Akira Toriyama ''loves'' throwing curve balls in ''{{Manga/Dragon Ball}}'' but some were just so shocking it would simply leave your jaw on the floor.

'''Warning:''' Due to WhamEpisode being a spoileriffic trope, '''all spoilers are unmarked.'''

!!Dragon Ball
* When Goku tells Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong and Puar about the night a giant ape monster killed his grandpa when the moon was full. After a few minutes of Goku's reminiscing (in which he recalls how his grandpa told him never to look at the full moon) the gang, petrified, scoot into the corner and deduce that ''Goku'' was the monster that night.
-->'''Yamcha:''' I-I-I had a f-feeling he wasn't an ordinary k-k-kid...!
** Bonus points for Oolong's question after their escape: "So what is he, some kinda space alien?" Fast forward to the beginning of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', where we find out that this is indeed the case.
* Krillin's first death. After a tournament, the gang go out to eat, but Goku realizes he's forgotten something, so Krillin decides to go back and retrieve it. Goku has an uneasy feeling throughout dinner and finally snaps and runs back to the tournament grounds... to find Krillin dead. This set the tone for the King Piccolo arc, and is considered to be the turning point of the show when it became [[DarkerAndEdgier more serious]].
* Goku takes on Demon King Piccolo to exact revenge for one of his subordinates killing his best friend Krillin. Seems like the typical Shonen battle set up: Main protagonist takes on the BigBad to get revenge for harming the protagonists friend. After Goku takes the initial offensive and seemingly overwhelms Piccolo, Piccolo decided TheCoatsAreOff and proceeds to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown kick Goku's ass six ways to Sunday]]. He beats Goku so bad, that for a short period of time Goku was ''dead''. Piccolo then takes the Dragon Ball around Goku's neck and proceeds with his plan of wishing for eternal youth. '''[[TheBadGuyWins Which he succeeded in doing so in the end]]'''.
* Roshi unleashes the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Evil Containment Wave]] in a bid to seal King Piccolo, however, Roshi misses at the last second and ''dies''. Shortly after that, '''[[FromBadToWorse King Piccolo summons Shenron]]'''.
** In the next episode, which is arguably even more of WhamEpisode, King Piccolo has his wish granted for him to be restored to his physical prime, and then '''''KILLS [[BenevolentGenie SHENRON]]''''' so that nothing may ever threaten him again. [[MagnificentBastard Well played, Piccolo]].
*** Bonus points for also [[CombatPragmatist killing Chiaotzu immediately when he tried to make his wish before him]].
* At the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament [[BigGood Kami]] launches the Evil Containment Wave at [[AxCrazy Piccolo Jr.]] with the intention of sealing him in a bottle... only for Piccolo to ''reverse the technique'' '''and imprison Kami instead'''.
** Bonus for points for also later ''swallowing the bottle that contained Kami'' during his match with Goku, so that if Goku were to kill him he would end up also killing Kami as well. [[MagnificentBastard A leaf straight out of his father's book.]]

!!Dragon Ball Z
* While this wouldn't register with most English speaking fans due to SequelFirst making it a LateArrivalSpoiler, the '''entire Saiyan arc''' would qualify for this:
** Goku, the ChasteHero, ''has a son''.
** Goku, the AllLovingHero protagonist, turns out to have a ''[[LongLostRelative long-lost brother]]'', and an ''[[CainAndAbel evil brother]]'' on top of that.
** Goku and Piccolo ''[[SuperheroOrigin are aliens]]''.
** Goku is '''''[[TheHeroDies dead]]'''''.
** [[AnyoneCanDie Yamcha, Chiaotzu and Tien all die as well]].
*** Yamcha's death in particular. While he's the franchise butt monkey nowadays (partly due to his infamous death pose in this very scene), it must have been shocking for contemporary audiences to see a powerful series mainstay killed off with little warning by a mere underling.
** [[AlasPoorVillain Piccolo dies]] [[TakingTheBullet saving Gohan from Nappa's attack]], and because of this, [[{{Synchronization}} Kami drops dead too]], and as a result of this... '''[[OhCrap the Dragon Balls VANISH!]]'''
** And [[BigBad Vegeta]] ''escapes''. (In a strangely ironic twist, Krillin [[ThrowTheDogABone survives]].)
* The ending of Goku's battle with the Ginyu Force. For the last several episodes since his arrival on Namek, Goku's been mopping the floor with the Ginyu Force, and has finally confronted Captain Ginyu himself. Goku should eventually just beat the Captain as easily as he did his men and get ready to take on Freeza, right? Except Ginyu reveals he has the power to steal someone's body, and proceeds to steal Goku's for himself! Although Goku is eventually able to regain control, the damage dealt to him while Ginyu was still in charge leaves him in heavy need of hospitalization. Which means Freeza is still out there waiting to attack, and '''[[OhCrap and the Z Warriors' biggest powerhouse has just been taken out of action]]'''.
* The actual fight with Frieza defies all expectations a few times. Firstly with the fact that Frieza can [[OneWingedAngel transform]] into something more monstrous after Vegeta was able to match his strength. Secondly with the revelation that in Frieza's final form, for all his bluster, Vegeta is leagues behind him. A fact that Frieza has fun with. Finally, Goku shows up and all things seem to be going well...until it's revealed that [[OhCrap Frieza isn't even using 10% of his power]]. This marks the first time that Goku arrives on the battlefield only to be just as outmatched as everyone else.
* The first time Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan, a direct result of Freeza killing Goku's best friend, Krillin (yes, ''again'') and mocking him after the fact. Before that, Piccolo's seemingly senseless sacrifice, thankfully Freeza didn't mock Piccolo. Not just because the whole scene was epic but also because the normally cheerful Goku's disposition drastically changed. Besides the fact that he was revealed to be the legendary Super Saiyan, his looks changed and he became more powerful. No one was quite sure of what was going on with him; not his son Gohan nor Freeza nor the audience.
* A minor one in the beginning of the Android Saga, when it was revealed that the mysterious sword wielding Super Saiyan was in fact Trunks the son of Vegeta and Bulma... [[KidFromTheFuture who hasn't even been concieved yet]].
** Trunks' entire introduction prior to this was a Wham moment too. Prior to this, the it was firmly established that the only living Saiyan characters were Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan. His reveal as a Super Saiyan revealed that somehow, someway, there was somebody else with Saiyan blood.
* After Android 20 (Actually Dr. Gero) and 19 didn't live up to be the terrifying threat that Future Trunks set them up to be, the heroes seem to think that Android's 17 and 18 would be just as much of a pushover. Especially Vegeta in his Super Saiyan form, since he enacted a brutal curb stomp battle on 19. This despite how much Future Trunks is freaking out. But even as the battle between 18 and Vegeta really shows just how powerful these new foes are, no one was expecting 18 to effortlessly break Vegeta's arm. Such a brutal act showed just how screwed the heroes were, as their training for three years was practically AllForNothing.
* When [[ArcVillain Cell]] debuts, Piccolo asks who and what he is and Cell tells him ''he's his brother''. [[ItMakesSenseInContext He's actually technically correct]], given what his [[LegoGenetics genetic composition]] is.
* Gohan becoming a [[TookALevelInBadass Super Saiyan 2]], following the the tragic death of [[BadassPacifist Android 16]], who for the record, [[KilledOffForReal couldn't be brought back to life.]]
* Believe or not, the following all happened in '''one''' episode: Cell reverts back to his Semi-Perfect form, [[TakingYouWithMe Cell turns himself into a bomb ready to destroy the Earth and himself]], [[HeroicSacrifice Goku at the last second, then teleports Cell to King Kai's planet and in the process killing himself, King Kai, Bubbles and King Kai's planet in last ditch effort to save the earth...]] [[SenselessSacrifice which proves to be futile in the end]] [[NoOneCouldHaveSurvivedThat as Cell survives explosion]], ''[[CameBackStrong comes back even stronger]] [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity and even more bat-shit crazy]]'' and to end the episode... '''[[AnyoneCanDie Cell kills Future Trunks]]'''.
** The episode that follows it is just as much as WhamEpisode, if not more so: Vegeta is knocked senseless in a failed attempt of RoaringRampageOfRevenge for his son's death at the hands of Cell, Gohan ends up losing an arm trying to save Vegeta from being killed by Cell and Cell then starts to charge a kamehameha with enough power and energy to '''destroy the solar system'''.
* [[BattleButler Kibito]] is killed by [[SatanicArchetype Dabura]] and in the same episode Krillin and Piccolo are turned to ''stone''.
* Vegeta becomes possessed by [[EvilSorcerer Babadi's]] magic and then kills 200 innocent bystanders (give or take) at the World Martial Arts Tournament stadium.
* [[ArcVillain Majin Buu]] turns Dabura ''into a cookie and then eats him'', and [[CurbStompBattle absolutely owns]] Super Saiyan 2 Gohan and '''one of the rulers of the Universe!'''
* Vegeta kills himself in epic fashion in an attempt to kill Majin Buu. [[SenselessSacrifice It didn't work.]]
* When Goku had to distract Majin Buu the first time he fought him everyone thought he would share the same fate as Majin Vegeta. That was until Goku revealed that he had a Super Saiyan 3 transformation. This of course shocked both the audience and the characters a bit, echoing the Super Saiyan transformation in the Frieza Saga with one of the most spectacular transformation sequences ever.
* [[FakeUltimateHero Mr. Satan]] convinces Majin Buu not to cause any more destruction by explaining what the differences are between good and bad. Majin Buu not only agrees to never kill again but also starts to show his side of love and compassion with a new dog the he and Mr Satan had adopted when Majin Buu healed it. [[ShootTheDog The dog was shot at the end of the episode]].
** The next episode takes it up a notch. In that episode ''Mr Satan'' gets shot and while he succeeds in saving his life the grief is all to much for Majin Buu as his desperation to not do anything bad as his friend Mr Satan had instructed him so, such as being angry, lead to his anger manifesting and creating [[EvilCounterpart Evil Buu]].
*** And in the next episode ''Majin Buu gets turned into candy with [[HoistByHisOwnPetard his own attack]]'' and '''gets eaten by [[EnemyWithin Evil Buu]]'''. Leading to Super Buu being born an even stronger, eviler and smarter version of Buu. It then takes him no less then a few seconds to then find Z Fighters on Kami's Lookout, who for record were ''totally unprepared''.
* [[AxCrazy Super Buu]]'s Human Extinction Attack... 'nuff said.
* Piccolo destroys the door of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber trapping Super Buu in the time chamber... along with himself and [[BoisterousBruiser Gotenks.]]
* Gotenks becomes a '''[[PowerMakesYourHairGrow Super Saiyan 3]]''' and use his new power to ''rip a hole through a dimension'' and escape the time chamber along with Piccolo... but not in time to stop Super Buu from turning all of their friends into chocolate and eating them alive.
* Goku is revived by Old Kai, who [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices his own life force]], exchanging it with that of Goku. With this, Goku becomes the only character in the entire series to be revived NOT by the Dragon Balls.
* As Gotenks defuses inside Buu, cutting Buu's power to half of what it was before, Super Buu is seemingly on the edge... until he absorbs Gohan out of nowhere, giving him a great increase in strength and leaving Goku with no-one left to fuse with other than ''Mr Satan''. [[BigDamnHeroes Enter Vegeta.]]
* Super Buu turning [[ShowyInvincibleHero Vegito]] ''into a piece of candy''. AND promptly gets his ass whopped to next Satuday, and the NEXT Saturday after THAT.
* [[OmnicidalManiac Kid Buu]] becomes the first villain to '''[[EarthShatteringKaboom destroy the Earth]]''' and in the process killing Goten, Trunks, Piccolo, Gohan, Tien, Chiaotzu, and any Earthlings who may have survived Super Buu's Human Extinction Attack. The only people who survived were Goku, Vegeta, Dende, Mr Satan and Bee the dog. Of all the dark times there have been in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', this was undoubtedly the ''darkest''.
* The (re)emergence of Fat Buu.
* Dende and Vegeta reviving Earth and all those (good people) killed since the start of the World Tournament Arc. It's a WhamEpisode as the dead are revived BEFORE the defeat of the villain, effectively making this a GodzillaThreshold. Vegeta himself is revived, essentially cementing his HeelFaceTurn for good. Vegeta then tells Goku to prepare the Spirit Bomb to finally defeat Buu. All this in a single episode!!!
* Mr. Satan motivating the entire world to donate their energy to Goku, who drops it all on Kid Buu.
* Kid Buu {{no sell}}s the firing of the Spirit Bomb, '''lifts it up using sheer willpower, and ''fires it back towards Goku''!!!'''. Dende uses his wish to restore Goku's power (allowing him to turn Super Saiyan), and Goku sends the Spirit Bomb back, finally defeating the Majin menace once and for all.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'' introduces the God of Destruction Beerus, who is feared in the universe by anyone who knows him. He takes out Super Saiyan 3 Goku with ''two hits'', one of which being a '''[[FingerPokeOfDoom finger flick]]'''. With the help of Vegeta, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Videl (who is pregnant with Pan), Goku obtains Super Saiyan God. Ultimately, the new form isn't enough for Goku to beat Beerus, who used 70% of his power. After Goku surrenders, Beerus chooses not to destroy Earth out of respect for Goku's efforts and takes his leave, but not before revealing to Goku that his assistant Whis is his ''teacher'' (and thus stronger than him) and that there are 12 universes, with the one ''Dragon Ball'' has been set in being the seventh.

!!Dragon Ball Super
* The end of Episode 47. The new villain is Goku! Moreover, "Goku" kills Future Bulma and (as it looked like then), Future Mai.
* Zamasu assassinates Gowasu. Then Whis rewinds time, Zamasu's caught red-handed. While moving on to attack Goku and Gowasu, Zamasu's promptly intercepted by Beerus, who then proceeds to ATOMIZE Zamasu, with only one word... HAKAI!
* Episode 61, where we finally learn Goku Black's true origin. He's NOT Zamasu possessing Future Goku's body, he's Present Zamasu, one year after the Champa Saga. To elaborate, this is the version of Zamasu who succeded in assassinating Gowasu (with no Whis and Beerus to interfere), usurping the position of Supreme Kai from him. Then, he used the Super Dragon Balls to swap bodies with Goku. THEN, he swiftly kills Goku, along with Chi-Chi and Goten. After that, he jumped from timeline to timeline, finally meeting Future Zamasu and setting the arc in motion.
* From the aptly-named Universal Survival Arc, the revelation that Zen'o is using the tournament Goku suggested to decide which universes should be completely erased from existence, save for the Angels.
* The end of Episode 98, which makes everyone truly realize how high the stakes are. Goodbye, Universe 9. ''Forever.'' (Okay, not really, but still!)
* The reveal of Goku's newest transformation: Ultra Instinct.
* The winner of the Tournament of Power isn't Goku, Vegeta, Jiren, or even Frieza. It's [[TheBusCameBack Android 17]]. Furthermore, not only does said winner wish back the universes that got wiped out of existence, but Whis revives Frieza, meaning the heroes will have to deal with him yet again.
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