Dragon Ball Z Season 3 Review

Episode Guide

Password is Prounga
Piccolo’s Return
The Fusion
Fighting Power: One Million??
Gohan Attacks
Piccolo The Super Namek
Deja Vu
Frieza’s Second Transformation
Another Transformation
Dende’s Demise
The Renewed Goku
The End Of Vegeta
The Ultimate Battle
Clash Of the Super Powers
Frieza’s Boast
Bold and Fearless
Embodiment Of Fire
Trump Card
Keep the Chance Alive
Power of the Spirit
Transformed At Last
Explosion Of Anger
Namek’s Destruction
A Final Attack
Approaching Destruction
Gohan Returns
The Last Wish
Duel On A Vanishing Planet
Pathos of Frieza
Frieza Defeated!!
Mighty Blast of Rage
Namek’s Explosion…Goku’s End?
Goku’s Alive!

Picking up where season 2 left off, the third season of the Japanese anime finally sees the heroes battle the evil Frieza. With twists, turns and a massive amount of action, this climactic end to the saga that started last season is by far the best in the show’s history so far. With more exploration of the Saiyan heritage, including an emergence of the prophesied Super Saiyan, and almost the entirety of the episodes dedicated to the fight itself, season three is an incredible ride from start to finish.

Unlike in previous seasons that relied on building up toward a climactic fight, season three of Dragon Ball Z works as the final act to the saga that begun last year. With almost every episode focused on the fight with Frieza, the 33 episodes zip by at a breathless pace. There’s some real shockers here too, with the Z fighters up against the toughest villain they’ve ever come across and along with Vegeta, they work together to try and stop him. This season does mirror that of the previous two seasons in some ways, with the first half of episodes waiting for Goku to arrive to the battle before beginning the final push to stopping the evil tyrant. It does feel a bit of a tired trope by this point after seeing this used in the past two seasons but the action moves so swiftly its easy to forgive.

With so much time dedicated to the action, there isn’t a lot of time to develop the characters who all return and slot into their familiar roles. However, this season does see an evolution in Vegeta’s character who is well written throughout. The proud, arrogant Saiyan finds his resolve broken this season and its fascinating watching the fear and desperation seep into his character the longer the fight with Frieza goes on. There’s a particularly interesting scene early on that sees Vegeta try and flee the scene of the fight only to be stopped by the evil tyrant. Its a surprising turn of events and one that helps paint Vegeta in a new light, especially as his slight shift from all out villain to antihero is well paced and an interesting dynamic to his persona.

Overall then, season three of Dragon Ball Z is a great pay off for the built up expectations of last year. The action is well animated and the battle with Frieza is exhausting and paced well throughout. Despite an over-reliance on waiting for Goku for a third season running, its easy to forgive this as the fight with Frieza takes centre stage. Season Three is the best season so far and the unrivalled amount of action is great to see, especially after last season spent so much of its time building up to this penultimate fight. With some solid voice acting again and an interesting story full of twists and turns, season three of Dragon Ball Z is by far the best so far in the show’s history.