Dragon Ball Z, Vol. 10: Goku vs. Freeza

Dragon Ball [ドラゴンボール] #26

by Akira Toriyama

As Freeza changes into new forms, each more powerful than the last, the desperate heroes--Gohan, Kuririn, Piccolo and the self-serving Vegeta--find themselves struggling merely to stay alive. Desperate for a trump card, Vegeta asks Kuririn to mortally wound him, so that his auto-evolving mechanism will turn him into the legendary strongest fighter in the universe--the Super Saiyan! On the other side of the planet, Goku awakens from within his healing capsule and streaks to the battlefield to turn the tide. But even in his final, supposedly deadliest form, Freeza has an ace up his sleeve...

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Shonen, Science Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 1991

About the author

Akira Toriyama (鳥山明) was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most famous work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Toriyama came to be regarded as one of the most important authors in the history of manga with his works highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the Ginyu Force out of the way, there are no more distractions left. Now it’s finally time for Freeza to step up and fight our heroes! But Freeza is unlike any villain seen in the series so far and even the recently reincarnated and heavily powered-up Piccolo struggles to keep him at bay. Then, just as it looks like Son Gohan has the upper hand against him, Freeza reveals his secret power of transformation – and with each of the four forms he takes, his powers increase still further.

Vegeta’s still convinced that he’s the legendary Super Saiyan and tries to level up using the Namekian Dende’s healing powers. Because Saiyans only get stronger if they survive near-death battles, if he lets Kuririn kills him and Dende brings him back, he’ll be even stronger and could be Freeza’s equal. But even Vegeta is unable to defeat the monster, leaving it to the one and only Son Goku to stop him.

Akira Toriyama finally brought Goku into the story just a couple books ago for some brief scenes before abruptly taking him out of the picture again, so this is Goku’s second major entrance in this storyline. This time around though it’s a more satisfying appearance with Freeza on the ropes for a change as Goku’s new powers surprise even him in their effectiveness.

Elsewhere, another major character dies but, given the regularity with which the characters die and come back to life, these scenes have lost their impact now. But I’m still as impressed as ever with Toriyama’s artwork. The way he can convey action and speed in such an astoundingly convincing way is extraordinary, especially as the fight between Goku and Freeza is basically that of gods battling.

The fluidity of the storytelling thanks to Toriyama’s streamlined writing and art makes it seem like you’re not reading at all but rather watching a movie unfold. Volume 10 keeps up the excitement and tension of this engaging storyline. Looking forward to the inevitable first appearance of Goku as the Super Saiyan!

[Ola G · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10 stars

I'm torn between wanting to see the final fight between Goku and Freeza and between wanting to read more about Piccolo, Vegeta, Kuririn and Gohan. I really loved the glimpses of Vegeta/Sayians backstory that we get here, but with Freeza's four transformations the volume somewhat loses its previous suspense and momentum - we know Goku will be needed to even match up to Freeza, let alone defeat him, and the panels showcasing the beating our protagonists take from him (especially Vegeta) are quite painful to watch.

Also, xenomorph? Really?

The art is still impeccable, though, and Vegeta's story is really moving. So (I can't believe I'm saying this), this volume's rating gets bumped up by a star - for Vegeta the non-reformed, tragic villain ;)

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goku versus Frieza... it has a lot of the same story beats as back with Vegeta: can't keep up at all even with Kaio-Ken, push his body beyond what it can handle to hurt his enemy, still can't do any meaningful damage, bring in the Spirit Bomb, even that won't kill them, and so on. But there's a longer build-up - some fooling around at first, making us think Goku's going to stand a chance only to pull the wool later - and his friends have been left even farther to the dust, so it feels all the more dire and tense.

Still, though, how did Goku become this strong? The Saiyan ability is hax. Good thing he has no more Senzu Beans, or Dende, or time for a quick pop in the healing tank.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goku finally joins the battle vs Freeza. It's just one long epic battle where one of our allies falls.

I'm really enjoying this series so far but I am missing the fast-moving plot of the earlier volumes of Dragon Ball. Only one or two things happens each volume now.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a quick read but so fun! Its just all action, Goku finally returns after being healed and its him Frieza and the whole volume reads quick and fast because its just the action and epic and we see how Frieza is defeating Goku after getting his final transformation and overwhelming him but then as it happens as they are near the moment of death, their power increases! Its an insane fight and the art has never been better, some of the best of the series and its just pure action and insane! Also good ending for Vegeta!! The massive fight between Goku and Frieza continues!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vegeta’s mortal flaw isn’t so different from Goku’s. Must be a Saiyen thing. His hubris did him in.

[Luis Rodriguez]

The manga Dragon Ball Z, Vol.10 is about the main protagonist Goku and his arch villain Frieza, in this volume Goku is still in the healing pod on the other side of the planet, so his friends are holding Frieza back. Some of goku's allies are Gohan, PIccolo, Krillin and even Vegeta that was one of Goku’s villains but all of these people are fighting Frieza and holding him back until Goku is fully recovered. As their fight continues Goku finally leaves the healing pod and is on his way to fight Frieza.

My review on this manga is that is absolutely great and that I love the manga and the anime so much. Dragon Ball Z manga is great because it creates a suspense and anxiousness of when Goku will leave the healing pod and go help his friends in battle and when Frieza keeps getting a new form to get even stronger makes everything great. I really love this anime and manga.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5

This was a fantastic read. This series continues to get better and better. This is an absolute thrilling ride. I really enjoyed the action and battles. In this volume, I see Freeza transform to the version of himself that I recognize from the anime the most. I have to be honest reading the manga makes me want to watch the anime all over again. Also, Goku finally arrives to fight with Freeza. This is one of the long awaited battles for me. I think it will get more interesting in the next volume. I can't wait for Volume 11. Overall, an amazing read.

[Annchan Maulana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duh duh duh Songoku, Trunks, Bezita, BuLma ... dah lama banget ga baca and nonton Dragon Ballz. Salah satu kartun jepang favoritku dulu nie, selain Sailor Moon and Doraemon ^^

[Simon Verner · Rating 5 out of 5]

La course au super saïyen. Végéta et Sangoku passent tout près de la mort dans le but d’être soigné et devenir plus fort. Ce suit ensuite le combat entre Sangoku et Freezer. Les dessins du combat sont extrêmement bien faits. Ça nous permet de suivre chaque mouvement et chaque attaque avec précision. Sangoku n’est plus à grand chose de devenir le premier super saïyen. Le tout s’annonce grandiose.

[Ady Weasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freezer es muy fuerte ni Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan o Krillin pueden con él.
Goku por fin se recuperó la verdadera batalla está por comenzar

[Cameron Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great action scenes throughout this volume. Definitely my favorite panels so far in the series

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheesh! Freeza is so strong! 😳😳

[Chace Spillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't lie, while reading the manga I have dialogue from DBZ abridged playing in my head. It's a problem lol.

[Jenni Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s time for the real battle! So intense! Great fight scenes. Akira Toriyama did a phenomenal job of letting the reader really feel the motion of the fights. Can’t wait to read volume 11!

[MajesticalLion · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was pretty much just a bunch of "his power is unimaginable" "wait, the other person's power is rising" "so is Freeza's. He's a monster" "but the other person's STILL been holding back. We may still have a chance" "ah, but Freeza was ALSO holding back. This fight is over" and then that goes on for like 12 chapters. Vegeta dying would've been the memorable moment for the volume if I didn't know it doesn't stick. All in all, nothing truly noteworthy.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

As everyone tries their best to stay strong and find ways to stop Freeza, Son Goku arrives just in time to showcase his tremendous growth and wit against a half-maximum-powered Freeza. There's some jovial fun injected into this battle as you inevitably root for Son Goku and the ass-whooping he's about to give.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

To find all my reviews: http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com

Previously on Dragon Ball Z

(I) Goku is still in recovery over his fight with Captain Ginyu.

(II) Vegeta, Gohan, Kuririn, and Piccolo are fighting with Freeza has he is transforming to his ultimate monster form.

(III) The fate of the universe lies with Goku and the gang and Goku needs to achieve Super Saiyan form in order to defeat Freeza.

That is what you missed on Dragon Ball Z!

Before I dig into the plot of this volume I have to admit that this volume and the upcoming volumes are one of the best that I have witness in this new series because the amount of hard work that Akira Toriyama put into these fighting sequences are phenomenal and for a moment I forgot that I was reading a manga and instead watching an anime film in front of my eyes. I am loving Dragon Ball Z more and more each day thanks to the mangas.

Freeza has turned into this monstrosity of a fighter and that is not the end of his transformation. While Goku is recovering, the gang realize they need to delay time for him to fully recover and they know that this fight with Freeza will not be easy. They have courage that they can win this battle but when they realize that with each transformation of Freeza's appearance, he gains twice the amount of power he had previously so they are no match for him!

When Freeza finally reaches his final transformation, the gang runs for the hill. While he does not look like a monster, his new form allows him to attack and fly faster than the naked eye. No one except Vegeta can see Freeza and when the gang is about to give up and die, Goku is fully recovered and reaches the battlefield and that is when all hell breaks loose.

Freeza cannot believe that he has found a worth opponent and uses epic moves and attacks to test Goku's strength but figures out that the only way to defeat Goku is by using his full power. Vegeta is badly wounded and figures out that Goku is the prophecy in which he will become a Super Saiyan and while he hates for Goku to be the chosen one, he is glad nonetheless that Freeza will die and sadly Freeza kills him.

Goku is outraged by Vegeta's death but it is not the one to push him overboard and make him into a Super Saiyan. The fate of the universe lies with Goku and we do not know who will become victorious at the end of this volume. The fighting that will raise the bars for the series will not appear until next volume so until then please stay tuned for another episode of Dragon Ball Z!

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piccolo arrives on the battlefield to prove he has the power needed to defeat Frieza. But when Frieza rveals that he has 2 more forms that will increase his power even more all seems lost. Vegeta makes a last minute gamble to gain more power by having Krillin deal him a fatal blow. Frieza goes into his final form and kills Vegeta within seconds. Luckily Goku arrives on the scene but unfortunately for Goku, it seems his power is still not enough for Frieza.

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The battle between Goku and Freeza finally commences. This is what I've been waiting for! I'm so astounded at how fast yet slow this series has gone by. I loved the action like always. I'm happy to have Piccolo around. I was surprised at a death in this one. I just the gang was all here.

[Kasiamay Chanthararth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goku is the main character. He has this orange robe he wears over a blue shirt. he has mulses the size of a ham. He is about six feet tale. He came to a planet called namic to deafet this guy named freeza. The planet is mostly covered in green and has a lot of suns so it nerver gets dark. The aliens that live there never sleep. Goku is trying to kill this guy named freeza because he killed almost everyone on the palnet to get these dragon balls to make a wish. This book is great.

[Sergio Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

DRAGON BALL Z its about Son-Goku fights with FREEZA to save the planet NAME-KIAN this storry is based on the future.FREEZA wanted to destroy the planet because he found out that there were saiyans so he went to destroy that planet.


This story if a fiction book, I like the part when SON-GOKU fights with freeza. I would recomend this story because is a fun book to read.

[Logan Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Goku vs. Freeza fight.

[Hannibal]

Indian Indian the Indian went to red dot because he has a re spot

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad manga, just not my favorite. I enjoyed the anime more.

[Aziah Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love goku and gohan

[isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

From everything I have read from it, I’m not sure if you can really say Dragon Ball has “peaked” at any specific moments. Everytime I feel like it can’t possibly top itself it does, sometimes a volume later. And with Volume 10, Akira Toriyama has absolutely delivered and exceeded all expectations. More specifically, Team Piccolo + Vegeta vs Freeza is easily a top 3 fight of the series so far, and that statement is becoming more and more of a feat as I continue.

Very quickly this becomes a battle of desperation as the team from Earth is forced to fight along side the impossibly powerful sadistic monster that is Freeza in a scenario that somewhat reflects the battle for Earth against Nappa on paper. But contextual execution makes this a far greater moment in the story for me.

One of the biggest strengths that this battle has is that fact that the decent character count is ONLY made up of engaging characters. While the fight against Nappa featured about double the cast, resulting in large scale stakes to elevate the stakes, we were given very little reason to care about those who were in danger as it's so early in the story. While every character was given standalone time in the spotlight, there were just far too many for the story to focus on most of them the necessary amount for their incl;usion in the conflict to really matter. While I praise the Nappa fight for how it built up the stakes and did make for a great sequence of total despair, it didn’t utilise character enough for much of the event to feel consequential. I much prefer how this fight against Freeza is written.

As said before, this matchup consists of easily the best groups of characters that the story has had to offer. Piccolo and Gohan are back as by far the greatest dynamic in Dragon Ball. For the first half of this battle, this duo is at the forefront as they each give their all to save the other against impossible odds. Below them is Krillin and Vegeta. Two rivals who despise each other after their near death conflict on Earth but now are forced together against a common enemy. Both characters that have grown to be among the best written these past 2 arcs. And of course their is Freeza. Pure evil and he takes pleasure in that. He tortures Vegeta metres away from his allies because he knows they can’t do anything about it. He sets out to inflict as much damage as possible while also seemingly toying throughout the whole exchange.

The whole fight is chaotic. Different groups act on split second decisions simultaneously, unsure why their allies made certain decisions on the other side of the battle. Everyone throws everything at Freeza at once, with very few moments of simple one-on-one matchups. Its awesome and its terrifying.

What struck me the most about this particular volume is how speed is communicated through static images. To me its what really sells Freeza as being as powerful as he is said to be. But of course that is only aided by really striking visuals of destruction and death. Words can’t really communicate what this was to read.

Then finally Goku returns to save the day at the heroes’ lowest point. Everyone has literally lost the will to fight in the face of Freeza, which actually gave us Vegeta’s greatest yet most devastating character moment yet as he cries for the first time. Overall, Vegeta is clearly the highlight of the volume, the amount of development he is given though a single battle is remarkable yet fitting.

While the titular Goku vs Freeza fight is really great it doesn't QUITE reach the unreachable highs of what proceeded it, but its not over yet and the Freeza Saga may very well surpass the Saiyan Saga if this sticks the landing in conclusion.

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endlich haben die Freunde Hilfe im Kampf gegen Freezer bekommen indem sie sich Piccolo nach Nemek gewünscht haben. Stärker als nie zuvor tritt Piccolo dem Finsterling entgegen und es scheint fast so, als würde der Namekianer sehr gute Chancen haben. Doch spielt Freezer seinen Trumpf aus und mutiert abermals zu einer neueren und stärkeren Form. Die Freunde können es kaum fassen und müssen erkennen, dass sie ihm nichts mehr entgegen zu setzen haben. Selbst Vegeta scheint gegen Freezer machtlos und muss sich geschlagen geben. Als Son Goku seinen Freunden endlich wieder zu Hilfe eilen kann, erzählt Vegeta ihm die Wahrheit über den Planeten Vegeta. Denn er ist nicht durch einen Einschlag zerstört worden, sondern durch Freezers Hand. Fortan waren die wenigen überlebenden Sayajins dazu verdammt als Sklaven für den Finsterling zu arbeiten. Son Goku schwört Rache für den gefallenen Prinzen und die Lebewesen, die Freezer auf dem Gewissen hat. Doch dieser scheint immer stärker und stärker zu werden. Scheinbar kann nur noch Son Gokus Wandlung zu einem Supersayajin helfen, doch dies hat noch nie ein Sayajin erreicht...

-Achtung Spoiler-

Wieder einmal präsentiert Akira Toriyama sehr bildgewaltige Szenen und lässt sich weiterhin eine Menge einfallen, um seine Leserschaft zu begeistern. Wer dachte, dass es keine Steigerungsformen der Kräfte mehr geben kann, wird spätestens jetzt erkennen, dass das Fass noch lang nicht voll ist. Freezer wandelt sich in diesem Band nochmals um zwei Stufen, wobei die erste noch hässlicher als die aktuelle Stufe ist. Man fragt sich, was sich Akira als letzte Stufe einfallen lässt und hat schon ganz wildes Kopfkino. Doch dann kommt Freezer allglatt und vor allem chic designt daher, fast sogar schon ein bisschen niedlich. Doch der Schein trügt. Vegeta hingegen macht in diesem Band noch einmal eine totale Kehrtwendung und ich denke, dass er hätte ein guter Kämpfer an der Seite von Goku sein können, wenn er denn nicht gestorben wäre. Man erkennt in seinen letzten Szenen, dass er durchaus seinen Stolz hat, jedoch auch um seinen Planeten und vor allem um sein Volk trauert. Fast kann man schon sagen, dass es kaum verwunderlich ist, dass er so ein verbitterter Krieger geworden ist. Seine Hoffnung ein Supersayajin zu werden lassen ihn sogar die wildesten Dinge tun - so z.B. dass er sich von Kuririn schwer verletzen lässt, um an seine Grenzen zu kommen. Er ist verzweifelt und will mit aller Macht gegen Freezer ankommen. Und Verzweiflung ist etwas, was ich dem kleinen Choleriker gar nicht zugetraut hätte. Schade finde ich auch, dass Dende in diesem Band sterben musste. Man könnte wirklich meinen, dass Toriyama immer mehr Gefallen daran gefunden hat, dass die Charaktere in seinem Manga das zeitliche segnen. Bleibt nur zu hoffen, dass Son Goku langsam die Oberhand gewinnt und dem Finsterling einmal zeigt, was eine Harke ist. Und vielleicht erfährt man im Nachgang sogar noch ein bisschen mehr über Bardock - Son-Gokus Vater, denn die Geschichte fand ich wirklich richtig interessant.


Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen (15. Februar 2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3551735662
ISBN-13: 978-3551735669
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 10 - 12 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 11,6 x 1,7 x 17,7 cm

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize we had started season 3 of the anime last volume so...there ya go! Volume 10 gets an additional star because dang did this give me the feels! I'm going to be honest though that one thing the anime *does* do better than the manga is flesh out the side characters more. I hadn't realized how much of Vegeta/The Saiyans backstory with Freeza was embellished for the show. This volume had more of the "we'll just waste time until Goku can show up" which was an insult to the awesome skill Piccolo had obtained. Another thing, who cares what Yamcha and Tien are up to in Other World if they're never going to come close to the enemy's power?
Freeza has 2 more transformations, a xenomorph looking thing and his final transformation that is like a goofy body-suit sort of appearance. However, each transformation increases his power and he loves to show off, including killing Dende who'd been healing the squad. Piccolo puts up a decent fight until the last transformation and admits he's still leagues away from Freeza. And even Vegeta, still dreaming of that Super Saiyan status, isn't a match for the newly powered up alien. My heart broke though when Goku does arrive and Vegeta finally gets some character growth. Vegeta for the first time in his life sheds tears as his will to fight vanished and hope is lost...and then he dies. Cause Freeza kills him , the d-bag. But Goku swears he'll avenge Vegeta who was so soft in his final moments. Goku and Freeza begin their show down and seem fairly evenly matched. However, Goku realizes quite a few flaws early on, including Freeza not being able to read chi and his arrogance being the biggest weaknesses. King Kai however is grim as he watches on, stating the entire time Freeza is only using 50% of his power.

Meh. I'm over this everyone being impossibly strong. There's gotta be small victories along the way to make the pay off worth it. Otherwise it's just the Z-Fighters getting beat up until Goku shows up. Why are the other characters even there? Why should we care about them? The way their written they're essentially useless. This arc is starting to wrap up however and I'm glad for it. Freeza an his arc is a fan favorite but I don't really understand why. :p

[Natalie]

Despite myself not interested in Dragon Ball Z I do have a large amount of respect for the franchise.

As I said before in my review of Dragon Ball, this kickstarted the trends for later Shonen manga and that's something to admire about the entire Dragon Ball series. Shonen manga series have taken elements from the Dragon Ball series and use it for inspiration for their own work like battles, art, character design, and plot. I feel like I was a bit too old when I was first introduced to the starters of Shounen and Shojo. Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon were introduced to me a bit too late after I had started reading & watching series like InuYasha, Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Code Geass.

Again, I still think it's an admirable franchise despite my personal feelings towards it. (I don't hate it but I didn't love it either) It's extremely popular worldwide and for the anime to still be watched and loved to this very day I think that says a lot about it. There are many things to like and admire about it because of the legacy that it brought with its creation.

While I don't love Dragon Ball Z, it has done a lot for a very popular art form and will continue to be great and loved for years to come.