DBcember was an annual segment KaiserNeko, Lanipator, and Takahata101 did every December from 2014 to 2021. In this segment, Lanipator and KaiserNeko, along with a third member, spend the first Twenty-Four days of December talking about the DragonBall series in Advent Calendar form. Every DBcember (until 2018) ended with a new DragonBall Z Abridged episode (or special) on Christmas Day.
2014[]
The first DBcember had the three list off their favorite iconic moments from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z (excluding Dragon Ball GT).
| Number | Moment | Series | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24. | Super Buu's Human Extinction Attack | Dragon Ball Z | N/A |
| 23. | Mr. Satan befriends Good Buu | ||
| 22. | The Birth of Vegetto | ||
| 21. | Cell becomes Perfect | ||
| 20. | Goku defeats Piccolo Jr. | Dragon Ball | |
| 19. | Cell's introduction | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 18. | Goku vs. Jackie Chun | Dragon Ball | |
| 17. | Namek's destruction | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 16. | Goku's first death | ||
| 15. | The Original Kamehameha | Dragon Ball | |
| 14. | Goku kills Kid Buu | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 13. | The first wish | Dragon Ball | |
| 12. | Goku kills King Piccolo | ||
| 11. | Majin Vegeta's Final Atonement | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 10. | Vegeta becomes a Super Saiyan | ||
| 9. | Trunks' arrival | ||
| 8. | Nappa kills Piccolo | ||
| 7. | Goku and Vegeta's first battle | ||
| 6. | Tambourine murders Krillin | Dragon Ball | |
| 5. | Gohan kills Super Perfect Cell | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 4. | Goku meets Bulma | Dragon Ball | |
| 3. | Gohan's SSJ2 transformation | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 2. | The arrival of Raditz | ||
| 1. | Goku's SSJ transformation | ||
| Honorable Mentions | Enter Krillin | Dragon Ball | N/A |
| Roshi trains Goku and Krillin | |||
| Roshi blows up the Moon | |||
| King Piccolo murders Shenron | |||
| Kami's first appearance | |||
| Goku and Chi-Chi get married | |||
| Yamcha Gets Saibaman'd | Dragon Ball Z | ||
| "It's Over 9000!" | There! There It Is! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!?! | ||
| The Ginyu Force Appears | N/A | ||
| Krillin gets impaled | |||
| Vegeta's first death | |||
| The Spirit Bomb against Freeza | |||
| "You Fool!" (Goku blasts a heavily injured Freeza) | |||
| 17 and 18 awaken | |||
| The Final Flash | |||
| Majin Vegeta vs. SSJ2 Son Goku | |||
| Super Saiyan 3 is revealed | |||
| The Birth of Gotenks | |||
| "The Best Part of GT" | Dragon Ball GT | AKA the ending |
After the list, Percussive Maintenance premiered on Christmas Day.
2015[]
On the second DBcember, the trio counted down their 24 favorite DragonBall movies and/or specials (Once again excluding the GT special, A Hero's Legacy).
| Number | Movie/Special | Series | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24. | Episode of Bardock | Dragon Ball Z | N/A |
| 23. | Plan to Eradicate the (Super) Saiyans | ||
| 22. | Broly: Second Coming | ||
| 21. | Bio Broly | ||
| 20. | Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle | Dragon Ball | |
| 19. | The Return of Cooler | Dragon Ball Z | F*CK THIS MOVIE |
| 18. | Super Android 13 | N/A | |
| 17. | Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan | ||
| 16. | Curse of the Blood Rubies | Dragon Ball | |
| 15. | Tree of Might | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 14. | Lord Slug | ||
| 13. | Cooler's Revenge | ||
| 12. | Mystical Adventure | Dragon Ball | |
| 11. | Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 10. | Path To Power | Dragon Ball | |
| 9. | Wrath of the Dragon | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 8. | Bojack Unbound | ||
| 7. | Resurrection "F" | ||
| 6. | Fusion Reborn | ||
| 5. | Dead Zone | ||
| 4. | History of Trunks | ||
| 3. | Bardock: Father of Goku | ||
| 2. | World's Strongest | ||
| 1. | Battle of Gods | ||
| (Dis)Honorable Mentions | Ssawora Son Goku, Igyeora Son Goku | Dragon Ball | |
| The Magic Begins | |||
| A Hero's Legacy | Dragon Ball GT | ||
| DragonBall Evolution | Dragon Ball | ||
| *Dream 9 Toriko & One Piece & DragonBall Z Super Collaboration Special | Toei Special |
After the list, The "Perfect" Guy premiered on Christmas day.
2016[]
The third DBcember had the three list their top 24 DragonBall villains. In a nice twist, they included material from GT that year. They did not include Super however since that series was not finished at the time of the lists release.
| Number | Villain | Series | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24. | Hirudegarn (& Hoi) | Dragon Ball Z | N/A |
| 23. | Cooler | ||
| 22. | Janemba | ||
| 21. | The Shadow Dragons | Dragon Ball GT | |
| 20. | Dr. Wheelo & Dr. Kochin | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 19. | Zarbon & Dodoria (and Freeza's Forces) | ||
| 18. | Android 19 & Android 20/Dr. Gero | ||
| 17. | Broly | Only because of his impact on the franchise | |
| 16. | Nappa | N/A | |
| 15. | Garlic Jr. | ||
| 14. | Raditz | ||
| 13. | Baby | Dragon Ball GT | |
| 12. | Emperor Pilaf and co. | Dragon Ball | |
| 11. | Tao Pai Pai | ||
| 10. | Red Ribbon Army | ||
| 9. | The Ginyu Force | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 8. | Androids 16, 17, & 18 | ||
| 7. | Piccolo Jr. | Dragon Ball | Only an Antagonist in Dragon Ball |
| 6. | Bibidi, Babidi, and Buu | Dragon Ball Z | N/A |
| 5. | Beerus and Whis | As antagonists, not villains | |
| 4. | Cell | N/A | |
| 3. | King Piccolo | Dragon Ball | |
| 2. | Vegeta | Dragon Ball Z | |
| 1. | |||
| Bonus Video: | Dragon Ball Super Villains | Dragon Ball Super | Kirran "LordMoonstone" takes over Takahata 101's spot in this video |
| Honorable Mentions | Nam | Dragon Ball | N/A |
| Yamcha | |||
| Crane School (includes Master Shen, Tien, and Chiaotzu) | |||
| Tullece | Dragon Ball Z | ||
| Lord Slug | |||
| Android 13 | |||
| Super Android 17 | Dragon Ball GT | ||
| Cell JR's | Dragon Ball | ||
| Dabura | |||
| Spopovitch | |||
| Van Zant and Smitty | |||
| Rildo | Dragon Ball GT | Wasn't in the video, but KaiserNeko said he was part of it |
After the list, they premiered the first half of the long-awaited Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan Abridged on Christmas day.
2017[]
KaiserNeko announced in an update video on September 28th, 2017 that for their fourth list, DBcember will cover the Dragon Ball Video Games.
For that year, Kaiserneko and Lanipator were joined by TFS Gaming member Kirran "LordMoonstone". Unlike the previous DBCember lists, it was not a traditional Top 24 list but instead, it was "12 Days of DBCember" starting on December 13th. However, they still went through 24-13 in one video on the first day of December. There were also some rules going into it:
- How Well it Plays
- Representation/Interpretation of Dragon Ball
- Its memorability
- How fun it was.
They also revealed that there will be only one game per franchise (so only the best of "Budokai" for example).
| Number | Game | Console | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24. | Shin Butouden/Ultimate Battle 22 | PS1/Saturn | N/A |
| 23. | Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans | Playdia/Famicom | |
| 22. | Dragon Ball Online | PC | |
| 21. | Ultimate Butouden | DS | |
| 20. | Zenkai Battle | Arcade | |
| 19. | Extreme Butouden | 3DS | |
| 18. | Legendary Super Warriors | GBC | |
| 17. | Final Bout | PS1 | |
| 16. | Sagas | PS2/Xbox/Gamecube | |
| 15. | Super Butouden 2 | SNES | |
| 14. | Hyper Dimensions | SNES | |
| 13. | Legends | PS1/Saturn | |
| 12. | Xenoverse | PC/XB1/PS4 | |
| 11. | Advanced Adventure | GBA | |
| 10. | Dragon Balls: Origins | DS | |
| 9. | Attack Of The Saiyans | DS | |
| 8. | Super Dragon Ball Z | PS2 | |
| 7. | Raging Blast 2 | PS3/360 | |
| 6. | Battle of Z | PS3/360/PSVITA | |
| 5. | Fusions | 3DS | |
| 4. | Supersonic Warriors 2 | DS | |
| 3. | Buu's Fury | GBA | |
| 2. | Tenkaichi 3 | PS2/WII | |
| 1. | Budokai 3 | PS2/PS3/360 | |
| Bonus Video. | FighterZ | PS4/XB1/PC | Not on the list proper as it was not fully released at the time of the video, but the three did an analysis of it based on the pre-released material and the beta release |
After the list, they announced that DragonBall Z Abridged Special: Plan to Eradicate Christmas would be released on Christmas day.
2018[]
In a TFS update video on November 21, 2018, Lanipator announced that the DBcember that year would be celebrating the top 12 fights in Dragonball.
For that year, Kaiserneko and Lanipator were joined by TFS Gaming member Grant. The main criteria for each fight are:
- Presentation
- Choreography
- Plot Relevance
- If the fighter leaves the fight that is not group vs. person, then it's counted as the end of a fight.
- Pacing
Also, Kaiserneko mentioned that the honorable mentions would be different that year, as they would be doing a round table discussion on what would have essentially been the bottom 12.
- 12. Goku & Vegeta Vs. Janemba
- 11. Goku Vs. Jackie Chun
- 10. Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin Vs. Recoome
- 9. Goku Vs. Tien Shinhan
- 8. Goku Vs. Majin Vegeta
- 7. Piccolo Vs. Android 17
- 6. Goku Vs. Kid Buu
- 5. Goku Vs. Beerus (Battle of Gods version)
- 4. Perfect Cell Vs. Goku
- 3. Goku, Freeza, and Android 17 Vs. Jiren
- 2. Goku Vs. Piccolo
- 1. Goku Vs. Vegeta
- Honorable Mentions:
- Goku vs. Freeza (Z)
- Gohan vs. Cell
- Goku vs. Hit (Round 2)
- Bardock vs. Chilled
- Android 18 vs. Ribrianne
- Goku vs. Jiren (Round 1)
- Goku vs. Kale & Caulifla
- Goku & Trunks vs. Zamasu & Goku Black
- Z Fighters vs. Freeza Force (Resurrection F version)
- Videl vs. Spopovich
- Gohan vs. Cell JR's
- Goku & Piccolo vs. Radditz
- Goku vs. Krillin (DragonBall/22nd World Martial Arts Tournament)
- Goku vs. Krillin (Super/Tournament of Power leadup)
- Goku vs. Android 17
- Freeza vs. Goku (Super)
- Android 18 vs. Vegeta
- Goten vs. Trunks
- Might Mask vs. Android 18
- Vegito vs. Super Buu
- Vegito vs. Merged Zamasu
- Gogeta vs. Omega Shenron
- Piccolo vs. Cell (Round 1)
- Nappa vs. Z Fighters
After the countdown, TFS premiered Die, Robot on Christmas Day.
2019[]
The sixth installment of DBcember had them looking at their top 12 techniques in Dragonball. As with 2017, Kirran joins Lanipator and KaiserNeko for this year.
The main criteria for looking each technique are:
- Versatility (ease of use and variety)
- Effectiveness (how effective the move is in both theory and practice)
- Popularity
- Coolness
This list will not feature any transformations, and different variations of a technique will be group together (for example: Tenshinhan's Shin Kikoho will be group in with his normal Kikoho). As with the previous year, the honorable mentions were done in a round table discussion.
- 12. Kikoho (Tri-Beam)
- 11. Time Skip
- 10. Makankosappo (Special Beam Cannon)
- 9. Dragon Fist
- 8. Makuhoidan (Hellzone Grenade)
- 7. Shunkan Ido (Instant Transmission)
- 6. Final Flash
- 5. Kienzan (Destructo Disc)
- 4. Kaioken
- 3. Genki-Dama (Spirit Bomb)
- 2. Fusion Dance
- 1. Kamehameha
- Honorable Mentions:
- Taiyoken (Solar Flare)
- Flight
- Burning Attack
- Heat Dome Attack
- Light Grenade
- Explosive Demon Wave
- Masenko
- Mafuba (Evil Containment Wave)
- Final Atonement
- Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack
- Spirit Sword
- Final Kamehameha
- Big Bang Kamehameha
- Final Shine Attack
- Ultra Instinct
- Hakai (Destroy)
- Ginyu's Body Change
- Death Beam
- Death Ball
- Death Wave
- Death Saucer
- Wolf Fang Fist
- Spirit Ball
- Dodonpa (Dodon Ray)
- Tao Pai Pai's Pressure Point Attack
- Human Extinction Attack
- Candy Beam
- Absorption
- Clothes Beam
- Carrot Touch
After the countdown, TFS premiered Midwife Crisis on Christmas Day.
2020[]
The seventh installment of DBcember has them looking at their top 12 transformations in Dragonball. As with 2017 and 2019, Kirran joins Lanipator and KaiserNeko for this year. They are basing the list on the the definition of transformation: "A distinct change in appearance, and a distinct change/increase in power".
The main criteria for looking at each transformation are:
- Effectiveness (How effective it is in both theory and practice)
- Visual Appeal (How good does it look)
- Narative Part 1 (Was the journey to the transformation worth it?)
- Narative Part 2 (Is it meaningful to the story?)
- Debut (How cool was the transformation the first time a view saw it)
- Long-term Functionality (Did it stay relevant to both the story and the characters?)
- Effect on the Franchise (What impact did it make on Dragonball?)
Unlike the technique list from the previous year, upgraded transformations are treated as their own separate spot.
- 12. Super Janemba
- 11. Buu's Absorptions
- 10. Legendary Super Saiyan
- 9. Ōzaru
- 8. Super Saiyan God
- 7. Super Saiyan 3
- 6. Freeza's Final Form
- 5. Super Saiyan 4
- 4. Perfect Cell
- 3. Super Saiyan 2
- 2. Ultra Instinct
- 1. Super Saiyan
2021[]
The eighth and final installment of DBcember has them look at the Top 12 Sagas. Joining them for this year is Totally Not Mark. In the grand finale, the trio looks at the Sagas from the Dragonball franchise.
The three main points for looking at each saga are:
- Saga refers to a collection of story arcs that form a larger story. For example: the Namek Arc, Ginyu Arc, and Freeza Arc would be combined into the Namek Saga.
- Factors that affect the rankings. These include pacing, story structure, thematic content, dramatic weigth, etc.
- This list will not include the Super Manga/Heroes, or the OVA/Films.
- 12. "Future" Trunks Saga (aka Goku Black)
- 11. Emperor Pilaf Saga
- 10. Universe Survival Saga
- 9. Majin Buu Saga
- 8. King Piccolo Saga
- 7. 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai (aka Tien Shinhan)
- 6. Red Ribbon Army Saga
- 5. 21st Tenkaichi Budokai (aka Tournament)
- 4. Android Saga
- 3. 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai (aka Piccolo Jr.)
- 2. Namek Saga
- 1. Saiyan Saga
- Bonus Video: Super Manga Arcs (MasakoX takes over Lanipator's spot in this video)
- Honorable Mentions:
- Fake Namek Saga
- Garlic Jr. Saga
- Other World Tournament
- Baby Saga
- Shadow Dragon Saga
- Universe 6 Saga
- Dishonorable Mentions
- Black Star Dragon Balls Saga
- Super 17 Saga
- Battle of Gods Recap
- Resurrection F Recap (considered the worst arc in the series)
Trivia[]
- The 2014 edition was most likely done to commemorate the 30th anniversary of DragonBall when it was first released as a manga series.
- The 2016 version commemorates the 30th anniversary of when the DragonBall Anime series first aired.
- Apart from the DragonBall Super Bonus Video, and the latter three DBcember's since 2017, the three founding members of Team Four Star have always hosted the segment.
- The fact that they hate Dragon Ball GT (especially KaiserNeko) has been brought up a lot in this segment with their outright refusal to include moments in the first two DBcembers, and only having two villains on their villains' list.
- This is acknowledged in the 2021 edition, where the arcs from GT were given a fair shot, but the two nominated ones for 12th place (Baby and Shadow Dragons) lost in a tiebreaker to Goku Black.
- The 2017 edition is the only season so far not to have any honorable mentions. KaiserNeko revealed on Twitter that they had plans for one, but did not have the time to post it.
- The reason as to why the later DBcember's have change from 24 to 12 spots is due to complaints from the fans that they have been too critical with the bottom half in the past.
- The 2020 edition is the only one to date that does not have a DBZA related episode/special that was featured after the list. The reasons for this was due to the special taking longer than normal. Because of that, Team Four Star released the Honorable Mentions on the 24th, and the Number 1 spot was released on the 25th.