Dragon Ball 10 Times An Unlikely Hero Saved The Day

The series is full of exceptional heroes, but some of the most satisfying moments occur when an unexpected ally swoops in to save the day.

There are few anime series that can leave as big of a mark and touch as many generations of fans as Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. The exciting story begins with Goku’s adventures as a child, only to slowly cover his entire life and evolution as a fighter.

Dragon Ball’s handling of story and character has had major influences on the shonen genre as a whole, and Dragon Ball still finds ways to surprise its audience. The series is full of exceptional heroes, but some of the most satisfying moments occur when an unexpected ally swoops to save the day.

10 Oolong Steals Pilaf's Dragon Ball Wish

The titular Dragon Balls are the driving force at the start of the original anime series that kicks off Goku and Bulma’s unlikely journey together. It’s special every time that Shenron is summoned and a wish is successfully made on the Dragon Balls, but the first time it happens is extraordinary. It initially seems like a dark moment where all hope is lost since it’s Emperor Pilaf secured the orbs. However, in what’s now become one of the most iconic moments from the franchise, Oolong hastily interrupts his own wish to derail Pilaf’s plans for power.

9 Yajirobe Cuts Off Great Ape Vegeta's Tail

Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan invasion on Earth is still a crucial moment in the series. Vegeta and Nappa cause many casualties, and Goku almost doesn’t arrive in time to save the day. Despite how Goku and his Kaio-Ken Attack are strong against Vegeta, Krillin and Gohan's work in his Great Ape form is also essential. Most importantly, it’s the work of Yajirobe that makes the biggest difference. Goku is about to be crushed by Vegeta’s Great Ape, only for Yajirobe to slice off his tail and bring him back to Goku’s size.

8 Bulma Learns Namekian To Get The Gang To Planet Namek

By the end of Dragon Ball Super, the characters have traveled to multiple planets and even parallel universes. It’s exhilarating in Dragon Ball Z when the characters set off for Planet Namek and leave Earth for the first time.

Krillin and Gohan have a lot to accomplish without Goku’s help, but their strength is useless since they can’t reach Planet Namek. The Namekian spaceship requires Namekian log-in codes to operate, and it’s Bulma that painstakingly learns the foreign language and gets the spaceship in working order. It’s a major surprise, but one that emphasizes Bulma’s brilliance.

7 Hercule Convinces The World To Donate Their Energy To Goku's Spirit Bomb

Dragon Ball spends so much time developing incredibly powerful characters that operate essentially as superheroes, making “regular” individuals like Hercule Satan make a larger impression. The world views Hercule as their symbol of peace, even if his strength is part of a fabricated public image. Despite Hercule’s weak and cowardly nature, he saves the day during the final moments of Goku’s attack against Kid Buu. Goku requires more energy than ever to make his Spirit Bomb, and it’s Hercule that’s able to get through to the public and inspire them to donate their essential energy to Goku’s attack.

6 Uub's Energy Allows Goku To Beat Moro

Dragon Ball Super’s anime concludes with the suspenseful Tournament of Power competition, but the series’ manga continues to run, and it features dangerous, new villains, like the magic-user, Moro. Moro requires a tremendous amount of work to defeat due to his powerful team and the youth and magic he regains. Goku’s perfected Ultra Instinct -Sign- in conjunction with Vegeta’s Forced Spirit Fission aren’t even enough. In a major turn of events, Uub’s energy that he donates to Goku allows him to push through and finally beat Moro. Goku hasn’t even met him yet.

5 Monaka Motivates Goku To Become Stronger

Dragon Ball Super brings dozens of powerful individuals into the fray. Still, Monaka is an unusual figure since he’s mostly a manipulation tool that Beerus uses to get progress out of Goku.

Monaka is a mild-mannered delivery worker who completely lacks physical strength, but Beerus boasts to Goku that he’s the universe’s strongest. Beerus crafts this elaborate lie to light a fire under Goku, which works, and leads to their success against Universe 6. Beerus even goes so far as to fight in a Monaka costume to keep this illusion alive, and Monaka doesn’t realize how important his reputation becomes.

4 Future Trunks Destroys Mecha-Frieza And King Cold

The Android and Cell Sagas mark exciting new chapters in Dragon Ball Z with new threats that are more dangerous than before. There’s a moment of panic before the Androids arrive when a reconstructed Frieza returns to Earth for revenge, along with his father, King Cold. The gang barely has time to figure out a proper plan of attack before Future Trunks makes his grand debut and demolishes the two with an effective combination of his sword and energy blasts. Future Trunks is a vital character in what’s to come, but his initial victory is still a major shock.

3 Yajirobe Catches Goku From His Post-Victory Plummet Against King Piccolo

The original Dragon Ball does an impressive job with each new villain that it introduces, and Demon King Piccolo causes some significant damage. The showdown between Goku and King Piccolo at the World Martial Arts Tournament ends in a thrilling finish where Goku tears through King Piccolo’s stomach while in the air. The triumphant act leaves Goku careening towards the Earth from a high height, likely to break his bones if not outright kill him. Yajirobe shows up to not just catch Goku but take him to Korin’s Tower and heal him up afterward, too.

2 Whis Rewinds Time To Prevent The Earth’s Destruction

The characters in Dragon Ball have handled many dangerous villains, but Frieza has earned the reputation as one of the most determined enemies. Dragon Ball Super brings back Frieza and gives him a powerful new Golden form that can hold its own against the new Super Saiyan Blue transformation. Goku does most of the work against Frieza, and it’s Vegeta that’s about to finish him off until his own hubris gets in the way. In a highly unexpected act, Frieza actually succeeds in Earth’s destruction, and Whis has to unveil his rewind time ability to rectify the situation.

1 Android 17 Wins The Tournament Of Power

Dragon Ball Super goes all out for its concluding arc, the Tournament of Power, which assembles the strongest fighters from Universe 7. There are tremendous stakes on who will perform the best from the group, but also if they’ll be able to survive longer than the other universes. There’s a lot of suspense over who will be the last one standing for Universe 7, but Goku, Vegeta, and Frieza all fall to the wayside in the final moments. It’s at this point that Android 17 swoops in, undetected, and claims the victory. It’s a triumphant moment that’s legitimately surprising.