Highlights
- Dragon Ball Z saga arcs built a lasting legacy for shonen anime, shaping storytelling conventions for future series.
- The iconic Vegeta, Frieza, and Cell Games sagas paved the way for global recognition and commercial success of Dragon Ball Z.
- Frieza Saga stands out as the pinnacle of battle shonen storytelling, with Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation as a defining moment.
Ranked among the most influential anime franchises of all time, the Dragon Ball Z anime covers the latter half of Akira Toriyama’s original Dragon Ball manga, from the Raditz Saga to the Peaceful World Saga. This adaptation, produced by Toei Animation, played a huge role in popularizing anime and manga among western audiences during its time, and heavily impacted the evolution of both mediums.
The lengthy narrative of Dragon Ball Z comprises a series of story arcs later dubbed “sagas” during FUNimation releases, with each introducing a new antagonist for Goku and his allies to contend with. Even among the many memorable sagas that constitute Dragon Ball Z, there are a few that have gone on to transcend their legacy within the franchise’s canon, becoming landmark moments in the development of the battle shonen genre. With this in mind, is there any single story arc that can be christened as the best Dragon Ball Z saga?
The Fundamentals Of A Great Dragon Ball Z Saga
Arc-based storytelling is a core feature of most shonen manga and anime, with Akira Toriyama’s use of this approach having inspired countless successive franchises. While the larger narrative structure of the series was built around groups of sagas centered on a major antagonist, it is important to recognize that even the individual story arcs within them are also categorized as sagas in FUNimation’s North American anime marketing campaigns. This naming convention has often inspired confusion and debates due to the many logistical issues it creates when referring to specific arcs, although it is generally adhered to for the sake of convenience.
In Dragon Ball Z, the larger saga groups — the Saiyan Saga, Frieza Saga, Cell Saga, and Majin Buu Saga — are generally quite tightly structured, with each constituent saga being intricately linked to the grander narrative. Within some of the best-written sections of the series, each individual saga flows into the next with little distinction between them, save for when major developments take place, a time skip occurs, or new characters and antagonists are introduced.
Each saga begins with the introduction of a new threat and objective, which either leads into a training segment with a time skip, or a journey followed by a series of battles building up to the clash with the main antagonist. When looking at the first stretch of the series from the Raditz Saga up till the Namek Saga, the narrative moves according to these conventions in an extremely fluid fashion.
Needless to say, at no point is there any feeling that any story arc can function independent of the ones preceding and succeeding it. Perhaps the only time such a distinction between story fragments is obvious, comes during the seven-year in-universe gap between the Cell Games Saga and the Great Saiyaman Saga. Subsequently, the saga groups of Dragon Ball Z blend together as a continuous narrative, where stoppages neither dilute the story’s momentum, nor do they diminish the stakes propelling it forward.
Why Some Sagas Are More Important Than Others
For the purpose of ranking Dragon Ball Z’s many sagas, there are certain segments that inherently hold greater weight within their saga groups. For instance, the Vegeta Saga is often cited as being more memorable than the Raditz Saga from the Saiyan Saga group, due to its many iconic moments as well as the critical role it played in laying the foundation for Goku and Vegeta’s rivalry.
Similarly, the Frieza Saga overshadows the Namek Saga and Captain Ginyu Saga within the Frieza Saga group, due to it featuring the grueling battle between the Z-Fighters and Frieza, as well as the all-important debut of the Super Saiyan form. Lastly, the Cell Games Saga slightly edges out the Androids Saga within the larger Cell Saga, due to its revamp of the tournament arc style, as well as Gohan’s climactic battle against Perfect Cell. Considering all this, it is time to take a closer look at the contenders for the best story arc in Dragon Ball Z.
Vegeta Saga
Gave Birth To An Iconic Anime Rivalry
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Anime Episodes |
Dragon Ball Z Episodes #7-35 |
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Length |
29 Episodes |
After the gripping revelation of Goku’s Saiyan heritage, followed by his death while fighting Raditz, the Vegeta Saga kicked off at the end of a year-long break, during which time Goku and Gohan spent their time training for the arrival of Vegeta and Nappa. This arc introduced major characters such as King Kai as well as Vegeta, alongside the debut of techniques such as the Kaio-ken, the Spirit Bomb, and the Galick Gun.
Power level’s 8000! How? Wait, it’s over nine! IT’S OVER 9000!
With thrilling fast-paced battles and immense stakes, the Vegeta Saga laid the groundwork and set the tone for future story arcs in Dragon Ball Z. It also sparked the start of Goku and Vegeta’s never-ending rivalry, which has extended into sequel series such as Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super. The final clash between Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan is one of the most iconic fight sequences in the Dragon Ball franchise, whose impact within the realm of battle shonen anime and manga is near unparalleled.
Frieza Saga
Featured The Debut Of The Super Saiyan Transformation
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Anime Episodes |
Dragon Ball Z Episodes #75-107 |
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Length |
33 Episodes |
In discussions about sagas that define Dragon Ball Z, the Frieza Saga is a consistent contender which gave rise to a plot device that would shape the future of the franchise. The phenomenon in question is the use of transformations — specifically Super Saiyan forms — which have become inextricably tied to Dragon Ball’s identity. Besides this, it incorporated some of the best pacing and writing in the larger Frieza Saga group, with an immensely charismatic villain, higher stakes, and a consistent tension that threatened to explode at any moment.
I am the warrior you’ve heard of in legends, pure of heart and awakened by fury. That’s what I am. I AM THE SUPER SAIYAN, SON GOKU!
Moreover, the constant game of cat and mouse between the Z-Fighters, Vegeta, and Frieza to attain the Namekian Dragon Balls was an ideal means to maintain this tension while spacing out fights to allow them some breathing room. The Frieza Saga also features the longest fight against a single antagonist in the entire series, both in the manga and the anime — even while excluding filler — which is a testament to the epic undertones of the arc’s storyline.
Cell Games Saga
Highlighted Gohan’s Coming-Of-Age As A Warrior
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Anime Episodes |
Dragon Ball Z Episodes #166-194 |
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Length |
29 Episodes |
Wrapping up the larger Cell Saga group it is a part of, the Cell Games Saga picked up after Perfect Cell issued an invitation for Earth’s greatest fighters to challenge him and prove themselves to be worthy rivals to his might. While the arc initially adopted a tournament-style format in a callback to earlier Dragon Ball story arcs, this was soon discarded once Goku and Gohan emerged as the only combatants who stood a real chance against Perfect Cell.
16, you loved life. You gave everything up to save it. And you were just an Android. I let you die…I can’t do that…I won’t watch anymore. I…I feel it slipping. And I won’t watch this anymore!
The entire Cell Saga group is sometimes cited as the best segment of Dragon Ball Z due to its gripping air of mystery, Toriyama’s clever albeit convoluted use of time-travel, a brilliant final villain, and the incredible development of Gohan’s character. However, the Cell Games Saga only features the last battle-heavy stretch of this journey. That being said, the Cell Games Saga is also the culmination of Gohan’s entire character arc from the start of the Raditz Saga, which was brought full-circle in spectacular fashion with his ascension to Super Saiyan 2 and eventual defeat of Perfect Cell.
What Was The Best Dragon Ball Z Saga?
Putting aside popular opinions of the saga groups they all belong to, this trio of story arcs includes some of the moments that elevated Dragon Ball Z to the level of acclaim and global popularity it enjoys today. While the franchise’s popularity within Japan was already quite impressive, its appeal to international audiences had a huge hand in shaping it into one of the most commercially successful anime titles of all time, and each of these three sagas were crucial to its success.
To start off, the first among this trio that could be eliminated is likely the Cell Games Saga, since its significance is somewhat diminished when evaluating it as a story arc of its own accord, without focusing on the larger Cell Saga group. By contrast, the Saiyan Saga and Frieza Saga are slightly more holistic narrative segments with peaks and lows, featuring events that have shaped the course of shonen anime in the decades since. On one hand, the Frieza Saga has one of the best moments of narrative catharsis in anime with Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation, whereas the Saiyan Saga has better pacing with some equally critical story beats.
Notwithstanding the latter argument, it would be hard to downplay just how extraordinarily well the Frieza Saga holds up as a battle shonen story arc from start to finish, especially when looking at how the conclusion of the Saiyan Saga was still finding its feet within the darker tonal territory that the series was headed towards. Ultimately, it would be difficult for anything to trump the Frieza Saga in any department, which is why it is arguably the best saga in Dragon Ball Z.
Dragon Ball Z is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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