Japanese phrases from Dragon Ball Z

Some lines from Dragon Ball Z never leave your head — even if you only watched the show with subtitles on. The Japanese dialogue has its own punch: short insults, training slogans, and battle cries that English dubs often smooth over or rewrite.

Below you will find iconic Japanese phrases from the series, with kanji/kana, romaji, a clear English gloss, and the words that make each line click. One famous twist is already waiting in the first block: the number everyone memes is not quite the number Vegeta actually says in Japanese.

Contents 4

Battle power: the line that became a meme

When Nappa asks about Goku’s strength and Vegeta answers while crushing his scouter, English-speaking fans usually quote “It’s over 9000!” In the original Japanese anime (and the manga), the number is different — and that contrast is half the fun of learning the real lines.

カカロットの戦闘力はいくつですか！？
Kakarotto no sentō-ryoku wa ikutsu desu ka!?
What is Kakarot’s battle power?!

• カカロット (Kakarotto) — Kakarot, Vegeta’s name for Goku
• 戦闘力 (せんとうりょく / sentō-ryoku) — battle power / power level
• いくつ (ikutsu) — how many / how much

八千以上だ！
Hassen ijō da!
It’s over eight thousand!

• 八千 (はっせん / hassen) — eight thousand
• 以上 (いじょう / ijō) — more than / over

English Ocean and many Funimation tracks turned that into “over 9000,” which later exploded as an internet meme. Japanese (and most non-English dubs) stay on 8000. Knowing both versions is useful: you can enjoy the meme and still hear what the original dialogue is doing with sentō-ryoku and the scouter.

Related reading on the site: Dragon Ball vocabulary in Japanese and the full rundown of Super Saiyan transformations.

Goku, Kuririn, and the heat of a fight

These lines sit closer to the emotional core of the show — encouragement, revenge, and the kind of yelling that only works if the vocabulary is raw.

がんばれカカロット…おまえがナンバー1だ!!
Ganbare Kakarotto… omae ga nanbā 1 da!!
Go for it, Kakarot… you are number one!!

• がんばる (ganbaru) — to hang in there / do your best
• おまえ (omae) — you (rough, masculine)
• ナンバー (nanbā) — number (loanword)

クリリンのカタキを討つんだ！！！あいつは２度死んだ！！！　もうドラゴンボールでも生き返れない！
Kuririn no kataki o utsu n da!!! Aitsu wa nido shinda!!! Mō Doragon Bōru demo ikikaerenai!
I’ll avenge Kuririn! He died a second time! He won’t come back even with the Dragon Balls!

• クリリン (Kuririn) — Krillin
• カタキを討つ (kataki o utsu) — to take revenge
• ２度 (にど / nido) — twice / a second time (not “futatabi” as a fixed reading of this spelling)
• 死ぬ (しぬ / shinu) — to die
• 生き返る (いきかえる / ikikaeru) — to come back to life

おめぇ達に殺されたみんなのためにも、おめぇをブッ飛ばす！
Omee-tachi ni korosareta minna no tame ni mo, omee o buttobasu!
For everyone you killed, I’m going to smash you!

• おめぇ達 (おまえたち / omae-tachi) — you lot (slangy)
• 殺す (ころす / korosu) — to kill
• ブッ飛ばす (ぶっとばす / buttobasu) — to blow away / thrash

Notice how casual spellings like おめぇ and elongated yelling mirror the Japanese track’s grit. Dub English often softens that edge; reading the Japanese keeps the heat of the scene.

More lines: can you hear who is speaking?

A short extra set of phrases that show up across the Dragon Ball anime. Try matching each voice before you peek at the gloss.

おまえが死んだらドラゴンボールもなくなっちまうんだから。
Omae ga shindara Doragon Bōru mo nakunacchimau n dakara.
If you die, the Dragon Balls will disappear too.

ふたりとも手を出さないでくれ。
Futari tomo te o dasanaide kure.
You two, stay out of this.

こいつらの一番の目的はオレらしいからな…
Koitsura no ichiban no mokuteki wa ore rashii kara na…
Looks like I’m the one they’re after the most…

カカロットを倒すのはこのオレの役だ…
Kakarotto o taosu no wa kono ore no yaku da…
Defeating Kakarot is my job…

オラはクチの固いほうだ。
Ora wa kuchi no katai hō da.
I’m the type who keeps his mouth shut. / I can keep secrets.

おまえたちを殺しにきた…
Omaetachi o koroshi ni kita…
I came to kill you…

未来の平和は戦って勝ちとるんだ！
Mirai no heiwa wa tatakatte kachitoru n da!
We’ll fight and win peace for the future!

If you like learning Japanese through famous scenes, pair this page with Japanese phrases from Naruto and a wider pick of classic anime quotes in Japanese.

How to study these lines without killing the fun

Treat each quote as a mini lesson, not a wall of vocabulary.

• Say it out loud after the romaji, then hide the English and try the meaning from memory.
• Mark the “rude” layer — words like omae, kisama, and clipped endings are part of character voice, not textbook keigo.
• Group by situation: measuring power, cheering someone on, revenge, warning, or quiet loyalty. That context sticks better than a random list.
• Watch one scene twice — once for the plot, once only for the Japanese audio — and pause on a single line until the rhythm feels natural.

You do not need every word of Dragon Ball Z to build useful Japanese. A handful of high-energy phrases, learned carefully, already trains listening, pitch, and the slang that polite textbooks leave out.