Dragonball as horror

[Hades]

Around the time the Freeza saga started, Dragonball began to have elements of horror (Freeza's transformations and the power at their disposal), but that largely remained an undercurrent until the Cell Saga (when you had an abomination of life devouring everything around it to become stronger like a predator) and the Buu Saga (when you had a being from the periphery of hell threatening existence itself that terrifies even the gods in heaven)

Could DB have worked as a horror series?

[Fizzer]

It's hard to classify Dragon Ball as a particular genre. It's a fantasy-action--adventure-martial arts series loosely based on mythology, with some portions of it having heavy doses of comedy or sci-fi, and bits of horror thrown around here and there. The Great Saiyaman filler arc is basically a rom-com. It's a mish-mash of everything with about the right balance, and I think that's what makes it work.

The Freeza, Cell and Buu arcs were certainly high in tension, but I don't think that's the same as horror. Plenty of things portray dire situations and high-stakes without being horror. I might classify the Cell arc as being in-part horror, along with the non-manga Garlic Jr and Baby arcs.

If the whole series had the darkness and fear-factors that those arcs do (or more), I think it would lose it's magic, but they do work very well as parts of the whole.

[FrogTrigger]

Depends on what kind

Generally horror protagonists aren't as successful as the dbz crew at vanquishing foes, like there's a world of difference between Uzumaki and dbz

It could work probably

[ABED]

It's hard to classify Dragon Ball as a particular genre. It's a fantasy-action--adventure-martial arts series loosely based on mythology, with some portions of it having heavy doses of comedy or sci-fi, and bits of horror thrown around here and there. The Great Saiyaman filler arc is basically a rom-com. It's a mish-mash of everything with about the right balance, and I think that's what makes it work.

I love shows that mixes genre, it's one of the reasons I love shows like DB, Yu Yu Hakusho, Supernatural, Buffy, and Angel.

[Sin]

I only felt a sense of horror when it came to Cell's introduction and possibly #19 and #20's introductions, probably because there was a sense of helplessness and it involved civilians.

[Gokuden]

There was a degree of horror when Kuririn was blasted to bits at the hands of Fureeza.

[JackyBoi99]

The early artificial human and seru arc felt very eerie and horror like, in my opinion.

[ABED]

Why are you calling him Seru?

I wouldn't call the early Cell arc as horror as much as a thriller.

[JackyBoi99]

Cell/seru/ セル

Seru is cell's original name, so I call him that?

[ABED]

Cell/seru/ セル

Seru is cell's original name, so I call him that?

It's based off an English word, it's just the Japanese pronunciation. He's name is Cell because he's made up of cells of the strongest warriors.

[DoomieDoomie911]

Since Dragon Ball has a lot of comedy elements to it, I don't think it would ever feel right as a horror series.

[coola]

Trunks Special could be kinda classified as horror, you have monsters, that love to kill, and, no matter how you look, situation is desperate. People just have to pray, it won`t be their city, that cyborgs they choose today

[rereboy]

Cell/seru/ セル

Seru is cell's original name, so I call him that?

Why would you pronounce an english word like non-english speaking foreigners do...? His name is Cell, an english word, seru is just japanese pronunciation of the word.

[JackyBoi99]

Cell it is then

[Chuquita]

I think I would watch a DB horror special/arc, but I would miss the humor. You could still do horror stuff in the series despite how strong the characters are, you just need an enemy that doesn't rely on strength that wouldn't necessarily fight them in martial arts combat. (Zombies, viruses, realitywarping horrors).

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

It's like somebody tried this...