Action Shots: Dragon Ball Z Kai

Some cool images from Vegeta and Goku's first fight in Dragon Ball Z Kai. Roughly episodes 15-18. Re-watching this sequence recently, it has become fairly clear that this is the best fight in the series. Vegeta and Goku use a wide variety of powers and strategies. The characters all look like they take a beating. And every character, not just Goku, actually does something meaningful throughout the fight. The direction is also better than the rest of the series. There's a good mix long-shots, mid-range shot, and close-ups. The use of close-ups is especially effective when it's used to emphasize the character's pain. Vegeta is spitting and coughing blood, and Goku's use of Kaio-Ken is animated in a way that makes it look physically painful for him. The re-dubbing is also aces. Vegeta is appropriately evil and arrogant. Goku projects his usual calm self. The arc is also completed in a few episodes. The later fights in the series quickly devolve into very bland, samey direction, and the fighting becomes more rote and less dynamic.

Below are some of the more striking images from this sequence. I wouldn't say I could find single, punchy images like these in later episodes: