Dragon Ball Z (1996)

Dragon Ball Z is the epic, action-packed continuation of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball saga. The series opens when the alien warrior Raditz arrives on Earth, forcing Goku — who discovers he is actually a Saiyan named Kakarot — and his friends to face a rising tide of extraterrestrial threats. Early episodes set the tone: high-stakes battles, dramatic reveals (Goku’s death and exile to Snake Way), desperate training (Piccolo coaching young Gohan; Goku training with King Kai and learning Kaio-ken), and warnings of even greater foes to come. What you’ll experience watching Dragon Ball Z: - Long, intense fight sequences with escalating power levels, signature transformations, and memorable special attacks. - Serialized, saga-driven storytelling that moves from the Saiyan invasion to legendary arcs including Frieza, the Androids/Cell, and Majin Buu, spanning years and even jumping decades in-universe. - Strong emotional beats amid the action: family bonds, sacrifice, rivalry, mentorship, and characters (notably Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and others) who grow through repeated trials. - A mix of serious sci-fi/fantasy stakes and light-hearted moments — humor and camaraderie balance the often-epic tone. - Nostalgic, iconic anime elements: memorable themes and voice moments, occasional slow-burn pacing and filler, but also defining moments of anime culture (transformations, power-ups, cliffhangers). Overall, Dragon Ball Z delivers adrenaline-fueled battles, character-driven drama, and a long-form, evolving conflict that made it a staple of animated action series — especially popular in the West through broadcasts like Toonami. If you like serialized martial-arts sci-fi with soaring stakes and larger-than-life heroes and villains, this series is a landmark example.

Actors: Doc Harris, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil

Genres: Action, Adventure, Animation

8.8 /10 8.8 /10