Dragon Ball 10 Tragedies That Could (& Should) Have Been Avoided

Although a lighthearted series at heart, Dragon Ball never shies away from indulging in a little bit of tragedy now and again.

Although a lighthearted series at heart, Dragon Ball never shies away from indulging in a little bit of tragedy now and again. Characters die with an alarming frequency and dire straits have put the entire universe’s existence in jeopardy on more than one occasion. Son Goku and his friends will always save the day, but that doesn’t mean Dragon Ball won’t make them suffer along the way.

Dragon Ball’s first real tragedy arguably comes in the form of Krillin’s sudden death at the end of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, but the tragedies that hit the hardest are the ones that feel like they could have been avoided narratively. Beginning with Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan invasion, tragedy looms over the Dragon Team like a cloud.

10 Yamcha’s Death

The Earthlings have one year to train for the Saiyans’ arrival, treating their time more or less how they would in-between tournaments. Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu, and Krillin don’t even spend the entire year training with God, going their own ways for the back half. While this method made sense in a low stakes tournament setting, they simply aren’t strong enough for the actual Saiyans.

Yamcha seemingly defies this notion as he soundly defeats a Saibaiman, but the fact he’s caught from behind and subsequently killed in a kamikaze attack puts into perspective just how outclassed the Earthlings are. Not only are Vegeta & Nappa far stronger, they have no concept of a martial artist’s honor.

9 Chaozu’s Suicide

Yamcha’s death sets off a chain reaction within the Dragon Team. After Krillin kills most of the remaining Saibaimen in retaliation, the main characters have no choice but to fight Nappa without Goku. In an attempt to spare further bloodshed, Chaozu grapples himself to Nappa’s back and blows himself up.

What should have been a Kamikaze attack barely dents Nappa’s armor. Tenshinhan, despaired at the loss of his closest friend, puts all his life into one final Kikoho, that– just like Chaozu’s suicide– amounts to nothing. Nappa brushes off both attacks and continues his onslaught.

8 Piccolo’s Sacrifice

In spite of losing half their team, Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan manage to band together to reliably fight off Nappa for some time. With the initial shock of Nappa’s power passed, the three martial artists sync up and actually lock the Saiyan into a near-fatal combo. Unfortunately, Gohan cowers at his opportunity for the finishing blow.

Furious, Nappa sets his sights on the boy and goes in for the kill. Unable to watch his first & only friend die, Piccolo takes the full force of the blast and collapses before Gohan. Piccolo tearfully thanks Gohan and Goku for the influence they had on his life as he passes away from his wounds.

7 Namekian Genocide

There’s little (if anything) the main characters could have done to prevent Frieza’s genocide, but the fact Vegeta is an active participant in the act is an uncomfortable detail. Dragon Ball Super’s Moro has already made a point to address Vegeta’s misdeeds on Namek, and for good reason.

Vegeta’s slaughtering of a Namekian village stings, especially since he wasn’t aligned with Frieza anymore. There was no logical reason for Vegeta to kill every Namekian there, and it’s made even worse when they aren’t even revived by the wish to bring everyone killed by Frieza’s army back.

6 The Birth Of Perfect Cell

Everything leading up to Android 18’s absorption by Cell feels like a cruel joke. Piccolo merged with God, but can’t save 17 from being absorbed; 16 is mortally wounded; Krillin shows up with a detonator to kill 18 that he ultimately destroys; and Vegeta’s Super Saiyan Grade 2 is actually strong enough to kill Cell.

Right in the midst of despair, 18 has a genuine chance of survival shown to her only for it to be ripped away. Unable to accept he trained for nothing, Vegeta allows Cell to absorb Android 18. The newly formed Perfect Cell immediately makes a point to humiliate Vegeta, beating the Prince of all Saiyans into submission.

5 The Cell Games

The Cell Games are a disaster from start to finish. While Goku’s plan works out in the end, it’s not without its fair share of heartbreak. Gohan doesn’t understand why his father would forfeit against Cell so he could fight, mentally blocking Gohan from fighting at full power. Android 16 tries to talk some sense into Gohan and is killed for the thought.

Although 16’s death allows Gohan to trigger Super Saiyan 2, the fact he wants to make Cell pay for his transgressions gives the Artificial Human the perfect opportunity to blow himself up. Gohan is able to finish Cell off in the end, but only after Goku sacrifices his own life to relocate the blast and Trunks is killed on Cell’s return.

4 Majin Buu’s Awakening

Vegeta goes through something of a midlife crisis during the Majin Buu arc. After witnessing Goku briefly turn Super Saiyan 2 while fighting Yakon, Vegeta realizes that Goku has far outclassed him. These insecurities start welling up inside the Prince, to the point Bobbidi choses to possess him.

Majin Vegeta defies Bobbidi’s orders, but he still uses his newfound strength to kill innocent people and goad Goku into a life or death battle. Goku is able to talk sense into Vegeta before he goes too far, but their fight ends up serving as the catalyst for Majin Buu’s awakening– the energy from their fight hatching Buu’s egg.

3 The Earth’s Complete Annihilation

Vegetto has every opportunity in the world to kill Majin Buu as soon as he’s born. At this point, Buu has succeeded in absorbing the world’s strongest martial artists and killing just about everyone else. The Dragon Balls can set right what went wrong, Vegetto just needs to kill Buu first.

Instead, he goads Buu into absorbing him so Vegetto can break out Gohan, Goten, Trunks, & Piccolo from inside Buu. It’s a ludicrous plan that exists mainly to get Vegetto to defuse on a narrative level. By not killing Buu, Vegetto’s plan results in the newly formed Pure Buu destroying the Earth on pure instinct.

2 The Earth’s Complete Annihilation (DBS Edition)

Resurrection F is a low point for all parties involved. This is a film that grounds itself on its main cast failing in profound ways. From Gohan ignoring training to the point of losing his Gi to Goku dropping his guard mid-fight with an opponent he knows will do anything to win, no failure is greater than Vegeta’s: allowing Frieza to destroy the Earth.

Refusing to learn from Goku’s mistakes, Vegeta tragically indulges in beating down Frieza. It’s a cathartic scene and arguably Resurrection F’s best bit of action, but Frieza seizes the opportunity to shatter the Earth to pieces.

1 The Multiverse’s Complete Annihilation

In spite of how the Cell arc used Trunks as a thematic personification of hope, the Goku Black arc goes out of its way to undo everything Trunks accomplished in Dragon Ball Z. It’s a morbid twist for the franchise that’s made even worse by the arc’s ultimate conclusion: the total erasure of Future Trunks’ timeline, multiverse and all.

Due to Merged Zamasu’s immortality, Goku has no choice but to press his Zeno button for help. Future Zeno, repulsed by what he sees, annihilates the entire multiverse while the Dragon Team barely escape with their lives. Between Vegetto, the Mafuba, and Goku’s Hakai in the manga, there must have been some way to put Zamasu down without systematically dismantling everything Trunks stood and fought for.