Dragon ball has made a very big section of anime fans screaming with joy at a lot of times at their screens, but the series has had its share of tear-jerking moments as well. Series has given its fans some of the most upsetting deaths in the history of anime. Below are 10 of the saddest deaths in Dragon Ball series:-
10) Master Roshi – (King Piccolo)
Right when our old martial artist, Master Roshi tries Evil Containment Wave to trap King Piccolo in a rice cooker for the rest of the eternity, it backfires on him. Before that, being completely aware that this attack will drain out all the energy left inside of his body, he had Tien paralyzed in case Roshi didn’t get his attack right.
Roshi did actually miss the rice cooker and King Piccolo escapes the Wave and Master Roshi died for nothing. What made this death even sadder is that Goku can feel the loss of his master from miles away and the way that Turtle is seen weeping over its old friend’s lifeless body.
9) Chi-Chi and Goten (Zamasu and Black Goku Arc)
Goku has shown in time and again how much he cares about his family and adores Chi Chi. When, in the supreme hunger of power, Zamasu wishes with Super Dragon Balls to switch bodies with Goku of his timeline and therefore, emerges out as Black Goku. Black Goku is none other than evil Zamasu in Goku’s body. He decapitates Chi-Chi with his God Split Cut and kills Goten soon after making him witness the death of both of his parents.
8) Android 16 – Cell Games Saga
Dragon Ball Z was filled by sacrifices and let alone Z fighters’ sacrifices; an android even sacrificed his life or, well fuel. Fans had witnessed deaths before in the series and would go on witnessing many more in the series, but they were nothing as emotional and humane as Android 16’s sacrifice. His death and most specifically, his dying monologue inspired Gohan to break off all the limits and power up with enough strength to put Cell down.
His character marked an important message in the series, of never be kneeling down to the way you were created but to always be in efforts of becoming better and to keep doing what’s right and protecting the ones you love at any cost.
7) Piccolo – Saiyan Saga
Piccolo had always been a tough figure who concerned nobody but himself. Hence, when Piccolo decides to die for saving little Gohan whom he had started adoring by the end of the Saiyan Saga, it left fans awestruck witnessing hard witted Namekian stood between Nappa and Gohan for saving him but getting struck by bald Saiyan’s powerful attack, and met his awaited redemption.
Many of those mentioned in this list are sacrifices of one way or another. And since, Piccolo’s character had been evolving into someone more empathetic and kind and less intimidating. This was the reason for his time with Gohan.
6) Krillin – Exploded by hands of Frieza
This has to be the most brutal and unsympathetic death of a major character in the show. No leading events, no friendly goodbye, and no chance to defend himself against the heartless villain. Failing to judge the demise of dark willed Frieza, he is shot in the middle of his chest after being uncontrollably suspended in the air by the pointing fingers of Frieza. Nonetheless, his death didn’t go all in vain. Krillin’s death primarily triggered Goku to power up to the legendary level and defeat Frieza.
5) Future Gohan – The Future Trunks Saga
Fans wished the creators would have provided future Gohan with a better farewell with his disciple in the Future Trunks Saga, where we see the destroyed world after the evil android twins, Android 17 and Android 18 have wreaked havoc upon the world and all the Z fighters have died in their attempts of stopping these humanoids. Gohan, the best fighter left on earth has had already lost an arm when we witness him in the future.
The android siblings encountered him for the last time where Gohan didn’t stand a chance and fell victim to their energy blasts. The remorseful background score added to the hopelessness and distress of Trunks holding his master in his arms and left all alone. The Z fighter definitely deserved a better farewell than that even if it was in another additional timeline.
4) Future Bulma – Future Trunks Saga
Unlike the current timeline where Cell and androids were defeated by our Z fighters and the world was saved against their evil plans, the same didn’t happen in the timeline where Future Trunks had come from. Androids had turned the world upside down. When we see future Trunks for the first time in Dragon Ball Z with his sword, the havoc n his timeline had already been wrecked and it’s just Trunks and Bulma who’ve managed to survive the slaughter.
This time in Dragon Ball Super, an even stronger adversary Zamasu/Black Goku, kills the only family left of Trunks’. Bulma lets Black Goku kill her so that Trunks can go to the past and bring Goku and Vegeta on the cause of destroying Black Goku and saving the world. Trunks do so and destroy Zamasu to avenge his mother, but loses everything in the process and with no dragon balls in his timeline, Bulma stays dead.
3) Majin Vegeta – Majin Buu Saga
Even after his death against Frieza, Vegeta never got to properly redeem all his past wrongdoings. Which he received fighting against Majin Buu completing one of the longest-running and most iconic redemption arcs in the anime history. Vegeta sacrificed himself for the sole purpose of saving his family reflecting how much the Saiyan prince had changed in the course of the series. He shares a heartfelt moment with his son before finally saying goodbye to everyone and vanishing in the massive blast of light.
Nobody ever expects for a character such as Vegeta who is mostly all about himself would rise up to whole new standards and sacrifice their lives for the greater good. This death had a strong impact while it lasted but since it was very short-lived, it didn’t make to the top of the list. The goodbyes between Vegeta and his son Trunks seemed somewhat fruitless as he was resurrected later that same day.
2) Goku – Death against Cell
Z fighters had always had a tendency of winning over the enemies only after one or more of their close ones have died or sacrificed themselves for the rest of the fighters to fight. The same thing happened with Gohan against Cell where the ultimate fighter and strongest hero of all, Goku, with no other option left, had to sacrifice himself by teleporting Cell to King Kai’s planet for the massive explosion that followed. This had Gohan in tears and a shrill cry for allowing it all t happen in the first place.
Having lost his father, Gohan had nothing left to do but to honour his ultimate sacrifice and kill Cell once and for all and put everyone out of the misery led by Cell. Goku also had to miss the birth of his second son, Goten.
1) Vegeta – Frieza Saga
This particular moment in the series marked a character-defining change for Vegeta. Having killed by the hands of an alien despot who held the responsibility of erasing out the entire of Saiyan’s race leaving Prince Vegeta and Kakarot, made the death of Vegeta even more upsetting as he had been thriving to put end to Frieza and avenge the death of his people that he was once destined to rule. In his last breaths, he opens up to none other than the last surviving Saiyan, Goku, to finish the job which Vegeta could not and avenge the Saiyan race that periled on the hands of Frieza.
Vegeta died a lonely death for no other Saiyan was there to bode him goodbye, a forgotten death and uncertain as to if he was ever coming back to life. Vegeta’s sacrifice was definitely the most epic and effective in the history of Dragon Ball for nobody ever expected the self-centred, badass Vegeta would ever put somebody ahead of him. This played a vital role in the fans starting to love and gradually making him one of the most likeable characters of the show in future.
Although, Majin Vegeta’s sacrifice was more striking as it involved the better version –of Vegeta who had already fought alongside Goku against many other villains to save the world and had become a fan favourite by then, his death against Frieza had more of a lasting impact than any other death in the series.
Tags:
Comments