Beyond strict canon lies a sprawling Dragon Ball movie-verse and the experimental territory of Dragon Ball GT, where the rules of continuity are traded for high-concept spectacle. These stories allow for creative risks that take the series’ lore in wild directions.
The creative liberties from Dragon Ball‘s non-canon titles provide the foundations for ruthless, gorgeous battles that often overshadow the main series’ fights.
10
Goku vs Lord Slug
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
Goku and Lord Slug’s face-off is essentially a remix of the King Piccolo saga, but it deserves credit for its gritty, apocalyptic atmosphere and the debut of the False Super Saiyan form. This battle depicts a world being terraformed into a frozen wasteland while a desperate Goku struggles against one of the strongest warriors in Namekian history. Despite not being a particularly powerful battle, Goku and Slug’s fight is incredibly intense. It’s a David vs. Goliath brawl where Goku has to navigate a terrain of unique attacks from massive limbs and devastating breath attacks.
Lord Slug occurs while Goku is supposed to be on Namek, yet he lacks the official Super Saiyan form. Sadly, this means that the inspired False Super Saiyan doesn’t exist in canon as Goku’s first taste of his first non-Ozharu transformation. Lord Slug also expands on the Super Namekian concept far more viscerally than the Piccolo-Kami fusion later does. In general, it’s most comparable to Goku vs. King Piccolo, but it differentiates itself through its use of Namekian hearing sensitivity as a strategic turning point.
9
Goku vs OG Broly
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993)
Goku’s first encounter with the Legendary Super Saiyan is a slaughter that turned Broly into a generational icon. Broly doesn’t trade blows so much as he absorbs them, walking through a point-blank Kamehameha with a sadistic laugh that broke the power ceilings of the ’90s. Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan‘s choreography is a relentless display of tank combat, where the Z-Fighters are treated like ragdolls against the emerald backdrop of a dying planet.
Broly’s first appearance stayed non-canon for years due to its place during the ten-day wait for the Cell Games, a time when the characters were supposed to be training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Then, twenty-five years later, Dragon Ball: Super‘s Broly integration completely erased the original Legendary Super Saiyan from canon. While it can be compared to the Jiren fight in terms of brutality, the OG Broly battle utilizes the crumbling environment better, with New Planet Vegeta emphasizing the villain’s destructive nature.
8
Z-Fighters vs Android 13
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (1992)
The Red Ribbon’s androids are a central piece of the Dragon Ball lore, designed to destroy Goku years before Cell does the job. In Super Android 13!, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks face the remnants of Dr. Gero’s mechanical hatred. The standout element is the brutal, blue-skinned Super Android 13, the only android besides Cell to have a full transformation of its own. Super Android 13 famously delivers one of the most visceral beatings the Z-Fighters have ever witnessed, leaving both Vegeta and Goku grasping for air.
All of Dragon Ball’s Main Villains Ranked Weakest to Strongest
Dragon Ball has introduced numerous villains over the years who continue to compete to take the throne as the strongest in the franchise.
Super Android 13! occupies an awkward gap in the Android Saga where Goku is healthy, Vegeta is a Super Saiyan, and the world isn’t already under the thumb of Androids 17 and 18, which fundamentally contradicts the Dragon Ball Z timeline. Android 13’s non-canon status is unfortunate given the villain’s impressive power and the Saiyan trio’s outstanding teamwork. Notably, the concept of Goku not being able to perform a Spirit Bomb attack while in his Super Saiyan form debuted here.
7
SSJ4 Gogeta vs Omega Shenron
Dragon Ball GT (1997)
Dragon Ball GT brings the whole Dragon Ball franchise (up to that point) to its climax with an appropriately huge battle centered around the Dragon Balls. SSJ4 Gogeta represents the absolute ceiling of primal Saiyan power, and Omega Shenron is dark energy incarnate. Gogeta eventually takes things a lighthearted approach to the battle, but the sheer beauty of both characters’ designs and the sheer scale of their attacks deserve a special place in Dragon Ball lore.
Usually, the final fight of a series is a bloody, desperate struggle, but Gogeta treats the end of the world like a comedy routine. This leads to a more poignant battle where Kid Goku gives everything he’s got to defeat a nearly invincible villain one last time. Goku and Vegeta’s final battle against Omega Shenron also puts the focus back on the Dragon Balls, a theme the main series has largely ignored.
Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (1992)
Goku and Vegeta’s showdown on New Namek against Meta-Cooler shakes up the traditional Dragon Ball formula by having the duo face an endless army of identical, self-repairing machines. What’s even better, the Meta-Cooler army’s reveal is preceded by a brutal battle against a single unit that leaves Goku and Vegeta on the brink of death by exhaustion. The moment the heroes realize that the single Meta-Cooler they struggled to defeat is merely one of thousands is a genuine horror-filled moment that few other stories manage to land.
The Return of Cooler introduces a unique antagonist and differentiates him from his brother, as it treats Meta-Cooler as a technological virus. Where the Goku vs. Frieza fight was about endurance and willpower, the Meta-Cooler battle is about the futility of traditional combat against an enemy that learns and adapts in real-time. Unfortunately, Cooler is still the only major member of the Cold family who still floats in non-canon limbo.
5
Gohan & The Z-Fighters vs Bojack
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
Bojack Unbound is the Cell Saga’s spiritual victory lap, where Gohan truly accepts his mantle as Earth’s protector. The Z-Fighters use coordinated strikes and diverse techniques against a squad of space pirates who use psychic threads to immobilize their prey. The moment Gohan transforms into Super Saiyan 2, punctuated by the ghostly silhouette of Goku’s encouragement, hits just as hard as Gohan’s final Kamehameha againt Cell. Not to mention, Bojack Unbound features some of the best-looking showings by Piccolo, Future Trunks, and Gohan.
Bojack Unbound is perhaps the closest a Dragon Ball movie has gotten to becoming canon, but it still exists in a parallel timeline to this day. While it repeats emotional beats from the Cell Saga, it highlights the vulnerability of the supporting cast before giving Gohan a definitive, no-nonsense win. Here, Gohan proves he can lead the Z-Warriors, which is later undone by Z, GT, and Super.
4
Goku vs Garlic Jr.’s Henchmen
Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (1989)
Before the era of universe-destroying gods and hair-color swaps, Dead Zone became a testament to the beauty of pure, unfiltered martial arts. Goku relies on speed, technique, and the Power Pole, using moves that feel replicable by real martial artists. The animation is arguably among the best in the franchise’s history, as it depicts a fluid, high-speed chase through a gothic fortress, where Goku exchanges detailed blows with a variety of enemies, many of them simultaneously.
Goku’s martial arts showcase in Dead Zone also spotlights environment-based combat. Goku weaponizes the castle’s architecture to outmaneuver several distinct fighting styles. While it barely resembles modern-day Dragon Ball, this battle more than deserves a spot in canon, if only to display the true extent of Goku’s combat expertise without world- and universe-ending threats overshadowing it.
3
SSJ4 Goku vs Baby Vegeta
Dragon Ball GT (1997)
Although it’s GT‘s first arc, the war for Earth between Super Saiyan 4 Goku and the Tuffle-infected Baby Vegeta is Dragon Ball GT‘s central conflict. It tethers Goku and Vegeta’s lifelong rivalry to the Saiyans’ original sin. Most notably, the debut of Super Saiyan 4 is arguably the most primal transformation scene in all Dragon Ball, with Goku suffering all throughout the process before he reveals his larger-than-life appearance. Afterward, Goku’s raging battle against a rapidly-evolving Baby Vegeta is the stuff of a Power Metal hymn.
Dragon Ball GT‘s Goku vs Vegeta fight feels more complete than many canon battles due to all the elements it encompasses. Goku is forced to reckon with the darker aspects of his heritage while fighting to save his friends’ possessed bodies, and Vegeta becomes a weapon of his species’ victims as both he and Goku reach the pinnacle of Saiyan evolution. GT‘s Tuffle lore is the most logical expansion of Saiyan history, yet it has since been relegated by Super.
2
Gogeta vs Janemba
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)
Gogeta’s silent face-off against Janemba in Fusion Reborn is one of the most visually striking battles in Dragon Ball Z. Janemba’s reality-warping abilities were incredibly difficult to animate, but the efforts paid off, especially his pixelated teleportation, which looks breathtaking to this day. Gogeta’s Stardust Breaker isn’t any less impressive, and the Otherworld setting provides a drastic contrast to Gogeta and Janemba’s powerful exchanges.
More importantly, Fusion Reborn‘s main battle leaves a unique mark on Goku and Vegeta, which unfortunately doesn’t influence the rest of the franchise. Gogeta’s debut requires Vegeta to spend his final moments of existence giving up his ego to be one and the same with Goku, and it requires Goku to lock in, making the serious Gogeta a fascinating contrast to Vegito’s arrogant personality. Sadly, Fusion Reborn‘s timeline placement makes it impossible to integrate into Dragon Ball canon.
1
Bardock vs Frieza’s Army
Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku (1990)
Bardock’s final stand against Frieza is hands down the most poignant and tragic battle in non-canon Dragon Ball. The futility of Bardock’s dying efforts to confront Frieza before Planet Vegeta’s destruction become increasingly clearer without the need for much explicit action. This growing hopelessness is the perfect prelude to Bardock’s impressive performance against countless soldiers, his damaged, blood-soaked armor serving as a stark contrast to the cold silence of outer space. Unlike all other battles, Frieza effortlessly kills Bardock from a distance, planting the seeds for the whole Dragon Ball franchise.
It’s clear from the start that Bardock – The Father of Goku‘s titular hero has no chance of stopping Frieza, yet every second is filled with tension. It removes the safety net of the Z-Warriors’ almost guaranteed victory. Bardock only wields his willpower and his visions of a future he’ll never see. Although Dragon Ball: Super canonizes Bardock, the original, sadist-turned-hero nature of the original version is an essential part of what makes his debut movie so moving.
Which is your favorite non-canon Dragon Ball battle?
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- Created by
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Akira Toriyama
- First Film
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Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film
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Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
- First TV Show
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Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
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Super Dragon Ball Heroes
- First Episode Air Date
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April 26, 1989
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- Release Date
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1986 – 1989
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Osamu Kasai, Daisuke Nishio, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Minoru Okazaki, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Yoshihiro Ueda, Yutaka Satoh, Yûji Endô
- Writers
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Akira Toriyama, Keiji Terui, Toshiki Inoue, Takao Koyama, Michiru Shimada, Yasushi Hirano, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Yuichiro Oguro, Miho Maruo, Shunichi Yukimuro
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Masako Nozawa
Son Goku (voice)
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Mayumi Tanaka
Krillin (voice)
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- Release Date
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1989 – 1996
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Daisuke Nishio, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Osamu Kasai
- Writers
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Akira Toriyama, Neil Bligh, Hiroshi Toda, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Aya Matsui, Keiji Terui, Reiko Yoshida, Toshiki Inoue
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Masako Nozawa
Son Goku / Son Gohan / Son Goten (voice)
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Ryo Horikawa
Vegeta (voice)
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- Release Date
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1997 – 1997-00-00
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Showrunner
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Akira Toriyama
- Directors
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Minoru Okazaki, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Yoshihiro Ueda, Takahiro Imamura, Hidehiko Kadota, Osamu Kasai, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Shigeyasu Yamauchi
- Writers
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Akira Toriyama
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Masako Nozawa
Oob (voice)
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Yûko Minaguchi
Uncredited
