The Dragon Ball franchise is known for essentially defining what shonen battle anime is all about. Between the original series, Dragon Ball Z, and now Super, the franchise is responsible for establishing many of the common threads that would become mainstays for the shonen genre—and that includes the beloved tournament arc.
Dragon Ball's World Tournaments proved the perfect prototype for future shonen tournament arcs to follow, and the series would only improve upon and stretch the tournament arc formula to its absolute limits throughout the series. It probably goes without saying, but many of Dragon Ball's best fights take place during its tournaments, making the best tournament fights and the best fights in the franchise somewhat synonymous.
10 Goku vs Krillin (22nd Tenkaichi Budokai)
Dragon Ball
Goku and Krillin have a storied history throughout the Dragon Ball series. That history is at least part of what makes Goku and Krillin's match during the 22nd World Tournament such a special one in hindsight.
At this point, the two were already good friends, though they were also rivals as fellow trainees under The Turtle Hermit. This friendly rivalry led them to agree to a no-holds-barred fight, and it took everything in Goku's arsenal to one-up his friend.
9 Goku vs Jackie Chun, aka Master Roshi (21st Tenkaichi Budokai)
Dragon Ball
In order to teach Goku a lesson in being humble, Master Roshi dressed up as Jackie Chun in order to fight Goku with his full strength. The resultant fight is one of the most epic in the original Dragon Ball series as it contains what is still one of the most talked about scenes in the entire series: Roshi's moon-busting Kamehameha.
It was the first time anyone had destroyed the moon in the series, proving to be the most blatantly incredible feat of power shown in the series thus far. Even to this day, power scalers often refer back to this moment in the series to assess the level of strength of characters in the Dragon Ball universe.
8 Goku vs Hit (6th and 7th Universe Hakaishin Selection Martial Arts Competition)
Dragon Ball Super
Goku's fight against Hit was a high point for DBS. Universes 6 and 7 were already a pretty good match in terms of power, but Hit took things up a notch to show that the multiverse was truly full of formidable foes.
As the two strongest fighters for their respective universes, the fate of their worlds rested on each warrior's shoulders. Between Hit's Time Skip ability and Goku's Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken, this was a fight that even impressed the Gods themselves.
7 Goku vs Kefla (The Tournament of Power)
Dragon Ball Super
Fusions have been one of the Saiyan's most potent weapons against super-powerful foes. So when the Potera earrings were used against Goku to create a fused Super Saiyan for Universe 7 to fight, it became one of the most epic battles in the Tournament of Power.
Kale was already a huge threat due to her Super Saiyan Rage form, but combined with the strength of Super Saiyan 2 Caulifla, the resultant fighter, Kefla, was a force to be reckoned with. Goku's only hope was using his recently unlocked Ultra Instinct form, leading to an incredible finishing move that fans will never forget.
6 Goten vs Trunks (25th Tenkaichi Budokai)
Dragon Ball Z
Goten and Trunks' faceoff in the final round of the youth league in the 25th World Tournament is easily one of the most underrated fights in the series. It's truly a full circle moment for the franchise, as Goku's youngest son fights against Vegeta's in the kind of tournament setting that Goku made his name in as a child of the same age.
Even though they're both only kids, Goten and Trunks are still Super Saiyan warriors, each with a level of potential far beyond that of their fathers. Not only do they each show that they're their father's sons by their fighting prowess, but also each of their personalities shine through as kids who were definitely raised by Goku or Vegeta.
5 Tien vs Yamcha (22nd Tenkaichi Budokai)
Dragon Ball
One of the most epic grudge matches in all of Dragon Ball history, Tien and Yamcha's fight during the 22nd World Tournament was also one of the most brutal. These two fighters did not like each other, and that fact definitely shows in the increasing mercilessness of each attack as the fight goes on.
Aside from the unadulterated violence these two dished out, the fight choreography and animation in the battle was itself top tier for the time. Fans are used to looking at Yamcha and Tien as the weakest of the Z Fighters nowadays, but at this point in the series, the two were in their prime and the peak of power in the series.
4 Tien vs Tao (23rd Tenkaichi Budokai)
Dragon Ball
Part of what made Tien's reunion with Tao so incredible was the narrative significance behind their fight. Tao was the person that taught Tien to fight, but he also led Tien down a dark path as well.
Tien's maturity and growth as a person shine through as he faces his old master, and Tao has only become more corrupted both physically and psychologically. It's a moment that causes Tien great grief, but from which he emerges a better person and the hero fans know and love today.
3 Goku vs Tien (22nd Tenkaichi Budokai)
Dragon Ball
After Tien's vicious victory over Yamcha, Goku set out to avenge his friend. What ensued is widely regarded as one of the best fights in the entire original Dragon Ball series.
Tien's power was unparalleled by anyone on Earth at the time, but Goku was literally not from this world. The fight shows how martial arts is about more than just raw strength and fighting power; it's about the distinct ideologies that bring a person to want to fight, and their reason for raising their fist against an opponent.
2 Jiren vs Goku, Frieza, and 17 (The Tournament of Power)
Dragon Ball Super
Jiren's fight with Goku during the Tournament of Power was definitely legendary, but arguably the greatest fight in Super came when things were down to the wire in the final moments between the final three remaining fighters from Universe 7 and Jiren.
Goku had already used all his strength to maintain his Ultra Instinct form and was running on fumes, so his only hope was to rely on two of his former enemies to team up and defeat his greatest foe yet. This fight showed each character's growth throughout the series and even hinted that Frieza might have some penchant for change after all.
1 Goku vs Piccolo Jr. (23rd Tenkaichi Budokai)
Dragon Ball
Goku's final fight against Piccolo Jr. during the World Tournament in Dragon Ball is easily the best tournament fight in the series. Piccolo Jr. was born in King Piccolo's final attempt to preserve his evil following his defeat at Goku's hands. That made this battle even more personal.
Before the epic Super Saiyan power-ups and transformations that came in Dragon Ball Z, this fight served as a precursor to the kinds of fights Z would come to be known for. If judging solely based on how this fight went, no one could have guessed that Piccolo would later go on to become one of Earth's greatest protectors, as well as the mentor to Goku's son.
NEXT: 10 Dragon Ball GT Characters Who'd Be Right At Home In Super
