Should Boo arc be a separate anime series?

[DBZGTKOSDH]

From Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Z, we had many changes: New music, new openings, endings, etc, new characters, and a change in the style of the series (less comedy, more ki-based fights, many transformations, etc). But from Cell arc to Boo arc, there was a similar change: New music, new openings, endings, etc, new characters, and a change in the style of the series (Saiyan-Cell arcs were serious with some gags here & there, while Boo arc had a serious plot with gags all over the place). It replaced Goku with Gohan, and Goten & Trunks took Gohan's old position (though Goku ended up saving the day in the end). Many years passed, and many characters changed. Almost everything changed... except for the title.

Does anyone else feel that Saiyan-Cell arcs & Boo arc should have been two different anime series?

[mAcChaos]

It would have been a good place to switch off. What real difference would it have made though.

[Insertclevername]

I get what you mean but I really like how it was done in the real thing where the Boo arc was treated more as a "part two" of "Z".

[Son Edo]

It's fine the way it is, in my opinion.

[DBZ Mick]

No, leave it the way it is.

[pappy]

I often find myself taking this the other way and wishing the whole thing could've been left Dragon Ball. Sure, fans still would have noticed and discussed how there's a shift in the way the plot unfolds, with it taking the science fiction route, but I think the title change sort of galvanized the audience into treating the series as two separate entities. This effect seems to have been especially heightened when we received the show in the U.S. and went through it out of order. This isn't to say Funimation wouldn't have still started the whole shebang at the Saiyans arrival if the "Z" separator not been there, but it probably would have made it a more difficult decision. It's really interesting to think about your what-if scenario, Toei changing the title again for Buu, and wondering if maybe that's where Funimation could've started the show. A starting lead closer to the target age and a couple of young-uns to appease the tykes, our nostalgia would be shifted and think about all of those earthlings being sent to the next dimension by Boo. Hercule would have, of course, remained Hercule; even if the French had not named him that by 96' or 97', it would've still been destiny. A dark, dark, destiny... Or maybe they would've named him Mark. I dunno.

[Vijay]

I get your point.

Cell & Buu Arc as a whole felt like complete "part 2" of Z.

The 1st Half of Z (Saiyan~Frieza Saga) essentially built-up on the Super Saiyan theory.

Cell & Buu Arc introduced various aspects as ASSJ/USSJ/FPSSJ. Not to forget Fusion, Potara, SSJ2/3.

I dont see why Boo Arc should be a stand alone anime series though.

While it might be another excuse for Buu Saga haters to banish it to eternal hell, it still has its charm in a unique way.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

I dont see why Boo Arc should be a stand alone anime series though.

I don't know, it feels like Part 3 of the series to me.

While it might be another excuse for Buu Saga haters to banish it to eternal hell, it still has its charm in a unique way.

Hey, I love Boo arc!

[Son_Gohan]

The naming scheme they chose wouldn't make it fitting, considering the letter "Z" was kind of there signifying the end. So they more or less shut the door on that potentiality. But there's really no need for the Buu arc to be separated.

[theoriginalbilis]

Why do something so unnecessary?

[TheDevilsCorpse]

I know the Buu Arc is really long and it definitely has a pretty different feel from the other DBZ arcs before it. We got a 7 year time skip, old characters growing up, new characters introduced to the main cast, no direct lead-in from the a previous arc, and a new opening, ending and eye-catches. But splitting the series as you've proposed...no.

I admit it would be a decent starting point to split the series again, but just breaking off the one arc feels incredibly pointless. Now, if the actual manga had included some version of content like Neko Majin Z, Heya! Son Goku and Friends Return and Battle of Gods during the original run, as proper arcs instead of short stories written as a gag/special/movie, then I wouldn't really have a problem with it. Bring on Dragon Ball Z2 or whatever.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

The naming scheme they chose wouldn't make it fitting, considering the letter "Z" was kind of there signifying the end.

Dragon Ball GT says hi.

I know the Buu Arc is really long and it definitely has a pretty different feel from the other DBZ arcs before it. We got a 7 year time skip, old characters growing up, new characters introduced to the main cast, no direct lead-in from the a previous arc, and a new opening, ending and eye-catches. But splitting the series as you've proposed...no.

I admit it would be a decent starting point to split the series again, but just breaking off the one arc feels incredibly pointless. Now, if the actual manga had included some version of content like Neko Majin Z, Heya! Son Goku and Friends Return and Battle of Gods during the original run, as proper arcs instead of short stories written as a gag/special/movie, then I wouldn't really have a problem with it. Bring on Dragon Ball Z2 or whatever.

I think that the fact that it is only one story arc could be the reason they didn't separate it. If there was another or two arcs after Boo arc (but without a big time-skip), maybe they would have made it a different series.

[TheGmGoken]

Would be waste of a new series to be honest. Not that Boo Arc was bad. It just doesn't need to be it's own series.

[Revolution]

I think it's fine the way they did it I think something that would have been cool is if the did a spin-off saga with Majin Buu for example perhaps back when the saiyan race were for the most a healthy race you could have had Frieza and some of his best men (saiyans) have a run in with buu maybe back when he came towards then end of his first reign of terror or something to that affect anyway maybe in his Inexperience Frieza was able to gain an upper hand and then afterwards prompted buu's master and himself to go after the Kai's? I don't k ow how old Frieza is so I don't know if I could apply his character to when Buu was first at large so please forgive me on any mistakes on that part. Could have been interesting anyway

[Kunzait_83]

True story: during most of the summer of 1993 (while the Anoyoichi Budokai stuff was airing), the usenet newsgroups were filled with rumors that the next part of the series was in fact going to be divided into a whole new anime series, complete with new opening/closing theme and everything. Some poster referred to it hypothetically as "Dragon Ball ZZ" and the name wound up sticking and a bunch of people actually thought that that was really going to be the name of it.

So for the whole summer that year, most Dragon Ball-related threads were abuzz about an all new "Dragon Ball ZZ" series that was supposedly going to start airing that fall... which as we all know turned out to simply be Cha La Head Cha La and Zenkai Power finally at long last being retired (after a whopping 4 and a half year run) and We Gotta Power and We Were Angels (complete with brand new animation) being brought in as the new opening and closing for what was still just plain ol' DBZ.

Lesson here: for all the many, many things that have changed about internet discussion since the early 90's, some aspects - like the whole game of telephone that often gets played with rumors - still endure just fine. In this very old case, "DBZ finally gets a new opening and closing theme/aninmation" had mutated into "DBZ is ending and a whole new DB series is starting!" Which if DBZ were a thing that were first airing today is something that could more than easily still happen among overzealous fans (though I'm sure sites like this one would be much more easily able to suss out the truth and help squash the rumors at least somewhat).

[Gyt Kaliba]

I don't think it should be a separate series - but I have often wondered why it didn't become such, and whether or not it was ever considered. In the end though, it really does work best as just the last part of Z, since despite the changes it brings with Gohan, Goten, and Trunks taking up the mantle, things really just end up swinging back to the status quo in the end - so it works better where it is in retrospect. Which is the same reason it amuses me that the new opening features Gohan's school friends so prominently, as if they're gonna play a big part in the story.

[jjgp1112]

I've always thought so, because the Cell saga basically wrapped up the entire portion of Dragon Ball from the arrival of Raditz to Gohan defeating Cell, and then we get a big timeskip and a "new era," so to speak.

[Revolution]

I don't think it should be a separate series - but I have often wondered why it didn't become such, and whether or not it was ever considered. In the end though, it really does work best as just the last part of Z, since despite the changes it brings with Gohan, Goten, and Trunks taking up the mantle, things really just end up swinging back to the status quo in the end - so it works better where it is in retrospect. Which is the same reason it amuses me that the new opening features Gohan's school friends so prominently, as if they're gonna play a big part in the story.

Yeah I think the way they did it to wrap it up was bang on.. Maybe a Bardock type special but a Majin Buu origin story instead?

[MCDaveG]

Well, every significant info on Majin Boo was given, I think that I would prefer Freeza's origin story.

[Revolution]

Yeah!! Getting some info on his race would be awesome as a minimum! I wonder If he was always evil or if he was beaten down and just flipped a switch to everything so life was then easier, yeah freeza definitely one origin story I'd like to see!