Death in Dragon Ball might lose its luster by the time the Buu arc ends, but it at least always had weight and purpose. Even Buu arc deaths are incredibly memorable and stand out as some of the franchise’s most iconic. The same can’t exactly be said for Dragon Ball GT. Already the franchise’s black sheep, Dragon Ball GT features the least deaths in the series– but at least they’re interesting.
Dragon Ball GT mainly kills villains over its heroes, but there are a few instances of longtime characters surprisingly biting the bullet. Even when they don’t die exactly, characters like Majin Buu are retired outright, making for a unique look at a post-DBZ series in an age where GT is no longer relevant.
10 Dr. Myuu (Baby Arc)
Dragon Ball GT has a lot of problems, but the twist involving Dr. Myuu and Baby isn’t one of them. Dr. Myuu spends the early Baby arc acting as if he’s the main villain. Of course, anyone familiar with the series will know this isn’t the case, but the reveal that Baby programmed Dr. Myuu and this isn’t a Dr. Gero/Cell situation is quite memorable.
As is Dr. Myuu’s death at the hands of Baby. Much in the way 17 turns on Dr. Gero, Baby turns on his “creator.” Dr. Myuu having outlived his usefulness, Baby hides inside of Myuu to escape, killing the man once they’re safe from Goku, Trunks, and Pan’s sights.
9 General Rild (Baby Arc)
It’s hard to justify calling General Rild a major character, but Dragon Ball GT actually doesn’t have a lot of deaths, and Rild is a constant enough presence during the early portion of GT where he’s certainly deserving of a mention. More importantly, the way he dies is fairly memorable, not just simply killed by Goku.
After constant fights against Rild on M2, Goku, Pan, and Trunks are finally able to turn the tides and finish him off with a joint Kamehameha. All three characters work together to defeat Rild, placing an emphasis on the group effort that’s defined GT up to this point. If nothing else, it’s thematically appropriate.
8 Baby (Baby Arc)
If Dragon Ball GT has one signature villain, it’s Baby. His deep connections to the Saiyans in conjunction with him possessing Vegeta make him quite a memorable villain. To say nothing of the fact Baby turns into a Golden Oozaru and Goku needs to trigger Super Saiyan 4 just to have a chance at defeating him.
The fight between SSJ4 Goku and Baby Vegeta is surprisingly even, with the former unable to fully overwhelm his opponent. In the end, however, Goku manages to land a Kamehameha into Baby, firing his spaceship into the sun and killing him once and for all. While that may be the end of the fight, though, it isn’t the end of the arc.
7 Piccolo (Baby Arc)
While Dragon Ball GT is hardly worth watching, it does hit a brief sweet spot during the Baby arc where things are at least moving along in an engaging enough manner. Baby’s interesting, Super Saiyan 4 is cool, and the choreography isn’t terrible. The arc itself also doesn’t end with Baby’s death, instead following the final fight up with the main cast trying to get everyone off the planet before it explodes.
Goku ends up draining all of his energy in the process, stranding himself on the Earth. Rather than letting him die, Piccolo gives up his life so Goku can survive. In a surprisingly tender scene that really captures the depth of their relationship, Piccolo says a tender goodbye to Gohan before passing on.
6 Krillin (Super 17 Arc)
Krillin sure gets put through the ringer a lot over the course of the original anime continuity. He is the only character across all three anime to have a death tied to a major moment. His death in Dragon Ball ushers in the Piccolo Daimao arc, his death in Dragon Ball Z is the trigger for Goku turning into a Super Saiyan, and his death in Dragon Ball GT kickstarts the franchise’s worst story arc.
Really, all Krillin dying at the start of this arc does is remove him from the rest of Dragon Ball GT. Granted, that’s a fate everyone shares narratively, but at least Krillin has an excuse for not contributing. If nothing else, his death does result in a beautiful reunion in the final episode where the two Turtle School students spar one last time before Muten Roshi.
5 Dr. Myuu & Dr. Gero (Super 17 Arc)
Even though the Dragon Ball Z anime adapted the afterlife as it was depicted in the Saiyan arc, Toei decided to completely do away with established canon after the end of the Cell Games. With the start of the Otherworld Tournament, Toei’s afterlife took shape as a place everyone goes where they die, complete with keeping their bodies.
Dragon Ball GT builds off this, allowing Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu to plan out the Super 17 arc in the afterlife, but they’re ultimately both killed by their joint creation before the arc is over and done with. From there, 17 simply carries on as the arc’s main villain.
4 Super 17 (Super 17 Arc)
Unlike other story arcs in Dragon Ball GT, the Super 17 arc does a reasonably good job at allowing the supporting cast to fight and participate in the action– in large part due to Goku spending a good chunk of the arc in Hell. That said, this is still the worst story arc in Dragon Ball GT, victim to some unfortunate writing.
Goku has no real attachment to Android 17 in this arc other than him killing Krillin. That’s good reason for Goku to want to defeat 17, but Android 18 is far more deserving of this revenge and actually has a deep connection to 17, unlike Goku. In typical GT fashion, Goku ends up saving this time, Dragon Fisting Super 17 through the chest.
3 Nuova Shenron (Evil Dragons Arc)
The Evil Dragons arc could have been an opportunity to allow the entire supporting cast to confront the wishes of the past while fighting in a sequel series no one other than Goku has done much in, but that’s apparently asking too much. All the same, the arc doesn’t end up improving a bit near the end through the introduction of Nuova Shenron.
A last minute pseudo-rival of sorts, Nuova Shenron represents the 4-Star Dragon Ball, and he & Goku naturally manage to hit it off and form some classic Dragon Ball chemistry. Disgusted at this friendliness, Syn Shenron shows up on the scene and finish Nuova off, giving Goku some personal connection to Syn before the final fight.
2 Omega Shenron (Evil Dragons Arc)
In theory, Omega Shenron makes a great final villain for the original Dragon Ball anime continuity. This was always a story that featured the Dragon Balls front and center, getting the main cast out of trouble time and time again. To have the Dragon Balls turn against them in the last arc should make for some decent storytelling.
This being Dragon Ball GT, it doesn’t, but Omega Shenron’s death is still a satisfying conclusion, in large part due to the fact that everyone is present– basically doubling down on the global Genki Dama from the end of the Buu arc. It’s derivative, but what in Dragon Ball isn’t these days?
1 Son Goku (Evil Dragons Arc)
Dragon Ball GT settles on mediocrity for 63 and a half episodes before it suddenly gets very interesting heading into the finale. For all intents and purposes, Goku actually does die in this final fight. Omega Shenron seemingly finishes him off, only for Goku to mysteriously appear with the universal Genki Dama.
It’s very debatable what exactly happened to Goku here, but the fact he flies off with Shenlong when all is said and done should at least be taken as a sign that this was a symbolic death for Goku. He returns momentarily to save the day and to save goodbye. A bit too sentimental for Dragon Ball? Definitely. Emotionally satisfying and mysteriously chilling in best way possible? Absolutely.