Dragon ball There have been a lot of dark moments over the years, and here are 10 that still stand out. Since its earliest days, Dragon Ball has had a jovial atmosphere, with the story never stretching too much into some of the more serious aspects of its story. Much of this can be traced back to its origins as an action comedy, but even after the series begins to focus primarily on action, the more serious moments will always be balanced with something that is relatively less heavy and allows each part of the story to end on a good note.
However, there are still plenty of dark moments in Dragon Ball, and the following 10 are some of the darkest so far. Some of the moments listed are included because of the disturbing imagery or visceral they evoke, something that is particularly noticeable in the manga compared to the anime. Other moments are included because of their impact on the characters and the story as a whole, as while Dragon Ball doesn’t usually focus too much on characters and plot, there are plenty of moments. featured in the series, dark or not.
ten Goku’s First Great Ape Transformation
The first dark moment in the Dragon Balls to discuss is Goku’s first Great Ape transformation in the Emperor Pilaf story. Goku completely unaware that he was the monster that killed his grandfather is one thing, but both the anime and manga take the time to focus on all the specific ways a child turns into a monster. giant object, making a horrifying scene all the more emphasized. by the Great Ape’s path of destruction shortly thereafter. What’s even worse is that Dragon Ball was still an action comedy at the time, so the contrast between the setting and the tone of the story made it all the worse.
9 Krillin’s death in The King Piccolo Saga
Another notable dark moment in the series is Krillin’s death, which kicks off the King Piccolo saga, especially the anime version. While the manga darkens everything with how suddenly it happened, the anime takes things even further by creating a sense of anxiety and fear in Goku as Krillin grows late. dinner, all of which culminates when Goku finally shows up. the lifeless corpse of his best friend. It’s the perfect way to start the darkest story of the Dragon Ball era, and it’s a clear indication of the direction the franchise will head from there.
8 Nappa Vs. dragon team
The first dark moment from the Dragon Ball Z era of the series to discuss was Team Dragon’s fight against Nappa in the Saiyan saga. Even though everyone has gone through a year of training for the Saiyan’s appearance, it’s clear that Nappa is stronger than all of them combined, and he’s not even the strongest between him and Vegeta. People can only struggle and die before Nappa as they desperately wait for Goku to come save them, and the entire sequence of events is responsible for much of the sad note that the Saiyan saga ends.
7 Frieza survived the mental bomb
Frieza was and still is one of Goku’s deadliest opponents of all of the Dragon Balls, and few moments sell that better than when it’s revealed he’s survived his Spirit Bomb. Goku. The failure of the Spirit Bomb meant that Goku now had no way to defeat Frieza, and to make the situation worse, Frieza proceeded to torture Goku by mortally wounding Piccolo and killing Krillin. Krillin’s death was particularly bad because it meant he could never be resurrected, plus Frieza’s threat to do the same to Gohan, completely sold his sadism and the situation would not be like without Super Saiyan.
6 Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks
As discussed before, Dragon Ball doesn’t usually dig too much into character drama, but one major exception is the plot of Future Trunks detailed in Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks. While fans were already aware of Future Trunks’ backstory by the time History of Trunks aired, the special allows for an exploration of the real journey in his timeline, with Trunks’ reaction to it first. Gohan’s death was a standout moment for the franchise, as a whole. The only upside is the idea that Trunks at least has a chance to change things with the time machine, but subsequent events will make it clear that even that cannot exist.
5 Cell Introduction
Cell is a Dragon Ball villain who is considered a monster through his looks and actions, and nothing sells better than his introduction to the series. The Android story alludes to a bigger threat than Android, and when Piccolo goes to investigate, he finds a town completely abandoned. It’s an ominous scene, and when Cell appears, it’s revealed that Cell has devoured every single town dweller, the process shown in horrifying clarity and detail. The whole scene feels like a horror movie, and it does a great job of setting the tone for the kind of character Cell is going to be.
4 Super Buu Annihilates All Humanity
Super Buu is one of the most dangerous villains in Dragon Ball Z, and the most well-documented moment is the scene where he kills all of humanity. In a desperate attempt to buy Goten and Trunks time to master Fusion, Piccolo tells Dragon Ball’s Super Buu that he needs to kill everyone on the planet before they can fight him. , and without missing a beat, Super Buu unleashed a devastating attack that killed everyone on Earth not in Kami’s Observatory, save the Fairy, Chiaotzu, and Hercule. It was a very dark time for the series, and it clearly shows that Super Buu is nothing like the innocent child Majin Buu.
3 Zeno Delete Future Trunks Timeline
One of the central characters introduced in Dragon Ball Super was Zeno the Omni-King, and a dark moment involving him was when he erased Future Trunks’ timeline. When Fusion Zamasu merged his essence with the universe to impose his will, Goku summoned Future Zeno to help, and he used his powers to erase Future Trunks’ timeline . The destruction of Future Trunks’ timeline means that everything he’s done since Dragon Ball Z is meaningless, making it one of the darkest moments in the entire series, and while Whis sends Trunks and Future Mai to a new timeline, that only softens it up a bit. Tragedy of the Trunks story.
2 Moro regenerates his arm through Goku
The manga’s Galactic Patrol Prisoner story is full of tense moments, and one of the most intense is when Moro recreates his arm through Goku’s chest. After receiving an enormous amount of power from absorbing the Seven-Three, including the ability to duplicate his powers, Moro mopped the floor with Goku and his friends, and when he was Losing an arm in battle, he grew back straight through Goku’s chest and skewered his heart. It’s not surprising to see such a mundane ability used offensively, and the whole scene is an absolutely gruesome way to establish Moro’s newfound powers in this installment.
first The ultimate form of gas
The final dark moment in Dragon Ball is discussed as Gas’s final form. After becoming the strongest warrior in the universe, Gas is constantly forced to push his limits further and further, and the stress of doing so, combined with the damage he will accumulate, makes he transforms into a hideous zombie-like form. I can’t even feel pain anymore. Worse yet, his flesh simply disintegrated when he was killed by Dragon Ball Super’s new extremely powerful threat, the Black Frieza, leaving nothing but a skeleton lying in the dirt. It was a rare candid body horror moment in Dragon Ball, and it perfectly sold the kind of monster Gas had become.
One thing that makes Dragon Ball remarkable is that it combines different tones very well. One moment the movie is a comedy, then the action, and suddenly it becomes a horror movie. Dragon Ball the darkest moments prove why the franchise is more than just worthy of its status as a classic.