Dragon Ball Super is everything Dragon Ball GT was not, but the series will come to an end soon. Akira Toriyama, the creator the Dragon Ball franchise, had no creative input on GT, and the series' bold aspirations were ill-conceived without him. GT is neither a prequel to Super, nor a sequel to Dragon Ball Z, and it survives on an alternate plane of existence. One that most Dragon Ball fans refuse to acknowledge. Toriyama returned almost two decades after the conclusion of Dragon Ball Z, arguably his best work, to finally continue the story of Goku.
Dragon Ball Super has been an intense ride since it premiered in 2015. The expansion of new forms, like Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue, revamped the power scale for the series. Super Saiyan Blue is the result of a Saiyan reaching the form of Super Saiyan God, and then further transforming into a Super Saiyan one, effectively combining the forms. The power boost allowed Goku to compete with The Gods of Destruction.
The Gods of Destruction are supreme beings that work opposite of the Supreme Kais. While the Kais restore life to the galaxy, the Gods of Destruction do exactly what their name implies. Toriyama increased the stakes by adding multiple universes into the storyline, which gave the creator a deep pocket of characters and villains to play with. He does just that, introducing new enemies and allies in tournaments that create a full cast of supporting characters that aren't just screen space.
Even with the new additions to power levels and universes, Toriyama does remain true to elements that are reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z. One such element is the return of Future Trunks, who once again warns his allies of an enemy from the future that must be stopped. Since Dragon Ball Super's releases don't follow regular American season schedules, fans separate the episodes by sagas. Currently, Super is on their fifth, and seemingly last, saga. We looked back on all the episodes that were essential to the series' flawless resurrection, and each saga has a moment that took the series to the next level.
Arranged in order, this is a list of the best moment in each Dragon Ball Super saga.
God of Destruction Beerus Saga
Super Saiyan God Goku vs Beerus
Although the first saga of Dragon Ball Super is just a retelling of the Battle of Gods film, it's still wildly entertaining. The greatest moment of the saga is the battle between Goku and Beerus. Beerus, the main antagonist of the saga, is a God of Destruction who awakens from years of slumber to battle the Super Saiyan God he saw in a vision. He challenges Goku, and pushes the Saiyan to reach the God form. Although Goku does achieve a new form, Beerus still defeats the Saiyan, and the two become allies for the rest of the series.
Golden Frieza Saga
Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta defeats Golden Frieza
This saga is also based on a movie, which is entitled Resurrection ‘F’. Frieza's crew travels to Earth while Goku and Vegeta are away training with Whis, a companion of Beerus. The crew collects the Dragon Balls, and they wish Frieza back into existence. The villain, filled with spite and rage for Goku, trains and attains a new golden form before he returns to face his rival. After Goku is defeated by Frieza in battle, Vegeta steps in and beats the space tyrant to within an inch of his life. During the battle, Vegeta debuts his Super Saiyan Blue form.
Universe 6 Saga
Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken Goku vs Hit
Dragon Ball tournaments are what the fans live for. In Super's third saga, Gods of Destruction Beerus and Champa organize a tournament featuring the best fighters from their universes. Originally, the Kaio-Ken technique was taught to Goku by King Kai, but the form vanished once Super Saiyan forms were introduced in the series. Goku combined the Kaio-Ken technique with his Super Saiyan Blue form to combat Hit, the strongest fighter from Universe 6. The battle between Goku and Hit is one of the best fights in the series.
Future Trunks Saga
Future Trunks' Sword of Hope kills Fused Zamasu*
The entire Future Trunk Saga is filled with amazing moments. The introduction of the villain Goku Black seemed cliché at first, but the storyline behind the creation of the baddy turned out to be one of the best plots in the series. Goku Black and Future Zamasu fuse to become Fused Zamasu, and the super-villain reaches a power level far beyond Super Saiyan Blue. Vegeta and Goku are forced to fuse themselves, become Vegito. The exceedingly powerful Saiyan fusion almost defeated Fused Zamasu, but they exhaust their power and separate before the villain is destroyed. Since the saga is named after him, it was only proper for Future Trunks to step up and combine Goku's legendary spirit bomb technique with his legendary sword that once killed Frieza to create the Sword of Hope. Fused Zamasu's defeat marked the end of one of the best sagas in all of Dragon Ball history.
*(Goku Black revealing his Super Saiyan Rose form and the Goku/Future Trunks vs Goku Black/Zamasu battle were also legendary moments)
Universe Survival Saga
Goku reveals Ultra Instinct Sign form
Super's most recent saga has been full of mesmerizing moments. Android 17 risking his life for Goku and his friends was an emotional moment for fans, and the entire battle with Jiren has proven to be a spectacle to behold. Jiren, who may be the most powerful fighter in the multi-universe elimination tournament, pushes Goku to achieve the incomplete Ultra Instinct Sign form. While using the form, Goku can react with his body without using his mind. The effortless natural reflexes that Goku experiences when in the form allows him to move much faster, and counter Jiren's relentless attacks. Goku will no doubt perfect the Ultra Instinct Sign form and level up to his Ultra Instinct mastered form, which features silver hair.