Should Dragon Ball continue to be aimed towards its original intended age group?

[Bardo117]

I mean, Dragon Ball became an absolute phenomenon because most of use were between the ages 6-16 when it was first released, and during a time when cartoons were much more prominent in a child's life.


Now, not only are kids a lot different, the show's popularity continues because of us older fans who still enjoy the show. Wouldn't it be considerably more successful if it was tailored more to us than to current children? It's a bit of a gamble, but I think the show should mature along with the audience that gives it its popularity.


I hate to say it, but Goku's new adventures are pretty enjoyable but are incredibly hard to pass off sometimes. Like, I've come to develop a lot of peculiar tastes when it comes to movies and analyzing all of the details. I love breaking down story, cinematography, moral, tone, camera use(filters, angles, etc.), motives, and the overall complexity of a movie/show. And with the new DB, I feel like it's just TOO simple or too childish I guess you could say. I know the original DB is full of the same stuff, after all, it's a children's show. But the difference is that the old Dragonball is glorious to me because of the nostalgia. I don't care how dumb the show got at some points, I love it all!

I don't even know if it's possible to tailor the show to us older fans. Like what could they possibly add, more blood? Sexuality? I will never stop loving Dragon Ball, but for me the show ended a very long time ago and Super is a show for today's kids. I will continue to expand my fandom by buying more merchandise such as DVD's, figures, and collectibles, but who knows if I'll ever accept the new series and follow it as closely as I did DB/Z/GT.

[JulieYBM]

Dragon Ball should be made by and for the people who love it. If that just so happens to be adults, that is okay. A fan's job isn't to be a marketing executive for the things they love, it is to love the works they love and express their love peacefully. If the natural ebb and flow of things pushes Dragon Ball towards adults with more sophisticated artistic sensibilities it can only mean good things.

[VegettoEX]

If you continue to only target the existing group of fans, solely and continuously aging up with them exclusively, all you can do is sell to a dwindling group. People will age or burn out at best, and will simply die off at worst. You may also lose people that liked the franchise for what it originally was, not what you've turned it into by aging it up (whatever that actually means in practice).

For a decades-long success story, you have to expand to an ever-growing audience. The best way to do that is with a younger generation. They are more impressionable and malleable. So many more opportunities, and there are always more of them. Simultaneously, I think it's smart to sell (and even pander) to existing fans. They are your bread and butter and keep things going through dark times. They are important and they are vital, but they are not the end-all/be-all.

I think it's healthy and important for Dragon Ball to have it all. Thankfully, we live in a time where it pretty much does! On the youngest spectrum, we have Dragon Ball SD (if they even care?). On the original spectrum, we have... well, Dragon Ball Super. For the older/existing fans, we have literally everything else, including the original version of the show itself which never went anywhere.

[ABED]

No, the story should be what it is. Comics grew up with their audience and because they weren't aimed towards kids, there was a whole lost generation of comic book fans. Why do you find it hard to like something because it's aimed at kids? A story can be sophisticated and still appeal to kids. I'm not sure what you're asking for here.

[sintzu]

DB's target viewers even back in the day from start to finish was kids but Toriyama (and a good amount of popular Shonen writers) knew how to write in a way that got the attention of both kids and older people. The difference now is that the people working on it don't know how to appeal to a wide age range so they just heavily focus on kids and don't pay much attention to anyone older which is a huge mistake cause not only are they missing out on potential new older viewers but also losing the current kids once they're older.

[Hellspawn28]

It should always be a show for all ages, but still be market to kids. I think people just want Dragon Ball to be more violent and mature because they are older now and don't want to be look down upon by other people. If people want a mature fighting anime series, they should go watch Fist of the North Star instead.

[sintzu]

It should always be a show for all ages, but still be market to kids. I think people just want Dragon Ball to be more violent and mature because they are older now and don't want to be look down upon by other people. If people want a mature fighting anime series, they should go watch Fist of the North Star instead.

I think the issue is that people have the wrong idea about mature, thinking that having blood, sex & politics is what's required to make something mature. I don't see what's mature about something anyone can do, if anything having those elements be the focus of things show how lackluster a writer's talents are. To me and maybe I'm a minority in this, mature shows = good writing, believable characters, compelling plots and so on.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Well we have the Dragon Ball room now so there is potential there for maybe a few spinoffs that deviate from the main product. I'd be interested in seeing a standalone manga, special or miniseries with a more mature/darker tone. Something like The History of Trunks every once in a while would be nice. That said its smart from a business perspective for the main series to be targeted towards children, its easier to bring in new fans and keep global merchandising sales consistent that way.

[ABED]

mature shows = good writing, believable characters, compelling plots and so on.

That's way too general. Maturity is something more specific.

[sintzu]

Its smart from a business perspective for the main series to be targeted towards children, its easier to bring in new fans and keep global merchandising sales consistent that way.

One Piece is targeted at children yet its main fanbase are over 18 so isn't it smarter to have everyone in mind for a main series like DB ? Why limit youself to one demographic when you can target everyone and make even more money ?

[ABED]

Its smart from a business perspective for the main series to be targeted towards children, its easier to bring in new fans and keep global merchandising sales consistent that way.

One Piece is targeted at children yet its main fanbase are over 18 so isn't it smarter to have everyone in mind for a main series like DB ? Why limit youself to one demographic when you can target everyone and make even more money ?

The danger in that is by targeting everyone, you can dilute the product. It could be too mature to appeal to kids, but too childish to appeal to older viewers.

[sintzu]

The danger in that is by targeting, you can dilute the product.

DB&Z were both aimed at kids yet had enough to hook older viewers and keep those kids coming back as adults. Same thing with One Piece, Naruto, HunterXHunter and so on.

That's way too general. Maturity is something more specific.

For me at least, I look for good plots and lovable characters so what most consider to be "mature" are the last things I look for in DB and anime.

[ABED]

The danger in that is by targeting, you can dilute the product.

DB&Z were both aimed at kids yet had enough to hook older viewers and keep those kids coming back as adults. Same thing with One Piece, Naruto, HunterXHunter and so on.

That's way too general. Maturity is something more specific.

For me at least, I look for good plots and lovable characters so what most consider to be "mature" are the last things I look for in DB and anime.

Yes, and I think it wasn't because Toriyama targeted the story to a specific demographic. He wrote what appealed to him.

[sintzu]

Yes, and I think it wasn't because Toriyama targeted the story to a specific demographic. He wrote what appealed to him.

Good point, he was 30 at the time so in order to write it for 10+ years it would make sense for him to write something he'd enjoy as well. Even though, Super sometimes goes waaaaay over the top to get a laugh out of children that it just makes anyone older than 7 cringe. If you're going to continue something as beloved as DB, the least you can do is keep it in line with the original.

[Bardo117]

No, the story should be what it is. Comics grew up with their audience and because they weren't aimed towards kids, there was a whole lost generation of comic book fans. Why do you find it hard to like something because it's aimed at kids? A story can be sophisticated and still appeal to kids. I'm not sure what you're asking for here.

Well like I said, I enjoy it for what it is, but I do continuously cringe at some of the stuff that comes out. Maybe I'm expecting it to mature as comics do. I continue to read and love comics because it has evolved throughout time for me. What started out as a fairly simple animated kids show progressed into fun yet complex adventures on comics.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Yes. Proof of why is Dragon Ball Super aimed at children yet adults are watching it, in fact 1000000 people tuned in to watch DBS on 11pm on Saturday I'd predict most of those were adults. Very rarely do reboots or franchises ever change demographic, each demographic has it's different level of measure for success, so if you found success in a demographic then stick with it. If DB changed demo then they would rely on TV ratings and home video sale more then they do, likely DB wouldn't survive long under those conditions. Scooby doo is in it's 12th iteration still aimed at kids. And then look no further than Pokémon!

Toriyama and co are comfortable with targeting to DB and if that appeals to older fans then great, and it has.

Yes, and I think it wasn't because Toriyama targeted the story to a specific demographic. He wrote what appealed to him.

Good point, he was 30 at the time so in order to write it for 10+ years it would make sense for him to write something he'd enjoy as well. Even though, Super sometimes goes waaaaay over the top to get a laugh out of children that it just makes anyone older than 7 cringe. If you're going to continue something as beloved as DB, the least you can do is keep it in line with the original.

So you have surveyed every person (or a significant amount) who watched DBS worldwide over the age of 7 to come to that conclusion then? Don't throwing blanket statements around.

[sintzu]

So you have surveyed every person (or a significant amount) who watched DBS worldwide over the age of 7 to come to that conclusion then? Don't throwing blanket statements around.

It's a figure of speech and you know that.

[JulieYBM]

Things die. If comics or Dragon Ball die because they 'grew up' with their fans, so be it. No significant number of people will miss Dragon Ball once it dies. We live in a media saturated world where new media is constantly coming into fruition constantly. People will have plenty to choose from. The world isn't being robbed of anything special. It is natural to die and be forgotten.

[ABED]

Things die. If comics or Dragon Ball die because they 'grew up' with their fans, so be it. No significant number of people will miss Dragon Ball once it dies. We live in a media saturated world where new media is constantly coming into fruition constantly. People will have plenty to choose from. The world isn't being robbed of anything special. It is natural to die and be forgotten.

Yes, things go away, but the world would lose something special.

[JulieYBM]

Things die. If comics or Dragon Ball die because they 'grew up' with their fans, so be it. No significant number of people will miss Dragon Ball once it dies. We live in a media saturated world where new media is constantly coming into fruition constantly. People will have plenty to choose from. The world isn't being robbed of anything special. It is natural to die and be forgotten.

Yes, things go away, but the world would lose something special.

"Hey, Johnny, check out this cool thing I like" is a lot different from trying to force upon new generations a favorite fiction through privatized advertising campaigns like these sort of threads so often leap to advocating. Dragon Ball doesn't have to live on in the hearts of some massive new children's market to be special to someone. One person can keep loving Dragon Ball all by himself, even if nobody else even knows what it is.