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The Most Cringe-Worthy Death In Dragon Ball Z

It may be a series primarily made for kids and teens, but "Dragon Ball Z" still has its fair share of deaths. We aren't talking child-safe, offscreen deaths either. People are blown up, cut in half, and vaporized with massive energy beams. Entire planets brimming with life are destroyed, and those responsible aren't always given the punishment they deserve. Take, for instance, Vegeta who, despite massacring millions of people in his lifespan, still gets deemed a "good guy" by the afterlife's authorities during the Buu Saga.

But while death and destruction are fairly common in the "Dragon Ball" universe, it is typically given the weight it deserves in the story. Deaths are typically tragic and sometimes heroic but rarely are they ever humiliating. Still, there are a few examples of characters dying that just seem embarrassing. One of these moments is incredibly iconic to the franchise, but the most cringe-worthy death in "Dragon Ball Z" probably isn't the one most people imagine.

Captain Ginyu's was just as cringey as Yamcha's

When most people think of embarrassing "Dragon Ball Z" deaths, their mind probably jumps to Yamcha in the Saiyan Saga, and they'd be justified. Few things are quite as cringe-worthy as training for an entire year, and then getting murdered by some nameless footsoldier moments into the actual fight. The problem with that answer, however, is that it's too obvious and really isn't all that cringey. Yamcha may not have made an impressive display, but he still gave his life to protect Earth, and that's truly heroic. Captain Ginyu, on the other hand, is no hero.

Despite being a major villain of the Frieza arc, Captain Ginyu's eventual defeat in "DBZ" is one of the most cringey ways to take a loss you could imagine. In an attempt to use his body-swapping powers to take control of Piccolo, Ginyu accidentally swaps bodies with a frog (for the second time). He doesn't die there, but he is forced to live a humiliating existence on earth for the next decade or so.

When Frieza finally does return from the dead in "Dragon Ball Super," Ginyu-frog manages to swap bodies with one of Frieza's soldiers, Tagoma. He fights valiantly for Frieza's cause, but is ultimately defeated by an underpowered Gohan before Vegeta unceremoniously finishes him off. In the end, he spent all those years as a frog for nothing, and dies almost as soon as he gets a somewhat-useful body back — truly an embarrassing fate.