The Hypest Moments In The Anime, Ranked

Dragon Ball Super builds upon the epic fights and heightened storytelling of Akira Toriyama’s celebrated shonen series and manages to take these spectacles to even greater places. Dragon Ball Super begins in familiar territory, but goes on to introduce new celestial deities, the return of old friends and foes, and a whole multiverse of obstacles.

A lot of ground gets covered across Dragon Ball Super’s 131 episodes and two feature films, which include some of the series’ greatest milestones. Dragon Ball Super knows how to generate excitement in its fandom and there are certain sequences that exceed expectations and remind audiences why they’re Dragon Ball fans in the first place.

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10 Vegeta’s “My Bulma” Beatdown On Beerus

Dragon Ball Super kicks off with an unprecedented threat in the form of Lord Beerus, a God of Destruction, who’s powerful enough to erase an entire planet. Goku and most of Dragon Ball’s characters are clueless over Beerus’ reputation, but Vegeta is terrified over the prospect of this warrior losing his temper. After endless attempts to keep Beerus happy, Vegeta reaches an aggressive breaking point when Beerus slaps Bulma.

What follows has become a fan-favorite Dragon Ball Super moment where Vegeta chastises Beerus for hurting his wife. A fiery rage erupts in Vegeta that allows him to temporarily hold his own against the tyrant. It’s a beautiful example of Vegeta’s aggression and his love for his family.

9 Super Saiyan Blue Goku & Vegeta Take On Golden Frieza

Frieza has been a perennial problem in Dragon Ball and he finds new ways to terrorize the heroes in Dragon Ball Super. Frieza’s bold escape from the afterlife turns into an opportunity for him to showcase his latest transformation, Golden Frieza.

Frieza has never been more intimidating than in this moment and it turns into an exciting opportunity for a rematch between his most-hated rivals. Goku and Vegeta use their Super Saiyan Blue strength to overpower Frieza, which becomes a cathartic exercise for the Saiyans and the audience, even if it temporarily results in the planet’s destruction.

8 Super Saiyan God Goku & Lord Beerus’ Clash

Lord Beerus, God of Destruction, becomes one of Dragon Ball Super’s most important supporting players even if he’s introduced as an antagonist. Beerus’ arrival on Earth is to satiate his desire to face off against a Super Saiyan God. Goku eventually ascends to this highly-esteemed status through the help of his friends and family in a rare ritual.

What follows is a climactic turning point for the franchise as Goku quickly acclimates to his Super Saiyan God upgrade and uses this power to test the God of Destruction’s limits. This battle is beautifully animated, especially when the two powerhouses trade blows and generate shock waves that have the potential to destroy the universe.

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7 Android 17 Wins The Tournament Of Power

Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power is the biggest martial arts competition that the series has ever seen that assembles the strongest warriors from across the multiverse. Universe 7 and Universe 11 emerge as the early frontrunners and everything from Dragon Ball’s history indicates that Goku or Vegeta will end up winning this competition.

The anime effectively subverts these expectations through a surprising finish where it’s ultimately Android 17 who emerges as the winner. This moment stands out not only because it breaks from the franchise’s past habits, but Android 17’s kindness and altruism effectively saves the entire multiverse from erasure.

6 Vegito’s Return With A Super Saiyan Blue Upgrade

Fusion has become a controversial concept for Dragon Ball, albeit one that still generates a lot of excitement in audiences. Previously, Goku and Vegeta’s Potara Earring fusion, Vegito, only appeared during the battle against Super Buu. Dragon Ball Super’s fight against Goku Black and Zamasu proves to be so intense that these two Saiyans once again turn to this battle tactic.

Fans were genuinely surprised to see Vegito return, let alone with Super Saiyan Blue strength. Vegito Blue’s time in Dragon Ball Super is brief, but he showcases some memorable moves like his Spirit Sword and helps break down Goku Black and Zamasu’s defenses.

5 Goku Conquers Hit’s Time-Skip Technique With A Kaio-Ken Combo

One of Goku’s earliest upgrades in Dragon Ball Z is the Kaio-Ken Attack, which allows him to multiply his strength and speed, but at the cost of putting a tremendous physical strain on his body. Goku’s Super Saiyan status effectively ends his Kaio-Ken use and some fans speculated that the two power boosts can’t be used in tandem.

Hundreds of episodes later, Goku’s Kaio-Ken Attack makes a surprise return in Dragon Ball Super when it’s combined with his Super Saiyan Blue form. Blue Kaio-Ken features a striking red and blue dual aura, which is one of the most visually appealing transformations in the franchise. Goku uses this new-found strength to finally surpass Hit’s intimidating Time-Skip Technique.

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4 Future Trunks’ Sword Of Hope Defeat Of Fused Zamasu

Dragon Ball Super’s Goku Black and Zamasu tag team effort leads to some of the anime’s most thrilling material. The added benefit of these villains is that they give a reason for Future Trunks to also come back and help the heroes. The battle against Fused Zamasu occurs in Future Trunks’ fractured timeline, which gives him a personal connection to this villain.

Omni-King Zeno eradicates Infinite Zamasu after his evil gets released and begins to taint the universe. Before this, Future Trunks unintentionally channels a Spirit Bomb into his signature blade and triumphantly severs Fused Zamasu in half with his Sword of Hope. It’s a phenomenal victory from an unlikely hero.

3 Gohan Beast & Orange Piccolo Versus Cell Max

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has won over so many fans through its risky decision to bench Goku and Vegeta in favor of a story that instead celebrates Gohan and Piccolo. Gohan and Piccolo are important, powerful characters, albeit ones who have increasingly been neglected.

Super Hero breaks this tradition through its introduction of Gohan Beast and Orange Piccolo, two game-changing transformations that might put them at Goku and Vegeta’s level. Gohan’s Beast transformation poetically mirrors his iconic Super Saiyan 2 metamorphosis, including the fact that his target is a stronger version of Cell. Fans can’t wait to see how this big battle will be topped in the future.

2 Ultra Instinct Goku’s Battle Against Jiren

Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power is full of sensational moments. However, the superpowered showdown between Ultra Instinct Goku and a Super Full Power Jiren was treated like a pay-per-view boxing match that was eagerly watched by audiences on an international scale.

Originally aired as a one-hour double-episode, Goku’s first foray with Ultra Instinct strength is a culmination of a lifetime of training. Dragon Ball Super pulls out all the stops when it comes to the visuals and battle choreography between Universe 7 and Universe 11’s finest. The rematch that occurs between them during the tournament’s conclusion is just as thrilling.

1 Gogeta Blue Fights Legendary Super Saiyan Broly

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is the anime’s first feature film and it’s notable for officially bringing Legendary Super Saiyan Broly into the series’ canon. A battle against Broly would be a monumental Dragon Ball Super event under any circumstances.

However, the movie uses this opportunity to also canonically incorporate Gogeta, Goku, and Vegeta’s fusion dance form. Gogeta Blue’s fight against an awakened Legendary Super Saiyan is as good as Dragon Ball gets and the film’s cinematic budget allows these kinetic visuals to pop in a way that’s typically impossible in a standard anime episode.