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The Dragon Ball franchise has given us some of the most legendary competition battles in anime history. Join us as we count down our picks for the greatest fights to take place during tournaments and competitions across the entire Dragon Ball franchise! Which bout had you on the edge of your seat?
Transcript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the best Dragon Ball fights
00:05to take place during tournaments.
00:2010 Goku vs Hit Dragon Ball Super
00:30The highlight of the Dragon Ball franchise's first multiversal tournament, the Tournament
00:35of Destroyers, is the match between Goku and Universe 6's contestant Hit.
00:41The Legendary Assassin's signature move is Time Skip, which lets him catch his opponents
00:46off guard by skipping forward in time by fractions of a second.
00:50Goku manages to counter this by increasing his speed, first with Super Saiyan Blue and
00:55then by finally bringing back the Kaioken technique.
01:07However, since Hit is unable to fight to the fullest due to the tournament's rules and the
01:12Kaioken is taking a toll on his body, Goku ultimately gives up.
01:17The conclusion may be somewhat unsatisfying, but Hit's abilities and the return of a fan-favorite
01:22Goku power-up still makes for an incredible fight.
01:369 Goku vs Jackie Chun Dragon Ball
01:50The 21st World Martial Arts Tournament is the first tournament featured in Dragon Ball.
01:56The finale between Goku and Jackie Chun, who's actually a disguised Master Roshi, is basically
02:02a microcosm of the history of the series itself.
02:05While it starts out comedic and light-hearted, things get progressively more serious.
02:16The pair clash with energy blasts, and Goku transforms into his great ape form.
02:21Roshi even has to blow up the moon to change Goku back.
02:25By the fight's conclusion, both fighters are exhausted, using only martial arts against each
02:31other.
02:31Ultimately, the victory and world champion title are narrowly awarded to Jackie, giving Goku
02:37something to strive for.
02:46the victory and world champion.
02:478 Goku vs Tien Dragon Ball
03:01Arguably Goku's first real rival, Tien Shenhan's match with Goku in the 22nd World Martial Arts
03:07tournament has plenty of tension.
03:10But despite attempts by his fellow Crane School martial artists to interfere, Tien wants a
03:15fair fight.
03:16It's a match of ideals as much as one of fists and techniques.
03:20There are plenty of the latter though, with Tien breaking out moves like the Dodon Ray and
03:25the Tri-Beam.
03:32Ultimately though, the match is left up in the air, literally.
03:36Thanks to some creative mid-air maneuvering, Goku is able to take Tien down.
03:41Unfortunately, Goku lands first, making Tien the winner.
03:44It's a fantastic, well-paced bout that left us guessing until the final seconds.
03:577 Goku vs Krillin Dragon Ball
04:08The idea that Krillin could fight evenly with Goku might be laughable now, but back when
04:14they were kids, the gap in their strength wasn't as large.
04:17In order to decide who will face Tien in the finals, the two Turtle School students get
04:22serious with each other.
04:24Well, mostly.
04:25Despite a few jokes like Krillin inflating himself like a balloon, their moves remain fairly grounded.
04:31In fact, thanks to some fantastic key animation, the choreography is arguably some of the best
04:36in the entire franchise.
04:50There are very few energy blasts or power-ups, making this a nearly pure contest of martial
04:56arts between best friends.
04:58Goku may ring Krillin out with a burst of speed, but his bold bestie still made him work for
05:03that victory.
05:176 Goku vs Kefla Dragon Ball Super
05:30Usually, fusions are used by our heroes, so it's fascinating to see one used against
05:35Goku during the tournament of power.
05:38Kalifla and Kale are giving Goku a good fight together, but there's still no match for Goku.
05:43However, their fusion, Kefla, gives him a run for his money.
05:54She even proves able to overwhelm him in his Super Saiyan Blue form while using Kaioken.
06:00Just when things look dire for Goku, he's able to once again tap into Ultra Instinct and
06:05dodges all her moves.
06:07Their battle culminates in Goku grinding atop Kefla's attack and sending them out of bounds
06:12and back into Kefla and Kale.
06:14With its gradually escalating power levels and iconic finishing move, this fight became
06:20an instant favorite.
06:32Goku vs Piccolo Dragon Ball
06:40The finale of the original Dragon Ball saw a grudge match between Goku and the reincarnation
06:46of the demon king Piccolo Jr.
06:49The sheer creativity of some of our combatants' attacks are something else.
06:53Piccolo uses his giant form, Goku does the Kamehameha with his feet, their battle destroys
07:00not only most of the ring, but also most of Goku's bones.
07:03Yet even weakened as he is, Goku clinches the win with a flying headbutt.
07:15This is arguably where the franchise transitions into its modern form.
07:20All the hallmarks of modern Dragon Ball started with this fight.
07:24Transformations flying through the air, the world ending stakes.
07:28The winner of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament is Goku!
07:32Goku vs Top Dragon Ball Super
07:45In the final minutes of the Tournament of Power, Vegeta is drawn away from his 2v1 against Jiren
07:52to fight Top.
07:53The Universe 11 team member's God of Destruction form is initially too much for the Saiyan Prince.
07:59However, after seeing how Top casts aside his ideals for justice to obtain power, Vegeta
08:04reminds himself what he's fighting for.
08:07Fueled by his Saiyan pride and love for his family, Vegeta begins battering Top, even punching
08:13through his Hakai attacks.
08:14And those can disintegrate anything.
08:29Eventually, Vegeta uses a familiar sacrificial attack to overwhelm even Top's destructive energy
08:36to defeat him, although he manages to survive.
08:39If there's one thing Vegeta refuses to do, it's lose to someone who can't retain their pride.
08:55No.3 Gohan vs Cell Dragon Ball Z
09:07While the Cell game's arena may be gone by the time these two clash, we're still counting
09:12it.
09:13Gohan is forced into battle after his dad's match with Cell.
09:16More on that soon.
09:17Cell's cruel curiosity at Gohan's simmering rage leads to him tormenting the kid's friends
09:23and family with his Cell Juniors.
09:25This, along with Android 16's death, pushes Gohan into the unprecedented Super Saiyan 2 transformation.
09:32Cell also manages to come back stronger, despite nearly blowing himself up and killing Goku.
09:38Their fight ultimately comes down to a beam struggle with the fate of the Earth on the line, which
09:43Gohan wins with some posthumous help from Goku.
09:55Seeing Gohan surpass his father to defeat Cell is arguably his peak as a character.
10:09No.2 Goku, Freeza and Android 17 vs Jiren Dragon Ball Super
10:27The Tournament of Power features more danger than ever before, with literal universes on
10:32the line.
10:33And it all comes to a climax in its final minutes, which sees an unlikely final trio of survivors
10:39from Universe 7.
10:40Goku, Freeza and Android 17 face off against Universe 11's Jiren.
10:46The battle sees Goku Master Ultra Instinct which broke the internet.
11:00Additionally, it saw long-time enemies Goku and Freeza work together to finally bring Jiren out.
11:07This left Android 17 as the unexpected last fighter standing.
11:12This tournament fight had surprises, stakes and hype galore.
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11:37Goku vs Cell Dragon Ball Z In our opinion, the best Dragon Ball tournament
11:52fight is Goku's match with Cell during the Cell games.
11:56Their fight sees the best mix between the heightened aerial combat, crazy energy attacks and other
12:01the hallmarks of Dragon Ball Z, as well as the more restrained combat of traditional tournaments,
12:07even after Cell blows the arena up.
12:09The combat is swift and brutal, but also creative.
12:13Cell imitates many other characters' techniques, while Goku delivers one of the coolest moves in the
12:18whole franchise by combining the Kamehameha with his instant transmission.
12:33It ends with the most shocking moment of all.
12:36Goku just giving up.
12:37This is a tournament match that fires on all cylinders.
12:41We could only wish on the Dragon Balls for a better one.
12:53Is there a tournament bout from Dragon Ball that we forgot?
12:56Square up and hit us with your picks in those comments below.
13:00Oh!