Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone

Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone is the very first Dragon Ball Z theatrical film, released in 1989 while the Saiyan Saga was still airing on television. The film features Garlic Jr. — a villain who achieves actual immortality using the Dragon Balls — as the primary antagonist, and he remains one of the few villains in the franchise to succeed at one of his stated goals. Garlic Jr. kidnaps Gohan to acquire the Four-Star Dragon Ball, prompting Goku and Piccolo to set aside their rivalry to rescue him. The film ends with Garlic Jr. opening the "Dead Zone" — a portal to an inescapable dimension — which becomes his undoing when Gohan's latent power manifests for the first time.

Dead Zone holds historical significance as the film that established the Dragon Ball Z theatrical tradition, setting the template of an original villain with a unique power requiring the heroes to achieve a temporary alliance. At 43 minutes, it is one of the shortest DBZ films and reflects the modest theatrical ambitions of the franchise's early cinematic era. The film notably takes place before Goku's death in the Saiyan Saga, creating an interesting continuity window for dedicated fans. Garlic Jr. would later return in a filler arc of the anime, making Dead Zone the only DBZ theatrical film whose villain received any subsequent adaptation acknowledgment.