The Dragon Ball Z Buu Saga Scene That Fans Agree Went Too Far

When it comes to "Dragon Ball Z," a bit of bloodshed is to be expected. Big, bombastic battles are often the name of the game in the series, and that means that characters are going to get hurt. Depending on the series characters are very likely to straight-up die, often brutally. Even Goku, the protagonist of "Dragon Ball Z, " has died and come back a handful of times throughout the series.

This was somewhat of concern among parents during its heyday in the 1990s, given the series' popularity among kids. Nevertheless, there are plenty of people who have no problem letting their kids enjoy some "Dragon Ball" action, and while this isn't a bad thing, there is a line that most people wouldn't cross. Heck, there are episodes of "Dragon Ball Z" that even make adults cringe at the brutality. Case in point, there is a scene during the series' "Buu Saga" that many fans on Reddit agree went too far.

Episode 217 is a relatively early entry in the grander "Buu Saga." In fact, the titular Majin Buu — who at one point kills literally every person on Earth — hasn't even shown up yet. However, the lackeys of his master, the sorcerer Babidi, have. The arc begins with the Z Fighters simply entering the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. Alongside the Z Fighters — now including Gohan's girlfriend, Videl — two of the finalists in the tournament happen to be Babidi's servants, Spopovich and Yamu. Both have been empowered by Babidi's evil magic, so when Videl (who only recently figured out flying) enters the ring against Spopovich, it turns into one of the most brutal beatdowns in "Dragon Ball" history.

"I remember watching those episodes when I was younger and it was no big deal at the time," wrote Reddit user u/Laddergirl. "But now that I'm older I must be less desensitized or just more aware of how absolutely horrific that would actually be in real life, because it's much more frightening to watch now."

"Spopovich doesn't need to draw out her suffering," wrote u/mozillavulpix. "He just does, because he's apparently a complete sadist. There's something about that fight that just felt a little too...realistically brutal. Other fights often operated on cartoon logic, but that one felt more like a real fight, which just made it worse."

We mentioned earlier that there is a line that most people wouldn't cross, and that's true. However, that doesn't include everyone, and the line in question is more subjective than anything else. In fact, some don't even rank Spopovich's beatdown higher than other brutal "Dragon Ball Z" moments.

"People it's just a fight in a cartoon/comic," wrote u/Stevezilla9. "I see nobody crying and getting upset when 4 year old Gohan got smacked down by Raditz, Majin Vegeta kills innocent spectators, or crying when Goten watched his mother get murdered infront of his own eyes."

"I'm in complete agreement," replied u/NeuroticNyx. "Besides, He's a VILLAIN. You're SUPPOSED to hate him. It's not like the guy is going to prop up a pillow when he's beating people half to death."

In the end, the debate surrounding Spopovich remains largely up to personal taste. His sadistic beatdown might be a little more than some people are comfortably watching, or it might be the perfect way to set up how evil a villain is before watching him get his comeuppance. Either way, the moment still ranks as a memorable scene simply for how pointless the violence is.