Dragonball being anti-technology?

[Hades]

I noticed that in Dragonball, despite there being hoards of alien tech on Earth, only the bad guys ever use it, and the good guys seem to live hermetic lifestyles (between DB and Z, goku doesn't even so much as call his friends), and humanity doesn't head into space, even though they know it's possible. Heck, even the dub notes this, with Freeza saying that the Earth was still in a "dark ages" of sorts. Does this strike you as a luddite theme?

[Bussani]

Hm, really? The Dragon Ball Earth has all sorts of super technology, like flying cars and capsules you can fit almost anything into. What about the dragon radar, without which none of the story would have happened? I'd say Goku is a bit anti-technology, but that's because he was raised in the middle of nowhere.

Was Earth in the dark ages compared to Freeza's army? I guess so. Earth's best spaceships were ludicrously slow until Dr. Brief rebuilt Goku's pod.

[Hades]

Yes, Earth has flying cars and capsules, but we never see those being utilised to their full potential (like colonising the moon, or mars for that matter). and the heroes never integrate communications technology (scouters could also be used as a two-way radio IIRC, and could have gone a long way to help during the androids saga).

As well as that, Earth still blindly worships Mr. Satan no matter what he says and does, which probably doesn't help being branded as being in the Dark Ages.

[Eire]

Wasn't there a similar thread recently?

Why bother with cars when you have vesicle fast, reliable and completely free in exploitation or lather you can fly by yourself. Goku's and Chi-Chi's home seems to have all sorts of useful devices. If they were anti-technological in any mean they would have hearth and ice cellar instead of cooker and fridge.

The story focus on superguys using their superabilities, not explaining every detail of the world and society. Giving too advanced technology would kill the the suspense.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Exactly. And I think Bulma did convert Raditz's scouter into English language, but it blew up when she was reading Gokuu's Kaiouken x3.

I think the Earthlings just had some kind of global drop in IQ and forgot everything that happened before the Cell arc, which is why they worshipped Mr. Satan like he was their God.

But the Z-Warriors don't need to really need to use that much technology, since it's made a point of throughout the Saiyan and Freeza arcs that their natural ki-sensing is overall better than scouters, and by the Saiyan arc, they can all fly.

[Goten2008]

between DB and Z, goku doesn't even so much as call his friends

He never did period. Bulma complained about that towards the end of Z.

[Kuwabara]

There isn't any evidence that humans haven't spread their influence upon other planets in the Dragon Ball universe, it's just a facet of the series that's never shed light upon. It would certainly explain how aliens in the Northern Galaxy seem to know Earthling languages fluently.

As for language comprehension between people from different cultures in the after life, perhaps it's handled in a similar way to how Green Lanterns communicate? Their halos take the place of the Lantern rings, I guess. Dragon Ball's deities probably know all languages by necessity.

[MCDaveG]

It's not anti-technology, only the plot is dealing with some story, that doesn't incorporate anything unless it's vital to it.
This is fighting series for kids, not something Sims like.
If you wanna have some stories with the whole ''mytology'', try Gundam series or different anime. But don't expect it in Shonen.
In Saint Seiya for example, you know the whole Greek mytology about Athena and other gods, see some glimpses of outside society, but you never know, if it is the world of today or how exactly the world looks like outside the battles of the Saints.

[SparkyPantsMcGee]

I don't think there is an anti-technology ideal; Goku, while he doesn't really use it daily depended on technology greatly and was never really against it. The Dragon Radar, The healing tank thing(Freeza Saga), Spaceships, Saiyan Armor...etc Goku or the others never really objected to any of this; they just didn't find the need to use it daily. If anything the show promoted an ideal of finding positive uses for technology but not depending on it 24/7.