Those who haven't seen much of Dragon Ball won't believe it to be too emotionally complex, but here are 9 times the anime broke our hearts.
1. One of the pinnacle moments is when Goku accepts to sacrifice himself to kill Raditz. Raditz, the biological brother of Goku and the eldest son of Bardock and Gine. Raditz was far too strong for Goku and Piccolo to control at the time. Piccolo uses the Special Beam Cannon, and Raditz, held by Goku, is unable to dodge it again, and the beam penetrates through both Raditz and Goku
2. The deaths of Kuririn, Chaozu, and Roshi barely even compare with the onslaught that happens when Nappa and Vegeta first land on Earth. In a span of just a few chapters, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu all lose their lives. Chaozu seemingly dies for good this time around, whereas Tenshinhan lets himself die to be with him. Yamcha, on the other hand, manages to defeat a Saibaiman with ease but gets killed shortly after by surprise. It’s a shocking, disheartening moment that puts into perspective just how outclassed the Earthlings are.
3. One of the most beautiful moments in Dragon Ball was when Piccolo, who was cruel and evil beyond belief, sacrificed himself for saving Gohan’s life. Nappa, who was Vegeta’s henchman when the Saiyan Prince was a villain, shot a powerful beam at Gohan. But Piccolo couldn’t stand that his pupil will die, so he positioned himself in the front of the energy wave. The outcome was imminent: Piccolo died to save Gohan’s life.
4. Vegeta fought the fat Majin Buu for a while, but the Saiyan Prince immediately realized that there’s no chance to win the fight. In a moment of silence, Vegeta tells Trunks that he has never held him since he was a baby and, for the first time in his life, hugs Trunks. Trunks is surprised and embarrassed, and Goten watches the moment. Vegeta tells Trunks that he has made him proud, before knocking both him and Goten unconscious.
5. Majin Buu was regenerating himself after every blow and energy wave, and that could only mean that the monster is practically unstoppable. Vegeta had only one chance left: to bring out his ultimate attack, even with the cost of losing his life. Although he was once evil beyond belief, Vegeta sacrificed himself for the whole humanity.
6. Anger never solved anything, and Gohan very quickly learns that toying with Cell has extreme consequences. With the Earth at critical danger, Goku has no choice but to transport Cell away, sacrificing himself in the process. This marks the last time Goku dies in the original series, and it actually feels like it’s going to stick contextually.
7. However, unfortunately for Goku's sacrifice, Cell can regenerate so long as the nucleus in his head remains intact. Assisted by his father in spirit, Gohan retaliates with his own Kamehameha, ultimately overpowering Cell with Vegeta's help, destroying his cell nucleus and killing him once and for all.
8. During the battle with Cell, Goku died while Chichi was pregnant. The second child is Goten and looks exactly like Goku when he was younger and while shy for a while, Goten becomes attached to his father quickly and they begin playing.
9. Vegeta crying and begging Goku to beat Frieza is an exceptionally touching scene. Calling Vegeta prideful in his first appearance would be an understatement. Being the Saiyan prince, Vegeta was supremely arrogant and overconfident and believed himself to be an "elite" above other Saiyans, seeing someone as Goku merely as inferior. But after being tested and even matched in their fight, Vegeta grew angered at his first of many encounters with humility.
Vegeta's consistent fights and losses began to stack up as time passed and slowly but surely forced him to face his growing insecurities. The result was Vegeta becoming less self-aggrandizing and much more humbled by his experiences. While the old Vegeta saw himself as perfect, the current Vegeta is much more willing to admit to a mistake and always strives for improvement
