Summary
- Dragon Ball’s filler episodes are oddly endearing, showcasing weird plots fans love despite being inconsequential.
- The Fake Namek arc is memorable filler featuring doppelgangers and grotesque transformations in a battle.
- The baseball game in Dragon Ball Super is a fan-favorite filler episode with hilarious moments and overdramatic transformations.
Dragon Ball is a series full to the brim with iconic moments that fans can’t get enough of. This shonen series features memorable characters, compelling villains, incredible fights, and awe-inspiring transformations that continue to leave fans on the edge of their seats.
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The fact that the filler of Dragon Ball has become iconic in its own right is a testament to the sheer amount of love fans have for Goku and his friends. Some of the weirdest Dragon Ball episodes end up being oddly endearing, even though these episodes contribute nothing to the forward movement of the main plot.
8
Princess Snake
A Massive Snake In Her Human Form Falls For Goku
- Episode Number: 8 (Dragon Ball Z)
- Original Air Date: August 2, 1989
Goku’s journey across Snake Way in the anime is so long that fans genuinely believed that this convoluted path was as time-consuming as the show made it seem. The Saiyan encountered many unique people during his travels, including the iconic Princess Snake.
This charming princess is infatuated with Goku and feeds her a ton of food before asking him to marry her. However, he’s in a relationship with Chi-Chi and refuses, enraging Princess Snake as she transforms into a big snake and tries to stop the Saiyan. A Kamehameha would’ve been enough to defeat this beast, but Goku didn’t want to be so rude after eating so much food and decided to tie the snake into a knot before leaving.
7
Vegeta Disappears?! Menace Of The Duplicate Vegeta!
Copy Vegeta Makes An Appearance
- Episode Number: 45 (Dragon Ball Super)
- Original Air Date: May 29, 2016
Copy Vegeta is one of the weirdest filler arcs in the Dragon Ball series. However, it did give Brian Drummond a chance to rekindle the magic of the Ocean dub by engaging in a war of words with Christopher Sabat, the official Vegeta voice for Funimation.
The episode itself is largely inconsequential, with Copy Vegeta and Goku duking it out before this imposter is taken out for good. Vegeta regains his powers soon after and the Z Warriors move on to other adventures in no time.
6
Gohan’s Plight! The Preposterous Great Saiyaman Film Adaptation?!
Marks The Return Of The Great Saiyaman
- Episode Number: 73 (Dragon Ball Super)
- Original Air Date: January 8, 2017
The Great Saiyaman was a weird time in Dragon Ball Z that got a nod in Super in the form of a two-episode filler arc. Gohan and his family find out that his superhero is being represented in a movie, where the star gets angry at him after Videl rebukes him in front of everyone.
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The movie star tries to humiliate Gohan by making him a stuntman, only to fail since Gohan could easily accomplish these stunts without too many problems. After Jaco and his captured alien parasite land, things become relatively more regular for Dragon Ball Super, but this movie shoot is weird enough to be endearing for some fans.
5
Who’s Who?!
The Heroes Find Out They’re On Fake Namek
- Episode Number: 31 (Dragon Ball Z)
- Original Air Date: September 27, 1997
A lot of Dragon Ball Z‘s filler is fresh in the minds of most fans, including the Fake Namek arc that was entertaining even if it took too long. The trio of Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan land on what they assume to be Namek, with two Namekians greeting them too.
What follows is a hunt for fake Dragon Balls as the two doppelgangers try to distract the people from Earth long enough to steal their spaceship. After their ruse is uncovered, the two transform to reveal their grotesque pink forms and engage in a battle that is lost pretty quickly.
4
Goz And Mez
A Hilarious And Iconic Episode Where The World Hell Is Censored
- Episode Number: 7 (Dragon Ball Z)
- Original Air Date: July 26, 1989
Dragon Ball Z is such an iconic series that even something as simple as censorship has become an iconic part of the series. Such is the case during the journey across Snake Way when Goku falls off during a nap and lands in HFIL, or the Home for Infinite Losers.
Long-time fans know that this acronym was devised to get away with censoring Hell for a children’s show. The actual contents of the episode involve Goku escaping from this place and reaching the start of Snake Way once again, outwitting Goz and Mez in the process.
3
Gohan’s First Date
A Misunderstanding Leads To Gohan Being Forced Into Going Out On A Date
- Episode Number: 202 (Dragon Ball Z)
- Original Air Date: September 29, 1993
When Gohan turns into the Great Saiyaman, he goes to great lengths to protect this secret identity. After a girl says that he knows the Saiyan’s secret, Gohan is coerced into a date that goes horribly.
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He becomes occupied with saving lives and doesn’t pay attention to his date, who gets angry and declares that she’ll reveal his secret. Gohan feels that the jig is up, only to find out that the secret is that Gohan wears kiddish teddy bear underwear.
2
A Challenge From Champa! This Time, A Baseball Game!
Universe 6 And 7 Take Part In An Entertaining Baseball Match
- Episode Number: 70 (Dragon Ball Super)
- Original Air Date: December 11, 2016
The best filler episode in Dragon Ball Super for many fans, this Universal baseball game ends up being a blast as everyone gets to have fun. It helps that things become overdramatic in the best way possible as people start transforming to nail home runs.
The highlight of this weird episode comes when Yamcha wins the cost but at great physical harm, replicating his pose when the Saibaman killed him. It’s a hilarious callback that cements Universe 7’s victory in the match.
1
Goku Vs. Arale! An Off-The-Wall Battle Spells The End Of The Earth?
A Gag Character Who Turns Out To Be Ridiculously Strong
- Episode Number: 69 (Dragon Ball Super)
- Original Air Date: December 4, 2016
Arale is one of Toriyama’s original creations that fans aren’t aware of. This humanoid robot appears as a fourth-wall-breaking gag character in Dragon Ball Super, with her power being seemingly limitless because of the invulnerability most comic relief characters have.
This leads to ridiculous instances where Vegeta punches Arale, only for her to travel around the world and hit Vegeta for serious damage. The fact that Goku finds himself in trouble even after powering up to Super Saiyan Blue against this “foe” is a testament to how weird Arale’s cameo is in Dragon Ball Super.
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Dragon Ball
- Release Date
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February 26, 1986
- Seasons
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1
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Dragon Ball Z
- Release Date
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April 26, 1989
- Seasons
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9
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Dragon Ball Super
- Release Date
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July 5, 2015
- Seasons
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1
- Streaming Service(s)
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Hulu
