4 iconic comebacks · ranked by impact · verified episode numbers
Cell destroys Android 16's head. 16 had just asked Gohan to fight. That request, combined with the rage of watching his father and friends tortured, breaks Gohan's restraint completely. He transforms into Super Saiyan 2 — a form no one had ever reached — and systematically destroys every Cell Jr. in seconds.
Why it lands: The single greatest power transformation in Dragon Ball Z history. The entire cast froze. Cell was afraid.
Frieza kills Krillin. Goku's grief and rage cause a golden aura to erupt from his body — his hair turns gold, his eyes turn teal, and the entire planet of Namek shakes. The first Super Saiyan transformation in anime history.
Why it lands: The most iconic power-up in all of anime. Everything since has been measured against this moment.
A teenager arrives from the future, transforms into Super Saiyan, and effortlessly kills Frieza — the villain who fought Goku to a standstill — in under a minute. Then kills his father too. Before Goku even arrives.
Why it lands: The ultimate subversion. The greatest villain the Z Fighters had ever faced, killed by a boy they'd never met, as a warm-up.
The Z Fighters are devastated. Vegeta is about to kill them all. Then Goku arrives from Snake Way — and his power level is beyond anything anyone registered before. He fights Vegeta as an equal and pushes him further than any foe ever has.
Why it lands: The first time the audience understood how far Goku had grown since training under King Kai. A landmark moment.
Episode numbers verified against the aired broadcast order. Dragon Ball Z is the property of its respective creators.