Although the primary focus Dragon Ball franchise has always been a struggle and a never-ending quest for power, there's no denying that many aspects of the story are pretty fun and light-hearted. From Goku's goofy personality to the hilarious gag moments, there's a reason many fondly remember this franchise from their youth.
However, with that being said, there are definitely some incredibly dark moments in the series that really shocked viewers when they were introduced. The main reason is the contrast between the moments themselves and the overall tone Dragon Ballso let's go through the series' darkest moments that came out of nowhere.

Dragon Ball: Every technique you forgot Goku can use
Goku is one of the most talented martial artists in the multiverse, so there are obviously many techniques he can do.
Future Gohan's final stance was tragic
Arc: Android Saga
Gohan is a character that most fans of the franchise have grown up with since his journey Dragon Ball he also started when he was a child. This made him one of the most beloved characters in the entire story, which is why it was so heartbreaking to see his final battle against the Androids, seeing the adored character meet such a violent end.
Future Gohan grew up in a world that was ravaged by these deadly enemies, making him the only person who even stood a chance against them. Although it was an adult version, fans wiped tears from their eyes when they saw this awesome hero finally die at the hands of Android 17 and 18, made even more tragic by his relationship with Trunks.
Spopovich vs. He saw the watch was uncomfortable
Arc: Buu Saga
The Buu Saga begins in a pretty good place, the world has experienced peace since the fall of Cell and the heroes enter the World Martial Arts Tournament. However, the first hint that something was amiss was seen with Popovich and Yam, who both looked like pretty scary villains.
The reason many see Spopovic's fight against Videl as a dark moment is because the fight was grounded and lacked the typical flashy moves and techniques of normal Dragon Ball is fighting Seeing a villain mercilessly defeat a relatively weak and new character was a moment few were really prepared for.
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Piccolo walked into the carnage in Ginger Town
Arc: Android Saga
The Dragon Ball the franchise is no stranger to the massacres that villains commit, and one of the most horrifying cases was what Cell did to Ginger Town in his first form. After waking up and being watched by Piccolo, the Namekian heads into town to find out what the whole deal is.
Here, Piccolo is met with a terrifying and ominous sight that basically consists only of crashed cars and hundreds of clothes left on the empty roads, as if every living thing here simply disappeared. The cause of this is then revealed to be Cell, who is first seen liquefying and consuming men with his tail, setting the stage for one of the series' most powerful, iconic and terrifying villains.
Krillin's Death At Frieza's Hands Came Out Nowhere
Arc: Namek Saga
The most iconic scene in Dragon Ball's history is Goku's first transformation into his legendary Super Saiyan form. However, the scene that causes this explosion of power is one of the darkest in the series, as it forces fans to witness the death of one of the series' oldest and most respected characters.
Krillin is no stranger to death Dragon Ball. The reason his death at the hands of Frieza is so terrifying is how sudden and violent it is. With fans thinking the heroes finally got some reprieve, Frieza appears out of nowhere and promptly blows up Krillin. The fact that his last words were his best friend's name made the testimony even more visceral.

Dragon Ball: Goku's strongest attack in every form, rated
Goku has introduced many incredible techniques over the years, so let's go through the most powerful ones in each of his forms.
Buu's extinction attack ended humanity
Arc: Buu Saga
Buu was easily the craziest villain in the whole thing Dragon Ball franchise because it was a monster whose sole purpose was to destroy everything it came across. Even though Kid Buu managed to destroy Earth towards the end of the arc, the Human Extinction Attack was much more shocking.
Despite Super Buu being less monstrous than Kid Buu, the Human Extinction Attack is considered an even worse feat of indiscriminate killing because it was so much more personal. This fast energy bullet sought out every human being on Earth and pierced through their bodies, killing them instantly. It was pretty wild because the shots of all the people dying were too dark.
Goku Black continued the horror of the future timeline
Arc: Future Trunks Saga
Future Trunks' timeline just can't seem to catch a break. Well, after the Androids and Cell were dealt with by Future Trunks, a new threat emerged that was far more powerful than anyone in this timeline could handle, and then proceeded to destroy most of Earth and kill most of the people there.
A Kai named Zamasu overtook the body of Goku to become the strongest in the universe, killing all the people Goku gave his life to protect. The worst part was that he even killed Chichi and Goten while wearing Goku's face, showing that the last thing they saw when their lives ended was the same man they loved from the beginning. This makes the horror wrought by this villain the darkest of all Dragon Ball when did he get