Dragon Ball’s 5 Best Non-Saiyan & Z-Fighter Moments

Saiyans and Dragon Ball have become synonymous, but the tail-toting aliens shouldn’t get to have all the fun. There are so many different heroes featured amongst the Z-Fighters, all equally willing to put their lives on the line to save the Earth. All of these fighters have exceptional moments, and together, fans have celebrated multiple Z-Fighters for their countless saves and instances of heroic action. Saiyans might be powerhouses, but they can’t do it all alone, and these five moments are truly awe-inspiring when it comes to the discrepancies between the power levels of our Saiyans compared to the remainder of the Z-Fighters.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Androids 17 and 18, and Master Roshi are all great examples of characters who, through the long history of the Dragon Ball franchise, have had iconic moments. Each of the Z-Fighters has brought their heart and soul to the battlefield and has left it all in the arena any given time they need to exhibit their martial arts prowess. Story importance will be a sliver of what we will be looking at, as a lot of Dragon Ball fans tend to focus more on the excitement factor at any given moment.

Tien Shinhan’s Epic Tri-Beam Spam

Kikōhō, otherwise known as Tri-Beam, is the signature move used by Tien in many significant battles throughout the franchise’s history. However, there is a single use of Tri-Beam that tops all other times it has been used and even tops out as one of the best technique spams in anime history. The Z-Fighters had been struggling to stave the voracious Android Cell off from absorbing Android 18 but were outmatched.

Our heroes seemed outclassed at every corner, and the Saiyans had yet to complete their training, meaning the earthlings were on their own, and in their time of need, Tien arrived. Tien kept Semi-Perfect Cell at bay through repeated uses of Tri-Beam, pinning the villain down while Android 18 and the others made it to safety. Tien continued his onslaught of Ki blasts on the physically superior enemy until his body eventually gave out, and even though he didn’t defeat Cell at this moment, his contributions went down in Dragon Ball history, even getting cheeky video games and spoof video homages.

Yajirobe Saves the Day in the Saiyan Saga

Yajirobe is notoriously lazy and refuses to put in any extra work beyond what’s necessary, even when he is canonically very talented. His character is quickly phased out as arcs march forward during Dragon Ball Z, but in the early arcs, it was often all hands on deck. The perfect example of this is when Nappa and Vegeta attack Earth, and all of the Z-Fighters have to fight and hold the Saiyans off while they wait for Goku to make it in time. Specifically, during the fight against Vegeta, even Goku began to struggle, and the battle seemed lost once Vegeta took on his Oozaru form.

However, the Z-Fighters still had one trump card, and that was Yajirobe’s insane natural skills with the sword. In defiance of his fear, Yajirobe sliced through Vegeta’s giant tail, removing it in a single blow. Now, this may not seem as big of a deal now that the world has been saved so many times, but fans have to remember, without this single moment, the show could not have gone on.

[RELATED: Dragon Ball Super Hits Major Sales Milestone Even Without a New Anime]

Krillin’s Tail-Cutting Destructo Disc

Some fans may think that Krillin’s best moment was his absolute pull when it came to Android 18, but Krillin has so many classic moments that it’s hard to just pick one. Where better to pull from than the iconic Planet Namek Saga, where we first saw the use of the Super Saiyan form?

But before Goku could run, Krillin had to walk, and walk he did. Krillin got knocked down and, with Dende’s help, got back up and kept on fighting. Yet, Krillin’s tenacity during this fight wasn’t his most iconic moment, but rather the fact that he was the first person to deal any meaningful damage to Dragon Ball’s most tenacious tyrant, Frieza, by cutting his tail off with a well-placed Destructo Disc.

Master Roshi Demonstrates Ultra Instinct

Master Roshi has always been a phenomenal teacher and has given Goku and Krillin access to all of his abilities and skills they may need. Roshi has always been an impressive human despite not technically being considered as a Z-Fighter, able to prove himself in the world of dangerous aliens, and he shows this off during Chapter 39 of the Dragon Ball Super Manga.

Master Roshi, in a moment of clarity, faces off against Jiren, the ultimate enemy. It’s here, during the Tournament of Power, where Roshi shows off a technique eerily similar to the Ultra Instinct that Goku had been tapping into. This moment may not have given Roshi the victory, but it did remind us of just how elite Roshi is among Goku’s mentors.

Piccolo the Aura Farmer

Now, any fan of the Dragon Ball franchise worth their salt is aware that Piccolo is a Grade-A aura farmer who always makes sure that his entrances are cold and his techniques are flashy. From back spinning into an elbow or horizontal cuts into crosses and jabs, Piccolo is a voracious fighter who has an endless range of hits to prove his worth. The only question that we have to ask is which of Piccolo’s iconic moments is worth being on this lis,t and frankly, there is only a single valid answer.

Standing there menacingly, cape billowing in the wind, Piccolo saves his student Gohan from imminent death by deflecting Broly’s Ki blast in possibly the most iconic entrance. Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan is a movie full of brutal beatdowns for every character that isn’t named Broly, Piccolo included but regardless of this fact, Piccolo’s entrance pivoted the fight back toward the favor of the Z-Fighters allowing them to rejoin the battle and leading to Goku landing the final blow.