Dragon Ball Z

Five years after winning the World Martial Arts tournament, Gokuu is now living a peaceful life with his wife and son. This changes, however, with the arrival of a mysterious enemy named Raditz who presents himself as Gokuu's long-lost brother. He reveals that Gokuu is a descendant of the once powerful but now virtually extinct Saiyan race, whose homeworld was annihilated. When he was sent to Earth as a baby, Gokuu's sole purpose was to conquer and destroy the planet; but after suffering amnesia from a head injury, his violent and savage nature changed, and instead was raised as a kind and well-mannered boy, now fighting to protect others.

With his failed attempt at forcibly recruiting Gokuu as an ally, Raditz warns Gokuu's friends of a new threat that's rapidly approaching Earth—one that could plunge Earth into an intergalactic conflict and cause the heavens themselves to shake. A war will soon be fought over the seven mystical Dragon Balls, magic objects that can grant any wish. Only the strongest will survive.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Son, Gokuu Main

Nozawa, Masako Japanese

Vegeta Main

Horikawa, Ryo Japanese

Son, Gohan Main

Nozawa, Masako Japanese

Piccolo Main

Furukawa, Toshio Japanese

Kuririn Main

Tanaka, Mayumi Japanese

Future Trunks Supporting

Kusao, Takeshi Japanese

Freeza Supporting

Nakao, Ryusei Japanese

Trunks Supporting

Kusao, Takeshi Japanese

Bulma Supporting

Tsuru, Hiromi Japanese

Muten-Roushi Supporting

Masuoka, Hiroshi Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer, ADR Director

Shimizu, Kenji Producer, Planning

Kaneda, Kouji Producer

Seki, Hiromi Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jan 24, 2026

Aprilycan

Recommended

Upon joining this website, I wasn't particularly surprised to find out that not only have many of the active users not watched Dragonball Z, but much of the user-base actually /hate/ battle shounen as a whole. I knew that I would be an outlier in my love for Dragonball Z in a space where most of the mainstream action anime is commonly seen as tiring and bland.

While I can understand why more-involved anime fans may feel this way, and acknowledge the repeated "refrain from talking about personal feelings" messages on the review page, I wanted my first review to be a panegyric on my favorite ... anime of all time, explaining in-depth what it means to me as a person, making a case as to why it is more than it seems on a surface-level, and hopefully convince people who turn their nose up at it to perhaps give it the time of day sometime.


As what is already widely known - Dragon Ball Z, as well as the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole, is not known for It's narrative strength, rather It's macho battles, grandstanding speeches, and intense flair. However, I was never one to believe that Dragon Ball Z had a "bad" story, or even a basic one at that, something those who haven't watched are typically inclined to believe.

Dragonball Z tells a story of personal strength, self-discipline, facing your fears, and growth. They tell this story mainly via action rather than spoken dialogue, because as is typical with these themes - actions speak louder than words. There are far and few lengthy exposition scenes. There are little lengthy monologues explaining the intentions and feelings of the character. People often mistake this for little or bad writing, when in reality it is merely a different method of story telling. Dragonball Z places its trust in the audience to infer meaning such as motives and emotions, something it does extremely efficiently with cues in animation, voice acting, dialogue and events. It tells a story and builds upon characters in such a way that does not need the length of blatant verbal storytelling seen in many other shows - Because of this, Dragonball Z is praised for It's deep, nuanced characters, excellent world-building, and extensive cosmology, all while saving loads of screentime for climactic battles with stellar choreography and animation, as well as many surprising moments that's made millions of hearts skip a beat.

This type of story-telling is the formula of just about every battle-shounen that exists, but Dragonball Z is the prototype, and there's a reason why It's so effective - It's inspiring. People resonate with being scared, with struggling to have discipline, with personal growth, with wanting to protect the ones they love. They feel empowered by watching likeable characters rise above their seemingly hopeless conflicts through hard work and peserverance. People nowadays describe it as "hopecore", and Dragonball Z is usually represented as one of the front-runner hopecore franchises of all time, because it is that empowering. Dragonball Z is an adrenaline rush throughout the entire show, thanks to It's intense battles, time-crucial conflicts, shocking moments and uplifting scenes; but allows brief periods of contrast with good-humored comedy and affection between friends and family alike.

Because of Dragonball Z's ability to inspire, and how easy it is to resonate with it's morals, it reaches people in a way that few animes can - It invokes strong passion because you truly believe in the characters and their reason for training, for fighting. You feel the hope and desperate desire to see the protagonists win. You feel the relief when characters are saved from fatal scenarios. You feel the pain when they DO die.

Goku in particular embodies this philosophy of hope more than any other character in shounen, and I'll argue any character in anime, reaching inspiring heights of Superman, who he is often compared to. While Dragonball Z is full of nuanced characters, Goku usually takes the brunt of the criticisms, claiming that he is a bland or flat character, but that couldn't be further from the case, as he truly has a larger-than-life personality. Goku’s strength as a character lies not in complexity of thought, but in clarity of purpose. Although he is kind, laid-back and a little clumsy, he is driven by an unshakable desire to improve, to test his limits, and to face challenges head-on, not out of ego or conquest, but out of a genuine love for growth itself and the people around him. Goku has an indomitable will, and an undousable love for his family and friends. He is the vehicle that the entire show relies on, as he is the paragon character that changes everyone and everything around him BECAUSE of his drive and inspiration - He IS the reason for the growth of other characters. Those reasons are why Goku is such a loveable, powerfully stoic character. When he is on the screen, you feel the weight of his high spirit. When other characters look to him for strength and answers, you do, too. When he expresses care and love for his friends and family, you feel it.

This unwavering spirit carried by Goku and his friends in contrast to the hopelessness of the indifferent cruelty of the villains of every arc is what gives Dragon Ball Z it's sense of enduring inspiration. It is not a simple story of "good guy gets strong and beats the bad guy" - It's a story of refusing to give in to despair, and to never give up. While it may be a simple PREMISE, if done simply, it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining or as emotionally powerful as it is.

With that said, it is not just story that carries that message, but the musical scores in every release, from the original, to the different releases of Kai, they all express abundant feeling, and are great. The animation as I mentioned previously is stellar, and is done by different artists in every arc, truly visualizing the difference and growth as time passes by in-universe, and all do Toriyama's art style justice. You can tell so much creative love was put into this show from all directions and mediums, which just amplifies the content of the story and It's characters. It's impact was apparent through prolonged popularity and continued releases of sequel series, movies, video games for many decades.


It all helps that watching this show as a kid was one of my first ever bonding experiences with my father, as we watched the entire show and all the movies together.

I loved this show as a kid, and I learned as I grew up it was not only because of this show's philosophy of hope, but it's philosophy of growth, and love. As I rewatched the show more and more, I began mentally visualizing that the insurmountable odds in the show were all the problems and flaws in my own life, and that through hard work, love and growth, I could overcome those things the same way Goku and others do in the show - and because of that, It has become such a powerful, heart-warming show for me, one that has caused me to shed many tears over the years just acknowledging it's empowering message and the positive effect it has had on me as a person - I can genuinely honestly say it has made me a better person, and raised me to be a better product of myself than I would have been without it. I want to be strong. I want to protect my loved ones. I want to inspire. I want to prevail. That's what Dragonball Z means to me, and why it will forever hold a rating of 10 over other juggernauts in the industry to me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 20, 2026

RegularUser

Mixed Feelings

Dragon Ball Z is easily one of the most well-known anime series in history, if not THE most well-known. It's simply an iconic series, no matter where you look, and almost everyone has probably seen at least one saga or episode at some point. But beyond its legendary status, is it actually good? That's something I'll answer in this review, based on my opinion.

In technical aspects, it meets the standards of the time for television anime. The animation is good, with several moments and fights displaying surprisingly good fluidity, such as the Goku vs. Cell fight, to give a more concrete example. While it doesn't ... generally stand out from the average animation of similar series from that era, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. What I could criticize here is the art style and its consistency, especially in the Frieza saga and specific moments in the Android and Cell sagas. There's no defined art style due to the constant changes in illustrators, resulting in weak illustrations or ones that would be perfect for memes later on. Initially, it's not something you pay much attention to, but it does become somewhat annoying later in the story. Finally, the soundtrack, composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi, is one of the best aspects of the series, with individually excellent melodies that complement most of the scenes well. However, they tend to be repeated a lot at times in scenes where they don't quite fit or simply don't match the moment. But it's not too serious.

The story is divided into four sagas, each increasing in power and duration. The Saiyan saga is a good start, turning things around with a more serious tone and growing tension compared to most of its prequel, which frankly falls short. The Frieza saga is by far the best in the series, even with its inconsistencies regarding the Zenkai boosts (going from 90,000 to 3 million). The increasingly intense and interesting story, along with the mostly well-constructed moments, makes it the best part of the anime. The Cell saga has its highlights and a couple of interesting concepts, but it's more neglected in terms of plot, introducing nonsensical elements (Androids made in a cave stronger than the Emperor of the Universe) or unnecessarily complicating the plot with time travel, which only creates more plot holes in the long run. The Majin Buu saga is the worst, combining the negative elements of the previous sagas with a story that's just a series of events happening for the sake of happening, with an unnatural development. While its strengths are overshadowed, the overall experience is enjoyable, but a decline in narrative quality is noticeable from Namek onward.


Moving on to the characters, they are a curious case. On the one hand, most of them, with the exception of a few (Piccolo, Vegeta, and Future Trunks), have no truly noteworthy development, as it is either minimal or nonexistent, remaining the same from beginning to end. On the other hand, they are well-characterized, remaining true to their established personalities for most of the story, ignoring a few specific moments (Krillin breaking the control to destroy Android 18 for no reason other than her kissing him some time ago). They manage to be characters with whom one can connect and care when they are in a tense or dangerous situation, despite the generally weak writing. The same goes for the villains, who, having about as much depth as a puddle of water in terms of motivation and philosophy, are memorable both for their actions, representing real and respectable threats, and for their personalities, which even become charismatic without abandoning the evil that characterizes their role. It's enjoyable to hate them, and the viewer feels great satisfaction when they are defeated by the protagonists, something that similar works fail to achieve. Which gives the series even more merit, so I consider it a technical success.

To wrap things up and return to the question I started this review with, "Is it really good?" I honestly consider it a 50/50. The series has memorable characters and villains, even without great writing or development, thanks to good characterization. Although the quality of some arcs declined, they still had good scenes and even some truly remarkable ones that went beyond the initial impression (Gohan SSJ2 and the World Spirit Bomb). There were also high points in its first two arcs, which generally keep it from being bad. In my case, like many others, it was one of my first anime, and this one in particular was the first that truly captivated me and propelled me to fully immerse myself in the world of anime, something I'm grateful for to this day, as it gave me the opportunity to discover many one of my all-time favorite works, which is why, even with all its flaws and toxic fandom, I can't hate it because of what it meant to me. Is it overrated? Definitely. Could it have been better? Definitely. Should it have ended with the Frieza saga? Generally, yes, but its recognition and popularity are well-deserved thanks to its ability to captivate so many people with such a simple yet effective world. That's why it's still so fondly remembered today.

In conclusion, Dragon Ball Z has significant flaws in the quality of its sagas and character development, but its strengths, both in its good sagas and in great scenes in later sagas, make it a series worth watching, especially if you're just looking for something enjoyable from beginning to end. Furthermore, as an introduction to the vast world of anime, it's ideal, as it was for many.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jun 24, 2024

YoungVagabond

Not Recommended

Funny

Crappy popular anime can be split into two categories. Those whose appeal eludes me, and those where I perfectly understand the reason for their success. DBZ falls firmly in the latter category. Hell, I loved the series when I was a dumbass 14 year-old!

The premise is practically catnip for a male that age. Martial arts battles for the fate of the Universe against increasingly more powerful foes, with showdowns that destroy literal planets in their wake. As simplistic as it is, what could be fucking cooler than that? It's a young male teenager's power fantasy in anime form. Complete with over-the-top transformation sequences with entire ... minutes of pants-shitting yelling amidst intense music.

Alas, the execusion is as putrid, pathetic, and downright lame as it gets. To begin with, DBZ is a notable departure from the series, Dragonball, that preceded it.

The original was heavily based on the Chinese classic "Journey to the West", with Son Goku being based on Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, even copying his tail and magic staff. It focused more on fantasy and adventure, with a more light-hearted approach.

DBZ abandons all that to be a more simple, straightforward battle shounen centered around power levels, while taking itself far too seriously. Goku and his friends battle opponents across almost 300 episodes who fight exactly the same but we are told have much higher power levels; first Radditz, then Goku and Nappa, then Frieza and his henchmen, the androids, Cell, and finally, the Buus, with a filler arc featuring Garlic Jr.

And yet, DBZ manages to be a far worse fighting series than Dragonball in every way. It has several crippling flaws;

1. Crappy choreography.

While Dragonball featured the odd quality action scene and interesting sequence of moves based on actual kung-fu, DBZ is stripped down to a single punch, kick, or elbow either landing or missing, as well as a stock sequence of jerky animation where both combatants throw strikes and block, reused endlessly throughout the anime.

While the final series antagonist, Perfect Buu, is at a power level of 100 billion while the initial baddie Radditz is at 1500, they fight almost identically. In fact, Radditz's martial arts looks better, since the animators were trying harder back then.

Thus, enemies become more "powerful" while their techniques and fighting skill stay mostly the same. This power is simply demonstrated through the new antagonist being able to crush a previous antagonist with a single blow.

And how do Goku and his friends manage to overcome these beastly enemies? Through some clever strategy, new technique, or superior martial arts? Nope! It's from their own numbers going up, like a brain-dead RPG, usually through a transformation sequence and fusion, many of which are completely unmotivated deus ex machina and likely a cynical ploy for Toie Animation to sell more action figures and posters.

Choreography, or cool-looking, exciting battles is at the heart of battle shounen, and it sucks here. The resolution to the major battles is also disappointing, coming from a random spike in protagonist power levels, or worst of all, the "Spirit Bomb" attack, essentially a get out of jail free card for the writers when there is no reasonable way for Goku to triumph in battle.

2. Dangerously idiotic and unlikable heroes.

Time and again, Goku and company have an opportunity to easily defeat a threat to humanity only to forego it for utterly idiotic, selfish reasons, leading to the enemy becoming much stronger and beating them down.

Think Vegeta utterly wrecking the second form of Cell, only to allow him to absorb Android 18 because he wanted to face Perfect Cell. Think Vegeta joining Babidi or Goku not revealing his true power level in their fight, allowing Buu to be resurrected to begin with. Think Gotenks not taking the battle against a different version of Buu seriously.

If these supposed "defenders of Earth" don't give a shit about their suicidal actions and the countless billions of beings in the universe it would doom, why the hell should the viewer? And how can we possibly see them as heroes, as opposed to the overpowered, egotistical idiots (Goku) or outright villains (Vegeta) which their actions betray them to be?

3. Glacially slow pacing.

DBZ is the most painfully dull battle shounen ever devised. Entire episodes can be wasted on a single character powering up, composed of flashing lights and diarrhea screaming while a few music tracks loop endlessly. If we're lucky, an episode features a few punches and kicks in an episode in-between combatants standing menacingly and exchanging third grade level insults. As noted, the choreography sucks, although it beats the idiot characters talking. Oh, and that's not even mentioning the endless filler, which this show is notorious for.

Battles can last for dozens of agonizingly boring episodes, and what's worst is that at least 90% of what happens is entirely meaningless. All the blows and energy blasts until the very climax don't alter or determine a damn thing.

The entire anime is an exercise in tedium and time-wasting.

I understand liking DBZ as a 14 year-old new to anime. I was one of those myself. But looking back on it now, it's embarrassingly bad. The fight choregraphy sucks in the rare moments where characters don't just stand around powering up or shout "You're going to pay!", and the protagonists are a bunch of narcissistic morons or evil-doers.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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