Wham Line / Dragon Ball

• From Dragon Ball:
  • At the end of the Emperor Pilaf Saga, Goku mentions a monster that comes out during the full moon, which killed his grandpa while he was sleeping. The kicker?
    Goku: The last thing I remember was grandpa warning me about the full moon and how I should never, ever look at it.
  • A notable one in the Fortunteller Baba arc, we meet a short man bearing a fox mask and a halo, only known by the alias "The Mysterious Fifth Man" at the time, being the final opponent Fortuneteller Baba brings out just for Goku, It's only when Master Roshi actually recognizes who he is do we find out about his true identity:
    Bulma: How come he knew about Goku's weakness being his tail?
    Master Roshi: Because he is Son Goku's dead grandfather... Son Gohan!
  • At the very end of the 22nd World Tournament:
    Goku: He's dead... Krillin is dead!
  • At the beginning of Z:
    Raditz: (about Piccolo, who was by then the second strongest warrior on Earth after Goku): Ho... your Battle Power is 322. So, there are people like you around. But you're still no match for me.
  • A little later, after he lands on the Kame House where Goku also happened to be there introducing his longtime friends his son Gohan, the guy who he was looking for, do we find out who this Raditz guy is, and why he knows who Goku is and why he looked for him in the first place:
    Raditz: My name is Raditz... your brother!
    • Followed by an even bigger revelation, one for Dragon Ball as a whole, completely changing what was once a Journey to the West-inspired series about a superhuman orphan child martial artist and his group of friends going on a quest to find the 7 titular Dragon Balls in order to summon a wish-granting dragon while fighting many powerful enemies (most of them also looking for the aforementioned Dragon Balls for their own personal gain) on the way into the much more intense and serious action-packed series it is known for today:
    Raditz: You are a Saiyan... like me... from Planet Vegeta...
    • After Goku and Piccolo defeats Raditz, with Goku grabbing him from the behind so Piccolo would be able to blast his Special Beam Cannon at him without him escaping, even though it meant Goku would also be hit by it as well, Raditz then drops one last bomb at Piccolo before succumbing to his wounds, that him and everyone on earth's troubles are far from over.
    Raditz: Ha! There are 2 more Saiyans still stronger than me... and they will arrive in this dirt within one year...
  • From the next saga, after Vegeta notices something different about Goku after his arrival on Namek,:
    Vegeta: Impossible! Could he be... the legendary Super Saiyan?
  • At the start of Frieza's 'fight' against Nail:
    Frieza: Care to guess my power level? *beat* 530,000. (for reference, that's during a point in the saga where having a power level of ~60k was considered insane in-universe)
  • During Goku's battle against Frieza:
    King Kai: (After being told that a curb-stomped Goku hasn't used the Kaioken) Knock it off! You're all being foolish! You don't know what you're talking about! Goku has been using the Kaioken attack the entire time.
  • We have several in the next saga, usually from Trunks, such as during his match with Frieza, who was rebuilt as a cyborg intend on getting revenge on Goku, first by evading Earth and having his henchmen attack it's inhabitants, believing Goku to be there, not knowing he was taken into a different planet after nearly dying in Planet Namek's destruction, Trunks then assures Frieza he won’t get away with it by dropping this bomb:
    Trunks: You've miscalculated. Son Goku is not the only Super Saiyan!
    • Then, after meeting Goku, who had just arrived back on Earth, he then drops this bombshell to him, right after warning him and his family and friends about the evil androids built by Dr. Gero, a former scientist from the Red Ribbon Army:
    Trunks: You die ''before then''. You contract a terrible heart disease and pass away.
    • Also:
    Trunks: (revealing his mother is Bulma) She's right over there.
    • Upon encountering an Android that resembles the aforementioned Dr. Gero:
    Trunks: (upon seeing Android 20/Dr. Gero) What is this thing? I've never seen this android before!
  • Some notable ones given by Goku himself in Cell Saga, such as after being having trouble defeating Cell:
    Goku: I forfeit this match. Cell, you are much stronger than me.
    • When Cell asks Goku about his next opponent:
      Cell: So Goku, now that you've forfeited our fight.. Who is my next opponent after all? Vegeta? Trunks? I must warn you, I'm still stronger than them.
      Goku: No. He has never fought you before, and I must tell you Cell, he is much stronger than you. (points at Gohan).
  • After Cell gets his ass handed to Gohan so badly that he spits out Android 18, losing his perfect form, just as Goku begs Gohan to finish him off, he then starts to expand rapidly...
    Cell: You have lost, Gohan! In a few minutes, I'm going to explode... taking this entire goddamn planet with me!
  • The next scene, where all hope is seemingly lost for the Z-Fighters and their planet as Cell is about to explode,, Goku then decides the only way to stop Cell now is to do the unthinkable:
    Goku: Seems like I have no choice... I am going to teleport Cell away from here. Goodbye, Gohan.
  • Even the next scene after that, note that the wham part comes not from the line itself, but the speaker, as when it seems like Cell has been defeated for good, all of a sudden, a gust of wind erupts, with lighting strikes all over, we then see a certain white hand blast a beam hitting Trunks, shocking the Z-Fighters and we the audience as a whole, the mostly unseen figure then laughs, and finally speaks with a familiar voice.:
    Cell (revealed to have survived his own explosion, that too in his Perfect Form): It's glad to be back! My aim is as good as ever!
  • A relatively minor (and anime specific) example. During the Time Skip between the Cell Saga and the Maijn Buu Saga, it's established that Krillin got married and had a kid named Marron. While the manga just shows his wife on panel, the scene in the anime plays slightly more coy with who it is until her voice is heard off screen:
    Gohan: [Speaking to Marron] How would you like to see your dad compete in the Martial Arts Tournament?
    Android 18: First, she'd want to know if there's any prize money involved.
  • in the same saga as the last line, Babidi, an alien planning to awake the evil Majin Buu, possesses Vegeta into Majin Vegeta, bringing him back to villainy. However, during Majin Vegeta and Goku's fight, Vegeta explains to Goku that he wasn't unwillingly corrupted:
    Vegeta: Imagine my shock, to see the undeniable proof, to discover that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to catch you. A warrior prince forever living in the shadow of a low-level clown! So that's when I secretly made up my mind...
    Goku: You mean you... You fool! You deliberately let yourself fall under Babidi's spell!
  • This warning from Fat Buu after his Heel–Face Turn when he heals Mr. Satan from a gunshot wound, signaling something bad is about to happen (and leading to his evil side escaping):
    Buu: RUN AWAY!
  • Elder Kai is taking too long to power Gohan up.
    Goku: Hey, Old Kai! Isn't the powerup taking too long?
    Old Kai: Eh? I have finished five minutes ago.
  • The newly born Super Buu's Establishing Character Moment:
    Super Buu: Time to kill.
    (for context, Buu had previously been killing people for fun without any real malice; this new incarnation does it with cold efficiency)
  • From Adult Gohan:
    Super Buu: So hotshot, you want to fight Majin Buu?
    Gohan: Fight you? No, I wanna kill you.
  • Super Buu has finally depowered from his Gotenks/Piccolo persona to just Piccolo.
    Gohan: So the fusion has ended, hasn't it? Now it's time to defeat you.
    Super Buu: Not so fast, Gohan. I have something as an insurance. (points to his empty antenna) Why do you think I have not regenerated this yet? (cue Super Buu absorbing Gohan as well)
  • When Kid Buu fires a rather big Death Ball.
    Vegeta: That ball is sufficient to destroy this planet ten times over! We can't stop it!!
  • One coming from Mr Satan of all people, which helped Goku:
    Mr Satan: Can't you hear what he says? This is me, Mr. Satan, and I am fighting a monster in a distant planet. Give all of your energy to me!
  • From Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, we learn Beerus and Whis's actual relationship:
    Beerus: You see my attendant, Whis, over there enjoying his lovely petit. While it's true he waits on me hand and foot, he's also my teacher.
  • Another one from Beerus, revealing that the world of Dragon Ball is even far bigger than we had thought before:
    Beerus: I am the Destroyer from this universe, the seventh. But there are other still, twelve universes altogether. And some have spawned warriors even mightier than us.
  • From the film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F':
    Frieza: I've never trained a day in my life.
    (At the time he was the relevant villain, Frieza was one of the strongest in the universe, and forced Goku to awaken the legendary Super Saiyan form to defeat him - and Goku had trained impossibly hard all his life.)
  • Dragon Ball Super Episode 41 following the arrival of the Zen-O, the King of ALL 12 universes who Gods of Destruction Beerus and his twin Champa even fears, after watching the Universe 7 vs Universe 6 tournament till its end gives his thoughts:
    Zen-O: I did come here because I was concerned. But, I ended up enjoying what I saw... very much! [Beerus and Champa sigh in relief] So I thought we should do this one more time, with contestants gathered from every Universe!
  • Goku decides to break out something he hadn't used since the Frieza Saga:
    Goku: Now I'll show you the Kaioken!
  • And then there's when he goes further beyond:
    Hit: His energy keeps shooting higher and higher! It's extraordinary! [...] It's triple... quadruple... no, it's...
    Goku: TIMES TEN! KAIOKEN TIMES TEN!
  • The beginning of the Future Trunks Saga reveals the foe who Trunks is having trouble against in his timeline, and his appearance not only looks familiar, but he acts much different even though he looks like Goku:
    Black: Finally… it's the day you take your final breath…Saiyan.
  • Episode 56 throws a new dent on fan theories all over.
    Future Zamasu: That's unfair, Black. You promised me to let me finish off Goku.
  • Looks like Trunks stabs Zamasu, and at least one is dead...
    Future Zamasu: I forgot to mention one thing. I have gained an immortal body.
  • Episode 60, while Black tells us who he is.
    Goku Black: This body, this spirit is Son Goku's. But the heart, this is mine, this is Zamasu's.
    Goku: Then, what happened to me?
    Goku Black: I killed you, with my own hands.
  • Episode 67, which reveals what Zen'o actually meant by 'saving' the multiverse.
    Zen'O: A world like this, a world like this, MUST END!!
  • Episode 78, as the Grand Priest explains the tournament details.
    Grand Priest: Well, the winners you say? The winning universe will be awarded a wish from the Super Dragon Balls themselves, but the losing universes are to be completely erased from existence.
  • Episode 92, where our team is unexpectedly one man short.
    Goku: Lord Beerus is right! Frieza! There is still Frieza! Let's make him our tenth man!
  • As Goku and Frieza have a run in with assassins from another universe, Goku asks if Frieza's okay maintaining the Golden Frieza form. Frieza has this to say.
    Frieza: Do you still think that Golden Frieza is a form that rapidly drains my stamina?
  • Episode 98, after Zeno erases Universe 9.
    Beerus: Hey Whis... what happened to Universe 9? I can't sense anything from them...
    Whis: Of course. To be erased is to become 'nothing'.
  • When Goku survives his own Spirit Bomb and arises with a new form...
    Beerus: Hey Whis, is that what.. I think it is?
    Whis: Yes, Beerus Sama. It seems that this form is indeed, Ultra Instinct.
  • Goku faces certain defeat at Jiren's ki-blast, when Android 17 takes the shot. He survived, but it was still emotional.
    Android 17: Hey Goku. Seems I have given up about that boat after all.
  • After Universe Seven wins the Tournament, Android 17 wishes for the erased universes to come back. That's when the true purpose of the tournament is revealed.
    Grand Priest: If you had made any other wish, then Zeno Sama would have erased everything.
• Jaco the Galactic Patrolman seemed to be a stand-alone manga with the alien Jaco being sent to protect Earth from an alien invader, but is revealed as a Stealth Prequel of Dragon Ball when he's asked which race the alien invader belongs to:
  Jaco: It's the Saiyan from planet Vegeta.