Do you consider all these recruitment episodes for the tournament to be "fillers?"

[precita]

While I certainly don't think this, I've notice a lot of people both here and other sites being very impatient for the tournament to actually start. I notice a lot of people feel these recruitment/training episodes are essentially "fillers" themselves and that most of this stuff could have been done off-screen or in a quick 5 minute recap.

Do you like the fact that Super is showing how Goku is recruiting everyone for the tournament, along with them training and powering up for it, or would you rather this have all been done off-screen? It actually reminds me a lot of the training in the Saiyan saga to be honest, and how the anime added a whole bunch of adventures whereas the manga skipped over all the training before the Saiyans.

So what do you think of these episodes? Are they essentially filler or not?

[Duo]

Probably filler, if such a term can be applied to Super, but it's not really a bad thing. Many of my favorite episodes (the stretch right after the end of the Zamas arc) have been what could easily be simplified to the term "filler".

[Boo Machine]

Not really. It's continuing the story. Maybe a little slower than some would like, but I think it's doing fine. I think the closest these episodes come to filler would be stuff like, Goku fighting Beef cake Buu or the space poachers. Stuff that didn't really feel like they needed to be there but padded the story. But even then thats only if I REALLY wanted to use the term"filler". Which I do not.

[Ki Breaker]

They are not fillers they are basically building up to the main plot

[Chuquita]

To me it's filler, but I'm fine with it because it's giving me the variety of scenery and locations that I'm not going to get from the tournament proper. I'm wary about spending countless episodes in that boring looking imo tournament ring.

[sintzu]

I think for the most part they're filler. There are some important scenes like Bra being born and the little talk about Uub but that's about it.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

The anime fandom loves to misuse the word filler just like their obsession towards canon. I, for the life of me will not understand why filler is considered automatically bad when it is also a matter of execution. Take #75 which I guess is "filler", but it is a fantastic episode and my favorite and I don't really care if it's filler or not.

That aside, the pacing of the current arc definitely leaves something to be desired. I don't mind the slow pacing, but I'm not feeling or buying any of these characters. I'm not giving a shit about them. They want me to care, but I don't. Some parts do feel like dragging and stretching out things unnecessarily though. The exhibition matches could've been structured better for example. But, still none of it is filler.

[KingKaash]

This is not filler. Was the Ginyu Force getting beaten filler? Was the Piccolo and Android 17 filler because it didn't include Goku and Cell? Was the hunting of Babidi and fighting through his men like Dabura filler because Buu wasn't there? These are all build up to the main plot of the arc just like these episodes are to the ToP.

A lot of new fans need to be introduced to guys like Tien, the Androids and Piccolo because sadly these guys haven't done a thing in Super so far except for fighting Frieza fodder henchmen. Since these names I mentioned will play a role on team U7 they have to have their stories set up a bit for all the viewers. I don't view this has filler at all and a lot of these episodes have been the best of Super in my opinion.

[emperior]

If you consider all these episodes filler than you might as well consider the Great Saiyaman part of the manga filler, and we know it wasn't.

[Cipher]

I highly doubt any of these episodes are drawing from Toriyama's outline, both because their pacing and writing style cuts so much against his usual grain, and there's no reason their content couldn't sufficiently be covered simply by having the characters arrive together at the tournament. Ignoring outliers such as #17, the characters are all close enough to Goku that there doesn't need to be a belabored reason for their participation. If two characters arrive at a warehouse, we don't need to see them parking their car and all that.

The relatively small roles of some of the cast within Super as a stand-alone series might be a compelling reason to include these episodes in the anime. Then again, plenty of Super already relies on knowledge from previous series, so it isn't something that feels completely demanded.

If you consider all these episodes filler than you might as well consider the Great Saiyaman part of the manga filler, and we know it wasn't.

The big difference there, and this gets down to Toriyama's sense of pacing versus Toei's, is that there was no greater threat teased during the Saiyaman material. It was just Gohan living his daily life and ... that's all we had. That was the story. As soon as the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai was introduced as the next major plot element, the story sped headlong toward it.

That tracks with the rest of the manga, where Toriyama never spends more than a few chapters in interim material. The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, the 23rd, the arrival of Nappa and Vegeta, the arrival of the androids -- anything that isn't an essential development is left off-page in the time periods between these elements being introduced and their actual occurrence.

(Though I love the extra Saiyaman material in the anime because of how untelegraphed it all is compared to these recruitment episodes. There was no telling what antics Gohan would get into each week, whereas the recruitment of each of these characters after an individual spotlight is a foregone conclusion. Will Kuririn prove himself and join the team? Yes.)

[The gr]

Is not filler, they are following toriyama words,I think the outline said, Goku gathers 9 figthers, but toei is like "yeah let's pad this shit out of this",I highly​ doubt all the stuff we're seeing like poachers and ssb spam is from toriyama, most likely is from toei,the Manga will skim through all of this nonsense

Honestly This arc getting kinda boring and drawn out,I can't help to feel that this week episode was utterly pointless, you could have recruit #17 in 86, but nope typical toei, they want to solve This in a boring conflict with zero tension,if they keep doing episode likel This,I will drop until the main event starts,I'm siding with cipher and sintzu for once with these post viewtopic.php?f=25&t=38305&p=1291593#p1291593

[pacz360]

Besides yesterdays episode which you can say is filler, most of the episodes so far aren't and there for build up for the members joining.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Technically no, because Super is not adapted from the manga.

Overall, not really. I see them as building up the plot and characters, and giving the manga a chance to catch up. When the manga reaches this part of the story it will more than likely breeze through the recruiting and jump to the battle royale pretty swiftly.

[JulieYBM]

This is some god awful structuring, that's for sure. These episodes exist purely to pad out of the story arc, probably to fulfill what Bandai wants and because they're not sure how long it will take Toriyama to plot out another story arc. There's no reason this stuff couldn't be covered as flashbacks or have the information conveyed somehow else.

[MrBlackFox]

Filler is something not related to the main arc
These episodes are recruiting and training ones, how could be fillers?

[Lord Beerus]

I find the episodes entertaining and contribute to the story goo enough to justify their existence. So, no. I don't consider the episodes as "filler". But given the nature of Super, what even qualifies as "filler" is very grey area to begin with.

(Though I love the extra Saiyaman material in the anime because of how untelegraphed it all is compared to these recruitment episodes. There was no telling what antics Gohan would get into each week, whereas the recruitment of each of these characters after an individual spotlight is a foregone conclusion. Will Kuririn prove himself and join the team? Yes.)

In all fairness, how could Krillin not join the team, considering he was already advertised in it before the arc started? The nature of Super, especially in regards to how it's promoted, pretty much provide a clear context of what the overall big picture is.

[Lapislettuce]

I don't get how Goku and 17 meeting for the first time is considered "filler" some of the fans are stupid and that's about it.

[Grimlock]

I don't get how Goku and 17 meeting for the first time is considered "filler" some of the fans are stupid and that's about it.

It's the situation. All this stuff, random characters appearing out of nowhere "convenently", the subplot, the way things are done... Clearly Toei's doing. Of course Goku recruting Android 17 is not filler, but what comes next surely is. I doubt Goku spamming Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan would be Toriyama's idea as well.

[The gr]

I don't get how Goku and 17 meeting for the first time is considered "filler" some of the fans are stupid and that's about it.

No one mention about goku and #17 meeting is not in the outline, please read this thread again, everyone is just saying that the space poachers stuff is just pointless padding that is possibly not in the outline

[Kishido]

No nothing of this is filler