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Dragon Ball TV Anime Series - Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is Toei's animated adaptation of the hit manga Dragon Ball by renowned manga author Akira Toriyama . Beginning its television run in 1986 and concluding with an incredible 153 episodes in 1989, Dragon Ball became a popular cultural phenomenon in Japan. It wasn't until the international release of Dragon Ball Z a few years later that Dragon Ball found wider appreciation abroad despite its popularity in Japan.

Dragon Ball was originally a manga titled Dragon Boy, which told the story of a young boy who goes on an adventure to bring a princess safely home, before being reimagined as Dragon Ball. The story uses elements from China's "Journey to the West," such as the Monkey King Sun Wukong, who is echoed in Dragon Ball's monkey-tailed main character, Son Goku.

The story follows the adventures of the protagonist Son Goku , a small boy of inhuman strength, and his friends as they search for the legendary Dragon Balls, collecting all seven that allow the user to grant a single wish. The series begins with a young Goku fishing and going about his daily business when he encounters a young woman in a car. Thinking the car is a monster, Goku attacks and destroys the car with his electric pole. The girl in the car turns out to be Bulma , who sets out to find the Dragon Balls to wish for the perfect boyfriend. Goku is tricked into accompanying her, and the story unfolds.

Sagas

According to Toei, Dragon Ball has four story arcs, called sagas. However, in other versions, the sagas can be divided into nine separate sagas.

Emperor Pilaf Saga (episodes 1-13)
Tournament Saga (episodes 14 to 28)
The Red Ribbon Army Saga (episodes 29-45)
General Blue Saga (episodes 46 to 57)
Commander Red Saga (episodes 58 to 67)
Fortune Teller Baba Saga (episodes 68 to 83)
Tien Shinhan Saga (episodes 84 to 101)
The Saga of King Piccolo (episodes 102 to 122)
Piccolo Jr. Saga (episodes 123–153)

The Saga of Emperor Pilaf

Having finished his chores for the day, Goku is ready to return home with the fish he caught and is knocked down by Bulma. Angry, he attacks her car with his electric pole and destroys it. Goku discovers that Bulma is actually a normal human and, moreover, not a threat but a friend. They head to her house where Bulma finds her grandfather's four-star dragon ball. She persuades Goku to join her in finding the seven dragon balls. Before setting up camp for the night in a capsule house, they are attacked by a hungry dinosaur, which Goku easily fends off with his supernatural strength and fighting skills. Goku finds a turtle outside, and he and Bulma help the turtle reach the sea. On the way, they defeat a giant bear-like bandit. The turtle tells the two to wait while he returns with a reward for helping him and so returns later with Master Roshi (also known as the Turtle Hermit) on his back. Master Roshi gives Goku the Flying Nimbus for his help and Bulma her Dragon Ball for a flash of his pants.

The duo then arrives in a small village terrorized by a monster that keeps stealing all the young girls. Goku goes to fight the monster but discovers that it is actually a perverted, shapeshifting pig named Oolong. The villagers are relieved, Bulma receives a Dragon Ball as a reward and forces Oolong to join the group, believing his technique could prove useful. He initially protests the idea, but is controlled by a special drug that makes him rush to the bathroom whenever someone says the word "pig." Continuing their journey, Bulma loses all her capsules, forcing the team to walk. In the heat of the desert they are traveling through, Bulma faints from heat exhaustion, and the team is joined by the infamous desert bandit Yamcha and his shapeshifting sidekick Puar. Goku fights with his electric pole and Jan Ken technique, but is quickly knocked back by Yamcha's fist. Injured and tired but not knocked unconscious, Goku returns to an angry Yamcha. As the fight is about to reach its climax, Bulma awakens, forcing Yamcha, who has a deep fear of women, to flee in terror.

Yamcha meets up with the team later in Oolong's RV as Bulma takes a shower and Goku and Oolong discuss the Dragon Balls. Yamcha overhears the conversation and decides to make the Dragon Balls his new target. After knocking out Goku and Bulma with a tranquilizer and attempting to steal the Dragon Balls, Oolong botches his attempt when he is lured outside in Bulma's form by Puar, who is in Goku's form. Yamcha also botches his attempt to steal the Dragon Balls when he sees the real Bulma lying naked in her bed and has to flee again. The next day, after recovering from his shock and unable to steal the Dragon Balls, Yamcha decides to take them by force by blowing up the RV with a bazooka. Bulma, now dressed in a bunny suit, is knocked unconscious, and Goku begins his attack, knocking out one of Yamcha's teeth in the process. Yamcha realizes that Goku is much stronger than the last time they fought and soon surrenders, giving the team a car with a tracker inside as an apology.

The next Dragon Ball is found at Fire Mountain, in the possession of the powerful Ox King. After seeing the nimbus, the Ox King asks Goku to fetch Master Roshi's Bansho Fan with his daughter (and Goku's future wife) Chi-Chi. Master Roshi admits to accidentally throwing the fan away long ago and instead heads to Fire Mountain to extinguish the flames surrounding the Ox King's house with a Kamehameha. Goku then successfully attempts the Kamehameha himself, shocking everyone in attendance and destroying the car Yamcha had given them. The Ox King was grateful for the help and gave them not only a Dragon Ball but also a car with which to continue their adventure.

Running low on gas, the team stopped in a small town where all the townspeople feared Bulma because of the bunny costume she always wore. After removing the bunny costume, the townspeople realized she wasn't actually part of the bunny gang terrorizing the town. The bunny leader appeared and turned Bulma into a carrot, forcing Goku and Oolong to take action. After a fierce battle with the bunny leader and the bunny gang, Goku managed to turn Bulma back into a human, then blasted the gang to the moon with his electric pole.

As the team gathers all the Dragon Balls, they are captured by Emperor Pilaf and his two assistants after numerous failed attempts. Using a sleep-inducing gas, Pilaf takes the team's Dragon Balls and goes to summon Shenron to grant his wish for world domination. Before he can grant this terrifying wish, Oolong shouts his wish for the world's most comfortable girl's panties. As the panties fall from the sky onto Oolong's head, the dragon disappears and the balls scatter across the sky. An enraged Pilaf locks the team in a prison.

While in captivity, Goku recounts the story of his grandfather's death. How he was crushed by a giant ferocious beast on a full moon night. Goku then sees a full moon himself and begins transforming into his Great Ape form, destroying the prison and subsequently the rest of the castle. Pilaf and his men manage to escape in a plane as the castle is reduced to rubble. While this allows the team to escape as well, they are also unable to move forward without helping their dear friend Goku. Puar transforms into a pair of scissors to remove Goku's tail, reverting him to his human form. Goku wakes up confused, naked, and unable to balance without his tail. The team agrees to never tell Goku that he caused his grandfather's death after witnessing the correlation between his story and the events of the previous night. Oolong gives Goku a pair of pants to wear, and Yamcha and Bulma decide they don't need the Dragon Balls to wish for a partner because they have each other and agree to become a couple. Bulma gives Goku the Dragon Radar and tells him the Dragon Balls will return in exactly one year. Goku heads to the Nimbus to train with Master Roshi.

Tournament Saga

At Kame House (Master Roshi's house), Goku asks Roshi to become his teacher. Refusing, he claims that he hasn't had any students in a very long time and that if Goku can bring him a girl, he might accept. Goku brings a mermaid and a fat woman, both of whom Roshi rejects. Krillin then also appears on the island to request martial arts lessons, bribing Roshi with erotic magazines. The pair go in search of a wife for Roshi and return with Launch, a blond-haired bank robber. Roshi accepts the pair as students, and they begin a grueling regimen that includes delivering milk and plowing fields. Eight months later, they attend the World Martial Arts Tournament. They reach the quarterfinals with relative ease. The first match pits Krillin against Bacterian, the world's smelliest and most disgusting fighter. Using his foul body odor and oily body to overwhelm Krillin, the situation seems dire until Goku reminds Krillin that he doesn't actually have a nose, at which point Krillin makes a miraculous recovery and defeats Bacterian (with a fart no less).

The next major fight is Yamcha versus Jackie Chun. Jackie Chun is actually Master Roshi in disguise, joining the tournament to ensure his students don't win and develop inflated egos. Yamcha can't land any blows on the obviously incredibly skilled Jackie Chun and is quickly defeated by the wind pressure caused by Jackie Chun's attack, knocking him out of the ring. Roshi uses telepathy to read the thoughts of the next fighter, Nam, and discovers that his village is poor and suffering from drought. Nam faces a female fighter named Ranfan, who strips down to her underwear to force the male opponent out of the ring, but Nam, desperate as he is, closes his eyes and knocks her out. Goku is then confronted by a giant dragon-like fighter named Giran. Giran attempts to defeat Goku by ringout, but Goku uses the nimbus to get back into the ring, followed by a warning that another use of the nimbus would result in disqualification. Giran then ties up Goku with gum and tries to knock him out of the ring again until Goku grabs Giran's arm with his newly regrown tail. Goku powers up and destroys a wall, which Giran surrenders to. Next, it's Krillin versus Jackie Chun. Although Krillin is strong from training, he is still no match for Jackie Chun. Krillin uses a pair of pants and tricks Chun into knocking him out of the ring. Using a Kamehameha, Chun returns to the ring and defeats Krillin using the afterimage technique.

The next battle is between Nam and Goku. Goku manages to defeat Nam after the two attack each other. Before leaving, Chun gives Nam a water capsule for his village and asks him to impersonate Master Roshi so that Goku and Krillin don't suspect his true identity.

The final battle pits Goku against Jackie Chun, with both fighters displaying exceptional skills. Angry at being injured by Goku, Chun uses his electric attack, and just as it seems all over for young Goku, he sees the full moon and transforms. Puar transforms to sever his tail again, while Roshi destroys the moon with a Kamehameha. The two continue their fight, kicking and punching until neither can get up. The first to stand and claim the world title would be declared the winner, and as Goku stands, he faints before he can claim it. Jackie Chun then stands, albeit slowly, and claims the world title.

The Red Ribbon Saga

As Goku continues his journey to find the Dragon Balls, he encounters competition not only from Emperor Pilaf but also from the military force, the Red Ribbon Army, who also seeks world domination via the Dragon Balls. Coincidentally, all three end up in the same city. They then end up in the city where Ox-King and Chi-Chi live after hunting a dinosaur that had eaten the Dragon Ball. Pilaf manages to retrieve the Dragon Ball and escape while Goku is engaged to Chi-Chi without understanding what marriage is and agrees to marry upon his return. Colonel Silver of the Red Ribbon Army forces Pilaf to hand over the Dragon Ball he had successfully retrieved. Goku finds another Dragon Ball but is attacked by Colonel Silver and his halo is destroyed by a bazooka. He quickly dispatches Silver and continues his mission. Silver returns to base and is ordered to be executed for his failure by General White.

Goku uses a capsule he found to travel but crash-lands in Jingle Village where he is helped by a little girl named Suni. He hears about the nearby RR Army building called Muscle Tower and how they are holding their village leader hostage. Two RR Army soldiers then burst in and Goku defeats them before heading to Muscle Tower. Goku arrives at Muscle Tower and fights through different levels of the tower featuring a different set of enemies each time, including normal soldiers, a giant android (who strongly resembles Arnold Schwarzenegger), a ninja named Murasaki, and a Frankenstein-like monster called Hacchan (Android 8). Android 8 eventually becomes Goku's friend as he hates violence and meanness. Goku is, however, confronted by a rather evil creature called Buyon, whose large, fat body completely nullifies almost all of Goku's attacks, including the Kamehameha. Goku thinks quickly as Android 8 is about to be eaten, breaks the wall of the room, allowing an icy wind to enter and freeze Buyon's body, allowing Goku to smash it with a kick. While ascending the tower, Goku and Hacchan encounter General White who tries to fight Goku to no avail. He then tricks Goku and shoots him in the head, which injures Goku and causes him to lose consciousness, angering Hacchan enough to knock General White out of the building and into the distance.

Android 8 gives Goku a Dragon Ball, which is then stolen by the still-alive Murasaki. Goku chases him up the mountain and manages to catch him with a Kamehameha before retrieving the stolen ball. Murasaki is then accidentally killed when Goku throws the bomb Dr. Flappe removed from Hacchan and it lands on him. Goku is told that his nimbus cannot be destroyed, so he summons his nimbus and goes to find Bulma. The two then leave with Bulma shrunk and in Goku's pouch because she cannot ride the nimbus.

General Blue Saga

Goku has Bulma repair his radar and they head out to the ocean to find the first Dragon Ball. Bulma is threatened by two Red Ribbon Soldiers before Goku quickly handles them. The duo borrow a submarine from Master Roshi and set out to find the Dragon Ball. General Blue, a highly revered soldier in the Red Ribbon Army, learns of Goku and his activities and sends a team to Master Roshi to capture him and the Dragon Ball, thinking he is a teacher. Roshi quickly takes care of the team until Launch is taken hostage. However, Turtle rubs her nose with a leaf, causing her to sneeze and transform into her violent and dangerous blonde form. Launch quickly destroys her captors.

Pursued underwater by General Blue, Goku, Krillin, and Bulma take refuge in an abandoned pirate cave. Inside, they dodge numerous dangerous traps, and Goku confronts a pirate robot. General Blue eventually catches up with Krillin and Bulma, and Krillin challenges him to a fight. Krillin loses badly, and just as he is about to be killed by Blue, Goku attacks. Goku and Krillin, rendered unable to fight due to Blue's telekinesis and muscle paralysis technique, are about to be finished off when a rat flies by. Blue, horrified by the sight of the rodent, temporarily releases his technique, allowing Goku a brief moment to land a decisive blow. The team escapes as the cave falls upon Blue, who barely survives and gives chase again. The team is followed by Blue to Master Roshi's house where he telekinetically ties them all up with rope and leaves a bomb next to them before stealing their Dragon Balls and leaving in a plane. Launch arrives in time and frees them, Goku throws the bomb into the air and saves everyone's lives. Flying away, Goku chases Blue, causing them both to crash near the Penguin Village. The two continue their chase and fight, eventually battling at Dr. Norimaki's house. Arale saves Goku by headbutting Blue in the sky, allowing Goku to reclaim his Dragon Balls and resume his journey after receiving a new Dragon Radar from Turbo Norimaki. Blue lands in a desert with Goku's Dragon Radar in his possession and returns to the Red Ribbon Army base.

Commander Red Saga

The four-star Dragon Ball is thrown by a volcano into a small village in Korin Country. The Red Ribbon Army heads to the village to retrieve the Dragon Ball but is confronted by the country's protector, Bora. Desperate, Captain Yellow takes Bora's son, Upa, hostage. Just then, Goku appears and easily defeats Captain Yellow. As a reward, he receives the four-star Dragon Ball. Blue returns to his base and is confronted by Mercenary Tao as a test of Tao's abilities and punishment for failure. Tao easily kills General Blue despite his telekinetic abilities and heads to the village to retrieve the Dragon Ball and kill Goku. Tao arrives to kill Goku but is confronted by Bora, whom he quickly dispatches. Goku is furious but is quickly defeated by Superior Tao with a Dodonpa beam and knocked unconscious, presumed dead. Tao goes to a tailor to have new clothes made after Goku burns them with a Kamehameha and checks into a hotel, stating that he will return in three days once his clothes are made. Goku hears about the sacred water at Korin's Tower that grants magical strength to those who drink it. He climbs the tower to find Korin and demands the water. Korin tells him that if he can take it from him, he can have it. Goku fails miserably at obtaining the water and is tricked into jumping off the tower when Korin throws his Dragon Ball over the edge. Goku races up the tower at breakneck speed and continues trying to take Korin's water, eventually succeeding. Upon drinking the water, Goku discovers that it is actually tap water and that the strength comes from the training he underwent to be able to take Korin's water. Confident in his newfound power, he rushes to face Tao for a rematch. Tao is no match for a powered-up Goku and climbs the tower himself to drink the water. Korin tricks him with magic and sends him back down to face Goku. Goku initially appears to lose before revealing that he was actually having fun and demolishes Tao. Tao, unwilling to lose, throws a grenade at Goku and jumps into the air, but Goku, aware of this tactic, throws the grenade towards him. Mercenary Tao is defeated by the resulting grenade explosion, and Goku continues on his way with the Four-Star Dragon Ball after promising Upa that he will resurrect his father, Bora.

Bulma, worried about little Goku, calls Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong and takes them with her to rescue Goku. They are unaware that Goku has already broken through the Red Ribbon Army's defenses and is tearing them apart. Heading towards Commander Red, Goku begins fighting with Staff Officer Black as Red collapses the ceiling on them and leaves them for dead. Surviving the trick, Black kills Red after revealing that his wish for the Dragon Balls was to become bigger and takes a giant robotic battle suit to fight Goku. Ultimately, Black loses, and Bulma and the team show up to find the battle is already over. The team retrieves the stolen Dragon Balls, but somehow the radar fails to detect the last one. They return to Master Roshi's house in hopes of repairing the dragon radar and continuing their mission.

The Saga of Baba the Fortune Teller

With the dragon's radar unable to locate the final Dragon Ball, the team follows Roshi's suggestion to meet his sister, Fortuneteller Baba, and ask her about the Dragon Ball. Taking Upa with them, Goku, Yamcha, Krillin, Roshi, Puar, and Bulma agree to fight with Fortuneteller Baba's five fighters, as they cannot afford her services. Fangs the Vampire easily defeats Krillin but is defeated by a combination of Upa's garlic breath and Puar taking the form of a crucifix. Yamcha then fights an Invisible Man and loses as he cannot land any hits. Krillin then pulls down Bulma's top, exposing her chest to Roshi, who squirts blood from his nose onto the Invisible Man, allowing Yamcha to defeat him. In the next fight, Bandages the Mummy makes quick work of Yamcha before falling to Goku. Devilman then takes up the challenge and confronts Goku with his special attack, the Devilmite Beam, which causes instant death to the enemy by increasing the evil in their heart to extreme levels. Goku, however, being completely pure of heart, is unaffected by this attack and defeats Devilman.

A mysterious figure wearing a fox mask is the final opponent. He is as strong as Goku and surprisingly knows the Kamehameha technique. Goku loses due to his weak tail until it is accidentally ripped off. The figure then gives up and reveals himself to be Goku's grandfather. During the tearful reunion, Pilaf and his team steal the Dragon Balls again. Goku catches up with them and defeats their giant robot suit. Wishing for Upa's father to be brought back, he grabs the four-star dragon ball before they all disperse and continues his journey at the request of Fortuneteller Baba for three years. Then, he hears about the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament and plans to leave, but before his plane takes off, he is caught helping a fox, causing him to miss his flight. Missing the tournament is not an option, so Goku swims across the world to get there.

The Tenshinhan Saga

The Tenshinhan Saga (Tien Saga) features Tien and Chiaotzu as characters and follows a plot based primarily on tournaments. The most notable battles are:

Yamcha vs. Tien - Blow for blow, the two fight until Yamcha uses Wolf Fang Fist but is countered and knocked to the ground. Yamcha uses a Kamehameha which Tien then reflects back at Yamcha. Yamcha jumps to avoid its beam and is knocked out from behind by Tien who lands on Yamcha's leg with his knees, breaking the bone. Goku is angry and promises to pay him back for his brutality.
Krillin vs. Chiaotzu - They begin by sparring back and forth, jumping and dodging attacks until Krillin lands a solid blow on Chiaotzu. Now realizing he can't match Krillin in martial arts, he flies into the air, realizing that Krillin can't fly; he stays on the ground. Chiaotzu fires several Dodon beams at Krillin as Krillin successfully dodges them and prepares to launch a Kamehameha. Chun knows Krillin's kamehameha can't beat Chiaotzu's full-power Dodon beam and urges him to stop. Krillin instead jumps into the air, dodging the attack, and blasts Chiaotzu point-blank with his first-ever successful Kamehameha. Chiaotzu uses telekinesis to paralyze Krillin and begins kicking him. Krillin taunts Chiaotzu by asking him for a mathematical equation, forcing him to move his fingers and break the technique, giving Krillin a chance to defeat him.
Jackie Chun vs. Tien - The match starts evenly, with no one managing to land a critical hit. Chun uses the Afterimage technique but is seen through Tien's special third eye. Tien fires a Kamehameha at Chun after seeing Yamcha use the move and forces Chun to deflect it away from the audience. Tien takes the opportunity to attack and knees Chun in the back of the head, thinking he has knocked him out. Chun quickly gets up and tells him not to be mean and not to follow his master Shen. Chun gives Tien one last chance to change his attitude and jumps out of the ring, surrendering the match. When asked why, he replies that one of his students will be able to beat Tien anyway.
Goku vs. Krillin - The two engage in a merciless battle. Krillin, who uses his bald head to blind Goku and inflates with air, seems to gain the upper hand. Goku then boasts about showing off his own trick and disappears. Ten, who is watching, sees that Goku is moving so fast he cannot be seen as he appears in front of Krillin and punches him eight times, knocking him out of the ring in the blink of an eye.
Goku vs. Tien - Goku is quickly hit by a Dodon Beam when his Afterimage technique is foiled by Tien. The two both launch a number of attacks at each other, with Goku landing a few quick blows before canceling a Kamehameha knowing Tien can deflect them. Tien attempts Solar Flare but it is canceled by Goku wearing Master Roshi's sunglasses. Suddenly, Goku is paralyzed, allowing Tien to land a number of free blows. Tien remarks that this is strange and that Chiaotzu uses his telekinesis to freeze Goku. Demanding that he stop interfering, Master Shen becomes angry and orders Tien to kill Goku. Tien refuses, stating that he will not follow evil pursuits like Tao, and so Shen orders Chiaotzu to kill them both. Chiaotzu obviously refuses, leading Shen to threaten to kill Chiaotzu. Master Roshi then blasts Shen out of the stadium with a Kamehameha to end his villainous plan. Tien uses his Four Witches Technique and grows two extra arms to attack, but is countered by Goku's Eight Arms Technique, which he learned from King Chappa. Tien's attacks become futile, losing his extra arms and charging a Tri-Beam, which he tells Goku to dodge or he will die. Destroying the area beneath them and hoping to knock Goku down, Tien thinks he has won when Goku jumps into the air, fires a Kamehameha from beneath him, and crashes into Tien, knocking both fighters out of the sky. While attempting another Kamehameha, Goku is hit by a truck and lands a second before Tien, resulting in Tien's overall victory.

Krillin gives Goku his kimono and changes into other clothes, and Tien apologizes to Yamcha. He offers Goku half of the reward money, but Goku refuses, claiming he has no interest in money. Tien then insists that he at least allow him to pay for dinner for everyone, and they all head to a restaurant while Krillin returns to retrieve Goku's electric pole and Dragon Ball. It is suggested that Tien live at Master Roshi's house for a while with everyone, but he refuses, claiming he cannot study under another master. Goku notices that Krillin has been gone for too long and returns worriedly to find Krillin's corpse and the list of Dragon Balls and tournaments stolen.

The Saga of Evil King Piccolo

It is discovered that the monster that killed Krillin has taken the Dragon Ball, and with his electric pole and dragon radar, Goku sets out to hunt down the culprit to avenge his fallen friend. Oolong, meanwhile, finds a piece of paper with a strange symbol on it, revealed by Master Roshi to be the sign of the evil King Piccolo. Roshi then recants the story of the evil King Piccolo and how he killed his master and his dojo before his master managed to seal him in an urn and throw it into the ocean. Emperor Pilaf and his gang foolishly opened the urn to ask Piccolo for help in gathering the Dragon Balls, unaware of the danger they were in. Tambourine, the son sired by Piccolo, was then ordered to kill all the former World Martial Arts Champions. Goku catches up to Tambourine but is easily defeated and presumed dead by the beast, which proceeds to kill all the fighters who took part in the World Tournaments, including Nam, King Chappa, Giran, and more. Goku recovers from his beating and wakes up in a forest to find a large fish cooking over a fire. He eats the fish and is confronted by Yajirobe, who accuses Goku of stealing his fish, and the two fight. Both are surprised by the other's abilities, speed, and strength. Piccolo's second spawn, Cymbal, is ordered to find the Dragon Balls and bring them back to Piccolo. Yajirobe, who possesses one of the Dragon Balls, is surprised by this new creature but easily kills and later eats it. Piccolo is enraged and orders his first spawn, Tambourine, to avenge his fallen brother. Goku is fully recovered at this point and easily vaporizes Tambourine with a Kamehameha. Master Roshi and the other fighters manage to find the rest of the Dragon Balls and head to where Goku is fighting Piccolo, but arrive too late and discover that Piccolo, even in his elderly form, has defeated Goku.

Using the Dragon Balls as bait, Master Roshi attacks Piccolo but proves unable to face the Namekian monster and prepares to use the Evil Containment Wave, just as his master had done so many years ago. Roshi misses his attack and his life is forfeited as he claims that another person more powerful than him will soon arrive to defeat Piccolo. With no one left to stop him, Piccolo uses the Dragon Balls to wish for his youth, becoming more powerful than ever and betraying and rejecting Pilaf and his gang after blasting Shenron with a mouth blast, destroying him and the Dragon Balls. Goku and Yajirobe go to Korin's tower to obtain senzu beans while Tien practices the Evil Containment Wave after witnessing Roshi perform the technique. Goku reaches Korin but is shocked to learn that he is now far stronger than Korin and has nothing to learn from him, receiving senzu beans as his only aid. Korin then tells Goku about the Ultra Divine Water, though unlike the previous water, it is truly magical and can increase Goku's powers, but at a price.

Piccolo is busy wreaking havoc and destroying civilization while Goku is allowed to drink the water by the Protector of Waters and spends the night in agony to survive the powerful effects of the water. In the morning, he is bursting with newfound power and immediately launches into a rematch with Piccolo. Tien has the same idea and reaches Piccolo's castle first. Drum, Piccolo's last and final offspring, is waiting for him there and engages Tien in battle. Desperately, Tien fires the Evil Containment Wave at Piccolo, but Drum jumps in the way before Piccolo destroys the container, saving Drum. Drum then easily defeats Tien as Goku arrives to crush Drum's head with a single kick, much to Tien's surprise.

Piccolo attacks Goku with a blow that Goku easily blocks, followed by more attacks and blasts that Goku can again easily thwart. The battle continues to escalate, with each fighter using more powerful techniques than the last. Piccolo manages to burn Goku's knee with a beam, but still can't seem to gain the upper hand as Goku uses a homing Kamehameha. Piccolo resorts to releasing a wave of energy from his body that resembles a massive explosion, as Tien carried Goku into the air and helped him avoid the attack. Goku claims he can handle the fight on his own from there. He flies towards Piccolo, who prepares another blast and punches him in the face, but with only one functioning leg, he couldn't muster the power to knock him down. Piccolo grabs Tien by the head and claims he will crush Tien's skull if Goku continues to fight. Goku stops and, ignoring Tien's pleas to kill Piccolo, his arm and leg are broken by Piccolo blowing rocks at them. With Goku incapacitated, Piccolo lets go of Tien and levitates into the air to charge up one final blast to kill Goku. Goku uses his only good arm to power up a full-powered Kamehameha beneath him and blasts towards Piccolo at high speed. Making a fist with his remaining hand, he blasts a clean hole through Piccolo's chest. Piccolo uses his last remaining power to create an egg containing the reincarnation of himself and spits it out before exploding in a giant fireball. Goku falls to Earth and is caught by Yajirobe.

Piccolo Jr. Saga

Yajirobe takes Goku to Korin's Tower and is healed with a senzu bean. Korin tells Goku about Kami and how he can recreate the Dragon Balls to wish for his friends back, and that he would need a power pole to connect Korin's Tower to Kami's Lookout. Goku retrieves his power pole from Master Roshi's house and climbs to the top of the lookout. There, he encounters a strange man named Mr. Popo, who tests Goku and completely overwhelms him. Goku pleads that he wants to stay there and train to be strong enough to pass the test and meet Kami. Mr. Popo begins teaching Goku, but Kami appears to see Goku. Mistaking him for the evil King Piccolo, Goku attacks but is repelled. Kami explains that they were once the same being, but they split up to separate the good side of himself from the evil side. As a reward for his bravery, Kami recreates the dragon for Goku, and Bulma and the team retrieve the Dragon Balls and wish for the resurrection of everyone murdered by Piccolo and his minions. Kami tells Goku that he must now remain vigilant and train for three years to be strong enough to defeat the reincarnated Piccolo at the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Three years later, everyone meets up at the tournament. No one recognizes Goku for so long until he takes off his headgear, revealing his signature hairstyle, and stupidly asks Bulma if her lipstick is blood.

The rest of the saga unfolds in tournament form until the final battle. Notable battles include:

Tao Cyborg vs. Tien - Tao begins to be beaten by Tien until he pulls out a knife and slices Tien's chest with it before firing a super dodon beam from his arm cannon. Tien is unaffected by the blast after neutralizing it with ki and easily knocks Tao to the ground, dropping his incapacitated body outside the ring at Master Shen's feet, telling them to leave and never return.
Goku vs. "Name Withheld" - Goku is viciously attacked by the unnamed woman. Unable to remember who she is, she reminds him that he promised to marry her. Still unsure of what this means, Goku learns that it means they will become husband and wife and live together. She promises to tell him her name if he can win. He very easily knocks her out of the ring with a ki blast. The woman then reveals that she is Chi-Chi, and Goku reveals that he promised because he thought marriage was a kind of nourishment. Chi-Chi is devastated by this, but Goku, sticking to his word, proposes to her from the ring.
Piccolo Jr. vs. Krillin - Krillin starts off well but is quickly overwhelmed by Piccolo. Thrown out of the ring, Krillin demonstrates his ability to fly and that he will not be beaten so easily. Piccolo uses his extendable arm and pulls Krillin to hit him with a powerful punch. Krillin attempts to use a Kamehameha, but Piccolo dodges and pummels Krillin, severely injuring him and forcing him to give up.
Hero vs. Yamcha - Yamcha is confident because Hero looks like a weak, nerdy guy. Yamcha easily dodges his first attack but is caught off guard by a kick that seems to have luckily hit Hero as he stumbles. It is revealed that Hero is not actually human and is possessing this body to fight Piccolo Jr. in a later round as Yamcha uses the Ki Spirit Ball attack. Narrowly missing, Yamcha is knocked out by a violent elbow. Goku then realizes Hero's identity.
Goku vs. Tien - Goku is initially held at bay by Tien and seems unable to keep up. However, after removing his training gear (weighted clothing), he is much faster than Tien and steals his belt, causing his pants to fall off in front of the audience. An embarrassed Tien uses his final special technique, the Quartering Technique, and creates three independent clones of himself. They each go to a corner of the ring and fire at Goku, forcing him into the sky and blasting him once more. Goku tells him that this move won't work again as he tries the same attack pattern. This time, Goku uses a solar flare to blind Tien and defeats him in one blow.
Hero vs. Junior - Hero is far stronger than Piccolo imagined and is quickly able to recognize that it is actually Kami in disguise when he reads his mind. Kami uses the Evil Containment Wave, but it is deflected by Piccolo. Rather than allow the body he is using to be trapped inside the container, Kami abandons Hero's body and allows himself to be trapped instead. Piccolo then swallows the bottle and is declared the winner.
Goku vs. Piccolo Jr. - After a brief fight, Piccolo attempts to destroy the arena and all the spectators, which Goku manages to prevent. But Goku tries his luck again with a Kamehameha that destroys Piccolo's turban and sends the spectators fleeing in terror when they see it is Piccolo. Piccolo then uses his giant form, but it is useless as Goku manages to enter Piccolo's mouth and retrieve the bottle containing Kami to free him. With the giant form proving useless in this fight, Piccolo returns to his normal size and electrifies Goku with his antenna attack. He goes to finish Goku off, but Kami defends against the attack, much to Goku's dismay. Goku demands that Kami not intervene and offers Piccolo a clean blow.

Piccolo uses powerful ki attacks, but they are almost all ineffective, leaving him exhausted and exposed to a Kamehameha from Goku. Believing the fight to be over, the announcer is almost at ten o'clock when Piccolo gets up and blasts a hole in Goku's shoulder with a mouth beam. Piccolo then proceeds to disable all of Goku's limbs one by one. Thinking he cannot move, Piccolo fires a heavy beam at Goku, seemingly killing him. But it's not over yet, as Goku, having learned to fly during his training, appears above Piccolo and slams into him, knocking him out of the ring and winning the tournament.

Yajirobe gives Goku a senzu bean to heal him while Kami goes to finish off the defeated and exhausted Piccolo. Goku intervenes and tells him that if he kills Piccolo, the Dragon Balls will disappear and he too will die. Roshi coldly explains that it was thanks to the Dragon Balls that Goku did what he did and that now there is peace. Kami repairs Goku's clothes and, to everyone's surprise, offers Piccolo a senzu bean. Piccolo immediately gets up and claims that he will one day get his revenge and flies off. Kami, seeing the good in Goku, asks him to become the new guardian of Earth in his place. Goku refuses Kami's offer, summons Flying Nimbus, grabs Chi-Chi, and flies off to begin his peaceful family life.