How Many Signature Dragon Ball Moves Can You Name?
- by Jacob Ormrod
- – on
- in The Geek Corner
As you get older, you start to realize that no matter what you find out you like, it doesn't really matter if everyone else does too. We weren't into any anime when we were younger, such as the Pokemon series that everyone seemed to be going insane about, and yet there was a time where, out of the blue, we started to watch Dragon Ball Z. For whatever reason, only this anime was able to get through.
Now that we're older, it doesn't bother us when only we enjoy what we enjoy, but when you're younger, it can be a real pain. While we may be able to answer many of the questions on this quiz now while finding ourselves increasingly happy that others can also do the same, we're not that interested in talking about signature Dragon Ball moves with our friends anymore. It would've made a much bigger difference to us if we were still at school.
If you were like us, dying to discuss the coolest moves on Dragon Ball Z, you'll be happy to know that you're going to absolutely ace this quiz. Let's see how many iconic names you can remember and split the fake fans up from the real.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
Quite possibly the most iconic move in the entire show, we wouldn't be surprised if fans can actually hear the name of this move being shouted in their minds as we speak, the name taking on a very specific cadence that the voice actor used to shout it in. If you can't get this one, you're definitely in for a tough one on this quiz. Honestly, it's probably time to give up on pop culture altogether if this one is too hard.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
One of the things that we liked about the Dragon Ball series is that it never made it impossible for heroes and villains alike to perform moves that were otherwise usually performed by somebody else. This makes sense to us, as it's not as if people in real life can't learn something that somebody else came up with. Sure, the moves are often linked to characters, but that doesn't stop other characters from doing them at different times throughout the series.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
Wow! Looking at this image is making us want to return to Dragon Ball because we don't remember it being as brutal as this at all. There are few animated shows out there that will allow you to see somebody have a huge string of power completely blast through their insides. That is some Mature rated stuff usually. That being said, it is rare that the show lets you jump straight into the action like this, so maybe we won't be returning to it anytime soon.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
We're not sure why, but we always really enjoyed how the animators on the show had the characters hair up in a golden blaze whenever they got more powerful. Not only was it an easy visual shorthand to get information to the audience, we always felt it looked really cool. It's a perfect example of something looking cool on television that looks absolutely ridiculous once moved over to the real world. Seriously, go look up some Dragon Ball cosplay and you'll see what we mean.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
This may be one of our favorite signature moves in this quiz, purely because it seems as if it has taken inspiration from wrestling moves, something that more entertainment mediums should start doing. While we're not great lovers of wrestling the acting and pageantry that goes into them can really bring a new flare of charisma to a project. For example, this move takes a classic wrestling pose and style while crossing it over with the over-the-top energy moves and flying of Dragon Ball. Genius.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
This particular move had an insane amount of lead up which manifested itself in the character known for using it, Trunks, taking part in some absolutely insane hand gymnastics, which is what you have a still of here. Can we also point out that we have never been able to get onboard with the name Trunks? In certain parts of the world, Trunks are the things that you use to cover yourself up with when you go swimming, so it never sat right with us.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
Maybe the writers were just having a bit of an off day or something, but we reckon that this sort of stuff should really be flagged up before the show is put on television. These are not names of moves, they're the shouts of someone who is too flustered to be able to come up with anything better. Maybe that was the point? Maybe that's a part of the story we know nothing about because we haven't seen the show in over a decade?
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
The first time we noticed iconic characters performing energy attacks by grouping their hands together and then pointing them at the enemy, we were playing the second installment in the Street Fighter franchise, but Dragon Ball was definitely a close second. What was the first piece of creativity to start this trope? We can't imagine a world where this sort of thing doesn't exist, so it'll be interesting to see if the human race ever manages to outgrow it and create something new.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
When we were younger and had dreams of being an artist, well before realizing that the knack we had was definitely for writing rather than drawing, we used to try and draw the main heroes from the Dragon Ball series. What you quickly come to realize if you do this, is that the main components that highlight how the characters are feeling in Dragon Ball are their eyebrows and their mouths. Honestly, you wouldn't need any other part of their face to figure this out.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
Does anybody else feel like the constant joke about the weak hero characters in the Dragon Ball series was hugely misguided and should've been dropped almost immediately? It doesn't make any sense that these people would keep rushing into battle with what are essentially monsters and evil aliens because they already know they aren't strong enough. Sure, they could still be friends, but they wouldn't be involved in the fights as much as they are. It's just cruel at this point!
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
This image is highlighting a problem that we sometimes had with the Dragon Ball moves, which is why do some people just throw a beam out of their fingers when they could destroy someone with two separate beams from both of their palms? We know we're reading too much into it, but it always bothered us as children so we'd feel bad not to bring it up now that we're adults and arguably read into things even more than we used to.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
We will never be a big fan of writers attempting to fool the audience by playing off one of the main hero characters as a villain in the hope of spiking some interest in the new series. It's lazy writing, and it can be seen through from a mile off if you've ever taken in any major form of entertainment with a dramatic element. Maybe you don't agree with us, but we just can't stand it and it can completely ruin a show for us.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
We can't make up our minds whether or not the many transformations of Buu were our least favorite or our most favorite characters in the Dragon Ball seasons that we watched. Part of us loved how weird the writers and animators got with it, but they didn't pull back on the serious vibes such as death while doing so. It felt jarring sometimes, whereas they arguably could've gone for a much more jovial tone during the scenes with Buu instead.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
One of the well-known problems that the Dragon Ball writers had is that they clearly had no idea about the concept of pacing. They would spend hours upon hours building up to the end of a fight that we already knew the heroes were going to win. This leads to insane decisions on the part of the heroes who will rush into battle against people who can produce this much energy with one finger, while not rushing into their final form that they have to wait for four episodes before they can reveal.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
Why did the creators of this series give all of the coolest looking moves to the bad guys? Sure, there was some crossover, but all of the most famous signature moves essentially belong to the villains, which is sort of sending mixed messages isn't it? Look, kids, if you want to look cool then we're afraid you're going to have to spend your life looking towards evil for your inspiration because the heroes might be fighting for good but they look nowhere near as awesome.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
This move actually looks more like a defensive thing, as if somebody is attacking the character and they've deflected it back by just standing there and defending themselves. This isn't actually what's happening, which baffles us as it seems as if the guy isn't even partially putting himself into the attack, which you think he'd have to do based on how much everybody else seems to do this in the Dragon Ball universe. Why does this guy feel like he has to be different to everybody else?
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
While we may hate the addition of completely useless heroes who run in at the first sign of a fight, we have to admit that we do love the concept of Hercule and we're so glad that he developed in the way that he did. The creative world needs more satirical looks at characters with such a high level of arrogance with none of the actual talent to back it up. It would work even better in a drama, but we'll accept it in a comedy format for now.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
We like the way that this attack has got the three beams feeding into the circle as if the single finger is powering up from an outside source. It actually looks like what you'd expect to see from a laser in real life if you used a prism to split the beam. How much inspiration do you think stuff like Dragon Ball gets from real life? Think that they ever look into the science behind the different forms of energy or just make it all up?
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
This guy gets what we were talking about when we said that characters should be using both of their palms to fire two streams of power at people! Not only does it mean there is double the power from a single palm, but you can also aim at more than one person at a time. That's a good point though because we don't actually remember a time when someone in the Dragon Ball series fought more than one person at a time...
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
If you had the sort of power that some of the Dragon Ball characters had, how tempted would you be to use that power for ridiculously immature reasons? While there are a lot of powerful beings in the Dragon Ball universe, if you had the power to level entire planets, it'd be hard to not just pull out some smaller moves to impress people around you when you're down at the bar or out chilling with some friends. No? Just us?
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
Here is a perfect example of everything that we love about the Majin Buu character. Among the long list of fantastically weird attacks that this guy has got, he has one in which he rips off and throws part of his belly at the person he is fighting. People, that is brilliant stuff. You don't get that sort of stuff a lot in this world, so when you have that sort of brain wave, it's important that you write it down and get it out there as soon as possible.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
We'd like to think that if we somehow got transported into the Dragon Ball world that our signature attack would be similar to this one, where you throw both of your hands into the air and conjure up an insane amount of power to throw down towards your enemies. The only way you can beat that is by being able to conjure two balls just as big within each of your palms. Do any of the characters ever achieve this, or is that just too far?
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
One of the things about anime which can be the both the best and worst aspects of their creation is that they know they can always fall back on grand set pieces that have the potential to absolutely blow the audience away. However, these can end up overused which makes the whole concept get pretty stale if you're not careful. Good writers can use the set piece as a perfect addition to a well-made series, just like this particular attack was used.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
We know we've mentioned it before, but why do animes throw characters into some of the weirdest outfits we've ever seen? We like when shows do this sometimes, but it almost feels like Dragon Ball takes it too far sometimes. We can get behind the armor designs but look at this guys headgear. We don't even mind the fact his skin is green and has a reptilian texture, but we're not accepting that giant hat no matter how you try and explain it.
Can You Name This Signature Dragon Ball Move?
Crazy to think that some of the moves were as easy to set up as having the characters eyes flash. Sometimes that sort of minimal thing works, especially when placed next to most of the other signature moves from the series that would often come with an insane amount of lead up. Throw that stuff alongside things like the amount of build up that came before the fusion dance and you've got yourself a few episodes of build up with very small amounts of payoff.