Is this all Dragon ball has become? SPOILERS

[Bardo117]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward. Every moment has a feeling of non importance. For instance, SPOILER******** Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.


I guess since I'm an adult now I'm more prone to be highly critical of the show... I might've accepted this as a child and felt the suspense of this each time, but now it seems uninspired and repetitive...

[precita]

A lot of what you're saying is the same as DBZ, it's just that since it was all happening for the first time it didn't seem as predictable.

[KidGoku>3]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward. Every moment has a feeling of non importance. For instance, SPOILER******** Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.


I guess since I'm an adult now I'm more prone to be highly critical of the show... I might've accepted this as a child and felt the suspense of this each time, but now it seems uninspired and repetitive...

What do you suggest ? Killing off characters doesn't matter anymore in DB as death has no meaning.

Did you know that Goku hasn't legit beat a powerful enemy in all of Super so far ? It's far less predictable than Z.
He hasn't beaten Beerus, he lost. He hasn't beaten Zamasu Black Goku, he lost. He hasn't beaten Hit. He's only beaten mugs so far.

False tension is the only way they can go about it. It's clickbait 101. I understand your frustration but I find it a bit unfair. At the end of the day you're watching an anime. They all have their flaws. Maybe it's time for you to move on from the show ?

[Kinokima]

The only time Dragon Ball has ever truly surprised me was in Super. When Vegeta said he would not go train but would stay with Bulma until their child is born. I almost died of shock. Also when he actually changed her diaper.

Otherwise Dragon Ball has always followed a certain formula. I was in college when I started watching. I don't watch Dragon Ball to be critical. I watch it because it is fun and honestly despite it being a cartoon (I really wasn't into anime yet) I had never seen a story where the good guys age, have children, or when a characters who started out as a villains became good (okay now I've seen that trope a lot but at the time Dragon Ball was the first for me). I really thought it was unique and something special.

And going back to Dragon Ball all these years later I still adore the characters and the sense of fun it gives me. I am well past being an adult lol but as I get older I know some things you don't have to over analyze. Dragon Ball is probably not going to do anything truly unpredictable. Yes I am not worried for the characters lives (though I have extreme anxiety that my favorites are going to be knocked out of the TOP early). But I still enjoy seeing the characters I love become stronger, overcome adversaries, and well see how they have changed over the years. I think these characters are like family. I get not everyone wants familiarity or to feel comfortable but in these times I don't think that is a bad thing. I love Dragon Ball simply because it makes me incredibly happy. And quite honestly few things these days have the power to do that.

[BWri]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward. Every moment has a feeling of non importance. For instance, SPOILER******** Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.


I guess since I'm an adult now I'm more prone to be highly critical of the show... I might've accepted this as a child and felt the suspense of this each time, but now it seems uninspired and repetitive...

I think overall that Super is less sophisticated than both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z (which weren't the most sophisticated to begin with) and now that most of us have grown older and more sophisticated ourselves, Super does feel like a step down. If it were at least a nice bit smarter than Z, and could play with our expectations more (like it sometimes does pretty well) then it'd get far more praise.

[Bardo117]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward. Every moment has a feeling of non importance. For instance, SPOILER******** Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.


I guess since I'm an adult now I'm more prone to be highly critical of the show... I might've accepted this as a child and felt the suspense of this each time, but now it seems uninspired and repetitive...

What do you suggest ? Killing off characters doesn't matter anymore in DB as death has no meaning.

Did you know that Goku hasn't legit beat a powerful enemy in all of Super so far ? It's far less predictable than Z.
He hasn't beaten Beerus, he lost. He hasn't beaten Zamasu Black Goku, he lost. He hasn't beaten Hit. He's only beaten mugs so far.

False tension is the only way they can go about it. It's clickbait 101. I understand your frustration but I find it a bit unfair. At the end of the day you're watching an anime. They all have their flaws. Maybe it's time for you to move on from the show ?

Well for a while Goku didn't actually win anything either in the original Dragonball...


I enjoy the show, minus the fact that false tension is ineffective... It lacks imagination but it's still nice to watch new episodes after so long.

[Kinokima]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward. Every moment has a feeling of non importance. For instance, SPOILER******** Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.


I guess since I'm an adult now I'm more prone to be highly critical of the show... I might've accepted this as a child and felt the suspense of this each time, but now it seems uninspired and repetitive...

What do you suggest ? Killing off characters doesn't matter anymore in DB as death has no meaning.

Did you know that Goku hasn't legit beat a powerful enemy in all of Super so far ? It's far less predictable than Z.
He hasn't beaten Beerus, he lost. He hasn't beaten Zamasu Black Goku, he lost. He hasn't beaten Hit. He's only beaten mugs so far.

False tension is the only way they can go about it. It's clickbait 101. I understand your frustration but I find it a bit unfair. At the end of the day you're watching an anime. They all have their flaws. Maybe it's time for you to move on from the show ?

Well for a while Goku didn't actually win anything either in the original Dragonball...


I enjoy the show, minus the fact that false tension is ineffective... It lacks imagination but it's still nice to watch new episodes after so long.

Exactly Goku actually has not been the ultimate winner in any new arc in Super yet.

Universe 6: Both Goku and Hit essentially forfeit by jumping out of the ring.
Future Trunks arc: If anyone wins it is Trunks, except even he doesn't win this because they need to call on Zeno for assistance.
TOP: It's still ongoing

[Lord Frieza]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward. Every moment has a feeling of non importance. For instance, SPOILER******** Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.


I guess since I'm an adult now I'm more prone to be highly critical of the show... I might've accepted this as a child and felt the suspense of this each time, but now it seems uninspired and repetitive...

What do you suggest ? Killing off characters doesn't matter anymore in DB as death has no meaning.

Did you know that Goku hasn't legit beat a powerful enemy in all of Super so far ? It's far less predictable than Z.
He hasn't beaten Beerus, he lost. He hasn't beaten Zamasu Black Goku, he lost. He hasn't beaten Hit. He's only beaten mugs so far.

False tension is the only way they can go about it. It's clickbait 101. I understand your frustration but I find it a bit unfair. At the end of the day you're watching an anime. They all have their flaws. Maybe it's time for you to move on from the show ?

Well for a while Goku didn't actually win anything either in the original Dragonball...


I enjoy the show, minus the fact that false tension is ineffective... It lacks imagination but it's still nice to watch new episodes after so long.

The only times Goku didn't win were the 21st and 22nd Budokai's and in both cases he lost due to bad luck rather then any thing else, Roshi's leg was longer and struck deeper and a truck knocked him to the ground befor Tien. In both cases Goku was out right shown to be the superior warrior.

But if you want me to run it down.

Hunt for the Dragong Ball: Goku is only taging along on Bulma's journy. While he dose lose his dragon ball, he and his friends stop the bad guys plot.

21st Budokai: Only lost due to leg length despite being the stronger.

Red Ribbon Army: Out right annilated them by the end.

22nd Budokai: Won the fight but lost the match due to hitting the ground first.

King Piccolo: Is stronger then Piccolo but happered by Piccolo cheating but still wins in the end.

23rd Budokai: Is stronger then Piccolo again and only put in real harms way by a sneak attack yet still wins.

Saiyan Invastion: Is soundly beaten by Vegeta but with some help and quick thinking wins.

Frieza: A solide victory after going Super Saiyan.

Androids: Quits aganest Cell but never planned on beating him in the final battle anyway. Had done his beast to makeGohan stronger and planned on his rage unlocking a greater power, which did play out. Stops Cell's self distuct from killing everyone and helps out Gohan at the end.

Buu arc: Goku and Co beat Buu.

Garlic Jr. Beaten by Gohan.

Otherworld Tournamant: Double Disquolificastion.

Baby: Goku and Co beat Baby.

Super 17: Goku amd #18 beat S17

Omega Shenron: Goku and Co beat Omega but Goku dies.

Beerus: Goku and Co are soundly beaten by Beerus and only survive thanks to Beerus's good grace.

Resurection F: Frieza almost kills everyone and they gets saved at the last minute by Whis and his hax powers.

Universe 6: Goku and Hit throw their respective fights, although Goku is pretty close to his limit, and because the U7 lot still have Monaka, they win.

Black/Zamasu: A litteral none wins scenario. Goku and Co fail to beat Zamasu and Future Universe 7 is destroyed with no way of fixing all the damage done.

So the only time in old Dragon Ball Goku ever truly lost was when it would really have had no negative outcome for him, his friends and the earth and he only ever did because of techniqualities as he was still the stronger fighter.

[Faisal Shourov]

I think overall that Super is less sophisticated than both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z (which weren't the most sophisticated to begin with) and now that most of us have grown older and more sophisticated ourselves, Super does feel like a step down. If it were at least a nice bit smarter than Z, and could play with our expectations more (like it sometimes does pretty well) then it'd get far more praise.

Super is targeted towards kids though. Us adults are not the target audience for Super

[Xeogran]

I think overall that Super is less sophisticated than both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z (which weren't the most sophisticated to begin with) and now that most of us have grown older and more sophisticated ourselves, Super does feel like a step down. If it were at least a nice bit smarter than Z, and could play with our expectations more (like it sometimes does pretty well) then it'd get far more praise.

Super is targeted towards kids though. Us adults are not the target audience for Super

Super may be targetted at kids, but you can't deny that it has moments that adults can understand better. Hit's „I'm working” line, for example. Simply said but straight to the point. Kids often won't understand how harsh a job can be.
Also, the Maron reference in DBS was aimed at older fans who by any chance still remember her.

DBS just like any other DB. appeals to all ages.

[Hit-Man]

The only time Dragon Ball has ever truly surprised me was in Super. When Vegeta said he would not go train but would stay with Bulma until their child is born. I almost died of shock. Also when he actually changed her diaper.

Otherwise Dragon Ball has always followed a certain formula. I was in college when I started watching. I don't watch Dragon Ball to be critical. I watch it because it is fun and honestly despite it being a cartoon (I really wasn't into anime yet) I had never seen a story where the good guys age, have children, or when a characters who started out as a villains became good (okay now I've seen that trope a lot but at the time Dragon Ball was the first for me). I really thought it was unique and something special.

And going back to Dragon Ball all these years later I still adore the characters and the sense of fun it gives me. I am well past being an adult lol but as I get older I know some things you don't have to over analyze. Dragon Ball is probably not going to do anything truly unpredictable. Yes I am not worried for the characters lives (though I have extreme anxiety that my favorites are going to be knocked out of the TOP early). But I still enjoy seeing the characters I love become stronger, overcome adversaries, and well see how they have changed over the years. I think these characters are like family. I get not everyone wants familiarity or to feel comfortable but in these times I don't think that is a bad thing. I love Dragon Ball simply because it makes me incredibly happy. And quite honestly few things these days have the power to do that.

That was....beautiful man. *sniff sniff*

[Lord Beerus]

I think overall that Super is less sophisticated than both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z (which weren't the most sophisticated to begin with) and now that most of us have grown older and more sophisticated ourselves, Super does feel like a step down. If it were at least a nice bit smarter than Z, and could play with our expectations more (like it sometimes does pretty well) then it'd get far more praise.

Super is targeted towards kids though. Us adults are not the target audience for Super

Super may be targetted at kids, but you can't deny that it has moments that adults can understand better. Hit's „I'm working” line, for example. Simply said but straight to the point. Kids often won't understand how harsh a job can be.
Also, the Maron reference in DBS was aimed at older fans who by any chance still remember her.

DBS just like any other DB. appeals to all ages.

Dragon Ball's main target audience has always been children. That was case in 1984 and that is still the case now.

[MaskedRider]

you can't deny that it has moments that adults can understand better. Hit's „I'm working” line, for example. Simply said but straight to the point. Kids often won't understand how harsh a job can be.

To be fair I don't think kids are THAT naive, especially at a line like that. Years of playing Roblox long after being a kid myself (Christ, time goes by fast) and it surprises me how much a child can know or comprehend. They certainly won't have the adult awareness about the world as we do but I suppose that is why we tell some that they are sure mature for their age, I know I was told that and I think a child can understand such things in life like how tiring a job can be if their parents are the type to have them around when fixing a car issue or cooking.

[FortuneSSJ]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward.

Saiyan arc - Kaioken
Freeza arc - Super Saiyan
Cell arc - Different levels of SSJ and SSJ2 for Gohan
Buu arc - SSJ3 and Fusions

You just described DBZ. It's not a new thing.

[PremiumSalt]

I've genuinely enjoyed the franchise and it's prominent return. BUT, the franchise has seriously become too predictable.... Every episode and arc seems to be reusing the idea of Goku facing a new challenge, being over powered, and suddenly finding the strength to reach a new level(and everybody acting surprised) for the sake of moving forward. Every moment has a feeling of non importance. For instance, SPOILER******** Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.


I guess since I'm an adult now I'm more prone to be highly critical of the show... I might've accepted this as a child and felt the suspense of this each time, but now it seems uninspired and repetitive...

Except...that’s been the entire series since the Saiyan Arc (arguably the Piccolo Arc).

[Simere]

That Freeza bit wasn't the NEP. I keep seeing this said.

[Kinokima]

One thing I will say is I wish DB was better at dividing up fights.

I am so behind on One Piece and I am not sure if this is still the case but it was very good at giving all its main characters memorable fight scenes by having a number of different villains to fight for each character.

I think Dragon Ball could improve in this area instead of always having one main antagonist who powers up and then having that antagonist eventually be defeated by a power up. Even the lower tiered villains usually still soundly beat everyone and then it's the stronger villain of the arc who is finally defeated. I know DB doesn't always follow this formula to the letter but it is pretty close.

I mean just look at the Future Trunks arc. You had 3 fighters and 2 villains. They could have had 3 main villains for 3 fighters. Of course no one actually won in this arc but it could have been another way to tell the story. But just little changes like that could give more characters something to do. Even with the TOP where you would think there would be a lot of opportunities for different characters to have cool fights this doesn't seem to be the case.

[oozaru goku]

I think the real problem is it actually lacks of tension it should have. Now it's the survival tournament which should be the most enormous risky event of all times but looks they're just playing around. Even if the fight with jiren seems to be more serious as it should be but it's already like 50 episodes with parody so that's why you just can't be really into the show and still think like

Gohan ALMOST dying against Jimeze... It was very obvious he wasn't going to die, and the show still continues to rely on the false tension of the scene. Or even in this most recent episode were Goku is absorbed by his own attack and the show tries to play it off as 'Wow, Goku has finally been defeated, we genuinely can't believe he's gone' or with the NEP that shows Frieza about to kill Goku, as if we don't already know that won't happen.

That's because the show has never made any tension to you so you don't think that sth serious might actually happen.

[Bardo117]

Super is targeted towards kids though. Us adults are not the target audience for Super

Super may be targetted at kids, but you can't deny that it has moments that adults can understand better. Hit's „I'm working” line, for example. Simply said but straight to the point. Kids often won't understand how harsh a job can be.
Also, the Maron reference in DBS was aimed at older fans who by any chance still remember her.

DBS just like any other DB. appeals to all ages.

Dragon Ball's main target audience has always been children. That was case in 1984 and that is still the case now.

Well, you have to admit that Dragonball had a lot of adult themes in it and the humor was a lot heavier.

[Lord Beerus]

Super may be targetted at kids, but you can't deny that it has moments that adults can understand better. Hit's „I'm working” line, for example. Simply said but straight to the point. Kids often won't understand how harsh a job can be.
Also, the Maron reference in DBS was aimed at older fans who by any chance still remember her.

DBS just like any other DB. appeals to all ages.

Dragon Ball's main target audience has always been children. That was case in 1984 and that is still the case now.

Well, you have to admit that Dragonball had a lot of adult themes in it and the humor was a lot heavier.

Then standard for what is considered acceptable humor for children is very much different in Japan than it is in most Western countries.