Which Ending Do You Prefer: Z's Ending or GT's Ending?

[TheBlackPaladin]

I may not have been a huge fan of GT overall, but there were elements of it that I liked...most notably, the final episode. I felt that ending was a much, much better ending than Z's ending, for several reasons. To quickly name a few off the top of my head...

1) Because the pacing leading up to the end wasn't nearly as abrupt.
2) There was an intriguing degree of ambiguity over what truly happened to Goku.
3) The ending montage at the end really makes you appreciate the truly epic story that was the life of Goku.
4) Musically, I felt that Tokunaga's score beat Kikuchi's (when comparing the final episodes).

Your thoughts?

[DragonBalllKaiHD]

Pretty much sums up my feeling on GT's ending. GT's ending was pretty powerful, despite GT being not canon to the original series. I cried when I saw the ending for the first time. I liked how Toei paid its respect to the series by making a montage with one of the best songs in Dan Dan Kokoro Hikarete'ku.

Having Goku still alive after 100 years, while everyone except Pan had died, has helped the scene feel more powerful too.

[dprez]

I actually really enjoyed Z's ending. This is an unpopular opinion, but I liked the idea of the most powerful enemy Goku had ever faced being reincarnated into a "good guy", who Goku could one day fight "again" to test his abilities.

I remember liking GT's ending, but Goku being a kid the last time anyone see's him... I really didn't like Goku being a kid throughout GT, at all. Kinda killed it for me. So I guess it's Z, even though the idea of Goku riding Shenlong into the Other World was quite brilliant.

[Cipher]

This is going to get long. To start, I like them both. I like GT's just a bit more, but I like each enough to grapple with it. I'll go through my thoughts for each, but keep in mind, you can't just talk about the ending itself (i.e. the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai and the last episode of GT). You have to talk about how they treat the characters, how they fit the tone, and the story lines and series that lead up to them.

Here we go.

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Z/The manga

Basically, I think Z/the manga provides a better ending for Goku's character. If you're looking at the series as primarily Goku's story, then this is the one for you. It takes him full-circle from naive student to master, and if you subscribe to the idea that he spends the last portion of the series battling some serious ennui, Oob finally provides a healthy outlet and a way for him to move on. Piccolo's line, "He looked happy to me ... happier than in long time," is telling.

The ending actually works pretty well across the board. In fact, it's successful in several ways GT's isn't. Everyone who's had a character arc up to this point has completed their development, by and large in a positive way. Piccolo, Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Kuririn, cameos from multiple characters in the Genki Dama scene, and even the Dragon Balls themselves receive a last hurrah as the deus-ex-machina that saves the day against Boo. And what some may see as being abrupt, I see as being perfectly in-tone with the rest of the series. We get a little time-skip epilogue, and then send everyone on their way, leaving the world open for more adventures. It's a perfectly fitting ending for Dragon Ball.

The only reason I don't totally love this ending (other than maybe liking GT's treatment better personally) is that it leaves one bizarrely glaring thread hanging. One that GT deals with so, so well.

GT

While Z's may be the better Goku-centric ending, this, I feel, is a better ending for the series as a whole.

First off, the negatives:

I've said it twice already, but it's not a better ending for Goku's character. I mean, I certainly get a kick out of it, but it's a little too complete. It, like Z's, provides an answer for Goku's ennui, but it doesn't let him grow as a character in the same way Z's does, and that missing development means it kind of falls flat. It's Writing 101 that you don't kill your main character as a way of providing resolution. While GT doesn't exactly do that, it comes closer than Z.

For many of the other characters (there are exceptions), it doesn't do a whole lot either. There's little development, which would be fine on its own, but by continuing on from Z's stable ending and stagnating, it actually does a disservice. It's bizarre, from a narrative standpoint. Z's final arc provides closure all around and then ends. GT's means we see the same characters come back as background and the series ends without further development. Gohan, Goten and Trunks do little. Pan, who had a bright and undefined future at the end of Z, gets to pal around in the main cast for all of GT, but her development peters out in the Baby arc. Piccolo in Hell isn't something I particularly have a problem with, but it doesn't feel like a necessary development either. Oob -- while, fantastic, he's probably the second or third strongest living being -- is actively disserviced by being sidelined.

GT's beginning also creates some serious narrative dissonance. You have a relatively complete ending in Z with its own 10-year time skip and what is very clearly an open-ended epilogue, only to quickly jump forward another five years, dismiss the finality of what we've just seen, and begin a new arc. Now, we know what was going on behind the scenes (original author ended the series and the studio began a new plot line), but looking at it as its own, entire story, it's some seriously bizarre pacing.

So why do I like it better?

The series isn't called Goku. It's called Dragon Ball. And while some people are probably reading this going, "Well, the title doesn't matter. It hadn't been about the Dragon Balls for a while, etc., etc.", I'm going to tell you you're wrong. The title does matter. The fact that the Dragon Balls (despite their decent send-off in Z, which I mentioned) were sidelined is a problem. The story becomes increasingly ensemble, and these objects are the focal point. The fact that they become a glaring fix-all by the Boo arc is an obvious issue, and the fact that Old Kaioshin even addresses it before the series ends makes Z's failure to follow up on it really, really stand out.

Basically? The Dragon Balls, specifically the role they take on in later portions of Z, are a Chekhov's gun that Z never fires. GT does.

It:

1) Puts the focus back on the Dragon Balls throughout all its arcs.
2) Addresses the over-reliance the cast comes to have on both the Dragon Balls and Goku by removing them. This is a problem for all the characters before it's addressed. Trunks gives it a beautiful send off by talking about how they'll have to rely on their own strength.

Those are necessary things. They make for a better ending thematically (especially the characters having to rebuild the ruined Earth on their own and rely upon themselves until the Dragon Balls return).

GT's ending does a few other things I feel make it a better send-off. Z's ending is in-tone with the series, but GT's recognizes the by-then sweeping and epic nature of the series, and gives it a final arc and final episode ( and arguably whole series) dripping with nostalgia and homages to the past.

Also, there are those character exceptions I mentioned earlier. Bulma gets a better send-off, if only by being more relevant and coming center-stage to reminisce. Vegeta, while his arc was complete at the end of Z, actually gets further development in GT, and is left as the strongest hero on Earth at the end, so good on him. Kuririn gets the best send-off ever and provides probably the single most poignant moment in the entire Dragon Ball franchise. And more than just being good for Goku, Kuririn and Kame Sennin, their little talk at the end is good for the series as a whole.

And, need I say it? It's just a lot more loving and poignant than Z's. It's more final, but it also leaves us with the promise of future adventures, albeit by handing them off to a new generation.


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So both are good. Each does certain things better than the other. But at the end of the day, I like my Dragon Ball to end with the Evil Dragons and Goku disappearing. These are my serious thoughts about a silly children's cartoon.

[MisguidedGhost]

I definitely like GT's ending the best. Z's just came off feeling incomplete, though admittedly it was completely in character for Goku. As for the original series, I do like that ending and I think it would've been a good way for things to end, but still, GT did it best in my opinion. The montage nearly brings a tear to my eye.

[Saiga]

I prefer Z's "and the adventure continues" ending over the GT ending. I think it's a better ending for the characters, and actually don't like GT's ending much at all.

[Gaffer Tape]

A lot of amazing, on-the-nose observations.

You spelled Chekhov wrong... unless you were talking about the gun held by the Star Trek character.

Seriously, though, I agree. You summed up my feelings so well and even illuminated me as to why I had feelings I didn't know I had.

[Cipher]

You spelled Chekhov wrong... unless you were talking about the gun held by the Star Trek character.

That's really embarrassing and also never happened as far as anyone knows.

But thank you.

[Ashura]

As Maligned as GT is, I feel the ending is more powerful. The plotline that these people have abused the Dragon Balls is actually pretty powerful, and the fact that earth's most powerful warrior sacrifices himself to fix the balance is pretty moving. I really liked the farewells, especially Kuririn and Goku sparring on the beach at Kame House.

It all feels like a true goodbye for old friends.

[MCDaveG]

I prefer the renewed original in the manga, with Uub being the new Goku!
But in the anime, the Z ending is cut really idiotic and different from manga, to be continuous with the start of GT anime
(they are flying away with Uub and then we see them fighting on Kami's lookout after years),
so I think I prefer the GT ending, which was really well done plus done like a reall END OF THE STORY.

Overall I prefer the manga, that is my Dragon Canon.

[samuraix123]

I like both but sense I gotta pick one I'm going to go with GT. Gt's ending was great.

[Akumaito Beam]

*Amazing Post*

Can we cut out of the middle man and have a thread where you just type out all of your opinions on this franchise? Every time you do one of these long posts they're super fucking interesting and make me feel embarrassingly dull. You need a Dragon Ball blog or something.

[InfernalVegito]

GT's ending is much better than Z's because it delivers a better feeling of closure.

[Codarik]

GT's ending is much better than Z's because it delivers a better feeling of closure.

Ditto.

Z's ending left the series wide open.

[Gaffer Tape]

I don't see what's wrong with that, though (and I like both endings for different reasons). It fits. DB was serialized and was made up of story arcs. Only a couple of them had any really decisive closures (23rd Budoukai and Cell are the only ones, but only the latter if you don't count the last chapter with Trunks because that's not really any good for a series finale). For the most part, a story arc ends and leads immediately into the next one, oftentimes in the same chapter. So it's almost rather brilliant to end with the expectation of more of the same. Boo is defeated. In the same chapter, there's a time skip leading to the next story arc. The characters are re-introduced with new looks. A familiar staple of the tournament is introduced. A focal point is established. And then Goku rides off into the sunset into new adventures that could very easily continue that same story arc that we just don't happen to see.

[Rory]

In Z's ending, GT didn't happen.

[Sebastian]

Z's ending was extremely underwhelming to me, it's like the series just ends and that's that. GT's ending was much more of the grand finale I was expecting from Z, I especially liked Goku and Krillens little play fight and the ending montage.
Also, dub names FTW

[Rocketman]

2) Addresses the over-reliance the cast comes to have on ... Goku by removing them. This is a problem for all the characters before it's addressed. Trunks gives it a beautiful send off by talking about how they'll have to rely on their own strength.

I completely disagree, because GT goes out of its way to force everybody else into uselessness so they have to rely on ~goku~.

The way Z ended, Goku was completely outclassed by Gohan and Gotenks, and Uub has promise of equalling or exceeding SS3 Goku. GT begins and Gohan is stripped of his mystic powerup, Gotenks is mentioned once and discarded, and Uub does so little he's barely in it. Even Vegeta, Goku's direct equal in the Buu arc, only exists to give heroic statements and then get beaten the fuck down so he can stare into the divine nuts of Godku.

So no, GT, you don't get any credit for bitching at the characters for doing what you forced them into doing.

[Nex Carnifex]

I think the GT ending was pretty repetitive and stupid. The enemy was killed the same way the final enemy of Z was which was extremely lame, and it made less sense as well because no one had to hold back Omega Shenron, the apparently ultimate bad guy, to let Goku charge this apparently biggest attack ever, he just kinda stands there and suddenly finds himself weaker than base form Goku (he throws some ki attacks and they do nothing, lolwut). Then everything gets weird and random with Goku fusing with the dragon. Why is that a good ending? It was just strange and badly written, bad ending imo. Then you have everything else that goes along with GT involving everyone uselessly watching Goku fight in slow paced boring battles and magically regenerating his clothes. So I guess if you hated all the other characters besides Goku then GT is the ending for you, personally I think the concept of making the Dragon Balls important again was a good idea, they just did it really badly.

[PharaohAtem]

Cipher nailed it so perfectly. I believe GT was the perfect way to end the series. There's just something about it that gets me emotional (not just the ending, of course). With Z ending, I suppose since I already knew GT was coming afterwards, it was just getting me excited for the next adventure.