Name(s): Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Bardock, The Father of Goku / Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Tatta Hitori no Saishuu Kessen / DBZ: A Final Solitary Battle! The Z Warrior Son Goku’s Father Challenges Furiza / Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Tatta Hitori no Saishuu Kessen – Freezer ni Idonda Z Senshi Son Gokuu no Chichi / DRAGON BALL Z スペシャル たったひとりの最終決戦~フリーザに挑んだZ戦士孫悟空の父~ / Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Son Gokus Vater / Dragon Ball Z TV Especial 1: La Batalla Final Solitaria del Padre del Guerrero Z Son Goku que Desafió a Freeza
Format: TV Special (47 minutes)
Studio(s): Toei Animation
Related: Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996)

Original Publication: N/A (unknown)

Like The History of Trunks, this comes fully recommended. It’s one of the very few supplementary DBZ animations that contributes to and expands the main storyline. It’s as good or better than the canon material, but its existence doesn’t contradict anything, so as far as I’m concerned, it counts. Famously, Toriyama liked this special so much that he acknowledged Bardock by drawing him in a flashback sequence. I don’t know if the whole special ever received his blessing, but that’s still a high honor.

The Saiyans are depicted rather relentlessly as a brutal warrior race and culture, so it’s interesting to see the writers attempt to characterize Bardock so he feels like a natural outcome of their society as well as heroic enough in nature to make Goku’s own instincts of justice a believable holdover. There’s an atmosphere of dread hanging over the whole thing too, as you know there’s only one way it can end. Between these two specials, you can really envision a Dragon Ball Z that has better worldbuilding and writing than what most of the series consists of. Take what you can get and watch them.