great things he has done in the past, is that it comes after making his son fight Cell. Boneheaded strategy aside, Goku recognized his mistake in forcing his son into a battle he wasn’t mentally prepared for and sought to make things right for his son and the rest of the world.
9 Gohan Killed Cell For Good
It’s too bad that Goku’s sacrifice was all for naught, as Cell regenerated moments later. Even worse, Gohan was too weak, beaten, battered, and broken (emotionally and physically) to carry on. But eventually, he pulled himself together. The world’s strongest fighter had just died in front of him, but Gohan quickly rose to the challenge of finishing off the world’s biggest threat once and for all.
Gohan ultimately prevailed and destroyed Cell with the Kamehameha. It’s by far the crowning achievement of Gohan’s life.
8 Krillin Beat Yunba All By Himself
Krillin’s best moment may also be his most recent. It’s rare to see Krillin have a moment that he could be proud of. Akira Toriyama throws him a bone every once in a while, but ultimately, more often than not, he’s written to either die or be beaten up terribly.
One of the more recent chapters of Dragon Ball Super featured more of the same as Krillin was defeated in his initial encounter with Moro’s henchman, Yunba. But in a rematch later, Krillin was able to find redemption, finishing Yunba off with a fatal Kamehameha all by himself.
7 Trunks Killed Frieza & King Cold
It can be argued that Trunks may very well have had the best debut appearance out of all of the Z-Fighters, if not the most memorable. As the Earth was facing an impending alien invasion, this mysterious stranger took everyone on by himself and won. Not only that, but he did so as a Super Saiyan, the second in the series to transform.
Trunks did something that not even Goku could at the time — killing Frieza once and for all, along with King Cold. This debut set the stage for Trunks to receive a warm welcome into the Dragon Ball family and set the stage for Trunks to become hugely popular among fans.
6 Vegeta Did What He Could To Save His Son & Wife From Buu
Goku made a bonehead decision to let his 11-year old son fight a powerful android by himself, but Vegeta’s decision to willingly give in to the dark side just to beat Goku in a fight might be even worse. This is especially true with how Vegeta knew he’d be resurrecting someone like Majin Buu in the process.
Fortunately, like Goku, he recognized – albeit, when it was too late – that he made a reckless decision, and Vegeta sought to correct it. For the sake of salvaging a world with his son and wife, Vegeta sacrificed his life in an attempt to take Buu down with him. Vegeta’s efforts ended up being in vain as Buu survived, but the sentiment was vital enough to finally complete his redemption arc.
5 Tien Distracted Cell While The Androids Escaped
On paper, this might be the most inconsequential moment in terms of heroic actions. Tien used a countless array of Tri-Beam Cannons to ward off Cell long enough to buy the androids some time to escape the area and hide. It did not amount to much in the very end as Cell would later catch up to both androids to achieve his Perfect form.
However, what makes this such a highlight in Tien’s life and for fans of the character is that the moment was simply, for lack of a better word, awesome. A supporting character who hardly was relevant enough to maintain a B-level role was suddenly getting a chance to shine against the Saga’s Big Bad. It was fresh to see, especially for a character who hadn’t had such a notable moment since the original Dragon Ball.
4 Piccolo Prevents The Black Star Dragon Balls From Ever Being Used Again
The only thing more heroic than protecting Gohan was the moment that Piccolo sacrificed himself on a higher scale to save the world. Maybe this moment is a stretch because technically Dragon Ball GT isn’t even canon anymore, but even the spiritual sequel’s biggest critic will rank this among Piccolo’s best and noblest moments.
In this series, the Black Star Dragon Balls are so dangerous that they destroy the planet a year after each wish. When the Earth is nearing its destruction, Piccolo opts to stay on the dying planet. With no Piccolo, there are no more Dragon Balls, ensuring that no one can use the dangerous Black Star Dragon Balls again.
3 Yamcha Beat Goku In Their First Encounter
Because his status across the overall franchise has him reduced to being nothing more than a meme, people refuse to give Yamcha the credit he deserves for the good things he actually does in the series. And the best thing he ever did was beat Goku in a fight upon first meeting him in Dragon Ball.
At this point in the series, no one had defeated Goku before. And despite Yamcha being older at the time, Goku was still an abnormally strong fighter. Maybe back then, Goku was already the Earth’s strongest fighter, but Yamcha outsmarted him right until Bulma provided a distraction.
2 Master Roshi Introduced The Kamehameha
Master Roshi often gets reduced to some old pervert archetype as the franchise progresses and his role starts to diminish, but Master Roshi’s skills as a martial arts fighter are actually quite impressive. His skills and teachings are partially responsible for turning Goku into the planet’s mightiest savior.
The Kamehameha was easily Master Roshi’s greatest contribution to Goku, his other trainees, and the franchise as a whole. By teaching it to his students who passed it down to another generation, Roshi introduced Dragon Ball to its most iconic and instantly recognizable technique for audiences.
1 Chiaotzu Did His Best Against Nappa Despite Being Severely Outmatched
Even Chiaotzu sacrificed himself once upon a time ago. It is not often that Chiaotzu plays a pivotal role in the story for the sake of any moment (good or bad), but there is at least one moment that fans will always remember as one of the franchise’s most heartbreaking scenes. After seeing his friends clearly outmatched by Nappa, Chiaotzu attempts to end the violence by taking Nappa out along with himself.
Like Tien’s aforementioned moment with Cell, this one did not amount to much as Chiaotzu’s self-destruction barely left a scratch on Nappa. Still, this is remembered for leaving such a large emotional punch. It’s hard not to make a DBZ fan shed a tear upon echoing the words, “Goodbye, Tien.”
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