Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Z

ドラゴンボールＺ
1989 -1996 Toei Animation Fuji TV 291 episodes Completed
Action Adventure Martial Arts
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Details & Synopsis
Before Naruto. Before Bleach. Before the Big Three had a name. There was Dragon Ball Z, and for an entire generation of Western kids in the 1990s, Dragon Ball Z was simply anime. The category and the example were the same thing.

Produced by Toei Animation and directed by Daisuke Nishio, Dragon Ball Z aired on Fuji TV from 1989 to 1996, 291 episodes following the adult Goku and his allies across four escalating sagas: the Saiyan invasion, Frieza on Namek, the androids and Cell, and the decade-spanning weight of Majin Buu. Akira Toriyama's power scaling, once a comedy mechanic in the original Dragon Ball, became mythology here. Transformations as revelation. The Super Saiyan moment. Gohan vs. Cell in a fight still being argued about. The power level debate started here, and it has never actually ended.

In the West the story gets more complicated, and more interesting. Ocean Productions dubbed it first, a version truncated, edited, scored by Bruce Faulconer's electric guitar-driven replacement soundtrack that an entire generation now considers inseparable from the show itself. Cartoon Network ran it in syndication. Toonami ran it in the afternoon slot that trained a demographic to expect anime at 4pm. Kids who had never heard the word fansub knew every Kamehameha, every Spirit Bomb, every moment of dead air in a Frieza fight that took four episodes to cover forty five seconds.

Funimation eventually acquired full rights and started over: the uncut version, the original Kikuchi score, the complete run. Then came Dragon Ball Z Kai, the remaster that trimmed the series to its canonical bones, cutting the extended powering up sequences that had always been the show's most honest flaw.

The Seed of Might project sits apart from all of it. 291 episodes, fully color and audio graded, built as a preservation effort rather than a rebroadcast or a resale. It exists because the complete series deserved that kind of treatment while the actual licensing rights were still tangled up in dispute, not because it was ever meant to compete with an official release. This site documents that project's history as part of the record, the same way it documents every other chapter of how this show reached the West.

The power level arguments are still happening. The show is still here.
Alt Title ドラゴンボールＺ
Studio Toei Animation
Network Fuji TV
Aired 1989 - 1996
Episodes 291
Genre Action, Adventure, Martial Arts
Status Completed
← All lore

Combat Ledger

Saiyan Saga

Goku & Piccolo vs. Raditz

Saiyan Saga · Gohan's Rescue · Result: Double Fatality (Goku & Raditz Dead)

The desperate alliance that opened DBZ. Raditz completely outclasses Earth's two strongest fighters, shrugging off Goku's full-power Kamehameha and breaking Piccolo's arm. The tide turns only when four-year-old Gohan snaps, unleashing a 1,307 PL headbutt that shatters Raditz's chest armor, opening a window for Goku to full-nelson his brother while Piccolo charges the Special Beam Cannon.
The Breakdown
Pure tactical desperation. Goku sacrifices his physical life to hold his brother in place, establishing the show's foundational rule: victory in DBZ is bought with blood, sacrifice, and zero room for error.
Son Goku Raditz Piccolo

Yamcha vs. Saibaman

Saiyan Saga · Wasteland Crater · Result: Tragic Fatality (Yamcha Dead via Suicide Detonation)

Yamcha opens with a Spirit Ball combo and knocks the Saibaman into a crater, looking like he has the fight won. Thinking it is over, he drops his guard for two seconds - allowing the creature to leap out, lock its arms around his torso, and detonate its internal bio-bomb in a lethal rear-clinging self-destruction.
The Breakdown
The most infamous meme-generator in anime history, but in context, it was genuinely tragic. Yamcha actually outperforms the Saibaman on foot before arrogance closes the window. It established the terrifying rule of the Saiyan invasion: half a second of arrogance gets you buried in the dirt.
Yamcha

Z-Fighters vs. Saibamen & Nappa

Saiyan Saga · Wastelands · Result: Mass Defeat (Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Tien, Piccolo Dead)

A brutal attrition slaughter. Yamcha is ambushed and killed by a sneak self-destructing Saibaman. Nappa then steps onto the field as an unyielding wall - severing Tien's arm, absorbing Chiaotzu's suicide blast without a scratch, and forcing Tien to die of exhaustion firing a one-handed Tri-Beam. Piccolo sacrifices his life to shield Gohan from Nappa's lethal Ki blast.
The Breakdown
Nappa functions as a narrative brick wall. He doesn't possess complex tactics; he is pure, terrifying durability designed to systematically strip away Goku's friends before the main hero even arrives on Earth.
Nappa Piccolo Yamcha Chiaotzu

Goku vs. Nappa

Saiyan Saga · Wasteland Battlefield · Result: Decisive Victory (Nappa Crippled, Executed by Vegeta)

Goku arrives from Snake Way and absolute speed-blitzes the Saiyan giant who just tore through Earth's defenses. He stands on Nappa's head, dodges every heavy strike with zero effort, and snaps his spine in mid-air with a Kaio-ken strike to protect Gohan and Krillin. Vegeta then callously vaporizes the broken Nappa.
The Breakdown
Pure therapeutic catharsis. After watching Nappa systematically tear through Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Piccolo across multiple grueling episodes, Goku treats him like a minor inconvenience. When Vegeta executes his own fallen subordinate, the ultimate villain hierarchy is locked in.
Son Goku Vegeta Nappa

Goku vs. Great Ape Vegeta

Saiyan Saga · Earth Badlands · Result: Pyrrhic Survival (Vegeta Retreats)

After Goku pushes his body past its physical limits with Kaio-ken x4 to overpower Vegeta's Galick Gun, Vegeta creates an artificial moon (Power Ball) to transform into a 180,000 PL Great Ape. Vegeta crushes Goku's legs and torso, leaving him completely paralyzed until Yajirobe sneaks up from behind to slice off Vegeta's tail with a katana, while Gohan and Krillin bounce the Spirit Bomb.
The Breakdown
Goku doesn't "win" this fight - the team survives it. Yajirobe's tactical sneak attack proves that numbers and raw ki aren't everything, delivering one of the finest group-effort victories in shonen history.
Son Goku Yajirobe Vegeta

Namek / Frieza Saga

Vegeta vs. Dodoria

Namek Saga · Namekian Archipelago · Result: Cold Execution

After hunting down Frieza's scout party, Vegeta traps Dodoria in an open shoreline. Dodoria attempts to trade information about the destruction of Planet Vegeta for his life. Unmoved by the revelation that Frieza destroyed his homeworld, Vegeta blasts the fleeing lieutenant into ash with a single point-blank ki wave.
The Breakdown
Establishes Vegeta as an independent third faction on Namek. He isn't fighting for Earth or justice; he's systematically liquidating Frieza's command chain.
Vegeta

Vegeta vs. Zarbon (Rounds 1 & 2)

Namek Saga · Namekian Landscape · Result: Zenkai Revenge Execution

Vegeta's guerrilla war against Frieza's lieutenants hits a wall when Zarbon reveals his hideous, reptilian transformation, beating the Saiyan Prince to the brink of death. After being placed in a healing tank, Vegeta exploits the Saiyan Zenkai boost, tracks Zarbon down, blinds him with dirt, and punches a hole straight through his stomach.
The Breakdown
This is peak ruthless Vegeta. He isn't looking for a fair martial arts tournament duel. He fights dirty, weaponizes his own near-death experiences, and executes his former superiors without a shred of hesitation.
Vegeta Zarbon

Vegeta, Gohan & Krillin vs. Guldo & Recoome

Namek Saga · Planet Namek Plains · Result: Tactical Defeat (Rescued by Goku)

The desperate alliance against the Ginyu Force. Krillin and Gohan are frozen by Guldo's time-stop until Vegeta decapitates Guldo. Recoome then enters as an unyielding wall, breaking Gohan's neck and shattering Krillin's ribs before Goku's Capsule Corp ship touches down.
The Breakdown
Pure brutal attrition. It pushed Gohan and Krillin to their absolute physical limits and set up Goku's arrival as the ultimate cathartic relief.
Vegeta Son Gohan Krillin Guldo Recoome

Vegeta vs. Captain Ginyu (Goku's Body)

Namek Saga · Frieza's Spaceship Grounds · Result: Body Swap Trap

Ginyu steals Goku's body, only to discover he cannot harness Goku's internal ki without the proper mind-body synchronization. Vegeta ruthlessly beats the weakened Ginyu-Goku down. When Ginyu tries to swap into Vegeta's body, Goku throws a Namekian frog into the light beam.
The Breakdown
High-stakes tactical comedy. The strongest mercenary unit in the universe is undone because Ginyu didn't understand ki control, ending his galactic career in the body of an amphibious frog.
Vegeta Frieza Captain Ginyu

Goku vs. The Ginyu Force (Recoom, Burter, Jeice)

Namek Saga · Planet Namek · Result: Total Dominance

Goku touches down on Namek after 100g gravity training and single-handedly trivializes the mercenary squad that just beat Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin to near-death. Goku elbow-strikes Recoom into unconsciousness with a single blow, outruns Burter (the self-proclaimed fastest in the universe), and leaves Jeice panicking.
The Breakdown
The ultimate flex sequence. After 60 episodes of desperate survival on Namek, Goku's arrival delivers cathartic, overwhelming martial perfection.
Son Goku Recoome Burter Jeice

Piccolo (Fused with Nail) vs. Frieza (Second Form)

Namek Saga · Burning Namekian Plains · Result: Interrupted / Forced Transformation (Frieza shifts to Form 3)

Piccolo merges with the dying Namekian warrior Nail and touches down with a power level surging past one million. He drops the unweighted armor and trades rapid-fire Ki volleys with Frieza's massive second form - not just holding the line, but actively pushing the galactic tyrant backward, shrugging off horn-impaling strikes and matching speed blow-for-blow until Frieza is forced to transform.
The Breakdown
The ultimate non-Saiyan showcase. For three glorious episodes, Piccolo forces Frieza into admitting he must shift into his Xenomorph third form just to survive, giving the non-Saiyan cast its absolute finest hour.
Piccolo Frieza

Z-Fighters & Piccolo vs. Frieza (Forms 1-3)

Frieza Saga · Planet Namek · Result: Every answer forces another transformation

Frieza's first transformations turn the Namek battle into a moving ceiling. His Second Form impales Krillin and overwhelms the group until Piccolo arrives after fusing with Nail. Piccolo can finally meet that version of Frieza head-on.

Frieza's response is not a clever counter. He changes again. The Third Form overwhelms Piccolo, and the Final Form makes the entire previous struggle feel like preparation for a much worse problem.
The Breakdown
This sequence is less one clean fight than an escalation machine. Every time the heroes assemble enough power to make Frieza look manageable, he reveals that the version they solved was temporary.
Piccolo Frieza

Super Saiyan Goku vs. Full-Power Frieza

Frieza Saga · Dying Planet Namek · Result: Goku wins; Namek collapses

Krillin's death pushes Goku into Super Saiyan and immediately reverses the emotional balance of the fight. Frieza, who has spent the arc controlling every room he enters, is suddenly the one trying to prove he still belongs in the battle.

Frieza powers himself to 100%, but the form cannot maintain that output indefinitely. Goku eventually loses interest in continuing a fight he believes has already been decided. Frieza's own cutting discs then turn on him, and Goku still gives him enough energy to survive before Frieza attacks again.
The Breakdown
The ending matters because Goku does not simply overpower Frieza and execute him. He reaches the point where winning is obvious enough to walk away, offers mercy anyway, and only fires again when Frieza refuses to stop.
Son Goku Frieza

Android / Cell Saga

Future Trunks vs. Mecha Frieza & King Cold

Android Saga · West City Wastelands · Result: Instant Execution

Frieza arrives on Earth rebuilt as a cyborg alongside his father King Cold, seeking revenge. A mysterious teenager from the future steps out, turns Super Saiyan, slices Mecha Frieza into a dozen pieces with a sword, vaporizes him in mid-air, and blasts King Cold through the chest in under two minutes.
The Breakdown
Total threat re-contextualization. The villain that took 30 episodes to beat on Namek is deleted in thirty seconds to establish how terrifying the coming Android threat really is.
Future Trunks Frieza

Goku vs. Android 19

Android Saga · Rocky Crags near Amenity Island · Result: Technical Loss (Heart Virus Collapse)

Goku turns Super Saiyan and initially dominates Android 19, but every pulse of ki accelerates the heart virus eating away at his chest. Sweating, gasping for air, and losing stamina by the second, he fires a full-power Kamehameha - only for 19 to absorb it through its palm sensors and begin draining Goku's life energy directly on the rocks until Vegeta steps out of the shadows.
The Breakdown
A masterclass in impending dread. Trunks' dark future warning comes true not through a blade or an explosion, but through a biological clock. The strongest fighter on Earth is taken out by his own body.
Son Goku

Super Saiyan Vegeta vs. Android 19

Android Saga · Rocky Badlands · Result: Total Dismemberment

With Goku incapacitated by the heart virus, Vegeta drops out of the sky, reveals his own Super Saiyan form, and proceeds to completely dismantle the energy-absorbing Android 19. He rips the android's synthetic hands off before vaporizing him with the inaugural Big Bang Attack.
The Breakdown
"Does a machine like yourself ever experience fear?" One of the most terrifying, dominant character re-introductions in anime. Vegeta weaponizes psychological warfare against a robot and wins.
Vegeta

Super Saiyan Vegeta vs. Android 18

Android Saga · Mountain Highway · Result: Devastating Humiliation (Vegeta's Arm Broken)

Riding high on his victory over 19, Vegeta challenges Android 18. What starts as an even brawl slowly turns into a nightmare as Vegeta's Super Saiyan stamina burns out while 18's perpetual motion engine never drops a single volt. She ends the fight with a casual, sickening kick that shatters the Prince's arm.
The Breakdown
The ultimate reality check. The show deliberately sets Vegeta up as the undisputed apex predator for three episodes purely to use him as a measuring stick to establish how utterly outclassed the Z-Fighters are against the real Androids.
Vegeta Android 18

Piccolo vs. Imperfect Cell (Misty Town)

Android Saga · Ginger Town · Result: Tactical Escape (Cell Flees)

Piccolo stumbles upon a deserted town where a creepy bio-android is draining human populations through a tail needle. Cell absorbs Piccolo's arm and boasts of his origin, prompting Piccolo to use Namekian regeneration to regrow the arm before unleashing his full power, forcing Cell to use Solar Flare to escape.
The Breakdown
A detective-thriller combat intro. It shifts DBZ into a horror genre for two episodes and showcases Piccolo using intellect over raw muscle.
Piccolo Cell

Piccolo (Merged with Kami) vs. Android 17

Cell Saga · Desert Island · Result: Interrupted (Cell Arrives)

Super Namekian Piccolo faces Android 17's infinite energy reserve in an exhausting, heavy-hitting melee brawl. Piccolo uses high-level tactics - surrounding 17 with floating Ki orbs before slamming them inward with Hellzone Grenade - forcing 17 to deploy his infinite barrier.
The Breakdown
Widely celebrated as the finest pure hand-to-hand martial arts choreography in DBZ. Two evenly matched powerhouses trading heavy impacts without gimmicks.
Piccolo Kami Cell Android 17

Tien Shinhan vs. Semi-Perfect Cell

Cell Saga · Islands near Android 18 · Result: Tactical delay; Tien collapses

Semi-Perfect Cell is searching for Android 18 when Tien steps into a fight he has no realistic chance of winning. The point is not to defeat Cell. It is to stop him from moving.

Tien repeatedly fires the Shin Kikoho downward, hammering Cell into the ground long enough for Android 18 and the others to gain distance.
The Breakdown
This is one of DBZ's clearest examples of a weaker fighter still changing the battle. Tien spends his own stamina and life force to buy minutes. The power gap never disappears; the objective simply becomes something other than victory.
Tien Shinhan Cell

Super Vegeta vs. Cell - From Semi-Perfect to Perfect

Cell Saga · Islands / wasteland · Result: Vegeta wins the first fight and creates the second

Fresh from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Vegeta's Grade 2 Super Saiyan state completely overwhelms Semi-Perfect Cell. That should solve the problem.

Instead, Vegeta becomes curious about the Perfect form Cell keeps promising. He deliberately allows the hunt for Android 18 to continue because he wants a stronger opponent.

Perfect Cell is the bill for that decision. Vegeta's advantage disappears, and even the enormous Final Flash only becomes a demonstration that Cell can survive damage that would have ended the earlier form.
The Breakdown
This is not a fight Vegeta loses because he lacks power. He has the power to end the crisis and chooses not to. Cell reaches perfection because Vegeta values the challenge more than the win.
Vegeta Cell

Future Trunks (Grade 3) vs. Perfect Cell

Cell Saga · Wasteland · Result: Raw power defeated by lost speed

After Vegeta falls to Perfect Cell, Trunks reveals the form he believed he had been hiding from his father: Super Saiyan Grade 3. His muscles swell and his raw output climbs dramatically.

Cell lets him discover the flaw in real time. Trunks has enough power to matter, but not enough speed to land it. Worse, Cell explains that Vegeta understood the same tradeoff and chose not to rely on the form.
The Breakdown
Grade 3 is a lesson disguised as a transformation reveal. Trunks has been measuring progress by the size of the power increase; Cell forces him to measure whether that power can actually be used.
Future Trunks Cell

Goku vs. Perfect Cell (Cell Games)

Cell Games Saga · Cell Games Ring · Result: Surrender / Strategic Withdrawal (Goku steps down for Gohan)

Two absolute master martial artists test the limits of their craft on live television. The choreographic highlight comes when Goku charges a planet-destroying Kamehameha in the upper atmosphere, Instant Transmissions directly in front of Cell's face, and obliterates the monster's entire upper torso at point-blank range. Cell regenerates - and Goku suddenly surrenders, passing the mantle to Gohan.
The Breakdown
The premier exhibition match of the series. Unlike the desperate survival brawls of earlier sagas, this is craft over panic. Goku's sudden surrender right after the Instant Transmission Kamehameha is one of the greatest tactical curveballs in shonen history.
Son Goku Cell

Z-Fighters vs. Cell Juniors

Cell Games Saga · Cell Games Arena · Result: Severe Beatdown (Rescued by SSJ2 Gohan)

To force Gohan's hidden rage to trigger, Cell spawns seven blue mini-clones. The Cell Juniors completely overwhelm Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, Super Vegeta, and Trunks, beating the exhausted fighters bloody while Cell holds Goku back.
The Breakdown
Pure psychological torture. It strips away the heroism of the Cell Games and forces Gohan to witness his friends being systematically dismantled.
Cell

Super Saiyan 2 Gohan vs. Perfect Cell (Cell Games)

Cell Games Saga · Cell Games Arena · Result: Total Erasure (Father-Son Kamehameha)

After Android 16's head is crushed, Gohan unlocks SSJ2 and effortlessly dismantles the Cell Juniors before torturing Perfect Cell into regurgitating Android 18. Cell self-destructs (killing Goku on King Kai's planet) and returns as "Super Perfect Cell." Injured and demoralized, Gohan unleashes a one-handed Father-Son Kamehameha with Goku's spirit guiding him, completely erasing Cell on a cellular level.
The Breakdown
The emotional climax of the original DBZ run. The passing of the torch from father to son, executed through pure kinetic brilliance and Toshio Masuda's legendary score.
Son Gohan Cell

Majin Buu Saga

Goten & Trunks vs. Android 18 (World Tournament)

Buu Saga · World Tournament Arena · Result: Disqualification (Mighty Mask Unmasked)

Goten and Trunks stack on top of each other inside a trench coat as "Mighty Mask" to enter the adult tournament division. They engage Android 18 in a wild acrobatic aerial duel until 18 slices the costume in half with a Destructo Disc.
The Breakdown
Classic Toriyama slapstick comedy mixed with high-speed martial arts, proving that the next generation of Saiyans were natural prodigies.
Son Goten Android 18 Future Trunks

Gohan vs. Dabura

Buu Saga · Babidi's Spaceship Level 3 · Result: Stalemate (Interrupted)

Gohan fights Demon King Dabura inside Babidi's ship. Sluggish from seven years of high school without training, Gohan struggles to find his rhythm, dodging Dabura's petrifying spit and darkness magic while Vegeta fumes on the sidelines.
The Breakdown
Highlights Gohan's decline in peaceful times and serves as the catalyst for Vegeta's mid-life crisis. Vegeta's disgust at Gohan's performance leads directly to him accepting Babidi's brand.
Son Gohan Babidi Dabura

Majin Vegeta vs. Super Saiyan 2 Goku

Buu Saga · Rocky Badlands · Result: Truce & Cheap-Shot

Seven years of pent-up rivalry explodes. Vegeta willingly subjects himself to Babidi's mind control to close the power gap, forcing Goku into a brutal SSJ2 melee clash. The tragedy of the fight is that Goku is secretly holding back SSJ3 to preserve his Earth time limit. When they call a truce to fight Buu, Vegeta sucker-punches Goku, riding off to his doomed solo sacrifice alone.
The Breakdown
The emotional zenith of the Buu Saga. It's a bitter, ugly, desperate brawl where Vegeta finally admits his mid-life crisis and insecurity to the one man who understands him.
Vegeta Son Goku

Majin Vegeta vs. Fat Buu

SPOILER!

Buu Saga · Rocky Wastelands · Result: Suicide Sacrifice (Buu Regenerates)

Vegeta confronts the newly awakened Fat Buu. Realizing Buu's marshmallow body heals from any physical strike or energy blast, Vegeta bids farewell to Trunks and Bulma before detonating his entire life force in a Final Explosion.
The Breakdown
One of the most heartbreaking character beats in shonen anime. The arrogant Prince dies for his family and rival, only for Buu's scattered flesh to reform minutes later.
Vegeta Majin Buu

SSJ3 Goku vs. Fat Buu

Buu Saga · City Ruins · Result: Time-Limit Stall

Goku transforms into Super Saiyan 3 for the first time on Earth to buy Trunks time to retrieve the Dragon Radar from Capsule Corp. Goku trades heavy blows with Fat Buu, effortlessly dodging his magic before retreating as the form drains his remaining Afterlife Earth time.
The Breakdown
The ultimate showcase flex match. Goku wasn't trying to kill Buu. He was demonstrating the high-tier ceiling for Goten and Trunks while showing off the most radical transformation in the show.
Son Goku Majin Buu

Gotenks (SSJ3) vs. Super Buu

Majin Buu Saga · Hyperbolic Time Chamber & Dimensional Void · Result: Interrupted (Fusion Timer Expires)

When Super Buu threatens to trap them in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber forever, Buu literally screams a hole through dimensions out of sheer hunger (the Vice Shout). Gotenks responds by unlocking SSJ3, screaming his own dimensional hole open to chase him back to the Lookout, and turning Super Buu into a literal human volleyball alongside Piccolo - until the fusion timer expires.
The Breakdown
Unhinged, cartoonish absurdity backed by world-breaking scale. It blends 90s slapstick humor with raw cosmic scale better than any fight in the franchise.
Gotenks Majin Buu

Ultimate Gohan vs. Super Buu

Majin Buu Saga · Wastelands of Earth · Result: Decisive Dominance (Until Buu absorbs Gotenks)

"So, hotshot... you want to fight me?" Fresh off Old Kai's potential unlock ritual, Gohan steps onto Earth with zero blonde hair, zero visual transformation cues, and a cold, effortless swagger. He casually dodge-rolls around Super Buu's best attacks, breaks his ribs with basic counter-punches, and mocks the strongest creature in the universe like an amateur - until Buu absorbs Gotenks to survive.
The Breakdown
Pure, unadulterated disrespect. It is the absolute peak of Gohan's individual power, forcing a desperate Buu to resort to absorption tactics because he cannot win a straight fight.
Son Gohan Gotenks Majin Buu

Super Vegito vs. Super Buu (Buuhan)

Buu Saga · Earth Wastelands · Result: Utter Disrespect (Vegito Wins)

Buu absorbs Gohan to become the strongest villain in the universe, only for Goku and Vegeta to put on the Potara earrings. The resulting fusion, Vegito, doesn't just beat Buuhan - he humiliates him. He blocks planet-destroying blasts with his legs, taunts Buu constantly, and continues to beat him up even after being turned into a literal piece of coffee candy.
The Breakdown
Potara fusion isn't addition; it's multiplication. The gap is so wide that Vegito deliberately plays with his food just to trick Buu into absorbing him so he can rescue the others. Unrivaled swagger.
Vegito Majin Buu

Goku, Vegeta & Mr. Satan vs. Kid Buu

Buu Saga · Sacred World of the Kai · Result: Total Erasure (Super Spirit Bomb)

The final battle of DBZ. Stripped of all absorptions, Kid Buu is pure, chaotic malice. SSJ3 Goku burns out his stamina, and SSJ2 Vegeta gets battered to a bloody pulp just to buy Goku time. In the end, it takes Mr. Satan pleading with the people of Earth to raise their hands, fueling a cosmic Spirit Bomb that Goku pushes over the edge.
The Breakdown
The perfect thematic conclusion. Goku doesn't win with a secret form. Vegeta sets his pride aside to admit Goku is Number One. And Mr. Satan, the ultimate fraud, becomes the legitimate savior of the universe by bridging the gap between gods and mortals.
Son Goku Vegeta Hercule (Mr. Satan) Majin Buu