Do you sit through the filler?

[Tweaker]

While I don't particularly like all of the filler in the series, I nonetheless opt to watch every single bit of footage present in each episode for the sake of completion when I decide to watch the anime.

Admittedly, this can turn out fo be extremely boring at times--I've actually fallen asleep several times at the most bland bits and bobs of drawn-out material present in several episodes. With that in mind, you'd wonder why I even bother... and I don't have an answer for you, really. =P

[Conan the SSJ]

...Why do people keep citing this as an actual edit?

The "Cargo Robot" was what the Ocean dub called that helicopter that Nappa destroyed, and somebody made a joke out of that and Cargo on that DBZ Censorship video...

I was being sarcastic in calling Kargo "the Cargo robot!", I know very well that edit-dialogue stems from a completely separate episode of the series and therefore isn't relevant to Kargo's death. Apologies if you took it the wrong way and apologies to Mike and all else for the lack of point in it.

[Amigo Ten]

I didn't mind the Saiyaman and Videl filler (other than how stupid Gohan was in trying to get away from her), but that's mainly because I very much like those few chapters in the manga.

[Matt_22]

As I bought the Season Sets, it was the first time I had watched the anime in its entirety in Japanese, so I watched every episode regardless of filler.

The only time I considered skipping anything was during the Garlic Junior arc. That was really painful to sit through.

[Raki]

I try and skip all filler that's boring as hell.

[NeptuneKai]

I tend to just skip past entire filler episodes and filler arcs. Filler intertwined with canon events I'll just sit through.

[Saiyavenger2941]

I didn't mind the Saiyaman and Videl filler (other than how stupid Gohan was in trying to get away from her), but that's mainly because I very much like those few chapters in the manga.

Heh, stupid? Yes. I'd run right into her arms! But then again, being shy like Gohan is, I think it fits with his character that the he tries to avoid the girl he likes. Never know when something incriminating or embarrassing will just slip out of your mouth...

That's why I love the flight training episodes. (Take Flight Videl happens to be my fave episode ever.) It's a huge step forward for both of them. By cutting her hair (At Gohan's request, mind you), it's not only a physical change for Videl, but also a mental change. It shows she trusts his judgment, and that she's willing to finally open up to him. Like the hair was a wall that she finally found a reason to take down. She also seems to be much more happy and carefree, being around Gohan.

And as for Gohan, while he's nervous around her at first, he finally begins to enjoy her company. He's also finally able to open up around her.

Those episodes stimulated the growth of what I believe is the greatest couple in entertainment history.

[Bussani]

Heh, stupid? Yes. I'd run right into her arms! But then again, being shy like Gohan is, I think it fits with his character that the he tries to avoid the girl he likes. Never know when something incriminating or embarrassing will just slip out of your mouth...

I think he meant the scene where he was trying to literally run away from her, and she kept chasing him.

By cutting her hair (At Gohan's request, mind you), it's not only a physical change for Videl, but also a mental change.

Cutting their hair is like the female version of Super Saiyajin in anime (and anime-esque video games).

As for me...I tend to watch most filler. But I definitely skip over things like fake Namek and, a lot of the time, Garlic Jr. It isn't even that Garlic Jr is terrible to me, it's just that I can't wait for the next part.

I dislike the filler spliced in throughout the Cell games, but that's harder to avoid.

[Saiyavenger2941]

Heh, stupid? Yes. I'd run right into her arms! But then again, being shy like Gohan is, I think it fits with his character that the he tries to avoid the girl he likes. Never know when something incriminating or embarrassing will just slip out of your mouth...

I think he meant the scene where he was trying to literally run away from her, and she kept chasing him.

Ah! I have an avatar of that somewhere... For the record, she would've been much better off using a cardboard box than her sneaky run, but whatev. Still a cute scene.

[Teclo]

Well my experience with DBZ is watching a ton of random episodes/movies on Cartoon Network about 10 or 11 years ago and then watching the Japanese version in order (so far) up to the start of the Majin tournament stuff plus all the movies and specials. I formed my attachment to it back with the random episodes so I never really had much idea what order things happened in or what was filler. Before I started rewatching DBZ (when I joined this forum) I had no idea what was in the TV series and what was in the movies.

As such, I never really though "Man, filler sucks" or anything. I also think, though I know many people won't see this as a valid point, that non-DBZ fans usually wouldn't be able to tell the difference between filler and canon episodes. I mean the Bulma/crab thing does seem like something that would happen in DB. If you describe Naruto filler to non-Naruto fans, it still sounds ridiculous. The Bleach filler is also mainly terrible because it's dumped into the middle of an ongoing plot, almost as if time has stopped - in much the same way as the DBZ movies. DBZ filler tends to be a sort of "Meanwhile..." kind of thing (like the Pikkon tournament) and its events seem to be taken to heart by fans and videogames much more than Bleach and Naruto filler.

And yeah, like others have said, some of my favourite stuff happens in the filler. Though certainly, the padding-style filler (people shouting at each other, staring at each other etc) is indefensibly terrible.

[Reckoner]

I actually like a lot of the fillers... Am I the only one who likes the Fake Namek and Garlic Jr. arcs?

Yes. Yes, you are.

A few years ago me and a buddy made a "fan-made" episode where we cut out ALL of Fake Namek and left in Vegeta on Planet 79 and Goku busting out of the hospital. The editing was a little rough, but that made it so much better.

And whoever said the Buu arc had the best filler, you are correct, sir.

[Kendamu]

The only time I don't skip over anything and continue to pay attention completely is if I'm watching the show with friends. When I'm watching it with a group (or even just one other person) and we can sit and comment on this and that while it's playing, I find myself very focused on the show even when the filler is on. It's mostly when I'm by myself that I tend to get distracted while filler is on.

Wait...! You have "friends" who watch Dragonball with you? SHOCK!

Lemme guess. By "comment on this and that" you mean "totally laugh and make fun of how ridiculous it is," right?

Well, I'm 25. Most of the people I know are now between 20 and 30. Back when DBZ first became popular in the USA those same people were between 10 and 20 years old, people between the ages of 5 and 20-something were watching it, and some of them were in Japan or other parts of Asia while it was initially airing on TV. I even met a guy who was probably in his 40s that worked at the same summer camp as me who watched a Trunks VHS with a bunch of us. So it's not some big taboo thing for people in my age group to like Dragonball or to have watched Dragonball back when it was on US television.

[Super Ghost Kamikaze]

Though certainly, the padding-style filler (people shouting at each other, staring at each other etc) is indefensibly terrible.

I'd definitely say it's defensible, or at least not "certainly indefensible". Have you ever watched a martial arts film? Not one of the Hollywood knock-offs, but the actual thing?

Stare-downs are a part of the genre, and a tension-building technique. It's a huge part of what Toriyama drew inspiration from when he was writing the manga.

Since we're talking about filler, I think a Kai mention is worthwhile here: I feel whenever I do snag an episode of Kai, it feels far more like a generic action cartoon than Dragon Ball. The pacing seems intent on making fights go by so quickly that the martial arts feeling is gone. And with that, too, goes a lot of what made the first execution special. Throwing the baby out with the bath water and the like.

[Kendamu]

Though certainly, the padding-style filler (people shouting at each other, staring at each other etc) is indefensibly terrible.

I'd definitely say it's defensible, or at least not "certainly indefensible". Have you ever watched a martial arts film? Not one of the Hollywood knock-offs, but the actual thing?

Stare-downs are a part of the genre, and a tension-building technique. It's a huge part of what Toriyama drew inspiration from when he was writing the manga.

The tension-building technique of the stare-downs works when you don't know what's going to happen next. However, on repeated viewings it just goes on for way too long in DBZ. Sure, there's tension at first but then you realize how long you've been sitting there and suddenly you're thinking, "When're they gonna do something," instead of, "OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG..."

It may have come from something good but it later became "too much of a good thing" in DBZ.

[Adamant]

I actually like a lot of the fillers... Am I the only one who likes the Fake Namek and Garlic Jr. arcs?

Probably, but I'll mention that I at least found the Spaceship Children arc pretty decent.

[Kendamu]

I actually like a lot of the fillers... Am I the only one who likes the Fake Namek and Garlic Jr. arcs?

Probably, but I'll mention that I at least found the Spaceship Children arc pretty decent.

Spaceship Children isn't bad filler at all. I'm just not a fan of Garlic Jr. or Fake Namek.

[Teclo]

The stare-down thing is also used very well in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" but DBZ uses it awfully for the most part. There'll be almost entire eps of people staring at each other. The ep will be called "Shocking development! Goku buys a new hat!" and it'll be 17 minutes of Goku staring at the hat, with the final minute being him actually buying it at the checkout.

[B]

DBZ Episode 226 is literally Majin Vegeta and Goku staring at each other in the tournament ring. Like, literally.

[Kendamu]

DBZ Episode 226 is literally Majin Vegeta and Goku staring at each other in the tournament ring. Like, literally.

The Buu arc has about the same number of episodes as there are Buu arc manga chapters. Considering that Toriyama considered one chapter to be about ten minutes of time passing (provided there's no timeskips or flashbacks) you're getting about half an episode of filler if everything were split equally.

[Saiyavenger2941]

DBZ Episode 226 is literally Majin Vegeta and Goku staring at each other in the tournament ring. Like, literally.

Not to mention one of the worst episodes ever, mainly because of that fact.

And let's not even begin to talk about "five minutes on Namek". (Actual line I used with a girlfriend once: "I wish we were in the Dragon World so five minutes could be as long as three months." I wonder why she dumped me...)