The Buu arc sees Dragon Ball at its most unhinged. With the series on the cusp of ending, Toriyama really does whatever he wants for the final arc. He has a much more lenient editor for the finale, and it frankly shows. While this does result in the Buu arc feeling scattered on a narrative & thematic level that other arcs aren’t, it’s still one of the series’ most entertaining sagas in the franchise.

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It is worth noting, however, that fights on a whole play out quite differently in the Buu arc. Most of them have no real arc and they’re often incredibly short. At the same time, Toriyama’s choreography is arguably at its crispest in terms of wasting no page space whatsoever. It’s a trade-off, but one that does have its benefits.

10 Goku Versus Vegeta

Majin Vegeta tortures Goku in Dragon Ball Z

This fight is better in retrospect than it is in hindsight, and even then it’s still a bit messy. Goku holding back the entire time actually adds a really compelling layer to the fight, but the match’s original context is already compelling as is and seemingly brings the Goku & Vegeta rivalry to a decent enough close.

While the action is light in both the manga and the anime (the former more so,) this fight is still one of the Buu arc’s better ones given that it’s interspersed with Gohan & Kaioshin desperately trying to stop Buu while Goku and Vegeta hash things out one last time. It’s a shockingly short fight, but Toriyama runs a lot of narrative ground here.

9 Gohan Versus Evil Buu

Ultimate Gohan kicks Super Buu in Dragon Ball Z

Despite being the main character of the Buu arc for roughly half of it, Gohan doesn’t do all too much after Majin Buu actually awakens. Instead, he spends most of his time waiting for a power-up that really only gives him an advantage for a single chapter before Evil Buu turns the tide and dominates the rest of the match.

As frustrating as it is to see Gohan fall into Buu’s grasps, the fight itself is energetic, has plenty of interesting action, and genuinely builds a level of horror that Dragon Ball rarely indulges in. The anime does pad things out a bit, but the fact it presents the match as a fake final fight is a nice touch.

8 Videl Versus Spopovich

Spopovich was one of the most brutal human fighters in Dragon Ball Z.

By far one of the most brutal fights in all of Dragon Ball, Videl’s beatdown at the hands of Spopovich is disgustingly vicious. He pummels her even in the face of Videl’s clear competency. Despite how one-sided the fight is, Videl engages in some pretty solid choreography, giving her one fight in the manga some real weight.

The only real disappointment related to this fight is the fact that Spopovich himself is dealt with rather unceremoniously. This fight builds him up as a serious threat. Not just that, a connection is formed between Gohan and Spopovich, suggesting they’ll fight— but then Bobbidi kills him and Yamu. Oh well, at least this fight is good.

7 Goten Versus Trunks

Dragon Ball Z Goten Trunks World Martial Arts Tournament

Short, sweet, and to the point, Goten’s match with Trunks in the Junior Division of the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai feels like Toriyama paying tribute to the series’ roots. The whole fight plays out like one of the lesser Tenkaichi Budokai matches of yore. It’s not as intense as a Finals match, but certainly Semi-Finals.

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Toriyama does reuse some panels here (and shamelessly,) but it’s a good enough fight with fun, clean action where that’s hardly a problem. It’s also one of the only fights in the Buu arc that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. That alone is worth the world in this story arc.

6 Goku Versus Fat Buu

Goku after transforming into a Super Saiyan 3 in Dragon Ball Z.

Perhaps the Buu arc’s biggest problem is the fact that almost every single fight happens between someone and Majin Buu. Up to this point, arcs hadn’t dedicated almost all of their fights to the main villain. Things started to change with Cell, however, and Buu is the natural culmination of this style of storytelling.

It ultimately does work in its own ways, though, as it allows audiences to better understand each character’s fighting style. Goku’s fight with Fat Buu is short, but it’s an amazing display of what Goku is capable of in such a short amount of page time. Better yet, Super Saiyan 3’s reveal is one of the arc’s defining moments.

5 Vegeta Versus Pure Buu

For all its faults, the Buu arc has really good character development for Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta. The lattermost stands out as one of the best-developed characters in the series by the end of the arc. His fight against Pure Buu puts into perspective just how much Vegeta has changed since the start of the series.

He fights Buu not for his own pride, but to stall for time. He’s not fighting to win, but to survive. It’s a massive shift to the Vegeta who once solely existed to best Goku. The fight itself also features some decent choreography even if Vegeta doesn’t actually get to fight back much. Pure Buu’s just fun to watch in action.

4 Vegeta Versus Fat Buu

While Vegeta completing his character arc shortly before fighting Pure Buu is his best moment in the arc, his match with Fat Buu is his best fight. With Buu just hatched, Vegeta— in a rare turn of form— tries to stop the situation before it can escalate. He dishes out everything he has at Buu while the audience slowly realizes just how imposing Buu is.

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It pushes Vegeta to sacrifice his life in a moment that really shouldn’t be as dramatic as it is. It’s a tender end to Vegeta’s life and his arc could have ended nicely had he not been revived after this. Of course, Buu was never going to die here so Vegeta’s sacrifice amounts to little narrative. Not that it invalidates the fight by any means.

3 Mr. Buu Versus Pure Buu

DBZ Kid Buu

Dragon Ball’s action is at its best when Akira Toriyama is indulging in his more creative tendencies. Bringing back Fat Buu for the final fight against Pure Buu is downright inspired on Toriyama’s part, managing to re-incorporate a previous form into the finale rather seamlessly. It certainly helps that both Buus have bizarre techniques.

The way they contort their bodies, the way they damage one another— there’s something off about the fight between the Buus. In fact, they’re the only two who can actually hurt each other. Pure Buu even nearly manages to kill Fat Buu in the process. It’s not a long fight, but it’s one that keeps things engaging as the plot moves towards the endgame.

2 Gotenks Versus Evil Buu

Super Buu grins menacingly at Gotenks in Dragon Ball Z

Gotenks’ fight with Evil Buu is the single longest fight in the story arc (taking up most of the already lengthy Volume 41,) but this also means it’s the only fight that actually feels in place with the other major battles from other arcs. Gotenks versus Evil Buu has pacing very similar to Goku’s fight with Majunior. Which isn’t a bad thing.

This essentially results in every chapter tossing some interesting action at the reader. Things can drag a bit about midway, but once Gotenks turns Super Saiyan 3, the fight immediately picks up. It’s just a shame that Gotenks so obviously was never going to be the one to finish Buu off.

1 Goku Versus Pure Buu

Super Saiyan 3 Goku fighting Kid Buu in Dragon Ball Z

It’s not the arc’s final fight by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s Goku’s last real fight in Dragon Ball’s original run which ends up giving it some added importance in context (even out of context, it’s quite the important fight.) On the surface level, this is a display of Goku’s power. When examined deeper, this fight revolves around how Vegeta feels about Goku.

The emotion of the fight is strong thanks to Vegeta’s narration and Toriyama’s choreography is excellent here. The anime goes one further by including excellent filler material where Goku starts the fight in Super Saiyan 2. It’s downright breathtaking and helps elevate the anime’s finale even further.

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