Dragon Ball GT doesn't have the best reputation in the grander scope of Dragon Ball properties, but this doesn't mean that it's not without its triumphs.GT picks up five years after Dragon Ball Z's ten-year time-skip epilogue, yet its introductory episodes skew more to a younger audience than the more mature crowd who loved Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball GT takes great strides to recapture the original Dragon Ball's lighthearted energy by turning Goku back into a child and prioritizing silly adventures over suspenseful combat.
Dragon Ball GT had enough foresight to recognize that their original plan wasn't working and to pivot to more action-oriented storytelling. This means that it takes Dragon Ball GT a little time to find its rhythm, but once it does, there's some exceptional combat on display that can hold its own with both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Many of these fights showcase the incredible power of Super Saiyan 4 strength. However, there are also plenty of genuinely creative battles that push boundaries, subvert expectations, and think outside the box.
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10 Goku Jr. Stand Up Against Lord Yao & His Sinister Shapeshifting Skills
Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy
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It's not unusual for Dragon Ball series to have OVAs, TV Specials, or extra installments that help flesh out unique corners of the universe. Dragon Ball GT is no exception and Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy is a TV special that functions as a standalone epilogue to the series that follows Goku Jr., Pan's great-great-grandson, 100 years in the future. A Hero's Legacy is a fairly small-scale slice of life story that finds joy in the clear parallels between Goku Jr. and his ancestor, Goku, back when he was a kid. A unique fight that breaks out in the TV Special involves Lord Yao -- a shapeshifting boar demon -- and his Mount Paozu Demon crew, who learn about Goku Jr.'s Super Saiyan strength the hard way.
Lord Yao and his demon underlings take pleasure in terrorizing Goku Jr. and a family of bears. This fight isn't particularly long and it quickly ends as soon as Goku Jr. transforms into a Super Saiyan and assaults Lord Yao. However, what makes it so creative is Lord Yao's diverse shapeshifting skills. Unlike Oolong or Puar, Lord Yao is able to transform specific parts of his body. He turns his arms into a cannon, a blade, an iron mac, and a tree root. There's an unpredictable element to this fight because it feels as if Lord Yao can become any weapon that he wants in order to handle the situation. It's a deadly and versatile technique that, fortunately, Goku Jr. is strong enough to counter.
9 Goku & Pan Launch A Synchronized Attack To Exterminate Full Power Luud
Dragon Ball GT, Episodes 13 & 14, "The Man Behind The Curtain" & "The Battle Within"
Dragon Ball GT's Luud Cult is a controversial storyline that throws a lot of villains and red herrings at the audience between the Para Para Brothers, Dolltaki, Dr. Myuu, and Cardinal Mutchy Mutchy. This is all in the service of Luud, a giant Machine Mutant who is one of Dr. Myuu's most powerful creations. Luud absorbs the individuals that Dolltaki transforms into dolls in order to acquire greater power, which allows it to transform into its Level 2 and Level 3 states. Goku and Trunks are unable to damage this gigantic robot doll when it's in its Level 2 state, but they begin to struggle even more after Luud absorbs Pan and enters its strongest state.
Pan eventually learns that Luud's unique infrastructure means that its only weakness is a special nuclei cell that can only be destroyed if it's attacked from Luud's inside and outside at the exact same time. Pan, with the help of the Para Para Brothers telepathic communication, relays this message to Goku. Pan launches a blast from Luud's inside, while Goku reciprocates from the outside and Luud is finally destroyed.
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8 Nuova Shenron's Fire Powers & Fair Philosophy Pushes Goku To Scramble
Dragon Ball GT, Episodes 54 & 56, "The Four-Star Dragon" & "The Three-Star Dragon"
Dragon Ball GT taps into something special with its seven evil Shadow Dragons, all of whom boast unique abilities and diverse elemental powers that prompt outside the box battle strategies. Nuova Shenron is one of the most compelling Shadow Dragons because he actually exhibits a sense of honor. He longs for a fair fight and is capable of respecting his opponent, rather than a villain who will do whatever it takes to defeat his enemy. Nuova Shenron first challenges Goku in his starter form, which insulates him in a powerful Heat Armor that has a temperature that's higher than the sun. This means that Goku can't punch or kick Nuova Shenron, otherwise his limbs will burn right up.
Goku's discovery that Nuova Shenron receives his power from the sun is another creative wrinkle that leaves Goku with little recourse other than transforming into his Super Saiyan 4 state. Super Saiyan 4 Goku utilizes a clever combination of attacks to defeat Nuova Shenron in his true form, such as how he surrounds Nuvoa Shenron with Afterimage illusions and then releases a 10x Kamehameha. Goku has the opportunity to finish off Nuova Shenron, but spares his life because of Nuova Shenron's previous decision to show sympathy to Pan. Their battle is interrupted by Eis Shenron, Nuova Shenron's twin brother, but the fact that Nuova Shenron isn't a black-or-white villain forces Goku to think beyond pure destruction.
7 Naturon Shenron Absorbs Pan & Exposes Goku To An Awful Ultimatum
Dragon Ball GT, Episode 52 & 53, "The Seven-Star Dragon" & "Saying Goodbye"
Naturon Shenron is a conniving villain who doesn't look like much in his base form, but he's able to radically transform and become more powerful based on whatever he absorbs. Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Pan swiftly defeat Nautron Shenron, or so they think. Naturon Shenron reveals that his weak act was merely a ruse and he uses the heroes' lowered guards to absorb Pan and become stronger than ever.
This gambit puts Goku in a difficult situation because Pan is now a part of Naturon Shenron and the Shadow Dragon's defeat also means Pan's death. Pan encourages Goku to kill Naturon Shenron -- and her -- for the greater good. Goku, however, desperately looks for an alternative approach. Goku gives Naturon Shenron a taste of his own medicine by feigning defeat so that Pan is released, only to then strike with his 10x Kamehameha, which easily destroys the Shadow Dragon.
6 Goku & Android 18's Team Attack Is Essential To Overcoming Super 17's Energy Absorption
Episodes 46 & 47, "Raising The Stakes" & "The Greatest Surprise"
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Super 17, the fused synthesis of Android 17 and Hell Fighter 17, causes a calamitous catastrophe on Earth. To begin with, Super 17 is a humbling revelation for Goku because all his standard Super Saiyan 4 skills that worked against Baby fall short here. Goku bombards Super 17 with powerful energy attacks, like 10x Kamehameha, only to realize that Super 17 just absorbs energy to become more powerful. Goku believes that he can simply overload Super 17 with power, but this strategy doesn't work and just leaves Super 17 stronger than ever.
Goku is so desperate here that he prepares to self-destruct against Super 17 and almost follows through with this bleak strategy. Android 18 comes to the rescue, largely to avenge the death of her husband, Krillin, who the possessed Android 17 killed. Goku and Android 18 deliver a tandem attack, which becomes the key to Super 17's defeat. Goku notices that Super 17 is vulnerable and can't defend himself when he's absorbing energy attacks. Android 18 fires off a barrage of blasts, which Super 17 absorbs, while Goku uses this opportunity to strike and destroy the Android with his Super Dragon Fist.
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5 Rage Shenron Battles Goku & Pan With An Unusual Electric Weapon
Dragon Ball GT Episode 50, "The Five-Star Dragon"
Dragon Ball GT's Shadow Dragons present an interesting obstacle for the anime, since they're seven back-to-back battles that all need to feel distinct from each other. Rage Shenron, who represents the Five-Star Dragon Ball and possesses electrical powers, doesn't always get a lot of love. He's certainly an annoying villain, but one who becomes a creative challenge for Goku and Pan.
Rage Shenron begins as a tiny terror, but he can absorb the energized Electric Slime that he attacks with to transform into a monstrous villain. Rage Shenron's Electric Slime is a versatile weapon that's able to reflect Goku's 10x Kamehameha back at him, but also capture them and keep them still. The only reason that the heroes survive is through a lucky break where a rainstorm short circuits the Electric Slime and gives Goku and Pan enough of an opportunity to escape and retaliate.
4 Majuub & Goku Experience Tumultuous Transformations Against Baby Vegeta
Dragon Ball GT, Episodes 32, 33 & 35-39
Baby, a Neo Machine Mutant Tuffle, is Dragon Ball GT's first truly memorable villain. He's a parasitic creature who possesses most of Earth's population, but chooses Vegeta to be his ultimate host body. This becomes a solid excuse to put Goku and Vegeta back in combat with each other. This is one of Dragon Ball GT's longest battles and it's full of creative complications, including Goku regrowing his tail so that he can become a Golden Great Ape and then a Super Saiyan 4 fighter. These sequences are unexpected and suspenseful, but Uub also provides crucial support when he fuses with Buu to become Majuub. Majuub's Chocolate Kamehameha attack gets reflected on him so that he's turned into chocolate.
This is actually part of Majuub's plan and he later launches an intense attack from inside Golden Great Ape Baby Vegeta so that the villain is forced to turn to a different battle plan. Baby Vegeta's Revenge Death Ball is another entertaining complication, but none of these attacks are enough to take out Super Saiyan 4 Goku. Goku's 10x Kamehameha finally blasts Baby into the sun and ends his reign of terror. This battle's many intuitive transformations help it stand out as one of Dragon Ball GT's most distinct fights.
3 Goku Is Forced To Rely On His Other Senses When He's Blinded By Eis Shenron
Dragon Ball GT, Episode 57, "The One-Star Dragon"
Eis Shenron, Nuova Shenron's brother, is the more wicked and controlling of the Shadow Dragon siblings. Eis Shenron has ice powers, which contrasts with his brother's fire abilities. Goku is initially caught off guard when Eis Shenron freezes him solid. This debilitating condition is thankfully reversed by Nuova Shenron, but Eis Shenron turns to even more nefarious tactics to gain the advantage against Goku. Eis Shenron fights with the exact opposite mindset as his brother and he buys himself a lot of time by using both Pan and Nuova Shenron as shields against Goku's intense attacks. This pushes Goku to adopt a more careful battle strategy, all while Eis Shenron's attacks grow deadlier.
The most creative element of this battle is when Eis Shenron forms Ice Claws on his hands and uses them to blind Goku. He has to negotiate his way through the rest of the battle without his sight and instead rely upon the rest of his senses. A cathartic conclusion is reached when Goku punches through Eis Shenron's chest and then turns to his rarely used Dragon Fist attack to finish the Shadow Dragon off. Goku's victory against Eis Shenron is short-lived when Syn Shenron crashes the party and gives Goku his greatest Shadow Dragon challenge yet.
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2 Omega Shenron Mixes & Matches A Multitude Of Powers Against An Indomitable Super Saiyan 4 Duo
Dragon Ball GT, Episodes 59-63
Goku handles the first six Shadow Dragons with relative ease, but the final threat, Syn Shenron, absorbs his defeated peers' Dragon Balls and evolves into Omega Shenron. In this state, Omega Shenron has access to all the previous Shadow Dragons' powers. This inherently leads to creative combat that showcases a wide variety of elemental attacks, which becomes a good summation of the greatest challenges from this story arc. Omega Shenron is the only Shadow Dragon that Vegeta faces, which also marks his Super Saiyan 4 debut. It's exciting to see Goku and Vegeta properly fight as a team in Dragon Ball GT, but there's also a brief period of panic when Vegeta's Golden Great Ape transformation rebels against Goku.
Goku and Vegeta give their all during this fight and Goku turns to some powerful and obscure techniques, like his Dragon Hammer upgrade to his Dragon Fist maneuver. Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Vegeta turn to the fusion dance and become Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, which is where most of this fight's more creative material occurs. Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta's attack arsenal is truly unpredictable. It's also worth pointing out that Nuova Shenron briefly returns to provide the Saiyans with help in Dragon Ball GT Episode 62, "Rescue Goku," which is another unique wrinkle to these proceedings.
1 General Rilldo Becomes A Living Planet During His Battle Against Goku, Trunks & Pan
Dragon Ball GT, Episodes 19, 20 & 21, "A General Uprising," "The Source Of Rilldo's Power" & "A Secret Revealed"
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General Rilldo is Dr. Myuu's right-hand man and a particularly dangerous Machine Mutant. General Rilldo, in his standard form, valiantly takes on Goku, Trunks, and Pan. He also possesses a Metal Breath attack that can solidify targets into metal. Trunks appears to succumb to this attack before the truth of his strategy comes to light. Rilldo is strong from the start, but this battle continues to evolve when Rilldo executes multiple transformations. Hyper Meta Rilldo is the result of Rilldo absorbing the debris of the powerful Sigma Force. He's not only stronger in this state, but acquires a deadly drill hand and attacks like the Hyper Meta-Rilldo Punch. Goku carefully defeats Hyper Meta Rilldo, only for the Machine Mutant to take on his true form: Meta-Rilldo. Meta-Rilldo is reminiscent of Terminator 2's T-1000.
He can transform into liquid metal for convenient evasion and transportation, but he also has the ability to absorb any nearby metal and manipulate it into weapons and duplicates of himself. Meta-Rilldo launches multiple versions of himself against Goku, who swarm the planet. Meta-Rilldo's ultimate gambit is to literally fuse together with the metallic planet itself and become a "Planet of Metal." Meta-Rilldo succeeds in briefly turning Goku and Pan into metal, but they get the last laugh when a Triple Kamehameha from Goku, Pan, and Trunks eliminates Rilldo during their exit from Planet M-2. It's easily Dragon Ball GT's most creative and unpredictable battle that keeps the audience guessing right until its end.
Dragon Ball GT
TV-PG
Adventure
After Goku is made a kid again by the Black Star Dragon Balls, he goes on a journey to get back to his old self.
Release Date March 26, 1997
Cast Masako Nozawa , Yûko Minaguchi
Seasons 1
Characters By
Creator
Production Company
Network Fuji TV
Streaming Service(s) Hulu
Franchise(s) Dragon Ball
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