Some anime take some time to catch on with their audiences, while others feel like they can be overnight successes that immediately turn into pop culture phenomena, much like in the case of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. It’s not easy to remain relevant for so long, but Dragon Ball has carefully evolved and figured out how to change over the years in a way that agrees with its audience.

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The heights of Dragon Ball Super are considerably higher than the conflicts that Goku experiences in the original Dragon Ball series, but there are still plenty of the anime’s early building blocks that remain crucial to the story.

10 The Concept Of Flight Remains Integral To Battle

Anime Goku Flying Fast

Dragon Ball reaches such exaggerated heights that it’s easy to forget that the series ever existed in a place where abilities that are now taken for granted, like flight, were extraordinary tests of strength. It’s a very big deal when flying first shows up in the series, and it initially throws Goku and Krillin for a loop in battle. The characters gradually learn how to channel their ki so that they can also fly, and it’s a concept that remains fundamental to battle and transportation in Dragon Ball. Any character who can’t fly will be at a serious disadvantage.

9 The Kamehameha Turns Into The Signature Attack For Goku & Others

Anime Dragon Ball Movie 2 Goku Kamehameha

The Dragon Ball series features incredible displays of power, most of which are expressed through dangerous energy attacks that can inflict massive destruction or provide other helpful advantages in battle. One of the earliest techniques that Goku learns during his training under Master Roshi is the Kamehameha Wave attack. The Kamehameha doesn’t just grow into Goku’s trademark ability, but it becomes widely used among the rest of Dragon Ball’s heroes. Goku could have abandoned the attack after learning something stronger, but instead, it becomes a tenet of the character.

8 Wishes From The Dragon Balls Become A Regular Occurrence

Anime Krillin making a wish with dragon balls

As the anime’s title indicates, the titular Dragon Balls are a very important artifact in the series. Goku’s whole journey initially gets started because Bulma’s quest to assemble the Dragon Balls unites the two of them.

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The Dragon Balls and the wish-granting abilities that they provide could have been something that the series moves past after its introductory adventure, but Dragon Ball continues to embrace this idea. More powerful and diverse sets of Dragon Balls enter the series, and they remain to be highly important to the narrative.

7 The Existence Of Androids Leads To Periodic Obstacles

Dragon Ball Android 8 with girl on shoulder

One of the most dangerous forces that threaten the heroes in Dragon Ball Z is the invasion of the Androids. Dragon Ball Z gets the most use out of Androids, but they’re part of a group that has been present since the original series. Early on in Goku’s journeys, he encounters the pacifistic Android 8. Android 8 and the Red Ribbon Army establish the framework for what the subsequent Dragon Ball series would all later embrace in a big way. The importance of Android 8 might not have been clear in the original Dragon Ball, but it seriously pays off.

6 The Transformation Into Great Apes Becomes Crucial Saiyan Physiology

great ape world tournament

Goku and audiences don’t learn about Saiyans until Dragon Ball Z, but the foundation for Goku’s alien roots are present in Dragon Ball’s earliest episodes. One of the biggest liabilities that surrounds Goku’s childhood adventures is that he transforms into an out-of-control Great Ape when he witnesses a full moon. The mystery behind this destructive transformation doesn’t get explained in the original Dragon Ball, but it turns into a major trademark of the Saiyans during Dragon Ball Z’s early episodes, and then again later in Dragon Ball GT.

5 Martial Arts Tournaments Become Frequent Measures Of Strength

Anime Dragon Ball Young Goku World Martial Arts Tournament

Strength is paramount in Dragon Ball, but it can often be difficult to accurately assess how each fighter ranks up against others without racking up a huge body count. The original Dragon Ball introduces the World Martial Arts Tournament, a competitive tradition that allows everyone to showcase their true power.

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The World Martial Arts Tournament becomes a regular occurrence for Dragon Ball’s characters, and it carries over into each series. There are even other grand tournaments that the anime indulges in because the competitive aspect works so well for Dragon Ball.

4 Once Namekians Show Up On Earth, They Never Disappear

Demon King Piccolo grows frustrated in Dragon Ball.

Dragon Ball eventually leaves the safety of Earth, heads into outer space, and even visits alternate universes. The original Dragon Ball is a considerably more terrestrial series, but it still makes the debut of the Namekian alien race with the appearance of Demon King Piccolo. The origins and details of Namekians hadn’t yet come to light, but the design and abilities of this species still get established. Goku defeats Demon King Piccolo, but Namekians become a fixture of the series following his death. At the time, the series doesn’t understand just how important they’ll become.

3 Death Becomes A Temporary Nuisance After Resurrection Abounds

Future Trunks is revived with the Dragon Balls in Dragon Ball Z.

There’s a lot of humor that’s present at the start of Dragon Ball, which makes it come as a much greater shock when death slowly creeps into the series, and beloved characters like Krillin meet their ends. This is a turning point in the series, but characters learn that the Dragon Balls can be used in a limited capacity to revive fallen warriors. Krillin is the first to experience this honor, but it grows into a common practice in the series. Now there are more characters who have died than those who haven’t.

2 Characters Begin To Experiment With Time Travel

Anime Dragon Ball Super Future Trunks' Time Machine

There’s enough danger in the Dragon Ball series without the presence of alternate timelines and complex sci-fi concepts that enter the canon. However, Dragon Ball Z takes some big swings when it introduces Future Trunks, a powerful ally who comes from a doomed version of the future. Future Trunks proves that time travel is possible, and while it’s not something that’s abused in Dragon Ball, it’s still an important tool that’s utilized on several occasions. Dragon Ball Super returns to time travel in a big way, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it made another return.

1 New Plateaus Of Super Saiyan Power Become The Norm

Anime DBZ Kai SS Goku On Namek

Arguably the biggest tradition that’s entered Dragon Ball is that Saiyans can transform into more powerful Super Saiyans. Goku’s initial transformation during his fight against Frieza is an incredible moment in the series, but it becomes the catalyst for a series of even more elaborate transformations. New forms of Super Saiyan become the standard to which power is judged in the series. It’s become so entrenched into the series that Dragon Ball sometimes struggles to figure out fresh ways to evolve the element beyond a different hair color and a fancy title.

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