What is it that allows DBZ to appeal to older audiences?

[fadeddreams5]

In the intended age group topic, it's been pretty well-established that this show was orientated for kids--particularly, those in the 6-13 range, being that it's shonen. But what is it that makes DBZ transcend that age group and appeal to people 14+? Most attribute it to nostalgia, but is it really only that? Other shows, such as Pokemon and Power Rangers, are more likely to be brushed aside as childish at some point during an adolescent's (preteen-teenager's) life, despite being orientated towards the same age range. Sure, when people become adults, they may revisit those shows to relive their childhoods, and maintain the bias that "the original was the best," but from my experience, DBZ has always maintained a level of respect, even when people stopped following it as much or at all by middle school.

Hell, that topic about the intended age group wouldn't even exist if many didn't feel DBZ was more for teenagers and young adults. But why is this the case? Do you think Super will ever have that sort of appeal?

[MajinMan]

Who knows? It could be the violence, juvenile humor, characters, settings, etc. It all depends on the viewer and his/her interests. Personally, I believe it's mostly the characters and action that reels in the "older" audience.

[Chuquita]

The characters, probably. Also it doesn't talk down to the reader. You can be juvenile and not talk down at the same time, and I think that makes it more accessible to older audiences. All that combined with the action adventure of the stories.

Characters that age helps too. It's actually something I've found cooler as time goes by. Gokû is 37 in Super. Bulma's 41. Vegeta's 42. That's really cool to me. You don't see that much in shounen series.

[Lord Beerus]

The colorful characters, the juvenile humor and of course, the action. Those are three features about Dragon Ball that really can appeal to any demographic.

[SaiyaSith]

What I always loved about DBZ is how the characters trained so hard that they became super heroes. Unlike most other comics where they would get powers from external sources.

[Cipher]

1) The progression of time -- I honestly feel like this is a big one. If I can take anything about Dragon Ball seriously, it's its rather level-headed take on characters aging. This is actually a big part of my enjoyment of GT as well (even though Goku does the opposite in it). Characters are past their prime; everything feels nostalgic; aesthetically, there's an element of the real world catching up.

2) The fact that it doesn't take itself seriously. I don't actually enjoy much fantasy/sci-fi genre material. When I do, I lean toward things that run on total whimsy--things like superhero books, etc. Dragon Ball's all about it.

[EXBadguy]

The only thing I disagree with the others is the humor, which I don't find funny most of the time. Other than that, I agree with the rest. The actions, the characters, the semi-dark and sci-fi-ish stories, and the atmosphere appeals to the older audience. The two sagas receiving the most acclaim are the Freeza and Cell sagas.

Hopefully after the rehashed sagas of Super, the new ones will retain some of the old stuff, cuz right now, I don't trust Toriyama after the last two movies.

[DoomieDoomie911]

Because it has themes that appeal to everyone (characters, humor, action, et cetera). Just like One Piece, Fairy Tail, Bleach, etc. It's the same reason why some adults like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; good writing is good writing, regardless of demographic.

[theoriginalbilis]

You also have to look at it on how it was released internationally...

I think one of the major factors in DBZ's success outside of it's 6-15 age demographic due to it's content. Even when it was aired edited/censored/dubbed in other foreign markets, it was still more "intense" than many cartoons airing at the time, with it's action, violence, and serialized storyline involving danger and death. Even it's dynamic art style stands out. Personally, I remember even during the initial FUNi/Saban/Ocean-dubbed run, I was drawn to the character designs, the action, and the "implied" life-or-death fights. Yeah, the humor and light-hearted adventurous nature of the series was still present, but lots of kids and teens were drawn to the action first.

Nowadays, I stick around for the characters, their development, and the expansion of the universe Toriyama has set up. Hopefully, there will be some epic battles in the future, but that really depends on Toei's animation team being at their best.

[Hellspawn28]

I think nostalgia is one of the things since a lot of people where 5 - 13 when they first saw DBZ when it was brand new at the time. I also think the fast past attack appeals to a older audience too.

[FortuneSSJ]

- Plot easy fo follow. Anyone can jump to the hype train wtihout have to know much.
- Violence.
- Great characters.
- 100 % entertainment.

[TheBlackPaladin]

Besides just being a great show, I think the biggest thing that appeals to older audiences is, quite frankly, the simple fact that the people now considered "older audiences" were the "younger audiences" when they started watching. In other words, most of the fans of DBZ in the English-speaking world appear to be people who got into it as kids and still like it. Brand loyalty on an extreme scale, basically.

I mean, if my Resurrection F theater experience was anything to go by, 95% of the people there were in their early-to-late 20's. Only about 5% of the audience was actual kids. I would also contend that this was one of the many reasons that the dub has improved over the years. In order to hang on to the people who liked the show as kids, the dub took a more loyal--and therefore, a slightly darker and more mature--direction, that even adults can take seriously now.

[theoriginalbilis]

I concur.

Both theatrical screenings of BoG and RoF that I went to were not only sold out, but filled to capacity by people in their 20's and 30's. The only kids in the audience where really young, like ages 8-13 max. So Dragon Ball's appeal is mainly a generational thing; the folks who caught it in the late 80's through the early 2000's are the ones who stuck with it now.

I feel that attempts like Kai and Super are definitely trying to cater to the original fans, but are also trying to be accessible enough for the younger generations to jump in. It's tricky.

[Hellspawn28]

I saw a few kids in my showing for ROF. I think some parents who grew up with the series have kids now that took them to see it or the kids who are lucky enough to watch Kai on Saturday night at 8:00 PM or saw it on Nick Toons a while back could be it too. Funimation has not really market the series to kids under 13 in a long time since they notice most of their buyers are people who are the ones who grew up with the series. When Kai was on Nick Toons and CW, there was hardly any marketing for it and not even a toy line from Bandai America. Funimation seems to market the series to older fans since 2005 with Ultimate Uncut.

[MagicBox]

Dragon Ball tells an interesting story with likable characters. That's all it takes.

I get annoyed with both sides of the "intended audience" debate. Both the "Dude, it's not kiddy. It's epic and violent. Deal with it." crowd and the "Dude, it's for kids. We've all accepted it. Deal with it." crowd are missing the entire point. The most important demographic for any kind of all-ages entertainment (whether it's Disney or Star Wars or Jurassic Park or whatever) is children. They bring in the merchandise sales. But it's a series that can still (and does still) appeal to all ages. The cast and crew want it to appeal to all ages. The key to capturing multiple generations is timelessness.

It is perfectly okay for anyone of any age to enjoy any of these things. No matter how old you are, the cast, crew, and creator are happy that you enjoy it.

[Kakacarrottop]

Well, most anime shows in general these days tend to appeal to older audiences, but i think the reason Dragon Ball resonates with so many non-anime fans is because it has variety.

The show crosses over into multiple genres, so it can appeal to Sci-Fi fans, comedy fans, adventure fans or action fans.

[TheGmGoken]

The action and probably uniqueness. I have never seen anyone complain about DBZ's action so I'm sure at least 99% of geeks like us likes it. The badass SSJ(until SSG and SSGSS appeared) transformation. The awesome sick and twisted villains. Older people like that shit too.

[Pantalones]

I get annoyed with both sides of the "intended audience" debate. Both the "Dude, it's not kiddy. It's epic and violent. Deal with it." crowd and the "Dude, it's for kids. We've all accepted it. Deal with it." crowd are missing the entire point.

Yeah -- they're arguing as if it's black and white when the two sides are actually closer to red and a really red shade of orange. It's epic and violent and originally targeted at kids. XD

[TheBlackPaladin]

I concur.

Both theatrical screenings of BoG and RoF that I went to were not only sold out, but filled to capacity by people in their 20's and 30's. The only kids in the audience where really young, like ages 8-13 max. So Dragon Ball's appeal is mainly a generational thing; the folks who caught it in the late 80's through the early 2000's are the ones who stuck with it now.

I feel that attempts like Kai and Super are definitely trying to cater to the original fans, but are also trying to be accessible enough for the younger generations to jump in. It's tricky.

I agree wholeheartedly. I would say, though, that while it is tricky, I do think it can be done. Sometimes fans emerge later in time. I've heard Mike (as in VegettoEX) say a couple times now that, when Faulconer's score was first heard, from looking at the internet you would think it was universally hated. However, that wasn't truly the case. It turns out, Faulconer's score was developing a following, but a following among younger fans who weren't really of "internet participation" age yet. So, after a few years, all of a sudden you have an internet that is filled with fans of Faulconer's score.

I think it'll be a similar deal here. I think Kai and Super have created a new generation of loyal young fans, and we're only going to become more aware of them as time goes on. Eventually we're going to see people coming to Kanzenshuu who were first exposed to the Dragon Ball franchise as kids through the Kai dub's airing on Nicktoons.

...And the good news is, we won't have to give those fans the educational, "Listen, it's OK if you like the dub, but it wasn't a loyal adaptation of the original story"-rundown that we sometimes need to give other generations of fans.

[Kakacarrottop]

when Faulconer's score was first heard, from looking at the internet you would think it was universally hated. However, that wasn't truly the case. It turns out, Faulconer's score was developing a following, but a following among younger fans who weren't really of "internet participation" age yet. So, after a few years, all of a sudden you have an internet that is filled with fans of Faulconer's score.

The Faulconer score was already popular in it's own right when the dub was first airing. I mean, FUNi had released like half a dozen Faulconer CDs by 2003 and had included the score in the Legacy of Goku series.