When fans name their favorite scenes from the Dragon Ball franchise, the majority of picks gravitate towards the series' laundry list of high stakes, do-or-die moments, usually centered around the Saiyan, Frieza, and Cell Sagas; however, a sizable minority of individuals would instead point towards the various comedic situations that Z fighters find themselves in as the high points of the series.
Goku, despite his relentless determination and combat-driven motivations, almost constantly sports his trademark smile, and since the early days of Dragon Ball, he has provided anime watchers with plenty of levity in between his moments of badassery. With this in mind, a few select moments stand out as the funniest the franchise has to offer.
9 Vegeta's Pink Shirt Is Ironically One Of His Iconic Looks
Up until the end of the Frieza Saga, Vegeta was solely depicted as a villainous character, even in his most humanizing moments during the events on Namek. However, this scene, located at the very beginning of the Cell Saga, quickly established that the Prince of Saiyans was no longer safe from Akira Toriyama's humorous wit.
Somehow, Vegeta made it to Earth without any extra sets of clothing, leaving Bulma to choose his wardrobe. Whether or not she gave him a pink shirt with the word "BADMAN" stitched into its back on purpose remains to be seen, but his reaction was iconic nonetheless.
8 Krillin Lands A Critical Hit On Goku
Nothing harkens back to the early days of Dragon Ball quite like Krillin and Goku getting into hijinks with one another. The bald Z fighter is known for serving as comedic relief, but this scene, found in one of the Cell Saga's few moments of peace, is perhaps his greatest role to date. As Goku, Gohan, and Krillin relax next to a quaint pond, Goku finally gets comfortable enough that he and Gohan fall asleep while maintaining their Super Saiyan forms.
While Krillin admires his best friend, he ponders about how the Saiyan has reached a level of power that makes him virtually untouchable, so in true Krillin fashion, he grabs the nearest rock, launches it at his friend, and clobbers Goku right in the noggin, waking him from his slumber. Unfortunately for the duo, Ultra Instinct wasn't due to kick in until several years later.
7 Oolong Wishes For The First Thing He Thought Of
Emperor Pilaf has primarily served as comic relief for the past few decades of Dragon Ball material, so many fans have forgotten that at one point, the pint-sized character was a bona fide villain with all the Dragon Balls in his possession. Appropriately, it was another character of miniature stature who thwarted the Emperor's plans.
While Pilaf was contemplating what exactly he wanted to wish for, Oolong interjected, requesting the "world's most comfortable pair of ultra-soft underwear," resulting in the funniest life-saving moment in the history of Dragon Ball.
6 Goku & Piccolo Take On Driving School
Dragon Ball doesn't include very much filler, and when it does, it often results in gems like Goku and Piccolo's attempt at getting their driver's license. Chi-Chi, tired of Goku's ridiculously dangerous escapades, makes it known that she wants a shred of normalcy in their lives, and Goku, the loving husband that he is, listens to her request, eventually heading to driving school.
Why Piccolo felt the need to join in on the festivities is unknown, but the episode massively benefits from his inclusion. The look of absolute terror on the face of the instructor as the duo performs risky driving maneuver after risky driving maneuver is one of the best that Dragon Ball has to offer.
5 The Arrival Of The Ginyu Force Was More Entertaining Than Intimidating
The Z fighters do not have a lot to laugh about on their first visit to Namek; Frieza, Vegeta, and several other enemies all threaten their lives at every single moment, placing the entire group on edge until Goku's eventual arrival. However, one bright spot in this sequence is the appearance of Frieza's peculiar fighting squad, the Ginyu Force.
From the cheerleader poses of the Ginyu Force to their hilarious assortment of gimmicks and accents, the squad effectively serves as an ongoing laugh track for the entirety of this arc.
4 Mr. Satan Stood No Chance Against Cell
The Cell Saga introduced a lot of new elements to Dragon Ball, but perhaps the most comedic addition was the inclusion of the World Martial Arts Champion, Mr. Satan. In complete juxtaposition to the horror-inspired Cell, Mr. Satan was full of foolhardy confidence and had an over-inflated ego, making for hilarity during the two characters' inevitable face-to-face encounter during the arc.
With a camera crew broadcasting Mr. Satan's every movement to the world, the boisterous champion steps into the ring against Cell during the Cell Games and launches into his trademark smack-talk, only to be swatted away and launched into a nearby cliffside.
3 Super Android 13 Hits Goku Where The Sun Doesn't Shine
Even if Super Android 13 wasn't the best villain to ever be featured in a Dragon Ball film, he still generated plenty of quality moments that made him a worthwhile addition to the franchise. One such moment came in the Android's penultimate fight against Goku at the very end of the film.
Goku launches a kick only for his leg to be caught by the intimidating opponent. Rather than release an energy blast or something else expected of a Dragon Ball Z villain, Super Android 13 delivers a swift punch to the groin of the series' protagonist.
2 King Kai Finds Tien Hilarious
King Kai makes clears throughout Dragon Ball that he prescribes to some unconventional training methods, so it should come as no surprise that he forces Yamcha, Chaotzu, Tien, and Piccolo to make him laugh before accepting them as pupils. Tien struggles more than any of them until Yamcha throws him a bone, whispering a joke into his ear.
Few reactions in Dragon Ball are as hilarious as watching King Kai recoil back from Tien's unexpectedly intense "You can tune a piano, but you can't tune a fish" joke.
1 Another Hilarious Wish Is Centered Around Pilaf
Pilaf and his companions, Shu and Mai, are the subject of many of Dragon Ball's most hilarious scenes. In Dragon Ball Super, the trio was once again able to summon the eternal Shenron, and on this occasion, they truly demonstrated their shortcomings as characters.
While Mai wasted one of the wishes on the world's tastiest cake, Shu asked for a measly 1 million Zeni, a unit that Toriyama has said translates on a 1:1 level with Yen, making this a wish for 7,000 USD. For a dragon that can make virtually anything come true, this sure was a measly pair of tasks.