for the most part, Dragon Ball is a straightforward series that doesn’t have too many shocking moments. It’s a series centered around characters fighting each other and doing their best to become stronger, a pretty simple and straightforward premise. When shocking moments occur, it makes them all the more jarring for their rarity. Some of the most shocking moments in Dragon Ball Happen out of nowhere, taking a normal scene and flipping it on its head in an instant.
Although many of Dragon Ball’s Most shocking moments happen after a long hard-fought battle, this is not universally the case. Some incredibly harrowing moments come completely out of nowhere, blindsiding fans and leaving a lasting impression. Some Dragon Ball Moments are just so unpredictable that they leave the viewer in complete and utter shock.
10
Future Gohan dies brutally
Future Gohan’s death was horrible
The future timeline was the darkest in Dragon Ball. It featured a world where most of the Z Fighters died to Androids 17 and 18. Not only did they all die, but they were all murdered pretty cold. No one was more brutally murdered than Gohan, who lost his life in the fight against the android. Not only did the androids kill Gohan, but they played with him when he died. Future Trunks was knocked out by Gohan before the fight so he couldn’t interfere.
Future Gohan also saved Future Trunks’ life by knocking him out, giving him a chance to return to the past for help. Before he could recruit reinforcements, he had to find his master’s bodyless body alone in the rain. It is easily one of the most jarring and most shocking moments in Dragon Ball History.
9
Frieza impales Krillin
Frieza played maniacally with his enemies
Frieza was so much stronger than all the Z fighters, bar Goku, that it was ridiculous. He was stronger in his base form but chose to evolve just to mess with his opponents. While Namek was already a planet-sized nightmare for Krillin, he experienced the worst treatment at the hands of Frieza himself. While buying time for Goku to come help, Frieza bullied Krillin and Gohan together. He transformed into his second form, grew horns, and used them to kill Krillin.
He surrounded Krillin while he was also impaled, causing incredible damage to his organs. When he was done playing with Krillin, he dragged him in the air and blew him up like a bomb. While Dragon Ball is no stranger to killing good guys and bad guys alike, They never showed a character as helpless as they did with Krillin and Frieza.
8
Kid Boo blows up the ground
Other villains tried it, Kid Boo really did it
Kid Buu was the first character in Dragon Ball To really blow the earth. Every villain since Vegeta has put the Blue Marble in their sights when they can’t defeat the Z Fighters, But Kid Buu was the first one to really pull it off. Not only did he destroy the Earth in one of the most tragic anime events of mass destruction, But he also killed most of the dragon team as well. Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks and more are left behind on Earth when Kid Buu decides to destroy it.
Luckily for Goku and his friends, they were able to bring the Earth and everyone who died back to life with the Dragon Balls. They were also able to defeat Kid Buu for good, saving the Earth until Golden Frieza destroyed it a few years later.
7
Future Trunks gets one-shotted by Cell
Cell came back with a vengeance
Future Trunks has been the recipient of a lot of trauma. He had to watch his entire timeline being murdered by the androids and even saw the death of his mentor, Future Gohan, up close and in person. When Gohan fails to finish Cell off, the bio-android is able to threaten the entire Earth with its self-destruct ability. Goku sacrifices himself to stop him, but it doesn’t work. He comes back, this time even stronger thanks to his Saiyan genes, and fires off a random full power death ray at the Dragon Team.
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It goes right through Trunks’ chest, mortally wounding him and eventually killing him. Drunken death came from nowhere. The heroes have just celebrated their victory, now their back on the battlefield with two fewer fighters to help them stop the catastrophe that is Sel.
6
Spopovich brutalizes Videl
One of the most one-sided fights in Dragon Ball
Videl was never a very strong fighter. She went into fights a little too confident in her ability, probably stemming from the lies her father told her about Be Power level. When Videl went to fight Spopovich in the martial arts tournament, she was brutalized. It was easily the most one-sided fight in the series, and that included Frieza vs. Krillin. Spopovich takes his time to manically pick violin apart. He does this even for all her friends and family without an ounce of remorse.
To Videl’s credit, she is picked up several times when other people in her position would have stayed down. She tried to fight Spopovich over and over, but at a certain point it was just too late. Spopovich was imbued with Babidi’s powers, which made him much stronger and much more sadistic at the same time. It was the perfect recipe for one of the most shocking moments in Dragon Ball.
5
Vegeta gets married
The prince of all Saiyans gets…domesticated?
Vegeta is the Prince of all Saiyans. He is one of the strongest, proudest warriors in the universe who listens to nothing but his own warrior spirit. When it was revealed that Vegeta actually married Bulma, no one could believe it. Vegeta only ever cared about getting stronger so he could fight Goku and beat him. With Bulma and Trunks in his life, his priorities surprisingly changed. He refused to focus only on getting stronger and understood what it meant to him to have a family.
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He stopped training altogether when Bulma was pregnant with their second child, choosing to be by her side instead of pursuing strength yet again. While he was initially upset that Bulma picked out Bulla’s name without him, he gets over it. He became a protective husband and a decent father too, fulfilling one of the best character arcs in Dragon Ball.
4
Guldo gets decapitated
One of the only decapitations in Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is no stranger to battle. It is more than convenient to show protagonists and antagonists dying in equal measure, but Guldo’s death is different. Vegeta took him off Leaving zero opportunity for the Genius Force member to recover. It was one of the most insanely fast moments in dragon ball, As Vegeta came out of nowhere to cut off Guldo’s head with a single slash. Even Golda couldn’t believe it, looking at Vegeta with his head on the ground shaken.
Characters are impaled, imploded and beaten, but never decapitated. It’s a shocking move Dragon Ball That wasn’t recreated again until Cell Beheaded Android 16. Even then, it was just a robot’s head rolling on the ground. Guldo was a real-life alien who lost his entire head in an instant, creating one of the most memorable moments in the series on Namek.
3
Vegeta sacrifices himself
Vegeta’s character arc reaches its peak
Vegeta has a lot of conflicting emotions during the Buu Saga. He was at a crossroads. Starting his family life meant leaving his warrior pride behind, a pride that was the cornerstone of Vegeta’s personality. When Babidi sensed Vegeta’s inner doubt and hatred, he gave him more power at the cost of his intelligence and humanity. Eventually, Vegeta realizes what he’s done. With Goku’s help, he realizes that his real enemy is not Kakarot but the evil wizard trying to destroy the world.
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Vegeta knows that in order to kill Majin Buu, he will need to use every bit of himself. In one of the most beautiful moments of self-sacrifice, Vegeta lays down his life in order to destroy Buu. It doesn’t work, but it shows that Vegeta has become a man worthy of praise. He put down all of his arrogance and pride and put his friends, and family, first.
2
Dr. Geru Merder Imha
Dr. Gero and Android 19 are terrible
When Dr. Gero and Android 19 were first released in dragon ball, They were terrible. They rushed people and they killed everyone. While the Z-fighters searched for them, they continued to slaughter. For better or worse, Yamcha was the first person to find them. He thought they were regular civilians who had evacuated from the androids and had no idea that he was looking at his real enemy.
Dr. Gero surprised Imha and began to release the energy. Before Imha could summon help from his friends, Dr. Gero stabbed him with his hand, stabbing Imha straight through the middle. The rest of the Dragon Team felt Yamcha’s ki fade and eventually found the pair of androids. Imach’s death was one of the most shocking moments in Dragon Ball Because of how horrible it was.
1
Future Trunks demolishes Frieza
Multiple shocking moments all at once
Future Trunks coming to the main timeline to kill Mecha Frieza was some shocking moments in one. Initially, it was revealed that Frieza did not die on NMC, that Frieza had a father, and that Frieza is now in mecha form. It also reveals the existence of Future Trunks, the existence of a brutal future timeline, and that Goku would soon die from the heart virus, it was almost too much to take in at once. The most jaw-dropping event was when Future Trunks destroyed Frieza without batting an eye.
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The Super Saiyan made short work of the same man who had just killed most of the Z Fighters not months before. With his sword, burning attack, and god breaker, Future Trunks was able to kill Mecha Frieza and King Cold before they could wreak havoc. He was also able to warn the Z Fighters of the impending android threat that would arrive in three years time.