The 1990s are considered one of the golden ages that anime has experienced. In addition to the quality of the films that appeared at that time, people also think that this was the peak period of anime when this genre spread to the world thanks to stories such as Knights of the Zodiac, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, Captain Tsubasa… or Dragon Ball Z.
Unlike the animated stories we are used to in the West, what audiences got from Japanese anime back then was a bit darker, with suspenseful, engaging plots. Sometimes people questioned whether these anime were for children or not. However, the plots of these stories were never considered to be hurtful to fans.
That was until a survey came out in Japan where they asked a lot of people to identify any anime they had watched that had left them traumatized at the time. Surprisingly, a large percentage of those surveyed said that Dragon Ball, with some scenes, had left them mentally scarred due to sadness in some situations.
Does Dragon Ball make you sick?
According to a report published by Somos Kudasai, Dragon Ball ranked sixth in a survey of respondents who were asked whether any anime series had caused them trauma.
Of these, 5% of respondents answered Dragon Ball. This number is significant, because the name at the top of this list – Warau Salesman, took first place with 10% of voters.
It is not unreasonable to assume that Dragon Ball can cause psychological trauma to viewers.
There are some heartbreaking scenes in the anime right from the first parts of the series. For example, the day Goku met his grandfather Gohan, or Krillin's first death at the hands of Tambourine after the Martial Arts Tournament, then being a victim of Frieza in the battle in the Saiyan Saga…
In Dragon Ball Z, there are also many moments where characters have to die, such as the deaths of Piccolo, Ten Shin Han, and Chaoz in the Saiyan arc. Or when Dr. Gero pierced Yamcha's body with just one blow.
