Throughout the decades, Dragon Ball has persevered as one of the most popular anime around. The series has definitely changed a lot from its very first episode to now, with dozens of iconic moments sprinkled in that changed the series (and the entire Shonen genre) from that point onward.
A list detailing all of these moments would be way too long, especially since some of these moments are a bit more memorable than others. Below are just a few that every Dragon Ball fan should not only be aware of, but will undoubtedly be reminded of given that they changed everything from that point on.
10 Master Roshi Debuts The Kamehameha
When Dragon Ball began, it wasn't long before Goku found himself in fights against animals, Oolong, Yamcha, and other villains, although an important Dragon Ball staple was missing: energy attacks! When Master Roshi debuted the Kamehameha to put out the fire that raged on Fire Mountain, fans everywhere were blown away with the knowledge that a fighter's energy could be converted into an attack.
After that point on, energy attacks became more and more common to the point where a character who can't utilize energy attacks pretty much has no chance of winning a fight, and every warrior worth fearing is expected to have a signature one under their belt.
9 King Piccolo's Return
For the large majority of Dragon Ball, all of Goku's major opponents were Earthlings. From Yamcha and Tien to the Red Ribbon Army, Mercenary Tao, and Emperor Pilaf, Goku found himself challenged by a few of Earth's strongest inhabitants. This all changed after the fight against King Piccolo, as Goku found himself struggling against the Namekian warrior and his alien offspring, marking the end of Goku's days fighting regular Earthlings.
From that day on, all of Goku's major opponents were from other worlds, and even in the cases of Cell and the androids, it's important to note that they were created using data from Goku's battles with his extraterrestrial foes.
8 Dende Recreates The Dragon Balls
When the Dragon Balls were first introduced, some fans remained skeptical as to whether or not they could actually grant wishes. Shenron was summoned for the first time by Emperor Pilaf, but his powers were weaker then than they are now. Back then, he could only grant one wish at a time before the Dragon Balls were turned to stone for a whole year, and there were limits to certain things he could grant, like who he could wish back to life and how many people he could revive at once.
After Dende was made Earth's guardian, he created Shenron to mirror the Namekian Dragon Porunga in terms of his capabilities, granting Shenron the ability to grant a maximum of three wishes. And even after granting those wishes, the Dragon Balls wouldn't turn to stone, meaning that they could be used without the yearlong wait, making them a lot less mystifying than they used to be.
7 The First Beam Struggle
Energy attacks have existed in the franchise ever since Master Roshi's first onscreen Kamehameha, but never before had contrasting energy attacks collided until Goku's Kamehameha met Vegeta's Galick Gun in an epic moment that showed fans just how evenly matched the Saiyans seemed to be. After this point, beam struggles became an easy way to compare one character's strength to another's.
Many villains, like Cell, Broly, Cooler, and Dr. Wheelo, found themselves in situations where their energy attacks pushed against Goku's Kamehameha, or in Cell's case, Gohan's. Beam struggles have been so well-received, that when they aren't included in games like Xenoverse or FighterZ, many fans are left slightly disappointed.
6 Goku's First Death
In Dragon Ball, fans had seen characters like Krillin, Master Roshi, and Bora lose their lives before later being brought back by Shenron, although they'd never seen just what the afterlife looked like until Goku met his end at the hands of Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon.
After Goku's death, fans got their first gander at the Other World, and were introduced to King Yemma and King Kai. As the series progressed, more aspects of the Other World and its unique hierarchy were expanded upon, adding a new dimension to the Dragon Ball world that would remain relevant for the remainder of the series as both heroes and villains continued to die and return to the world of the living.
5 The First Super Saiyan Transformation
Transformations are a staple in Dragon Ball, but this wasn't always the case. In the early days of the series, the only notable transformation was when Goku turned into a Great Ape, but as the series progressed, Goku's extraterrestrial opponents revealed alternate forms that bolstered their strength.
Goku's first Super Saiyan transformation was not only an iconic anime moment, but it marked the point where transformations became vital for defeating powerful enemies.
4 Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 Transformation
When Goku first revealed the Super Saiyan transformation on Namek, fans knew Vegeta and Gohan would soon be rocking gold locks themselves. During the fight against Dr. Gero's creations, nobody expected that there was a level beyond Super Saiyan known as Super Saiyan 2, which Gohan debuted during his fight with Cell.
After this point, further variations of Super Saiyan, like Super Saiyan 3 and 4, weren't as surprising, since fans were now aware that a Saiyan could push their Super Saiyan transformation past its limits.
3 The Birth Of Gotenks
As Dragon Ball progressed, characters invented more ways to increase their power in seconds, whether it be through transforming or absorbing other characters. And yet despite all of these methods, Fusion stands out as one of the most effective. Gotenks was the first fused character that fans had ever seen in the franchise, with Vegito following just a few episodes later.
After the concept of fusion was introduced, fans have always posed fusion as a way for the Z-Fighters to defeat powerful opponents throughout Dragon Ball Super, and it has become a useful battle tactic that even Kale and Caulifla took advantage of. The concept of fusion has been so well-received by the Dragon Ball community that a 2016 Nintendo 3DS game, Dragon Ball Fusions, centered around the promise for fans to fuse any characters they desired to create a brand new, powerful warriors.
2 Beerus's Introduction
It's ironic that Beerus appeared so late in the series given that his actions (or inactions rather) have shaped the story from the very beginning. His introduction ushered in a new era of Dragon Ball, introducing fans to a new divine hierarchy that included Gods of Destruction and Angels, while also introducing fans to this concept of god ki, which remained extremely relevant throughout Dragon Ball Super as Goku and Vegeta went on to discover new Super Saiyan forms.
Beerus's introduction also came with the revelation that there were other universes, which has not only expanded the Dragon Ball world, but has given the story the possibility to continue for years with unlimited possibilities.
1 Ultra Instinct
Since the days of Dragon Ball, fans have always expected Goku to debut some new ability or transformation to defeat the next major opponent, but perhaps nothing shook the fandom to its core more than when the Saiyan warrior tapped into the powers of Ultra Instinct during the Tournament of Power. The technique was something that was never seen before in the series, enabling Goku's body to instinctively avoid attacks and strike without the usual limitations of the mind, further cementing Goku as the strongest warrior in his universe.
Although he's never used Ultra Instinct to the extent that he did during the Tournament of Power, the series' focus has now shifted to him training to master this technique rather than a Super Saiyan transformation, and fans are constantly theorizing when he will enter the form next. It's clear to see that wherever Dragon Ball Super goes, Ultra Instinct will play a key role in the story.