Many anime series have become cultural touchstones, garnering fans worldwide, but the success of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is on a whole other level. For nearly four decades the continued adventures of Goku and the rest of Earth’s heroes have kept audiences entertained while still figuring out clever ways to raise their stakes and reach new heights.
None of the current Dragon Ball spectacles would be possible without the strong foundation that the original series established. Dragon Ball is full of the franchise’s trademark action, but it’s also easily the strangest installment, with some episodes being particularly unusual.
10 Terror And Plague Features Two Wasteland Warriors With A Woeful Weapon
Goku’s kindhearted nature is one of his most defining traits throughout the franchise, and it’s not unusual for him to go out of his way to help out those in need. “Terror and Plague” has a fairly traditional structure to it, but all of the specific elements are just so unusual for the series.
Goku attempts to save a young girl and her village from two criminals known as Terror and Plague, who look like they’ve come right out of Mad Max. Terror and Plague also wield a unique tool known as the Gourd of Mist that can trap individuals and ultimately becomes their undoing.
9 The Legend Of A Dragon Looks At The Origin Of The Wish-Granting Orbs
“The Legend of a Dragon” sets out to answer how this treasure came into existence. It’s strange to get such a dedicated history lesson in the series, especially since Roshi tells this tale to Krillin and Launch, not Goku. The backstory on the legendary Dragon Balls is enlightening, but this lore shares the episode with a rather broad Goku outing.
Red Ribbon, specifically Colonel Silver, targets a herd of monkeys who come into contact with a Dragon Ball. This pits Goku against the soldier while he becomes the savior for a bunch of simians.
8 The Time Room Sends Goku Back To Master Roshi’s Past
The original Dragon Ball is still figuring itself out in many ways, and some anime-exclusive installments explore fascinating ideas that never come back. Goku’s time with Mr. Popo is a formative experience, and one of his more impressive exercises involves ostensibly transporting Goku back to the past.
The Time Room allows Goku to check in on a young Master Roshi while he trained alongside Master Shen under the tutelage of Master Mutaito. There’s still some fun action on display, but “The Time Room” becomes a bittersweet love triangle between Roshi, Shen, and Fanfan.
7 Outrageous Octagon Is An Extended Exercise In Domestic Duties
The final handful of Dragon Ball episodes engage in some worthwhile filler that focuses on Goku and Chi-Chi’s relationship and ability to work together as a team before they head into marriage. “Outrageous Octagon” is the culmination of Goku and Chi-Chi’s efforts to retrieve the Bansho Fan, but it also introduces the two of them to Mount Frappe’s Grandma Hakkake.
Goku braves freezing terrain and battles Pilaf’s mechanical forces, while Chi-Chi is given bizarre lessons in domestication from this polarizing figure. It’s just tonally such an odd offering.
6 Hotter Than Lava Lets The Supporting Crew Put Out Some Fires
It’s typically a worthwhile exercise when Dragon Ball puts its supporting characters in the spotlight. “Hotter Than Lava” occurs at a period during Goku’s training with Mr. Popo where he’s unable to control his ki properly.
Accordingly, the episode shifts focus to Tien, Chiaotzu, and an inebriated Krillin, who set out to save a village from an active volcano. Each hero applies their own approach for how to solve this problem and divert away the lava. It’s a welcome change of pace, but the episode’s structure and problem-solving angle are not Dragon Ball’s norm.
5 Goku Goes To Demon Land Exposes The Dark Side Of The World
There are dark and demonic forces in Dragon Ball, but they’re relatively muted in the original series. A rare exception is “Goku Goes to Demon Land,” which brushes up against the horror genre and feels quite different from standard Dragon Ball. Goku enters the Demon Realm to defeat Shula, which is full of foreign and destabilizing elements.
The visuals and creatures on display in the episode truly stand out. Furthermore, the heroes outside of the Demon Realm are caught up with milk deliveries and dinosaur dodging, which is also quite the change of pace.
4 The Rampage Of InoShikaCho Chronicles A Creepy Con
One of the stranger adventures in the original Dragon Ball also doubles as an early introduction for Tien and Chiaotzu. “The Rampage of InoShikaCho” puts Goku up against a chimera creature with the anatomy of a boar, deer, and a butterfly.
The InoShikaCho terrorizes communities, but in reality, it’s a part of an elaborate ruse that Tien, Chiaotzu, and the creature run together to manipulate fearful villagers. The odd backstory for this creature and how the episode plays out all feels like a major deviation for the series.
3 “Goku’s Doll” Forces Goku To Fight Against A Freaky Double
Goku has faced countless opponents over the years and many of his formative experiences occur in the original Dragon Ball. The filler episode, “Goku’s Doll,” contains one of the creepiest encounters in the series when Goku meets his match in…himself.
The mysterious Mr. Popo devises a Goku doppelgänger who’s able to mimic his every move, but without his thoughts and emotions clouding his mind. This becomes a valuable lesson for Goku, but purely on a visual level, it’s weird to watch Goku fight a dead-eyed version of himself.
2 Which Way To Papaya Island? Makes A Troublesome Fox Friend Its Focus
“Which Way To Papaya Island?” is an extremely strange installment that turns a random fox-like character, Konkichi, into a major ally for Goku. Every detail about “Which Way To Papaya Island?” only gets stranger. Goku and Konkichi’s pursuit for money to buy plane tickets morphs into a messy attempt at bank robbery.
Konkichi is such a wild card who feels like he belongs in a different series. Even the episode’s conclusion, where Goku swims to Papaya Island and a reformed Konkichi decides to pursue a career in education, is bizarre.
1 Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch Goes To The Moon And Back With Its Unusual Outing
Monster Carrot and his Rabbit Mob are early antagonists in the original Dragon Ball. The series could have continued to build upon bold and broad ideas like Monster Carrot, but it instead completely forgets about this powerful agent of chaos.
Monster Carrot has the ability to turn whoever he wants into a carrot, which is already weird stakes for the series, but the heights of this showdown take Monster Carrot and company all the way to the moon. “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” has become an unforgettable episode of Dragon Ball, but it’s also a major outlier.