Akira Toriyama Dragon Ball Z is a groundbreaking shonen series that is as popular as ever, more than three decades after its release. It is an anime dense with heartbreaking power struggles, intimidating antagonists, and inspiring messages about what it means to be a hero. Dragon Ball Z is a crucial chapter in the great dragon ball franchise This establishes many of the series' most popular traditions, but it has also influenced countless other series and set new standards for what is possible in the battle shonen genre.

There is a fine line between characteristic elements and repetitive tropes and Dragon Ball Z is certainly guilty of becoming increasingly dependent on certain ideas. This does not mean that all of these recurring elements are harmful to Dragon Ball Zis storytelling. However, it is still worth addressing the most prevalent tropes that often seem unavoidable.

10 Long-lost relatives appear out of nowhere seeking revenge

Dragon Ball Z establishes a large, sprawling universe full of surprises. However, one recurring obstacle the heroes are forced to face is the idea that threats from the past have vengeful relatives who are out for blood. This trope isn't inherently flawed, especially if these estranged family members have already been teased. Dragon Ball Z tends to have these characters arrive out of nowhere, which often feels like convenient writing rather than a twist that's been properly earned. Dragon Ball Z explores this idea in its first episode with the arrival of Raditz. The trope continues and is particularly prominent with Frieza..

The heroes are threatened not only by Frieza's father, King Cold, but also by his brother, Cooler. Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock even turns one of Frieza's ancestors, Chilled, into a concern. Garlic Jr. is another enemy who wants revenge for what happened to his father, Garlic, even though the audience did not witness this previous encounter. dragon ball even long-lost friendly relatives appear, as in the case of Vegeta's brother Tarble in Dragon Ball: Hey! Son Goku and his friends return!! It seems especially odd that Vegeta has an in-universe brother who was never mentioned before his first appearance in the series.

9 Heroes pass the torch to the next generation of champions

The original dragon ball is singularly focused on Goku, but his adult adventures in Dragon Ball Z help him better understand his own mortality and that he won't always be around to protect the planet. The long timeline that Dragon Ball Z capes make it easier for characters to start families and give greater importance to the next generation of heroes. This is an uplifting idea, and thematically it makes sense that Dragon Ball Z would like to pass the torch to the younger characters. It still qualifies as a prominent trope that begins to dominate the narrative, particularly in Dragon Ball ZIt's Bu Saga.

Dragon Ball Z teases Gohan's potential early on, and there is an illuminating transition period when he temporarily replaces Goku as the series' lead. Additionally, Goten and Trunks become increasingly important, and much of the weight of Buu's defeat and the Earth's future is placed on their shoulders. Dragon Ball Z concludes poignantly with Goku acknowledging Uub's incredible power and promising to train him to be Earth's next great warrior. It's even possible to extrapolate this idea to young characters like Dende, who gains greater responsibility and takes on the role of Guardian of Earth. This trope is front and center Dragon Ball Zbut it is more explored in dragon ball gt and Dragon Ball Super with Gohan's daughter, Pan.

8 There are non-stop martial arts tournaments

Martial arts tournaments are an easy way to feature non-stop combat and showcase a wide variety of eclectic characters. These competitions are also a valuable way to demonstrate how powerful everyone has become and how they compare to one another. That said, Dragon Ball Z really goes bankrupt with this concept and starts to feel like an easy excuse for action when the series is out of ideas for conflict.

The World Martial Arts Tournament is a tradition that is established in the original dragon ball that transfers to Dragon Ball Z. However, there is also the Other World Tournament and the Intergalactic World Tournament of Bojack Unchained. The final battle against Cell even takes on a tournament-like structure with the Cell Games. Dragon Ball Super takes this trope to unprecedented levels with the Tournament of Power, which serves as the final story arc of the anime that lasts 35 episodes and takes up almost a quarter of the series.

7 Evil androids threaten the heroes' safety

Dragon Ball Z features an incredible variety of villains that the heroes face. However, the series loves to use the evil Androids as a source of conflict and has become one of the dragon ballof the oldest tropes at this point. There is an early glimpse of the Androids in the original dragon ball courtesy of the Red Ribbon Army, but Dragon Ball Z really embraces the concept when it brings Androids 16-20 into the mix. Android 18 – and later Android 17 – also remain and become essential players in the series' future.

Dragon Ball Z is so wedded to the evil Android trope that he makes it the focus of his seventh feature film, Super Android 13!, where Dr. Gero's Androids 13, 14, and 15 are activated posthumously. It's a device the series loves to resort to, and that momentum doesn't die down after Dragon Ball Zconclusion. dragon ball gt starts to present Super 17, while Dragon Ball Super presents a whole series of Alpha and Beta Androids before the higher Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 enter the mix.

6 New Dragon Ball sets discovered

dragon ballThe events of are triggered because Bulma is searching for the Dragon Balls. and the wish she will make to Shenron. A set of Dragon Balls already seems like an incredible treasure, but subsequent dragon ball series take this concept to bigger and bolder places. New Dragon Ball sets and revisions to their existing limitations become an easy way to ease the pressure of the series so that problems can be easily solved. The Namekian Dragon Balls and the upgrade that Dende performs on the Earth Dragon Balls allow for up to three wishes and greater leniency when it comes to resurrection.

This seems more like a reaction to the arrival of more apocalyptic antagonists. dragon ball and death becoming more prevalent than it used to be. This trope was taken to a grander place with the introduction of additional Dragon Ball sets such as dragon ball gtThe Black Star Dragon Balls and Dragon Ball SuperSuper Dragon Balls and Planet Cereal's Dragon Balls. At this point, audiences can pretty much expect a new set of Dragon Balls to be introduced whenever it's convenient.

5 Heroes undergo last-minute transformations that save the day

The original dragon ball features fantastic techniques and occasional energy attacks, but is surprisingly grounded in nature. Dragon Ball ZThe Super Saiyan transformations have become one of the most popular elements of the franchise., so it should come as no surprise that radical transformations have become increasingly common. Goku's original Super Saiyan transformation is a game-changing moment that could have meant even more if he were the only character to achieve this milestone. However, virtually every Saiyan in Dragon Ball Z ascend to this status, even children like Goten and Trunks. Additionally, a litany of Super Saiyan stages are explored, including intermediate stages like Super Saiyan Second and Third Grade.

Super Saiyan 3 starts to feel like a parody of the transformation and a new metamorphosis is practically expected whenever the heroes find themselves overwhelmed. This trope is taken to ridiculous places in Dragon Ball Zbut the series' dependence on such a device led to even more absurd developments in Dragon Ball Super. There's now Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, multiple stages of Ultra Instinct, and even character-specific transformations like Gohan Beast and Orange Piccolo. dragon ball wouldn't be lost in these heightened transformations if Super Saiyan power boosts hadn't become so popular in Dragon Ball Z.

4 Characters sacrifice themselves in poignant ways, only to later be resurrected

Death is inevitable in a series like Dragon Ball Z and many of anime's strongest characters have tragically met their end in battle. Few gestures are as moving as when someone heroically sacrifices themselves for something greater. Dragon Ball Z resorted to this trope on several occasions, be it Chiaotzu's sacrifice against Nappa, Piccolo's death to protect Gohan, Goku's totemic instant transmission with Cell to save the planet, or Vegeta's final explosion in an attempt to eliminate Buu. All of these amount to some of the Dragon Ball Zgreatest moments.

However, these noble sacrifices start to lose their impact when it becomes quite obvious that the fallen heroes will be resurrected by the Dragon Balls after the fact. None of the aforementioned sacrifices actually became the end of these characters, even though some of them have died on multiple occasions. It's another situation where it's more or less assumed that any heroic sacrifice will be reversed and everything will go back to the status quo.

3 Villains go through multiple transformations until they reach peak power.

Dragon Ball ZSaiyans have a multitude of power boosts at their disposal.. The same goes for the series' central villains, who really go all out when it comes to deadly transformations. Frieza kicks off this trope with four unique forms he cycles through before reaching full power. Each transformation comes as a total shock to the heroes, and this concept can occasionally feel like a gratuitous way to prolong a battle. Cell also adheres to this formula as he evolves from Imperfect to Semi-Perfect to Perfect.

Dragon Ball ZMajin Buu's final villain seems the most superfluous in this regard. Buu transforms from Innocent Buu to Evil Buu to Super Buu to Kid Buu. Additionally, there are also unique versions of Super Buu based on the respective heroes he absorbed, such as Piccolo, Gohan, and Gotenks. Free transformations can run out, and often the first few battles against these villains feel pointless. Viewers know that additional transformations are on the way, and that the first few fights are just to test the waters and set the tone.

2 Goku always eliminates the central villain and repeatedly uses the spirit bomb attack

Dragon Ball Z is full of extremely powerful characters, but there's a tendency to always have Goku show up to save the day and eliminate the ultimate evil. This trope sometimes makes sense, but the tendency to repeat this structure starts to feel predictable. Goku is also a character who isn't interested in taking credit for the victory or is greedy in that regard, which makes his tendency to always win feel even more unnecessary. Dragon Ball Z is most exciting during the conclusion of the Cell Saga, when it bucks this trend and has Gohan rise to the occasion. It's even more disappointing when Dragon Ball Z regresses during the Buu Saga and returns to Goku as the strongest hero.

The Buu Saga spends so much time on Goten and Trunks mastering fusion and Gohan's rigorous training to unlock his Ultimate upgrade, all of which becomes irrelevant by the end of the story arc. Even Goku and Vegeta's fusion into Vegito feels like a shallow way to prolong the battle, rather than a winning strategy. Goku defeats Kid Buu with his most reliable technique, the Spirit Bomb, and this ongoing trope is reinforced even further throughout most of the story arc. Dragon Ball Super. The series needs to learn how to truly share the wealth among its unique cast.

1 Evil Villains Are Redeemed Into Trustworthy Allies

Out of Dragon Ball ZOf the many recurring tropes, the idea of former villains being redeemed into trustworthy heroes is certainly the most significant. Anime loves a good rehabilitation story and Dragon Ball Z really indulges in this development, even if it doesn't necessarily make sense for a given character to atone for their sins. dragon ball It's gotten to the point where many of their strongest heroes are actually former villains who were determined to execute Goku and destroy the Earth. Dragon Ball Z quickly turns Piccolo into one of Goku's greatest allies and a surrogate father figure for Gohan, which is even more surprising considering he was brought into the world to kill Goku.

Vegeta also gradually becomes one of Goku's best friends. and he constantly reckons with his murderous past as he sets out to do good. Android 18, responsible for the deaths of nearly all of Earth's heroes in Future Trunks' timeline, reforms and starts a family with Krillin. Even Majin Buu, Dragon Ball ZThe final villain, becomes enlightened by the friendship of Hercule Satan and becomes an unexpected ally. These are all exceptional characters and Dragon Ball Z is stronger for having them around. However, the public has become increasingly conditioned to the idea that any new threat can become a hero when all is said and done.