What are 10 episodes of Og Dragon Ball that nobody should miss?

[GTx10]

So sadly many people skip OG Dragon Ball and jump straight into Z. So I thought "Okay you wanna skip 153 fantastic episodes of the beginning of the show? Okay, then here is at least 10 episodes of OG Dragon Ball to watch before jumping straight into Z."

My 10 "must watch" list is:

1. DB episode 1 (Duh)

2. First wish to Shenron episode. (Oolong's panty wish)
Shenron's first ever appearance.

3. Goku's 1st Great Ape transformation. (It allows Goku's realization in the Saiyan arc make more sense

4. Son Goku vs. Jackie Chun (final fight episode)
The start of Goku's tournament arc.

5. Goku defeating General Black of the Red Ribbon Army. (The overall defeat of the Army plays into the Cell arc and beyond)

6. Tien vs. Goku. (The final fight of the 22nd tournament)
Continues the tournament arc.

7. Roshi's demise while using the Evil Containment wave against King Piccolo. (Or perhaps Kuririn's death can be swapped here. Self explanatory)

8. The final battle with King Piccolo. Self explanatory.

9. Adult Goku meets the adult cast at the 23rd tournament.

10. Goku and Piccolo Jr.'s final brawl. It warps up Goku's tournament arc and makes the moment Raditz defeats the world's strongest man way more impactful.


I think these episodes are decent enough (at best) to prepare someone before jumping into Z. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? What are your 10 "must watch OG Dragon Ball episodes before Z?"

Or just watch all 153 episodes of Og Dragon Ball instead and be a true Chad.

[GokuHater]

If somebody didn't watch the og Dragon Ball, I would just recommend to watch the fricking og Dragon Ball

But if we absolutely have to narrow the episodes down, I would pick up not the ones which push the story forward but the ones most representative of what the series is about and what it brings to the table. So for me...

Episode 1 and 2 - tbh as classical as it gets. We meet Goku and Bulma, have some wacky adventures, humor and get an explanation of how the balls work

Episode with the first Roshi Kamehameha - here the most known technique from DB makes an appearance and is actually quite pretty animated. We also get a load of gags with the main cast.

Goku turning into Oozaru for the first time - showing us that Goku is not only a monkey kid with a tail and raising the stakes

One episode of Krillin/Goku training arc - to this day one of the best training arcs in the entire series and has some pretty wise words from Rishi

Jackie Chun Vs Goku battle - be it either before Oozaru or after, shows some clever fighting moves, quick thinking from both fighters and martial arts. And it's true, some of the fight is comical but that's also the nature of OG DB

Shenlong revives Boora - while it's not the first appearance of Shenlong, it's still majestic enough, maybe even a bit more with the dark sky. The wish itself is more representative of what the wishes in DB are about and even is a big part of Goku's character

Goku Vs Grandpa Gohan - Not only a good fight but also a very unique scene in which Goku is actually crying and seen very emotional. Actually the only scene which moved me in all Dragon Ball

The last part of Piccolo Daimao fight - another classic. Shows how Goku can withstand in a face of great danger and also the moment when he finally beats Piccolo is unforgotten.

Goku Vs Piccolo Junior - preferably where Goku uses his signature attack, pure spectacle and one of the best, if not the best fights in OG DB

[Yuji]

The last 10. That gets you up to speed to start the REAL show, DRAGON BALL ZEEEE, BABY.

In all seriousness, big climactic episodes will be out of context. I'd recommend some filler, slice of life or adventure episodes to get a feel for the characters and atmosphere.

[Koitsukai]

I wouldn't say watch a certain episode but a handful or mini-arcs.

- Goku and Krilin's training with Roshi. Everything since Krilin's introduction until they gain the Kame gi.

- The 21st TB, with Krilin fighting Bacterian, Goku vs Nam, Jackie Chun vs Krilin, Goku vs Jackie Chun... there isn't just one episode, all of them are great.

- The episodes of Goku training on his own before the 22nd TB is amazing, too.

- Goku going to the city, looking for Bulma, fighting that guy on the streets for money, riding a cab. I think this one is just one episode.

- The post RRA arc, with Goku trying to revive Bora, fighting Uranai Baba's goons and finally seeing his grampa again.

- Tenshinhan's arc, going from a wannabe assassin to apologizing to Yamcha, ending with Krilin's death.

- The RRA arc Pirate Cave episodes are also hella fun.

- Goku, Yajirobe and Tambourine.

- Goku showing up to save Tenshinhan against King Piccolo.

- Goku losing to King Piccolo is great, too.

[MasenkoHA]

Really hard to do a Top 10 episodes on a show as serialized as Dragon Ball the Goku vs Ma Junior fight alone is 6 episodes.

I guess if I had to pick 10 episodes as a sampling of the series I'd either go with the first 10 episodes of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai arc, which would take the viewer to the end of the quarter finals , since the first tournament arc is when the series found its footing or 10 straight episodes from the Red Ribbon arc (episodes 45-54 maybe?) since the RRA arc is the most og Dragon Ball arc to ever Og Dragon Ball

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

The first episode is a no-brainer. You get introduced to Goku, Bulma, there's a fun little adventure as you see him save her from the flying dinosaur.

Maybe the first 2 episodes as the relationship between Goku and Bulma when he was a naive young boy and she was a boyfriend-obsessed teen could never be replicated when they were adults.

I agree that beyond that the serialized nature of Dragon Ball would make it tricky because so many episodes require the context of what came before and are written to set up the following episodes, but perhaps a few of the episodes that introduce characters like Krillin/Kuririn, Chaotzu and Tenshinhan when they weren't so friendly with Goku.

So for these particular characters and establishing Goku's history with them viewers can go check out:

• Episode 14 for Goku first meeting Krillin
  • There's also some hilarious gags with Goku eating everything in Roshi's fridge and Roshi getting hit by the mermaid for trying to be a creep
• Episodes 84-85 for Tenshinhan and Chaotzu
  • Learning about the history of the Crane and Turtle Hermit schools is also neat martial arts lore we got less of as time went on
• Episodes 112-113 for seeing Piccolo at his peak as the Demon king
  • The former particularly for Piccolo destroying Shenron might also entice viewers as it was a bolder decision to take the story in than any of the times the Dragon Balls were used since

After that I think episodes 146-148 for the latter part of Goku and Piccolo Junior's fight, as it takes us from Goku facing a giant Piccolo (a technique he stopped using in Z), trying to save Kami, Piccolo's Chōbakuretsumaha (which tears the stadium and its surroundings apart so should appeal to people who love the spectacle in Z) to all the bloodiness (I don't glorify gore, but for anyone worried about original Dragon Ball being "too much comedy" this could be what they're looking for if they want the hard hitting stuff).

Then again perhaps 3 episodes of a single fight would be too much though, and viewers might feel disappointed by the remainder of original Dragon Ball not going all out in the fights as Z does. So I guess as an honorary mention episodes 15 and 16 or swap 146-147 out for them. In these episodes we see Lunch, get to see the gag about her changing personalities when she sneezes. Goku and Krillin's skills being tested and racing to find the stone was a lot of fun too.

[Kamiccolo9]

The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai arc. The tournament is ten or so episodes, right? Best part of the franchise, sums up everything you need to know about early Dragon Ball, and has, in my opinion, the best fight of the series.

If you have to cut some episodes to make space, cut the Ranfan/Namu fight, the preliminaries, and the Bacterian/Giran fight. That still leaves you with a good mix of comedy and action, and you still get to know the characters.

[Vhanos]

I can only think of one. The episode where the fight between Goku and Tien concluded, Krillin dies, and the Piccolo Daimao saga starts from there.