Ever since the late '80s, Dragon Ball has been the anime of choice for people who enjoy watching impossibly buff dudes beat up other impossibly buff dudes.
While almost all of Dragon Ball's most beloved story arcs come from the mainline series, wherein epic intergalactic battles play out across dozens of episodes, there's a special joy to the far more concise spin-off movies, too. Typically non-canon, the Dragon Ball movies introduce fresh villains and some of the coolest no-holds-barred fights in the franchise, all without the added bloat of 15 "Powering Up" episodes. But of all the many, many, many Dragon Ball movies, which reigns supreme?
11. Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
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Lord Slug- Yung Jay
Of all the DBZ movie villains, Lord Slug is the lamest by far. He's basically an elderly alien man who wants to be young again (and also control the world), so he gathers the Dragon Balls, wishes for his youth back, and then gets absolutely bodied by Goku.
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10. Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1990)
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Tree Of Might - RafaStaryDGBM
Tree of Might essentially sets up a "What if Goku had turned out evil?" scenario, pitting Goku against his long lost older brother, Turles. It's a great concept, aside from the fact that DBZ had already done the same thing canonically with Goku's other older brother, Raditz. The Goku/Turles fight is fun, but Raditz is a lot more memorable than Turles, so the movie ends up feeling a tad redundant.
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9. Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (1992)
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Goku kills Super Android 13
Created by Dr. Gero, an evil scientist who holds a personal grudge against Goku dating back to pre-'Z' Dragon Ball, the numbered Android villains rank amongst the most complicated and memorable characters in the franchise (especially 16, 17, and 18, all of whom are conflicted against their programming in various ways). Android 13, on the other hand, is relatively one-note. He functions exactly according to Gero's instructions with the sole purpose of killing Goku. He does have a cool character design, though.
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8. Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (1991)
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Dragonball z coolers revenge - nat3faction
Frieza is, without a doubt, the best villain in Dragon Ball. From his theatrical flair to his sheer nastiness, everyone else pales in comparison to the original intergalactic conquerer. This includes his older brother, Cooler, who's kind of like the Wish-brand Frieza, albeit with a spikier head. Still, Cooler feels like the first real stand-out DBZ movie villain, engaging in an epic duel with Goku before being launched into the sun.
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7. Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (1992)
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Dragonball Z Trailer The Return Of Cooler - Kiraly Oliver
Cooler returns, but this time he's metal. Enough said.
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6. Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
Toei
Bojack and his crew of alien henchmen have a great pirate-based aesthetic, and the plot's initial focus on tournament-style battles makes Bojack Unbound stand out from the other DBZ spin-off movies. Even better, Gohan takes center stage in the ultimate battle, making for a nice change of pace for the usual final showdown starring Goku.
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5. Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' (2015)
Toei
Considering Frieza is the absolute best, his canon (!) resurrection is a welcome addition to the Dragon Ball mythos. Resurrection 'F' introduces us to both Frieza's new Golden form and the Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (or SSGSS) forms for Goku and Vegeta and, better yet, pits these forces against each other. The 'F' stands for Frieza, but "F*cking awesome" fits, too.
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4. Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993)
Toei
Easily the most prevailing non-canon character in all of Dragon Ball, Broly burst into fans' hearts as a massive hunk of shoulder muscles and guttural screams. Broly barely had any characterization beyond "absolute mad lad," but he wrecked Goku and co. so thoroughly that the movie basically had to ass-pull in order to let the good guys win. His prominent featuring in most otherwise canon-only video games and merchandise is a testament to how legendary the Legendary Super Saiyan truly is.
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3. Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018)
Toei
Broly is so legendary, in fact, that 25 years after his original movie debut, Dragon Ball finally canonized him. Dragon Ball Super: Broly picks up right where the DBZ revival series, Dragon Ball Super, left off, introducing Goku and Vegeta to a reimagined version of Broly. Broly's shoulders are a bit smaller this time, but the trade off is some significantly more solid characterization. The best part is that the movie ends with Broly on good terms with our heroes, making his return as a prominent character practically inevitable. Oh, and the movie also canonized Gogeta.
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2. Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)
Toei
Speaking of Gogeta... Fusion Reborn's main draw is getting to watch Goku and Vegeta do the fusion dance to combine into Gogeta. While the mainline series features Goku and Vegeta fusing into Vegito through the use of the Potara Earrings, fusion dance is easily the superior means of fusion and Gogeta has an open vest that automatically makes him cooler. Janemba may not have been the most memorable villain, but Gogeta was badass enough for fans to demand his canonization for over two decades.
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1. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013)
Toei
Perhaps the most important Dragon Ball movie, Battle of Gods brought the long since-finished franchise into the modern era. As the first canon movie in the franchise, Battle of Gods picked up where Z ended, expanding the universe with the introduction of other universes, introducing us to Beerus, The God of Destruction, and debuting the new evolution of Super Saiyan forms, Super Saiyan God. Beerus is a super likable pseudo-villain, and his battle with Goku is amongst the coolest in the franchise. The fact that the series branched out from there is just the cherry on top.
