10 Best-Written Dragon Ball Sagas, Ranked

Dragon Ball is an expansive series that tells the full story of Goku’s life from childhood to adulthood over the course of 622 chapters (including DBS’ 103). For a series that large, it became necessary to break up the story into arcs, which have come to be referred to as Sagas. Breaking up Dragon Ball into well-defined Sagas can be difficult because different official sources give different breakdowns of exactly what each “saga” entails. In almost all cases, though, Dragon Ball’s Sagas are separated by which villain Goku is up against, and there are a few widely agreed upon Sagas that most fans can recognize by name alone.




The best Sagas in Dragon Ball history are often those whose story can be viewed as both self-contained and vital to the growth of the series’ beloved main cast of characters like Vegeta, Piccolo and Gohan. Every Dragon Ball fan has a favorite Saga, but some are undeniably great due to their lasting influence on the history of anime and shonen manga. Akira Toriyama’s writing is sometimes criticized for being off-the-cuff, but a few of Dragon Ball’s best-written Sagas are true masterpieces in storytelling and character development that should be respected as genuinely great works of fantasy.


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Saga’s are Dragon Ball’s way of breaking up arcs in its series. From DBZ to Super, many of its best Sagas are also anime’s greatest story arcs.


10 Vegeta and Frieza’s New Forms Marked a New Era For Dragon Ball

Granolah the Survivor Saga (Dragon Ball Super)

Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

67 – 87

N/A

By the time of the Granolah the Survivor Saga, Dragon Ball Super really came into its own. It’s a saga that shows as much as any other in Super that Toyotarou is the best person for the job of carrying on the Dragon Ball franchise after Akira Toriyama. From Mastered Ultra Instinct to Ultra Ego to Black Frieza, this Saga introduces a plethora of beloved new forms that gave the series’ fan-favorite characters a much-needed upgrade.


The Granolah Saga introduces an interesting backstory for Bardock beyond his non-canonical appearances and brief mention in the Frieza Saga. It also introduces an awesome new character by way of Granolah, who is an unconventional villain due to the fact that he isn’t actually evil; he only fights the saiyans due to a misunderstanding. In terms of more conventional villains, Black Frieza is still the fandom’s most highly anticipated potential villain, and Frieza’s treatment of the saiyans on Planet Cereal was impressively nuanced in a way that warrants multiple interpretations. Gas is also one of the more tragic villains in the series, checking off all the boxes for a memorable story arc that has fans hoping for a continuation of the Super anime.

9 Zamasu’s Wish For Immortality Helped Give Super Life of Its Own

Future Trunks Saga (Dragon Ball Super)


Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

14 – 26

47 – 76

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The Future Trunks Saga is far from perfect in Dragon Ball Super. Fans are understandably torn over it, especially in regard to the anime version’s power scaling inconsistencies. Nevertheless, Goku Black is easily one of Super’s best villains, and the fight with Zamasu singlehandedly revitalized the Super anime in the eyes of fandom after it got off to a rough start. The Future Trunks Saga helped give Super it’s own identity by inventing an evil incarnation of Goku with a mysterious identity of his own.


This raised the intrigue of the early portion of this arc considerably. Bringing back Future Trunks was also a great choice, as it expanded on the wider implications of time travel in the Dragon Ball universe, which was only possible thanks to the emphasis Super placed on the Gods and Angels. Ultimately, it’s those same Gods and Angels which made Zamasu such a great villain. It’s hard to imagine a bolder move than having the main villain question humanity’s affinity for conflict in a martial arts-themed manga. Zamasu is a surprisingly complex character with interesting motivations that help him stand out in the Dragon Ball pantheon of villains.

8 From Fusions to Friendship, The Buu Saga’s Themes Are Underappreciated

Buu Saga (Dragon Ball Z)

Vegeta watches Goku fight Buu in Dragon Ball Z.


Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

460 – 516

232 – 287

The Buu Saga has always been divisive for fans. On one hand, it introduces a number of important concepts (like fusion) and characters that have become inseparable from the franchise (like Gotenks). On the other hand, it often fails to connect to the rest of the series’ history in as interesting a way as the Cell or Frieza Sagas. Nevertheless, the Buu Saga is unapologetically Toriyama in his final form, blending awesome fight sequences with over-the-top humor and a touch of emotion in a way that only the legendary mangaka could pull off. From Goku’s resolve to pass the torch to the next generation, to Kid Buu’s deadly brand of pure innocence, the Buu Saga is full of underrated themes that often get lost in the chaos.


While a vocal group of fans have expressed their opinions that DBZ should have ended with the Cell Saga, the Buu Saga is still full of memorable moments that the franchise just wouldn’t be the same without. For example, vital to the Buu Saga is Vegeta’s redemption arc, which reaches its logical conclusion during the fight with Kid Buu. Vegeta’s final descent into villainy as Majin Vegeta was actually a perfectly realistic turn for the character, playing out like a midlife crisis that just-so-happened to lead to the deaths of countless civilians. No fan will ever forget Vegeta’s sacrifice, or the moment when he finally admits, “you’re the best, Kakarot.” It’s scenes like those which make the Buu Saga’s more ridiculous twists make perfect sense.


7 Tien Was the Ultimate Hero-to-Villain Redemption Archetype

Tien Shinhan Saga (Dragon Ball)

Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

113 – 134

84 – 101

The Tien Shinhan Saga was far from the first Tournament-oriented Saga in Dragon Ball, and it wouldn’t be the last. However, it’s easily one of the most compelling. It rose the stakes considerably from its more light-hearted predecessor by introducing the merciless members of the Crane School. This gave the fights an added air of urgency that the original World Tournament saga of Dragon Ball lacked. The Tien Shinhan Saga also gave readers Dragon Ball’s most effective villain redemption arc yet in the story of its titular villain.


Tien was able to effectively help communicate the main lesson of the Turtle School by fighting against it. Tien was the greatest test of the effectiveness of the Turtle School’s philosophy, which was essentially that “slow and steady like a turtle wins the race”. A true martial artist should always push themselves to become stronger, but not because their end-goal is strength or power, but because they enjoy the journey. With some of the best fights in early Dragon Ball, the Tien Shinhan Saga is always a journey that’s better than its ending.

6 Moro Helped DBS Find its Own Personality

The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga (Dragon Ball)

Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

42 – 67

N/A


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The Moro Saga was the moment Super truly proved it had a personality all its own. It’s the single saga that revitalized fan’s faith in Dragon Ball Super as a unique series that could potentially have moments that even rival the original run of Dragon Ball and DBZ. While it never quite ascended beyond DBZ’s greatest highs, it at least tapped into something fundamental about Dragon Ball that makes it vital reading for fans of the series.


The Moro Saga’s titular villain is easily one of Super’s best. He has a truly OP ability like all the best Dragon Ball villains do, making him nearly unstoppable without the help of Goku’s friends. It’s in those friendships that the Moro arc truly shines: it utilizes the beloved side-characters who had taken a backseat since mid-way through DBZ. From Roshi to Tien to Yamcha, fans’ favorite Z Fighters finally get their chances to shine against Moro’s gang of outlaw minions. It’s also strangely fitting that Vegeta would make one of his greatest conscious attempts at redemption for his criminal past against the leader of a group of criminals.

5 The Boy With a Monkey Tail Becomes a Martial Arts Champion

Piccolo Jr Saga (Dragon Ball)

Goku and Piccolo Jr. exchange punches in the Piccolo Jr. Saga from Dragon Ball.

Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

162 – 194

123 – 153


The Piccolo Jr Saga was the perfect transitional arc between Dragon Ball and DBZ. It was a superb grand finale for the original Dragon Ball series, while also setting the stage perfectly for the time skip into DBZ. It introduced adult Goku, set up Goku and Chi-Chi’s marriage, and brought the conflict with King Piccolo to a satisfying conclusion. However, what was truly great about the Piccolo Jr Saga was its action, of which there was plenty. Much of Dragon Ball’s best storytelling happens in the midst of battle, and that’s exactly the case during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai.


From Tien’s decisive victory over Tao, to Goku literally proposing to Chi-Chi midfight, everything in the Piccolo Jr Saga is about good old-fashioned martial arts combat. While fans don’t get many major plot twists, the ups and downs in the action are more than enough to carry the plot forward. The Piccolo Jr Saga was ultimately a great swan song for early Dragon Ball, concluding with Goku finally proving himself the strongest under the heavens after a lifetime of training. Toriyama pulled out all the stops with the 23rd World Tournament to give his manga a satisfying conclusion, but it was thankfully less an ending than it was a new beginning.

4 Dragon Ball’s Most Devious Villain Successfully Conquers the World

King Piccolo Saga (Dragon Ball)

Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

135 – 161

102 – 122


Goku grew a lot in a short period in OG Dragon Ball. He developed from a naive child who didn’t understand his own strength into a boy who nearly won the World Martial Arts Tournament twice, and who had experienced aspects of the world people could only dream of. Despite all that experience under his belt, nothing could prepare him for the heartbreak of his life when he found his best friend, Krillin, killed by one of King Piccolo’s minions. This was the start of the King Piccolo Saga, and it set the tone perfectly for what was to come.

King Piccolo was an incredible final villain for Kid Goku. He was powerful, merciless, and purely evil. King Piccolo killed pretty much everyone Goku cared about, and then, to add insult to injury, killed Shenron to make sure Goku’s friends stayed dead. This was a genius writing decision by Toriyama, destroying any plot armor Goku could have had left. Piccolo was by far the most successful villain of early Dragon Ball, and arguably the entire series. From getting his wish granted by the Dragon Balls to ruling the entire world, Piccolo Daimao truly succeeded in every goal he had – other than his goal of defeating Goku.


3 Goku’s Past and Future Were Decided All in One Arc

Saiyan Saga (Dragon Ball Z)

Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

195 – 241

1 – 35

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The Saiyan Saga may have been the first arc of DBZ, but it’s difficult to argue that it was ever surpassed. It introduced important story beats and lore that defined the identity of the franchise – and Goku – from then on. Goku’s identity as an alien was an extremely important decision because it (albeit a bit ironically) grounded the Dragon Ball world and its mythos more than ever before. Before that, Goku’s monkey transformation and tail was just an inexplicable fact about Dragon Ball’s connection to the Son Wukong myth, but Raditz and the saiyan race allowed Dragon Ball to finally stand alone as its own unique mythology.

Apart from Goku’s backstory, where the Saiyan Saga excels is in its other new characters. The Saiyan Saga introduces the only two characters who could ever challenge Goku as the most iconic in Dragon Ball: Goku’s son, Gohan, and Goku’s greatest rival, Vegeta. In the case of the former, fans get to watch Goku’s son grow as a person and a fighter, inadvertently teaching Piccolo some valuable lessons of his own. While Vegeta is solely a villain in the Saiyan Saga and a far-cry from the beloved hero fans would later come to know, he’s nonetheless a great villain whose overwhelming strength and combat experience make him a uniquely memorable threat.


2 Cell Brought Dragon Ball Full-Circle For a Fitting Finale

Cell Saga (Dragon Ball Z)

Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

358 – 420

140 – 194

The Cell Saga is easily one of the most stressful arcs in shonen manga history. It starts as a game of cat and mouse between Cell and the Androids, and hints at a future of complete annihilation. Even Goku is helpless to fight the Androids, falling victim to the hardest opponent he ever fought: the heart virus. The Cell Saga implements every aspect of Dragon Ball up to that point. It features a strong connection to Goku’s backstory like the Saiyan Saga did; it has a constantly transforming villain of overwhelming power as in the Frieza Saga; and it all concludes with a deconstruction of the classic Dragon Ball tournament arc.


The Cell Games ending with Gohan emerging as the hero feels like the natural conclusion that was always promised throughout DBZ from Gohan’s first inklings of power shown during the fight with Raditz. Goku dying at the end of the Saga and passing the torch to his son is an extremely fitting end to the story of Goku’s life as it was presented in Dragon Ball. In fact, Goku’s death and Gohan’s Father-Son Kamehameha have strong cases for being the most emotional moments in Dragon Ball Z. This makes the Cell Saga truly feel like the grand finale of Dragon Ball, with the Buu Saga serving as its encore.

1 Goku Became a True Legend on Planet Namek

Frieza Saga (Dragon Ball Z)


Manga Chapters

Anime Episodes

292 – 329

75 – 107

Frieza is easily Dragon Ball’s most iconic enemy, and quite possibly the most famous villain in shonen manga history. A big reason he’s so well-known is simply because of the circumstances around his defeat – namely, Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation. However, Frieza was a great and memorable villain even before Super Saiyan came into the picture. In fact, it’s Frieza’s connection to the saiyans and Goku’s past that makes the Super Saiyan transformation resonate so strongly. Frieza destroyed Goku and Vegeta’s home planet out of his fear of the Legendary Super Saiyan, so Goku then becoming that same Super Saiyan to defeat him was truly poetic on Toriyama’s part.


Frieza as a villain was particularly diabolical, and his constant power-ups made him seem like an insurmountable threat. One of Toriyama’s most genius moves was making Frieza’s final form noticeably smaller than all his others, subverting expectations and setting a new standard by which t many future shonen manga villains would follow. Even before Frieza actually entered the spotlight, the entire Namek arc was full of endless drama, making the build-up to the final battle more well-earned. All in one Saga, Toriyama made fans care about the previous saga’s villain (Vegeta), revealed the truth about Goku’s past, and gave Krillin, Gohan and Bulma an adventure truly reminiscent of classic Dragon Ball.


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