Why did people used to think Naruto would overtake Dragonball in popularity?

[Chuquita]

It's the internet and the splintering of audiences.

There's so many digital outlets vying for viewers attention, so many hand-tailored YouTube channels out there for individual interests that no one has to settle for flipping channels on TV anymore and by the same token it cuts away at the number of eyeballs that'll see and get into a single new product because that shared pop culture isn't as all encompassing as it once was.

That's part of why Dragon Ball and Pokémon persist. Why companies keep rebooting everything and banking on nostalgia. Because they were part of the tail end of that universal pop culture that existed prior to the rise of high speed internet and online streaming.

Most pop culture phenomenons that began before 2005 or so will continue in cycles on loop for the foreseeable future because that was the end of the pre-streaming era. At least imo.

Ah, as for the topic title, Naruto was on almost every single Viz SJ issue in prime location to the point where it looked more like the Naruto Magazine when it wasn't the Yugioh Magazine. Also a lot of Dragon Ball fans I knew jumped ship for Naruto at the time. I couldn't get into it because I didn't like Sasuke so I tried out other new Viz Jump manga and that's how I got into One Piece.

[ABED]

Dragon Ball has immense lasting appeal, the show ended in 1995, yet has remained successfully in syndication till this day, the only other the show with that much staying power I can of think is Seinfeld. Partly reason for that is the genre it encompasses, Martial-arts fanstay with a huge amount of futuristic Sci-fi through in, on top of engaging characters, is bound to attract a huge demographic, to be honest Dragon Ball could go the Marvel, DC, or Star Wars route if it hasn't already and spawn a whole slew of characters and stories.

Seinfeld is the only one you can think of? What about Cheers, Friends, Buffy, Angel, Mash? Plenty of shows have staying power.

[superfan2024]

Right when GT ended in Japan, Naruto's manga started a short time after. Right when GT ended in America on Toonami, Naruto began airing on Toonami a few months after. During the time period where there was no new Dragon Ball anime or manga for the fans. Dragon Ball was stuck in a limbo which just had video games repeating the same stories over and over, along with constant home video re-releases (especially from Funimation). Naruto was new, and was gaining more popularity as the years past and some even thought that it would be the next Dragon Ball. As Naruto soared in popularity, it wasn't that long until 2013 where Battle of Gods premiered, and later in 2015, Resurrction 'F'' premiered. At that point Naruto was about to end later that year and once Super came out, Dragon Ball's fandom began to soar once more.

[SaiyanGod117]

Dragon Ball has immense lasting appeal, the show ended in 1995, yet has remained successfully in syndication till this day, the only other the show with that much staying power I can of think is Seinfeld. Partly reason for that is the genre it encompasses, Martial-arts fanstay with a huge amount of futuristic Sci-fi through in, on top of engaging characters, is bound to attract a huge demographic, to be honest Dragon Ball could go the Marvel, DC, or Star Wars route if it hasn't already and spawn a whole slew of characters and stories.

Seinfeld is the only one you can think of? What about Cheers, Friends, Buffy, Angel, Mash? Plenty of shows have staying power.

I really don't watch that many 80s and 90s shows, if those TV shows are still in syndication till this day, and don't air at the twilight hours, than that detracts what I said. Because I use too watch a lot of TV, and I'm pretty sure the show's that were broadcasted were on going. Though even if they did air at the twilight hours, I guess it still wouldn't be an easy feat, another things plenty of shows may have lasting appeal, but not to the degree of Dragon Ball and you act like getting lasting appeal is easy, getting momentary is though.

[sintzu]

Dragon Ball could go the Marvel, DC, or Star Wars route if it hasn't already and spawn a whole slew of characters and stories.

That's what the DB room is for, to keep the franchise going beyond Toriyama and to see what the international fans want to reach the biggest demographic.

Japanese anime doesn't really have reboots too often, they either do continuations or just remake the same story with new animation like they're doing with Sailor Moon.

Based on everything we know, it seems like DB will just continue until it stop making money.

In terms of a reboot, everything we know about DB is in one way or another set in the same continuity so to throw that away and start from 0 is very unlikely with all the $$$ they have invested in the current material.

[ABED]

I really don't watch that many 80s and 90s shows, if those TV shows are still in syndication till this day, and don't air at the twilight hours, than that detracts what I said. Because I use too watch a lot of TV, and I'm pretty sure the show's that were broadcasted were on going. Though even if they did air at the twilight hours, I guess it still wouldn't be an easy feat, another things plenty of shows may have lasting appeal, but not to the degree of Dragon Ball and you act like getting lasting appeal is easy, getting momentary is though.

I never said it was easy, but it is common. To get syndication, you have to reach 100 episodes. Friends is constantly airing in syndication.

Toei's strategy seems to be quantity, so DB will probably continue in some from in perpetuity. It's a shame since stories should come to an end, and plenty of popular series have, e.g. Seinfeld.

[ekrolo2]

Marvel and DCs strategies of perpetual status quo are not something I want anything replicating, fuck, the comics have lost any and all appeal to me thanks to specifically this reason. Finality is SORELY underrated these days and the fact various franchises are borrowing the self destructive DC & Marvel strategy is beyond groan inducing.

You know why Jackman Wolverine dying in Logan is effective? BECAUSE HE'S GONE FOR GOOD! He's not gonna get sent to Tahiti or be saved with a Loki illusion or hospitalized in a SHIELD base by Maria Hill or grow back from a twig or get resurrected by the fucking Hand, he's gone, finished, finito, mrtav u tri pičke materine! His story is over, this version of Wolverine is over and that's precisely the effect finality gives you: the end of a journey, even a bumpy one as Jackman's has been has value that is horrendously under-appreciated today.

[precita]

If Toriyama says he wants Super to end, what would happen? Would they just kick him to the curb and continue the series without his story ideas? By that logic the same thing would happen as when GT was made.

[ABED]

Marvel and DCs strategies of perpetual status quo are not something I want anything replicating, fuck, the comics have lost any and all appeal to me thanks to specifically this reason. Finality is SORELY underrated these days and the fact various franchises are borrowing the self destructive DC & Marvel strategy is beyond groan inducing.

You know why Jackman Wolverine dying in Logan is effective? BECAUSE HE'S GONE FOR GOOD! He's not gonna get sent to Tahiti or be saved with a Loki illusion or hospitalized in a SHIELD base by Maria Hill or grow back from a twig or get resurrected by the fucking Hand, he's gone, finished, finito, mrtav u tri pičke materine! His story is over, this version of Wolverine is over and that's precisely the effect finality gives you: the end of a journey, even a bumpy one as Jackman's has been has value that is horrendously under-appreciated today.

What about if there's a series of reboots featuring the same character, but not in the same continuity. There's definitely going to be a new Wolverine, and I look forward to someone else's take?

Coulson wasn't sent to Tahiti. His resurrection had ramifications. He wasn't just back and everything was ladida. It all depends on the story being told. I agree in essence about finality but I wish you didn't have to knock something down just to raise something else up. It's all about execution. Logan dying was effective only in part because we know Jackman was leaving the role. It was almost a sure thing that Logan was going to die and yet the ending still works because of the story and the acting.

[ekrolo2]

Marvel and DCs strategies of perpetual status quo are not something I want anything replicating, fuck, the comics have lost any and all appeal to me thanks to specifically this reason. Finality is SORELY underrated these days and the fact various franchises are borrowing the self destructive DC & Marvel strategy is beyond groan inducing.

You know why Jackman Wolverine dying in Logan is effective? BECAUSE HE'S GONE FOR GOOD! He's not gonna get sent to Tahiti or be saved with a Loki illusion or hospitalized in a SHIELD base by Maria Hill or grow back from a twig or get resurrected by the fucking Hand, he's gone, finished, finito, mrtav u tri pičke materine! His story is over, this version of Wolverine is over and that's precisely the effect finality gives you: the end of a journey, even a bumpy one as Jackman's has been has value that is horrendously under-appreciated today.

What about if there's a series of reboots featuring the same character, but not in the same continuity. There's definitely going to be a new Wolverine, and I look forward to someone else's take?

Coulson wasn't sent to Tahiti. His resurrection had ramifications. He wasn't just back and everything was ladida. It all depends on the story being told. I agree in essence about finality but I wish you didn't have to knock something down just to raise something else up. It's all about execution. Logan dying was effective only in part because we know Jackman was leaving the role. It was almost a sure thing that Logan was going to die and yet the ending still works because of the story and the acting.

I don't mind another actor doing his thing with Wolverine, reboots and restarts are fine to me. Forcing Jackman's Wolverine to return somehow, in any capacity, is where the piss taking would commence for me. The same way I loathe any and all ideas & theories about putting in Nolan's Batman into the DCEU after he accomplished his mission: he became a symbol for good Gotham aspires to and he fucks off into the happily ever after, let em stay there.

That's why I think Dragon Ball, if it REALLY has to continue, should just be rebooted under a new mangaka. Given the massive amount of concepts rolling around, I'm sure there's a young up and comer who'd look at all that stuff and gleefully go about doing a new take on it. I'd say a reboot is an absolute certainty when Toriyama/Nozawa die.

[ABED]

I whole-heartedly agree.

[sintzu]

I'd say a reboot is an absolute certainty when Toriyama/Nozawa die.

The franchise is currently built on things that took years worth of build up to reach so do you think they'll start that all over again ? Ssjs, Goku's origin, all the friends het met, time travel, the current multiverse, etc. If there's nowhere else the current story can go then it should just end, there's no need to do it again under a different writer cause more or less we'll just end up with the same story.

What I like about manga is how they're the story and vision of one person so to have someone else remake it from 0 will take so much away from it.

[ekrolo2]

I'd say a reboot is an absolute certainty when Toriyama/Nozawa die.

The franchise is currently built on things that took years worth of build up to reach so do you think they'll start that all over again ? Ssjs, Goku's origin, all the friends het met, time travel, the current multiverse, etc. If there's nowhere else the current story can go then it should just end, there's no need to do it again under a different writer cause more or less we'll just end up with the same story.

What I like about manga is how they're the story and vision of one person so to have someone else remake it from 0 will take so much away from it.

Re-doing all of that can work again under a new style, tone, creative voice,.... Dragon Balls got enough concepts in it that multiple people can do their own things with them and have it work. Obviously if someone just has Krillin die again to trigger SS that'll be a piss take but to say that only one guy, who hasn't written a good story in 20 years, is the only voice who can do Dragon Ball seems silly to me.

[ABED]

I'm not in favor of any of it. I'd much rather DB be what Toriyama wrote and that's it. No continuations with him. Can anyone take some of the concepts and bring an interesting take to it? Sure, but it won't be DB as we know it. DB is much more than a few interesting concepts. It's Toriyama's voice, his humor, his characters, his story, for better or worse.

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

What I like about manga is how they're the story and vision of one person so to have someone else remake it from 0 will take so much away from it.

Only if you ignore the editors and any other external influence, which DB does have.

[MCDaveG]

I don't know how about US, but Naruto was huge in Czech Republic as there was no Dragon Ball and pretty big around in Europe.
It was the modern ''Dragon Ball''. As people here love Japanese culture and the mythical ninjas and martial arts, it was spot on. Naruto was still big even recently.
People complained about Dragon Ball, that it had dated art and animation and there wasn't any other huge shonen.
There was Naruto everywhere in shops and toy stores. I remember One Piece had this huge marketing promo and being featured in magazines in Germany and I wonder if it was really popular there,
because people here aren't much of a pirate fans outside of Pirates of the Carribean, as the idea is not that otherwordly like Japanese culture with martial arts, colourful designs and monsters is.
And you don't hear much about One Piece for years now. I have known about One Piece only because a few otaku fanatics watching it and one of my friends being into it
and spotting it on German television and in Animania magazine years ago and then, nothing.

Dragon Ball is mostly nostalgia now in Europe, with people who are watching Super are mostly almost 30 years olds like me, who grew up on DB and DBZ in the late 90's.
Situation with Dragon Ball is probably different in US, as it came there a lot later. I am not part of anime community for more than a decade, so I don't know how things are nowadays.

[ABED]

Only if you ignore the editors and any other external influence, which DB does have.

Every story has editors, but they work with the author actively and the good ones will keep the author's voice.

[SaiyanGod117]

People complained about Dragon Ball, that it had dated art and animation and there wasn't any other huge shonen.

Even if some people don't want to admit on this forum the Dragon Ball and DBZ anime do have dated art and animation, for them to be reanimated would be a dream come true.

[ABED]

Everything becomes dated. New isn't always better.

[DragonBallKing]

People complained about Dragon Ball, that it had dated art and animation and there wasn't any other huge shonen.

Even if some people don't want to admit on this forum the Dragon Ball and DBZ anime do have dated art and animation, for them to be reanimated would be a dream come true.

What if it was reanimated using Super's art style, from what I've heard people dislike the newer shiny art style for Dragon Ball.