Summary
Dragon Ball is a long-standing and influential franchise created by Akira Toriyama starting in the 1980s. Dragon Ball continues to influence modern shounen series with elements such as transformations and bowmen. between enemies and allies. Dragon Ball's weaknesses include its reliance on perverse comedy and the sheer amount of content the uncut series possesses.
In the 90s, every boy was fascinated by the sheer phenomenon that was Dragon ball–or at least, that's how I feel. Unfortunately for me, I don't have access to cable and can't watch Dragon Ball, except for the occasional episode at a friend's house.
However, in the early 2000s, that all changed and I discovered the magic that is anime. I quickly got into Adult Swim series, like Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist and Bleach, and it felt as if a whole new world was opening up. Yet even despite that, I never felt compelled to go back and see what I was missing. I tried watching Dragon Ball GT once because it was airing at the time, but the relatively low quality of the show (and my lack of context, having not seen Dragon Ball Z) made me lose interest pretty quickly. . Despite having been in the anime fandom for 15 years at that point, my secret was that I had never watched Dragon Ball.
What Dragon Ball looks like after all these years
Dragon Ball works surprisingly well
It wasn't until around the time Dragon Ball Super started coming out that I got wind of the rumor and I finally decided to learn about this huge gap in my anime knowledge. I've been watching Dragon Ball Z Kai for quite some time now, and although I wasn't particularly impressed at first, I quickly found myself completely hooked. Like my friends in the 90s, I was excited when Goku finally achieved Super Saiyan against Friezaand watched in horror as Buu killed each of the characters I had grown to love.
Then I started watching Super and eagerly watched it every week and also enjoyed it. Beerus and Whis are excellent additions to the cast and the show manages to make the new power-ups interesting. I only watched the original Dragon Ball during the COVID lockdown, and while it's quite dated in many ways, I'm surprised to see how well it has stood the test of time. To me, it's clear that Dragon Ball is a classic because of its quality, not just because of its influence on later series.
How Dragon Ball compares to modern Shonen
What Dragon Ball still does best
The impact that Dragon Ball has had on the series that followed it is undeniable. Everything from the tournament arc to transformations and power-ups can be traced back to Dragon Ball, and who knows how many villains were directly inspired by Frieza or Cell. Watching Dragon BallZ many shounen later was definitely an interesting experience; After all, it's not always possible to know exactly what inspired some of your favorite moments in fiction.
There are many things that even now, Dragon Ball Z still does better than the anime that came after it. For me, one of the most interesting things was seeing Goku's age. While anime series these days aren't afraid of regular timeskips, it's hard to imagine a show like My Hero Academia allowing the main character to suddenly become an adult. The characters' ages are too tied to the ages of the intended audience, so their aging doesn't necessarily work the same way. As Goku ages, we've seen him grow from a curious boy into a strong and honorable man, even becoming a father.
Dragon Ball certainly popularized the enemy-versus-ally gameplay and arguably it still works best. From Yamcha in the original to Buu, Dragon Ball has managed to redeem its villains with surprising ease. Characters like Vegeta and Piccolo in particular have great character arcs based on their coming to Goku, and no other anime series can compare to Vegeta and Goku.. Vegeta is a fascinating character who never fully escapes his evil past, but he still does good.
Much of this can be traced to Toriyama's rather loose writing style, with little detailed planning ahead. Toriyama has an amazingly innate understanding of character development, so much so that even without a plan, he can make a character like Vegeta into the complex person he is. This also allows Toriyama to respond to criticism quickly and easily, as seen in some installments such as the Android Saga, where the villains were changed several times before settling on season 17. and 18. This style of writing is unlikely to be successful and is actually non-existent. one person today does such a thing, as far as I know.
Where does Dragon Ball drop today?
Dragon Ball comedy has aged the worst
Of course, no work of fiction is perfect, and that's as true of Dragon Ball as it is of any other work. One of the biggest areas where Dragon Ball (especially the original series) fails these days is in some of its humor. Honestly, there are too many jokes about Bulma's harassment for my liking.; Goku largely gets a pass thanks to his “naivety,” but characters like Master Roshi quickly become annoying. For the most part, the physical comedy plays out better.
Of course, another problem with anime in particular is the filler. I've already seen Kai, so the extras aren't a big deal, but just looking at what was cut out is overwhelming. The idea of whole spin-offs started with Dragon Ball Z, and it would become a plague on later series like Naruto and Bleach. Filler is especially unpopular these days, with series like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer opting for a seasonal approach, simply airing it rather than producing spin-offs. This is one area where I wish Dragon Ball hadn't taken the lead.
Overall, Dragon Ball Z is still an incredible shounen series, one that can stand up to the best of today. It's a master at breaking tension without spoiling the film, and its world is a strange one with everything from magic to dinosaurs to spaceships, quite unlike any other series. What modern movie? Perhaps most importantly, Dragon Ball is just plain fun, and that's true no matter what's going on. I might not have been one Dragon ball been a fan from the beginning, but now I'm a fan and I can't wait for DAIMA.
