Ever since western audiences were introduced into the world ofDragon Ball Z, the wider Dragon Ball franchise has been used as a studying point for storytelling. One point of study is the filler episode, an episode or series of episodes, often with no source material in the manga series the animes adapt, that hold no wider importance to the narrative or individual characters.
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The best filler episodes use the fact they aren’t overarching to indulge in humor, side stories and downtime for Dragon Ball’s vast array of characters. Without the best filler episodes, some of Dragon Ball’s finest moments would’ve never come to pass.
10DBZ Episode 14: Princess Snake
Goku finds himself dead as a doornail after confronting his genocidal long-lost brother, Raditz, and holding him in a lock, so Piccolo could destroy them both with hissignature attackto rescueGohan. Now traveling the perilous Snake Way to reach the martial arts master King Kai, Goku is wrapped up in a love affair turned deadly.
Having to avoid the advances of Princess Snake, and then her desire to kill and eat him after realizing Goku is happily married, Goku has to outwit the crazed princess and her monstrous snake form, leaving her tied in a knot and defenseless. As one of the first filler tales in Dragon Ball Z, Princess Snake leaves an entertaining first impression.
9DBZ Episode 17: Pendulum Room Peril
While Goku deals with homicidal snake princesses and obtuse riddles, his allies back on earth are training to combat the approaching Saiyans,Vegetaand Nappa. They head to Kami’s and get Mr. Popo to train them using the Pendulum Room, a mystical time displacement device that sends Krillin, Chiaotzu and Tien to a long destroyed Saiyan city 100 years in the past.
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Having to face off against ravenous Saiyan soldiers in burnt out alien ruins, the animation in this filler is beautiful. The ruins, the visions of Chiaotzu, Krillin and Tien being beat down again and again and the Pendulum Room itself is some of the highest quality and most unsettling work the Dragon Ball franchise has to offer.
8DBS Episode 69: Goku Vs. Arale! An Off-the-Wall Battle Spells The End Of The Earth?!
A mouthful of an episode, but befitting the comedic and outlandish intentions this episode delivers. A recurring gag in Dragon Ball that has cropped up a handful of times are cameos and references to Dr. Slump, another series created by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. The child super-robot Arale goes berserk at a science fair and ends up mopping the floor with most of the main cast, Vegeta included, and gets into a fight with Goku that builds up enough energy to threaten the existence of the earth.
Yes, really. A small school girl that is secretly a robot almost destroyed the earth and Dragon Balls' primary cast of characters, and the whole thing is a comedic in-joke that most viewers won’t even understand. Sometimes cutting loose and going nuts is the best way to ease tensions in a long-running action-drama.
7DBZ Episode 11: Terror On Arlia
An episode detailing what DBZ’s first true antagonists, Nappa and Vegeta, are capable of, and why they’re a true threat to the planet earth. Getting detoured onto a planet of bug-like aliens, Nappa and Vegeta quickly grow bored of the aliens' antics and turn the planet’s capital city into a bloodbath.
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Once they’ve had their fill of violence, Vegeta and Nappa depart the small planet, which Vegeta effortlessly blows up with a single blast. The Arlian aliens, Vegeta’s colorful space outfit, and the numbing, dreadful ending is a powerful buildup to make one of Dragon Ball’s greatest characters come out of the gates swinging to make a powerful first impression.
6DBS Episodes 44-46: Duplicate Vegeta
This episode is one of several instances of the english dub adding value to episodes that wasn’t originally present. After being absorbed by a goo-like weapon on an alien planet, Vegeta is forced to face-off against the goo that has now taken on his personality, likeness and powers. For the english dub of these episodes, the duplicate Vegeta was voiced by Brian Drummond, the original voice actor that played the character in the Canadian Ocean Studios version of Dragon Ball Z.
Taking the opportunity to double down on the episode’s plot by adding a meta-textual undertone of two beloved voice actors for the same character facing off makes this series of action-packed side-adventures worth a watch. Eagle-eyed fans may also notice that Goku’s fight with the Vegeta duplicate takes several visual queues from their initial fight during the Dragon Ball Z Saiyan saga.
5Dragon Ball GT Episode 40: Piccolo’s Decision
Dragon Ball GT doesn’t have the best reputation, and it’s easy to see why. The plot was contrived and drawn out, many of the characters were seen as annoying, and there were entire story arcs revolving around one-off characters that came and went with little fanfare. Piccolo’s Decision is a bright spot during the show’s second half, giving everyone’s favorite alien uncle another limelight appearance.
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While death has in many ways lost its impact when it comes to main characters, self-sacrifice is still a powerful thing to see when done right. Piccolo’s death to ensure the Black Star Dragon Balls won’t pose a threat to humanity ever again shows his progression as an individual since the original Dragon Ball series, and he goes out with a bang in stunningly beautiful animation.
4DBZ Episode 13: Goz and Mez
Not long after starting his journey on Snake Way, Goku decides to hitch a ride on a truck and take a nap. When he wakes up, he finds himself in Hell, or HFIL (Home for The Infinite Losers) if someone is watching the censored Ocean dub or Dragon Ball Z Abridged. Now forced to compete in a sports trial against athletic demons to earn his way out, Goku has to put his journey towards King Kai on hold.
This episode was one of Dragon Ball Z’s first forays into the world of the supernatural and otherworldly. While the original Dragon Ball delved into mysticism and paranormal concepts regularly, DBZ was the first widespread exposure most people had to the franchise. This, in addition to DBZ season one constantly being re-run for years, has made this little one-off adventure a beloved and memorable classic.
3DBZ Episode 195: Warriors of the Dead
Continuity and consistency can sometimes take a back seat in Dragon Ball, and this episode highlights this with good reason. As Goku is involved in the Other World Tournament, he’s befriended another mighty warrior, Pikkon, who ends up doing battle with some of the deadliest fighters DBZ had showcased leading up to this point.
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Pikkon showcases how strong Goku, who is his near-equal in strength,has become, as he wipes the floor with Cell, Frieza and King Cold with relative ease in a place rather different from the afterlife we see in previous and future Dragon Ball media. While a bit odd if viewed in comparison to each other, this inconsistency can easily be overlooked to enjoy the superb animation and wonderful fight choreography on display.
2DBS Episode 70: A Challenge From Champa! This Time, a Baseball Game!
Sometimes, proper levity and downtime is even better than action-packed thrills. Earth’s mightiest warriors, alien princes and actual deities are roped into a game of baseball, and it’s just as hilarious as it sounds in concept. The episode is also a much-needed highlight episode for Yamcha, who has been further pushed to the sidelines since the early days of Dragon Ball Z.
This fantastic sports outing pays homage to the infamous Yamcha death pose, but delivers on having the mainstay character getting his time to shine again after years of seeming irrelevance. When Dragon Ball does comedy right, the outcome is always a joy.
1DBZ Episode 125: Goku’s Ordeal
The aforementioned ordeal is one of Goku’s greatest trials he will face in the entirety of Dragon Ball media. He has to try and earn his driver’s license. And Piccolo is trying to earn his as well. Little more need be said than the basic plot summary, but it’s easy to see why this episode is so beloved, as two of the least street-level educated characters in all of fiction have to take a driving test and shenanigans are plentiful.
Seeing two flying, planet-destroying fighters turn their driving tests into a destruction derby race is some of the best laughs Dragon Ball has to offer viewers, and the mental image of Goku and Piccolo barely fitting into their tiny test cars has become some of the most well-known in the entire franchise. From minute one until the credits role, this episode will leave viewers in stitches. It’s not just the best filler episode, it is easily one of the best episodes, period.
