Dragon Ball Z: Ranking Goku's 10 Best Fights
Who was the Super Saiyan's greatest foe?
Dragon Ball Z is one of the most enduring television shows of all time, staying relevant as a pop culture icon for decades since it was released.
It's a show that has managed to transcend generations, with many adults still getting as animated as ever when recalling one of the defining shows of their childhood - similar to the excitement of today's youth discovering the joys of the Saiyan saga for the first time.
With so many iconic moments and characters etched in the memories of young and old, the franchise's lead character, Goku, more often than not stood tall above the rest. Thousands have watched as Goku used Saiyan powers to fuel many epic battles against equally epic villains across hundreds of episodes.
If there's one thing Dragon Ball Z is good at, it's piecing together a wild, intense, emotionally-driven and often episodes-long fight sequence. There are few episodes that don't end up pitting our hero Kakarot and the rest of the gang against the next unstoppable bad guy to be thrown their way.
From aliens to androids and everything in between (including relatives!), Goku fought them all throughout the Dragon Ball Z saga, each war as chaotic as the last.
10. Captain Ginyu
Not to be mistaken with battling the Ginyu Force as a whole - as Goku's comical defeat of Recoome was more a showcase for the returning Kakarot than an actual battle - it's Captain Ginyu himself that creates one of the major character clashes on Namek.
The level of humour involved drops away as the fight goes on, with both Kakarot and Ginyu ramping up the intensity as they realise the match they've both come up against. Arrogance and one-liners gradually give way to violence and ferocity.
Ginyu's fascinating ability to swap bodies lends itself to a very different type of fight, with the tease of his powers constantly fuelling the tension of the fight and what Goku could do to possibly contain his enemy. A battle of smarts as much as strength, Ginyu shockingly stabs his own chest midway through the battle, applying his aforementioned body changing technique to force Goku into the wounded body of Ginyu.
Unfortunately for the Captain, his inability to control Kakarot's power within the body he has assumed, as well as some timely interference, was too much for Ginyu to take on. After a pair of unsuccessful attempts to transfer himself into Vegeta's body, he hilariously lands himself in the body of a nearby frog, hopping away in surrender.
Despite the comedy that bookends the fight, it's a true teaser and warm up that leads directly into another major commotion that we'll get to later.