At what point in the story did the characters look and feel their most powerful?

[Yuli Ban]

Dream Team during the Cell arc is where the sense of power was at its best for me


It just looks powerful

The senshi and Cell, plus the movie villains (most notably Broly) radiated raw hypermasculine power at this point in time, which DBZ hasn't really delved into before or since on this level. Probably because of all the muscles coupled with the unique characterization of this era.

And Cell's power causing Earth to tremble and crackle with electricity was the kiss of death. That was the last time any antagonist had such world-shaking spectacle until maybe Super: Broly. Jiren probably would've counted if he wasn't mostly active in what was more like a pocket dimension where that power couldn't affect much.

[Koitsukai]

I think after mastering SS and with everybody being a SS or on that level (Kamiccolo, basically). Cell saga, Cell Games. They were already fucking OP by that point, fightinb Brolys and fused androids. After that, they are on another realm, SS2, SS3, fusions... SS3 fusions!
But to me, the Cell Games saga is where they reached a crazy level of power.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Dream Team during the Cell arc is where the sense of power was at its best for me


It just looks powerful

The senshi and Cell, plus the movie villains (most notably Broly) radiated raw hypermasculine power at this point in time, which DBZ hasn't really delved into before or since on this level. Probably because of all the muscles coupled with the unique characterization of this era.

And Cell's power causing Earth to tremble and crackle with electricity was the kiss of death. That was the last time any antagonist had such world-shaking spectacle until maybe Super: Broly. Jiren probably would've counted if he wasn't mostly active in what was more like a pocket dimension where that power couldn't affect much.

It's interesting. While the characters in the Cell saga don't necessarily feel the most powerful within the anime itself (to me, anyway), the promo artwork and the iconic status of the Cell saga to this day definitely give off this vibe. Even though the characters now are many times more powerful, they almost "feel" at their strongest at this point in time.

[Koitsukai]

I think it has to do with the artwork. By the Cell Games era, they all looked buffed as hell with blonde, thick and defined hair, even Gohan seems like he is not going to grow much taller with all that muscle at such a young age.
Even their hair looks fucking tough. While we had a Mr. Olympia beat Freeza on Namek, his hair was sort of vanilla, but after the ROSAT, even their strands of hair had muscles on them.
And the enemies they faced also were on steroids: Broly, Bojack, 2nd form and Perfect Cell, Super Android 13 also looked like a tank. Prior to that, we have little Freeza, the teen androids, and after that a fat pink blob.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

I mentioned earlier that Saiyan saga Vegeta was ironically where the character has "felt" his most powerful to me (other than Super: Broly), but based on looks I have to go with Majin Vegeta. It's the most intimidating the character has ever appeared, with the M on his forehead, veins popping out of his arms, and his general attitude. Also, I'll add Piccolo/Kamiccolo when he was powering up against Imperfect Cell; the way he was actually pulsating (for lack of a better word ) with power.

[MyVisionity]

I think that part of the reason why the Cell Saga characters feel as powerful as they do is because that was the last time that the story ever got so serious. The promo artwork is a reflection of this. Afterwards, the series was either too lighthearted, too goofy, too weird, or too over-the-top to radiate that kind of energy again.

[Krillin1994]

It’s not just the Saiyans in the cell arc, every character just got extra extra jacked and gave the impression that they were all true beasts.

Look at cell arc krillin’s musculature compared to any arc before it, Tien and Yamaha during the cell games.

Obvs the Saiyans do it best though, Super Vegeta and USSJ Trunks putting the stretch to the test in that armour. They are the golden gods and their rage knew no bounds.

[fleahop]

...They are the golden gods and their rage knew no bounds.

Always love an iasip reference. Good man.

I gotta say Cell arc marketing is God tier. It's the series riding the high of Namek's hype. It's marketing got me more pumped than the actual show as a kid. Now, during rewatches I've found myself feeling the most power during the Frieza fight. However, my first watch when I was a kid, there were no powerful (in my head) than the boys in gold.

[BWri]

Basically at what point would you say the portrayal of characters being strong reached its peak?
I'd say on Namek. The hits Goku and Frieza landed sounded so loud and powerful, they were both really bulky and intimidating, and there were times when other characters couldn't even follow their movements. The fact that they carried on fighting for so long all bloodied up on a dying planet made them feel even more impressive.

Was gonna say the same thing as you. I remember reading the manga of that fight as a kid and roided up pro wrestler Goku and Frieza going blow for blow always stood out to me. They looked like gladiators.

I have to agree. I'm going strictly on my memory of the anime. This was one of the only arcs that had characters using every single one of their abilities at the highest level. Telekinesis for instance, a power that's most downplayed after, is in full effect at its most powerful here. Frieza felt full-on godlike here without too much need for exposition to prove himself.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Continuing with the idea of characters in the Cell saga feeling the most powerful thanks to the artwork, etc., I'll also say Piccolo/Kamiccolo when he was powering up against Imperfect Cell. The way the anime depicts the crater being formed in the ground, the Earth shaking...and Piccolo is jacked as all hell.

[Koitsukai]

I think the notion of them being at the strongest during that time, also comes from them having so much trouble with their current enemies.
They spent a lot of time trying to surpass the androids, in the meantime, Cell shows up, surpasses everybody and becomes perfect. There is so much to overcome, they all need to be super saiyans, actually enhanced super saiyans.

And they fight the LSS, super strong androids with infinite energy, a clone of the strongest fighters, 3 androids fused into one, and a gang of space pirates, post-Cell.

[nhienphan2808]

Oh, also, the first Goku vs Vegeta fight. Vegeta has never felt more powerful than he did in the Saiyan Saga. He was a BEAST who simply could not be killed no matter what Goku, Gohan, and Krillin threw at him. Ironically the only other time Vegeta has felt this powerful imho is in Super: Broly.

Agreed. Super Saiyan God, the red one, is HIS form.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Oh, also, the first Goku vs Vegeta fight. Vegeta has never felt more powerful than he did in the Saiyan Saga. He was a BEAST who simply could not be killed no matter what Goku, Gohan, and Krillin threw at him. Ironically the only other time Vegeta has felt this powerful imho is in Super: Broly.

Agreed. Super Saiyan God, the red one, is HIS form.

The Vegeta vs Broly fight was my favorite fight in the movie, especially when he went Red. But to be honest, it was how Vegeta was depicted the entire fight, combined with the incredible animation, especially when he transformed, first into SSJ and then into SSG. I particularly loved the first transformation, which has him standing atop a mountain peak, looking down at Broly. Despite Broly's rapidly growing power, Vegeta is in the driver's seat for the entire fight.

[FPSSJ4_Goku]

When Zamasu merged with the very fabric of the cosmos and laid waste to the entire multiverse, then transcended the time-space continuum itself and affected other timelines too. Which forced Zeno himself to take drastic measures and erase the entire Future timeline. Nothing else can compare.

What about the Majin Boo vs Vegito fight, where Boo's screaming was ripping apart the fabric of the universe? Or when Goku was about to achieve Mastered Ultra Instinct and there were explosions everywhere? Ooh, ooh! Or how about the time in the Tournament of Power where Goku pulled a galaxy out of his ass and went MUI?

[SupremeKai25]

When Zamasu merged with the very fabric of the cosmos and laid waste to the entire multiverse, then transcended the time-space continuum itself and affected other timelines too. Which forced Zeno himself to take drastic measures and erase the entire Future timeline. Nothing else can compare.

What about the Majin Boo vs Vegito fight, where Boo's screaming was ripping apart the fabric of the universe? Or when Goku was about to achieve Mastered Ultra Instinct and there were explosions everywhere? Ooh, ooh! Or how about the time in the Tournament of Power where Goku pulled a galaxy out of his ass and went MUI?

Not as impressive. There's nothing that surpasses this scene in terms of scale and magnitude:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_35Ajam3ucc&t=104s

This is the only time we see an actual Multiversal feat in the entire Dragon Ball franchise. Infinite Zamasu merging with the Cosmos and spreading throughout the Multiverse; and Future Zeno then erasing that entire Timeline.

But since these two are not protagonists (maybe OP was limiting this to the protagonist characters), I guess the time when the protagonists felt at their most powerful was during the Broly movie. Gogeta creating a weird pocket dimension while fighting Broly is more impressive than Goku creating a galaxy-shaped ki aura.

[Osmium]

No contest, it was the Saiyajin saga. The way their chi and power was displayed had such an intensity to it that exists nowhere else in the series. Goku going kaioken x3 and the beam struggle between Goku and Vegeta feel truly apocalyptic and like the place hosting their fight could completely break apart at any time.

Goku at kaioken x3 is one of the most dramatic displays of chi in the series. We actually see Goku’s body get hot enough from internal energy that it starts steaming, evaporating the sweat on his body and creating a heat and pressure differential in the air around him strong enough to generate winds that even Vegeta can hardly stand up against.

Vegeta when powering up a few minutes before is some insane shit as well, with the way he is able to change the weather around him and create typhoon level winds just by rising his chi. It’s genuinely terrifying stuff that doesn’t really happen later on at all.

[Shorty GZ2]

Whenever the Z movies were happening lol

[Anonymous Friend]

Dream Team during the Cell arc is where the sense of power was at its best for me

Would Piccolo be the drummer in this band?

For me, looking and feeling the most powerful would be effortlessly taking out the trash. So, anytime Goku finally shows up in the nick of time to save everyone from certain death. Then proceeds to effortlessly decimate those giving his friends the hard time.

Someone posted gifs of Vegeta's Final Flash, GvC at the Cell Games, and Father-Son Kamehameha. Unfortunely, while those are animated fantstically, we kind of know Vegeta isn't killing Cell, Goku and Cell look evenly matched but aren't doing anything that powerful, and Gohan all busted up and needed everyone else to distract Cell to pull this off.

[Vijay]

Tbh, it was when Goku and Kid Buu duked it out at Kaioshin Realm

Its not abt look or feelin powerful. Its abt the struggle

Goku was goin all-out as SSJ2 for whole episode then as SSJ3 for 2 episodes...and Kid Buu was simply too much...every blows/hits felt impactful & that point in anime made it feel like thats the absolute peak in terms of power display