The Dragon Ball series has celebrated over three decades of thrilling content and it’s incredible how Akira Toriyama’s foundational shonen series is arguably more popular now than ever before. There have been many exciting expansions to the Dragon Ball universe, whether it’s through spin-offs, video games, or supplemental feature films that test Goku’s strength in grandiose ways.
Often the key to a great Dragon Ball storyline is an effective and unique villain and the Dragon Ball Z movies work especially hard in this area. Goku has faced some phenomenal foes across the many Dragon Ball movies, some of which have almost successfully taken out the strong Saiyan.
10 Dr. Wheelo Nearly Takes Out Goku With The Entire Planet
The first few Dragon Ball Z movies are much smaller in scale and World’s Strongest banks on a simple premise that pits Goku against a maniacal robot well before androids and the like become common occurrences. Goku has to stoop to Kaio-Ken X4 to keep up with Dr. Wheelo, yet it’s still not enough. Wheelo’s final moments involve him positioned above the Earth and ready to take out Goku and the planet with a massive blast of energy. Fortunately, Goku is able to prepare a Spirit Bomb in time, which conquers Wheelo’s blast and takes him out along with it.
9 Cooler’s Fifth Form And His Supernova Nearly Overpower Goku Into Submission
Frieza is one of the biggest antagonists in Dragon Ball and the movies introduce Cooler, his belligerent brother, as a decent source of conflict. Cooler's first appearance is notable for his fifth form, which goes beyond what Frieza demonstrated. Cooler's fifth form in conjunction with his Supernova Cooler is initially too much for Goku, but the thoughts of his fallen friends help him turn into a Super Saiyan and overload Cooler with energy, knocking him into the sun. There's also a surprise attack by Saiza, which would have totally taken out Goku by surprise if not for Piccolo's quick instincts.
8 Super Garlic Jr. Nearly Sucks Goku Into His Dead Zone
Garlic Jr. is the subject of Dragon Ball Z’s first movie and he’s the rare exception of a movie villain that actually reappears in the anime series, albeit in filler material. Garlic Jr.’s beefed up Super form is powerful, but it’s still no match for Goku and Piccolo.
The two temporarily get distracted by their own rivalry, which gives Super Garlic Jr. an opportunity to open his Dead Zone prison dimension. Super Garlic Jr. nearly successfully sucks Goku in, yet Gohan’s latent power and rage conveniently manifests, which allows him to knock Garlic Jr. into his own prison.
7 Lord Slug’s Regained Youth and Super Size Nearly Destroy Goku
Lord Slug is a flawed Dragon Ball Z movie, but it features some interesting ideas, chief among them an evil Namekian named Lord Slug. Namekian physiology has a lot to do with the mechanics of this battle. Lord Slug regains his youth and strength and he grows to an enormous size. Goku’s efforts are useless until Piccolo preys upon Lord Slug’s sensitive hearing. This weakness, combined with a reservoir of energy that Piccolo donates to Goku, allows him to execute Kaio-Ken X100 and follow it up with a Spirit Bomb, which completely finishes off Slug.
6 Turles Taps Into The Tree Of Might’s Strength To Nearly Crush Goku
The Tree of Might stands out because it features an evil Saiyan that looks almost identical to Goku, but with no real explanation for why they bear a resemblance. The Tree of Might doesn’t worry about these details and instead tells a story with a fairly environmentally conscious message. Turles is about to defeat Goku after he consumes the fruit from the titular Tree of Might and Goku’s Spirit Bomb isn’t left with enough energy to affect Turles. Turles nearly finishes the job before Goku switches strategies and absorbs the Tree of Might’s energy for his Spirit Bomb instead.
5 Standard Super Saiyan Attacks Are Useless Against Super Android 13’s Fusion
Super Android 13!, digs even deeper into Dragon Ball’s android obsession. The movie introduces Androids 13, 14, and 15, which Goku squares off against with Vegeta and Trunks. Their Super Saiyan forms are sufficient, but Android 13 receives an unreasonable upgrade when he absorbs the circuitry of his fallen Androids.
Super Saiyans make zero impact on Super Android 13 and Goku’s survival is highly lucky. Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb, but then becomes Super Saiyan. This results in him absorbing the Spirit Bomb’s energy, which he then releases through a pivotal punch to demolish Super Android 13.
4 Hirudegarn’s Transformed Gigantic State Would Have Reigned Supreme Without A Surprise Move
Wrath of the Dragon embraces giant kaiju sensibilities and delivers a Godzilla-esque story that prioritizes Trunks’ growth. Hirudegarn is a markedly different villain that generates sprawling destruction rather than a targeted attack. Hirudegarn holds his own against Gotenks and Goku in their Super Saiyan 3 forms and for a moment it seems as if Goku is out of strategies. A very convenient turn of events occurs where Goku is able to exacerbate Hirudegarn’s sensitive emotions and then destroy him with his Dragon Fist technique, an ability that comes out of nowhere and almost never shows up again.
3 The Meta-Cooler Army Nearly Converts Goku’s Energy Into Big Gete Star Fuel
It’s not often that the Dragon Ball Z movies indulge in sequels, but Cooler is so popular that he receives a second chance at destruction in The Return of Cooler. This movie ups the stakes in every regard with a cybernetic version of Cooler that multiplies into a robotic army. Goku learns that his Super Saiyan skills and even assistance from Vegeta still aren’t enough to overwhelm the army. Meta-Cooler nearly succeeds when he harnesses Goku and Vegeta’s energy to power the Big Gete Star’s core, but they push the core’s limits too far and destroy the entire operation.
2 Broly’s Legendary Strength And An Impending Asteroid Nearly Take Goku Out With The Planet
It’s fair to say that Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan, is the biggest villain to come out of Dragon Ball Z’s movies. Goku’s first encounter with Broly is a rare occasion where Goku is thoroughly unmatched and has to ostensibly run away. Goku needs to obtain the energy of the rest of the Saiyans in order to have a fraction of the power necessary to momentarily phase Broly. Goku pulls off the attack, but then teleports away with everyone else and leaves Broly on his planet, which is on a collision course with an asteroid. It’s an incredibly narrow escape.
1 Super Janemba’s Upgrade Forces Fusion As The Only Solution
Fusion Reborn is a beloved Dragon Ball Z movie for the fact that it brings Gogeta, an alternate fusion between Goku and Vegeta, into the picture. Janemba is a creative villain that disrupts the balance of the afterlife and Goku gains the upper hand when he turns into Super Saiyan 3 against him. This strategy fails Goku after Janemba refines his strength from his Super Janemba transformation. Super Janemba dominates Goku, Vegeta, and Pikkon, and the fusion dance becomes the only way that Goku is able to match the strength of Super Janemba.