BEST OF… DRAGON BALL (2016)

2. Gohan Defeats Cell

Your childhood has been full of memorable moments that will live on even when you no longer associate with the topic that created those memories. Young teens of the late 80s to late 90s would have those memories while watching Dragon Ball Z with a teen of the most powerful warrior in the universe, Gohan. In the beginning, Gohan was a shy and timid boy that didn’t want anything to do with a fight. He would cry anytime he was away from his father but there is something that laid dormant inside him. This unknown something would show itself when Gohan saw his father in danger against his uncle Raditz. Gohan would charge at Raditz practically crippling him. This allowed Goku and Piccolo to defeat the invader but came with the price of Goku’s life. Gohan’s hidden power would show itself again on various occasions.as him, Krillin, and Bulma traveled to Namek. After Krillin is critically injured by Frieza, Gohan would unleash a barrage of attacks against him. It was an amazing moment seeing a young child transform into a warrior like his father and faring against some extremely tough foes along the way. The moment that stands out the most is the battle between Gohan and Cell as it displayed the evolution of a child into a true warrior. One trigger that will set Gohan off is the fact of seeing his friends beaten to no end. Once the Z warriors witnessed Gohan become a Super Saiyan, Cell would trigger the hidden power within Gohan for him to become an Ascended Super Saiyan against the Perfect Cell. As a teen watching this you felt like you could do anything no matter how many times someone told you “You’re just a child”. One thing Dragon Ball has is moral lessons to each character whether it’s prideful, resiliency, strength, or overcoming the odds. Those lessons were realized as Cell was defeated by the son of his primary mission with an attack that has become legendary anytime it’s about to be launched.

1. The First Super Saiyan Transformation

Goku is THE ONE, the end all be all and the world’s strongest as he’s proven time and time again that he’s the defender of that’s good. Can I count the many ways Goku has surprised us? Yes. Can we list the number of enemies Goku has obliterated without any effort? Yes. However, what about the first time he became a Super Saiyan? Can you count that? No. Mainly because it was like a moment that lives in moments of all anime moments. After the grueling battle with Vegeta, it was thought by many fans, what’s next for the promising hero? Will he become even stronger than Kaioken? The answer, of course, is YES! Goku’s main focus throughout the franchise is the love of fighting strong enemies and becoming stronger in the process. During Goku’s travels to Namek to rescue his friends from the life-threatening dangers (The Ginyu Force & Frieza) his training was confined to the spherical spaceship built by Bulma & Dr. Brief. Once reaching the planet Namek, Goku would display his newly attained power against likes of Recoome, Burta, and Jeice before fighting Frieza himself. As Frieza and Goku had a few fierce battle moments that only teetered back and forth, Frieza was thought to be defeated by Goku’s surprised Spirit Bomb. Frieza would end up in the murky waters of Namek only to have survived the bomb. In his fury, Frieza would unleash a malicious attack against Goku’s friends, Piccolo and Krillin. This transformation is so powerful as it pinpointed Goku’s personality and how much of an avenger he is to the entire series. When you watch this one scene the only thing that could possibly be said is you’ll get goosebumps when you hear the perfect BGM, along with the graphics of thunder and lightning crashing in the background, accompany that with the sheer anger being let out by Goku, and outbursts the golden hair/blue eyed Super Saiyan appearance Vegeta exclaimed to Frieza. It’s a powerful moment that will go down in the history of the franchise as the greatest moment and that’s why it’s #1 on our list and many others.

 

Thank you, Akira Toriyama!
-UkNO & The SPARX Team