Toei didn’t do a perfect job adapting Dragon Ball into an anime, but that doesn’t mean their adaptations didn’t improve upon Akira Toriyama’s source material every now & again. Both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z craft their own identities independent of the manga with action that’s tailored to the anime medium.
There’s a reason most fans are only familiar with Dragon Ball through the anime and still love the series: it’s a fantastic adaptation, warts & all. Toei understood that not everything in the manga would translate accordingly to television, resulting in the Dragon Ball anime tweaking fights to make them a better viewing experience.
10 Goku Vs Jackie Chun
Toei’s Dragon Ball is at its best when it respects the source material while twisting it just enough to better benefit anime as a medium. By virtue of not being in black & white, the fight between Goku and Jackie Chun in the anime gets to naturally detail sundown, with audiences keenly aware of the passage of time. This lends an added weight to their battle and makes the twilight set finale all the more visually impressive.
9 Yamcha Vs Mummy-kun
Mummy-kun gives Yamcha quite the beatdown in whichever medium he’s in, but the anime at least treats the former desert bandit with a bit more respect. In the manga, Yamcha more or less can’t get a single hit in and is bodied into forfeiting. In the anime, Yamcha does not give up at all, fighting with all his might to defeat Mummy-kun on his own terms. This actually makes his loss sting a bit more, but winning isn’t what matters in Dragon Ball to begin with.
8 Yamcha Vs Tenshinhan
For whatever reason, the anime scores Yamcha’s fight against Tenshinhan in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai with an original theme song about Yamcha’s signature technique – the Roga Fufu Ken. It’s an odd fight to highlight, but that’s honestly what makes it so endearing. Yamcha isnt a character Dragon Ball pays a lot of service to, but the anime recognized his best fight when they saw it and capitalized appropriately. Yamcha still loses (and brutally,) but at least it’s in style.
7 Yamcha Vs Saibaman
The anime really likes Yamcha, to the point where it’s always charming to see him get the focus he deserves. Toei generally does a very good job adapting the Saiyan arc, in particular adding greater gravitas to the deaths of Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu – of which the manga more or less just rushes through to get to Piccolo.
Yamcha’s death feels even more sudden in the anime, with the tragedy of his death felt almost immediately. Krillin’s rage upon losing his friend is adapted beautifully, and Yamcha’s fight against the Saibaman is just a well animated battle.
6 Earthlings Vs Nappa
The fight against Nappa is as brutal in the anime as it is in the manga, but the former manages to tap into some deeper emotion. Chaozu’s death has almost no weight in the manga, but it’s milked for as much drama as possible in the anime, which makes Tenshinhan’s sacrifice all the more painful. Piccolo’s death is also given an extra layer thanks to Toshio Furukawa’s downright phenomenal performance. There’s genuine hopelessness in the air by the time Goku arrives.
5 Future Trunks Vs Androids 17 & 18
History of Trunks is adapted very differently in the anime. In the manga, Trunks is already a Super Saiyan, Gohan’s fight against the Androids happens mostly off-page, and Trunks’ own showdown doesn’t fare much better. The anime turns this bonus chapter into a proper tragedy where Trunks only becomes a Super Saiyan after losing Gohan.
His fight against the Androids is also especially chilling in the TV Special. 17 and 18 play with Trunks like he’s a toy, making an utter fool out of the Super Saiyan. He resorts to hiding and stealth tactics just to stay alive by the end, all framed in some of Dragon Ball Z’s best art direction.
4 Gohan Vs Dabra
Dragon Ball’s action becomes significantly faster heading into the Majin Buu arc, a natural consequence of Akira Toriyama having worked on the manga for nearly an entire decade with no breaks. As a result, there isn’t the same level of depth given to battles. Most take place over the course of a single chapter with no real arc.
Gohan’s fight with Dabra is the first to get a major improvement in the Buu arc. While there’s still no resolution, Gohan puts up a longer fight and the anime generally just does the match-up justice for how much hype Dabra is given. Seeing Gohan struggle so much also puts his arc into clearer perspective.
3 Goku Vs Majin Vegeta
The manga just flies by Goku and Vegeta’s rematch, focusing on the important character beats while generally cutting away from the smaller details of their fight. It’s an approach that works in the context of the Buu arc’s pacing, but it’s hard not to feel cheated after their epic first fight in the Saiyan arc (which the anime actually does a very good job at adapting.)
Toei improves Goku vs Majin Vegeta in virtually every sense, giving their battle weight and creating an arc out of the fight. These are two rivals settling a grudge match bred by Vegeta’s ego, arrogance, & mid-life crisis, and the anime does an incredible job at adapting all those emotions into a denser fight.
2 Gohan Vs Buutenks
It’s arguable Toriyama knew Gohan wasn’t going to save the day even as he was giving him his Ultimate power up, but that doesn’t make his battle against Majin Buu feels any less of a cheat. Gohan barely gets an opportunity to assert himself before Buu absorbs Gotenks and turns the table on him.
The anime at least humors Gohan’s development by outright framing this fight in the same lens as Goku vs Vegeta from the Saiyan arc. It’s a cute reference that makes for some great action before Gohan ultimately starts slipping and losing at the hands of Buutenks.
1 Goku Vs Pure Buu
Toei goes all out for Goku’s final battle against Pure Buu. Adapting the manga battle so that Goku start out as a Super Saiyan 2 before turning Super Saiyan 3, Goku vs Pure Buu in the anime is just brilliant from start to finish. The animation is top notch, the art direction is stellar, and all the added filler only enhances what was simply too short a battle in the manga. For all the anime’s faults, Toei knew how to bring out the best qualities in the Buu arc’s fights.
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