Best Wishes Made With The Dragon Balls

Key Takeaways

• The best Dragon Ball wishes prioritize overall benefit and lasting legacy.
• Various wishes helped shift the tide of battle, introduce new foes, or ignite a character’s transformation.
• Key wishes like immortality, revivals, and aiding the planet are essential for character development in Dragon Ball sagas.

Quantifying the best wishes made with the Dragon Balls requires an addendum or two; after all, beauty is in the eye of the ball holder. The Dragon Balls are a central premise of the series, especially in earlier sagas of the Dragon Ball canon. They’re the MacGuffin everyone is clamoring to control.

Not everyone who got their hands on the Dragon Balls had noble intentions, so it’s better to consider the overall benefit to the grantee and then the greater legacy of the wish. Ignoring any problematic wishes (looking at you, Oolong). All variants of Dragon Balls are fair game, so who made the most of the gifts the dragon gave them?

10 Become King Of The World

King Of Kings

• Grantee: Unknown
• Source: Dragon Ball Manga
• Dragon: Shenron

Before the start of the Dragon Ball story, it is established that an unknown person used to the Dragon Balls to become the king of the world. Aside from the obvious benefits that would come with such a hefty title, the legacy of the King is far lasting. During the King Piccolo Saga, King Piccolo announced himself as the new king of the world, confirming the title still exists in some capacity.

This likely means the original king managed to unify the entire planet under one kingdom for generations to come, paving the way for technological advancements that would define the Dragon Ball sagas, with the rise of organizations like the Red Ribbon Army and Capsule Corporation.

9 Release Tapion From The Music Box

Striking A Chord

• Grantee: Hoi
• Source: Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon
• Dragon: Shenron

Hoi successfully tricks the Z Fighters into using Shenron’s power to release Tapion from his musical prison as the first part of his plan to unleash Hirudegarn. The subsequent sequence of events does not exactly go to plan, but Hoi does eventually manage to release the Phantom Majin on the universe.

Hirudegarn proves a formidable foe, going toe-to-toe with Gotenks before eventually falling to Goku in Super Saiyan 3 form. The wish was not enough to satisfy Hoi’s ultimate ambition of cleansing the universe of all but Kashvars, and it resulted in his own death, but he definitely left his mark — and introduced fans to the stylish Super Saiyan 3 transformation.

8 Restore His Home World

Baby Got Back

• Grantee: Baby
• Source: Dragon Ball GT
• Dragon: Ultimate Shenron

The controversial Dragon Ball GT divides fans to this day, but the series has its moments. Following his apparent victory, Baby uses the Black Star Dragon Balls to restore the Planet Tuffle and then sets out transporting his brainwashed servants there to build himself a new home.

Baby satisfies his desire to return home, but the consequences swing in Goku’s favor. With the final confrontation taking place on Planet Tuffle, Goku is able to use the sight of the Earth to achieve Super Saiyan 4, a form powerful enough to defeat Baby once and for all. The newly formed Planet Tuffle then provides a respite for the citizens of Earth to avoid their own planet’s impending destruction, ironically helping solve the series’ central dilemma.

7 Everyone Killed At The World Martial Arts Tournament Revived

A Second Chance

• Grantee: Bulma
• Source: Dragon Ball Z
• Dragon: Shenron

Wishing large sections of people back to life following a cataclysmic event was necessary several times throughout the Dragon Ball sagas — consider this a catch-all. The benefits of granting civilians and Z Fighters a second chance at life are already apparent.

Minimizing the total damage, presenting a happier ending, and allowing the Earth to go on make this wish a worthy addition to the list. What makes the Martial Arts Tournament stand out, however, is the fatality of Kibito. After being revived, Kibito would fuse with Shin to become Kibito Kai, a key ally and mentor to the Z Fighters in their coming battle with Majin Buu.

6 Immortality

The Promise Of Eternal Life

• Grantee: Garlic Jr
• Source: Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
• Dragon: Shenron

Garlic Jr is almost a footnote in Dragon Ball lore, but he is actually one of very few characters in the universe to actually achieve immortality, and he came as close as anyone to defeating the Z Fighters. During the events of Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone he wishes to become immortal, making him an insurmountable foe. Garlic Jr is only defeated when he is sealed away in the Dead Zone.

Like many of the Dragon Ball films, the canon is debated among fans. However, Garlic Jr does return for his own saga of Dragon Ball Z after escaping the Dead Zone, seemingly confirming the events and leaving the immortal Garlic Jr still lingering in limbo.

5 Bardock’s Sons To Thrive

The New Generation

• Grantee: Monaito
• Source: Dragon Ball Manga
• Dragon: Toronobo

A vague wish, but one that could perhaps account for some of the fortune Goku enjoys and his ability to ascend to increasing new heights. Monaito initially intends to wish Bardock away with the Cerealian Dragon Balls, but he is stopped short.

Under some pressure from the Saiyan, Monaito instead wishes for Bardock’s sons to thrive. It’s a smaller nugget of Dragon Ball lore, but it shapes the series nicely and establishes that Goku is indeed special beyond simply being the main character.

4 The Knowledge To Summon A Super Saiyan God

The First Time Shenron Is A Bit Flustered

• Grantee: Goku
• Source: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
• Dragon: Shenron

Beerus the Destroyer’s curiosity regarding a Super Saiyan God brings him to Earth in search of answers. Beerus intends to destroy the planet like so many before it until Goku assures him he can bring forth a Super Saiyan God.

Shenron is unable to summon a Super Saiyan God, but a wish does grant Goku the knowledge to achieve the feat himself and satisfy Beerus’ lust for combat. Goku is still no match for the God of Destruction, but he opts to spare their planet thanks to their efforts.

3 Remove The Explosives From Android 17 & Android 18

Happy Wife, Happy Life

• Grantee: Krillin
• Source: Dragon Ball Z
• Dragon: Shenron

Krillin truly has noble intentions when he wishes for the explosives to be removed from the Androids, with 18’s best interest at heart — bridging the gap with recent adversaries and presenting them with the freedom to discover themselves.

It’s the catalyst that leads to 18 falling for Krillin, with the pair eventually settling down and having a child together. With the power of the Saiyans far surpassing any meaningful contribution he can make, Krillin can carry on as a family man.

2 Teleporting Everyone From Namek To Earth

Except Goku & Frieza, Of Course

• Grantee: Dende
• Source: Dragon Ball Z
• Dragon: Porunga

While almost entirely selfless, the arguably greatest aspect of this wish was saving himself, as Dende would go on to play a crucial role as Earth’s Guardian, reviving Shenron in a more powerful form, and enabling the dragon to revive more people as a single wish — something the Z Fighters would make use of on more than one occasion.

By saving Namek’s innocents, though, Dende also bought Goku the room to ensure that the tyrant Frieza would not escape the planet before its impending collapse. This wish also helped Vegeta on his unexpected path of redemption, living on Earth.

1 Reviving Goku

Earth’s Last Line Of Defense

• Grantee: Master Roshi
• Source: Dragon Ball Z
• Dragon: Shenron

What else could it be? It wasn’t exactly a permanent revival, but where would Earth be without the decision to bring Goku back after dying during his clash with Raditz?. Born as much out of sentimentality as a need to defeat the invading Saiyans, Master Roshi had no idea at the time how much they would come to depend on Goku.

Goku was integral in repelling Vegeta from Earth and defeating Frieza on Namek, battles that shaped him into the powerful hero that he would become, proving to be the Z Fighters’ last line of defense again and again.

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  Dragon Ball Z

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  Dragon Ball GT

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  Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn / Wrath of the Dragon