The Dragon Ball franchise has its fair share of flashy attacks, including many that use the power of fire, water, and other elements to deliver devastating blows to enemies. Yes, as much as fans love ki attacks like the Kamehameha or the Big Bang Attack, there are just as many attacks in the series that use the elements to their advantage.
It's hard to remember every attack in a series chock-full of new techniques that are revealed in every new arc. With abilities like Ultra Instinct and Beerus' Hakai taking center stage, it's easy to forget that the series once focused heavily on techniques unconnected to god ki, Angels, or Gods of Destruction. Fortunately, these elemental techniques are still used to showcase how diverse the attacks in Dragon Ball can still be.
10 Fire Breath Still Mows Down The Competition
A Powerful Technique With Many Different Users
There are many characters in the series, particularly giants, that can breathe fire down from their mouths. Great Apes and Great Ape Baby use this technique in the series and in video games like the Budokai Tenkaichi games. Hirudegarn, another giant character from Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon, uses this move often as well, leveling cities in his wake. In Budokai Tenkaichi, Hirudegarn's Ulitmate is usually a bigger variation of this ability called Gigantic Flame, that sprays the whole screen with fire.
Related
10 Strongest Dragon Ball Z Characters Majin Duu Can Beat, Ranked
A demon of few words but great power, Majin Duu has the strength to defeat most characters in Dragon Ball Z.
Posts 4
But this technique isn't exclusive to the giant characters from the series. Dabura, the Demon King played by the talented Rick Robertson, also has this power. He uses this ability in the anime and in several of his game appearances, often having it as a skill in the Budokai Tenkaichi and Xenoverse games.
9 Oceanus Shenron's Whirlwind Spin Causes Mass Destruction
A Huge Hurdle for Pan and Goku in the Fight Against the Shadow Dragon
The Shadow Dragons from Dragon Ball GT displayed some impressive mastery over the elements, and Oceanus Shenron is no exception. Her signature Whirlwind Spin creates a huge spinning tornado that brutally cuts anyone that's unfortunate enough to be next to her. This is very effective in her fight with Goku and Pan in the Shadow Dragon arc of Dragon Ball GT, with the two fighters not being able to approach her.
This move has a critical weakness, however. While the technique shields its user from anyone looking to attack Oceanus directly, she's still vulnerable to being hit from above. This glaring flaw allows Pan and Goku to get the best of the Dragon and ultimately defeat her. Despite this issue, the technique is still very useful for controlling space. Towards the end of the Shadow Dragon arc, Omega Shenron uses this move against Super Saiyan 4 Goku to pummel him, a dark moment that somehow only scratches the surface of what GT has to offer.
8 Eis Shenron's Ice Cannon Is No Joke
A Technique Strong Enough to Freeze Goku's Arms
There may not be many characters that use Ice in the series, but the effects it has on opponents are still deadly. The first appearance of Eis Shenron, for instance, has him use his Ice Cannon to freeze a whole city during his fight with Goku in Dragon Ball GT.The attack itself works a bit differently than fans would assume. Instead of simply shooting a blast from his hands, Eis Shenron instead turns his hand into an arm cannon that fires a concentrated blast of ice.
In the video games, Eis Shenron uses this attack in many of his playable appearances. In the Xenoverse games, this move is usually one of his Ultimate Skills. Unlike in his anime appearance, the move is performed with Eis Shenron performing an icy ki blast to finish his opponent.
7 Nappa's Volcano Explosion Levels Cities
A Technique Heralding the Saiyan Invaders
Close
Nappa may not be nearly as powerful as the likes of Goku, Vegeta, or the rest of his Saiyan brethen. In his first appearances in the Saiyan Saga however, this move proved he was a force to be reckoned with. By lifting only two fingers in the air, Nappa creates a massive explosion that can destroy a large area.
Related
10 Best Non-Combat Techniques in Dragon Ball, Ranked
Dragon Ball features a wide range of powerful, world-ending attacks, but there are also some totemic techniques that aren't focused on combat.
Posts 3
The saiyan invader used this to great effect in the Saiyan Saga, where he used this technique to lay waste to all of East City. This was one of the very first things he did once he arrived at Earth with Vegeta, immediately setting the Saiyans up as a major threat. He would later use this same technique on the likes of Goku in the anime, with little effect. In the fight against Frieza on Planet Namek, the tyrant even uses a variation of this technique called the Death Storm to display his overwhelming power.
6 Trunks' Heat Dome Attack Remains Iconic
The Final Attack That Caps Off the Android Saga
Trunks' Heat Dome attack is an instantly recognizable move in the time traveler's arsenal. He uses the move by creating a vast dome of heat that shoots up into the sky in a giant blast. In Dragon Ball Z's Android Saga, Trunks uses this move to defeat Cell after he goes back to his own timeline at the end of the arc. This technique is later used again by Trunks against his timeline's version of Dabura and by Vegeta against characters like Beerus during Dragon Ball Super.
Being so iconic, it makes sense for the technique to make several appearances in different media. In the old Budokai Tenkaichi games and Sparking Zero, this attack is reserved as an Ultimate Attack for Trunks. It makes further appearances in games like Dragon Ball: Dokkan Battle, where it is Xeno Trunks' Super Attack, and the Shin Budokai games.
5 The Burning Attack is Simple But Effective
Trunks' Signature Attack is Used to Great Effect
The Burning Attack, a blast of fiery ki launched by Trunks, may seem plain at first. But that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the most powerful attacks in the time-traveling saiyan's arsenal. His first use of the move is actually to distract Mecha Frieza when he invades Earth, slicing him up once he dodges the blast and goes on in future fights to damage Dabura and Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super.
The technique has had several media appearances. It's a core part of Trunks' movesets in games like Supersonic Warriors, Budokai Tenkaichi, and Kakarot.
4 Granolah's Fire and Flames Channels Energy From the Planet
A Terrifying Power Gained Through the Dragon Balls
Granolah grows exponentially stronger in his titular arc in the Dragon Ball Super manga. One ability he gains is Fire and Flames, a technique that draws power from the earth itself to hurl giant pillars of flame at whatever enemy he faces.
This ability is extremely strong, and is only limited by the amount of energy on the planet he's on. While it hasn't appeared in any games or other media outside the manga, it's still a technique that kept Goku at bay when he fought Granolah on the planet Cereal.
3 Little Can Stop Android 17's Barrier
A Technique That's Only Gotten More Refined
Android 17 has the unique ability to create barriers out of pure energy. First seen in his fight with Piccolo, 17 can use these barriers to shield himself or anyone else from any ki blasts that are coming his way. In Dragon Ball Super's Tournament of Power, we see 17 use these barriers for both defense and offense. In the tournament, he wraps barriers around his hand to strengthen his punches.
Interestingly, Cell can make use of this ability once he absorbs 17 and achieves his second form. This is especially prominent in the video games, where Semi-Perfect and Perfect Cell all have barrier abilities in the Budokai games that are variations of the ones that 17 uses.
2 Garlic Jr's Dead Zone is Almost Inescapable
Seen in Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
Among the many special attacks in the Dragon Ball movies, none are as horrific as when Garlic Jr. unleashes a portal to the Dead Zone to suck his opponents into the dark void. With control over this pocket dimension, this attack should render anyone and anything completely helpless once they have been sucked inside. However, if someone can push Garlic Jr into the void or deplete him of his energy, the attack could backfire and send him into the void instead.
Garlic Jr's signature technique has appeared in multiple forms across Dragon Ball related media. The Budokai Tenkaichi games all have Garlic Jr. use this technique in his Ultimate attacks where the portal to the Dead Zone explodes after trapping an opponent. Once he appears as a boss in Dragon Ball Heroes, Jr. can actually use the Dead Zone to remove whoever was ensnared in it from the battle.
1 The Special Beam Cannon Remains As Deadly As Ever
Piccolo, Gohan and Cell Unleash Devastatingly Quick Blasts
Close
Appearing in the very first arc of Dragon Ball Z, Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon remains a powerful and fast electric projectile that can end a fight in seconds. While it took a lot of time to charge the attack in the early arcs of the series, characters like Cell and Gohan have been able to charge the attack in much less time. By the time Gohan uses it in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, it's strong enough to put an end to the giant bio android Cell Max.
The move has made multiple appearances in Dragon Ball media as well. It's used by Piccolo in Cooler's Revenge to kill Cooler's henchman Salza. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 has a special variant called the Dual Special Beam Cannon where two players team up to hit their opponent with two beams at once.
Your changes have been saved
Email is sent
Email has already been sent
8
10
Dragon Ball Z
TV-PG
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi
Comedy
Super Power
Fantasy
Martial Arts
Shounen
With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the saiyan warrior Goku defend the planet earth from extraterrestrial enemies.
Release Date April 26, 1989
Finale Year November 30, 1995
Creator(s) Akira Toriyama
Cast Masako Nozawa , Ryou Horikawa , Hiromi Tsuru , Hiroko Emori , Shigeru Chiba , Naoko Watanabe , Mayumi Tanaka , Naoki Tatsuta , Yukimasa Kishino
Main Genre Action
Seasons 9
Studio Toei Animation
Creator Akira Toriyama
Writers Akira Toriyama , Takao Koyama
Number of Episodes 291
Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll
Franchise(s) Dragon Ball
Directors Daisuke Nishio
Based On Manga
MyAnimeList Score 8.19
Expand