Character Development

[ABED]

This thread is to discuss anything to do with character development. Good, bad, or otherwise.

- I really like Tenshinhan's development in the 22nd TB arc. Yes, it's short, but it's so good and I'll take a short but good, memorable story over a long uninteresting story any day of the week.
- I don't think Goku changes that much from beginning to end. His circumstances might change, but he never really does. His goal is always to be the best. I can see why many would tire of that and want to see a more dynamic character, but is there somewhere to go with the character (while keeping him the main character) that is in keeping with the character and genre?

[TrunksTrevelyan0064]

I suppose you can tell how much a character develops ("changes" might be the better word here) by imagining how they would act in different arcs. Imagine Boo-arc Piccolo in the Saiyan arc, for example. The way he interacts with Goku has completely changed.

Speaking of Piccolo, I like how gradually his evil side diminishes. There are still clear traces of it when he fights the Saiyans, though it gets softened up by Gohan; in the Namek arc he wants to fight Freeza more so out of selfish pride than out of a desire to "do the right thing", though after merging with Nail he does seem more "friendly"; that carries over to the Jinzôningen arc where he is calm, collected and cooperative for the most part, except when faced with the prospect of having to meet and join with his other half again; and in the Boo arc he is almost like a wise old master (whenever he takes the turban and cape off I'm always surprised to see how young he looks!), willing to do anything necessary to save the world.

[ABED]

Merging with Kami, no doubt, had a huge effect on him.

[SupremeKai25]

Part of the reason why Fused Zamasu is my favourite character in Dragon Ball is because personally his character development in the (roughly) 3 episodes of screentime he got was absolutely fantastic, superb, flawless. His gradual descent into madness, his breaking point, his physical and emotional fall were perfectly portrayed (also thanks to Shinichiro Miki's astonishing voice acting).

It was very cool to see Zamasu go from a vainglorious and self-absorbed individual who was confident in his capabilities (he was toying with his opponents as per Vegeta) to a depraved and rabid lunatic. As his body started to fall apart as a result of Black's mortal half, so did his personality. Times and times again mere mortals had resisted him to the point he couldn't handle his frustration anymore and gave into his inner rage and desperation. For example, when he willingly damaged himself using the Light of Justice, an act which displayed his sadism (which he got from Black no doubt) and the sheer of amount of stress he was going through - he was willing to damage his own body to win. From that point forward, his fragile mental state kept getting worse and worse, to the point he even cried for an instant. That's what i love about Zamasu. He genuinely believed in his ideals of peace and prosperity, and his cry in front of defeat was proof of that. But it was too late. His sanity was beyond recovery. So when Trunks jumped into the fight and sliced him in half using the power of all mortals on Earth, that's when Zamasu truly lost what little had remained of his sanity and reason. From that point on, when he ascended to merge with the very fabric of the Universe, he had been reduced to a shell of his former self, a rabid and hateful ethereal entity capable of knowing only hatred and cruelty. His depraved and maniacal laugh throughout ep. 67 (until his erasure at the hands of the Omni-king) was chilling. It was the conclusion of an arc. Zamasu became just as mad and primitive as the Babarian he had once killed. An ironic twist of fate.

It's amazing how much character development Zamasu received in just ep. 66 and 67, honestly. I am astonished.

[KBABZ]

I think Goku had a slight arc with the Red Ribbon Army, and you can compare notes by his behavior in the 21st and 22nd Tournaments. In the 21st, Goku is very much not taking things seriously and it's all very much a playful game to him. In the 22nd however, we start seeing his battle strategist tendencies come out, and he begins actually planning his fights, taking things seriously, and offering analytical insight into other people's matches.

[Grimlock]

This thread is to discuss anything to do with character development. Good, bad, or otherwise.

I just would like to know and to understand why certain characters, some that should/was supposed to be important, or are far more interesting, get so little character development, while others, that already served their purpose or doesn't serve a purpose at all, or aren't that interesting get a lot. Is there some kind of rule claiming things must be this way? Is popularity what will dictate which character is going to get a proper character development? If yes, why? Because that means characters that have high popularity will always get their moment without leaving room for others to get their own spotlight too.

Do we really need to see the same old cast all the time? Some of them still not getting a proper treatment at all.

[MR.Mark]

I just would like to know and to understand why certain characters, some that should/was supposed to be important, or are far more interesting, get so little character development, while others, that already served their purpose or doesn't serve a purpose at all, or aren't that interesting get a lot. Is there some kind of rule claiming things must be this way? Is popularity what will dictate which character is going to get a proper character development? If yes, why? Because that means characters that have high popularity will always get their moment without leaving room for others to get their own spotlight too.

Do we really need to see the same old cast all the time? Some of them still not getting a proper treatment at all.

Agreed, that's why topics like this exist: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=40573

[Vijay]

I prefer the term Character Growth compared to Character Development

Watchin Chibi Monkey-Tailed Goku transition from Mt. Paozu country-bumpkin into universal savior at Kaioshin Realm was phenomenal

Or Krillin growin frm cunning Shaolin monk into family man over the course of 200+ episode

And Akira Toriyama has given at least 100 characters from DB~DBZ this "growth" which is mind-boggling when creators nowadays struggle to even make their leads likable...cough*Naruto/OP/Bleach*cough to say nothin about development or subsequent growth

Vegeta is almost universally appreciated for his development

[ABED]

This thread is to discuss anything to do with character development. Good, bad, or otherwise.

I just would like to know and to understand why certain characters, some that should/was supposed to be important, or are far more interesting, get so little character development, while others, that already served their purpose or doesn't serve a purpose at all, or aren't that interesting get a lot. Is there some kind of rule claiming things must be this way? Is popularity what will dictate which character is going to get a proper character development? If yes, why? Because that means characters that have high popularity will always get their moment without leaving room for others to get their own spotlight too.

Do we really need to see the same old cast all the time? Some of them still not getting a proper treatment at all.

Who are you talking about, specifically?

[Grimlock]

Bardock, Gine, King Vegeta, Tarble, King Cold, Universe 6 Tsufurujin, Universe 6 Yadorat, Cell (only because Freeza and Trunks came back), GT Uub, GT Bra, Goten. Off the top of my head, these ones, there are more certainly.

[ABED]

Wait, are those all characters you think should've gotten MORE development?

I like GT Pan more than most, but I think her arc could've been more complete. She starts out as a young overeager kinda bratty girl, and she matures a little, but I think it could've been more complete, especially given her experiences.

[Grimlock]

Yes. Some got so little screentime that one couldn't even say that they have/had a character development at all, like King Cold. He's just there for the sake of being there. What to say about King Vegeta? It's just sad and depressing the stituation of some characters.

I agree with Pan, though her attitude (and her annoying voice actress in my country) in GT made me hate her a little bit that I kinda forgot about her. But with a proper character development like you mentioned, it would be cool for her too.

[Vijay]

Did Pan ever received development?

I mean despite my admiration for kawaii Pan-chan she stayed same throughout 64 episodes of GT, thx to poor writing & characterization.

I think her character had tons of potential & certainly makes me imagine "what-if" GT decided to add extra dimension to her interactions with Goku & Trunks instead of repetitively nag at Giru

[Grimlock]

Forgot Raditz. The man just appeared to say some shocking words and then he was gone... GONE! He's the brother of the protagonist and just vanished after having served his purpose.

[ABED]

I have to disagree on some of these counts. It's fine if a character comes in, makes an impact, and leaves the story. Yes, Raditz is Goku's brother, but he is one of the most memorable characters because of the quality of the time he has in the story. I have no pressing need to see more of Freeza's father. He served his purpose in the story. I actually would've much rather it been him alone who came to Earth instead of having Freeza survive only to be a sacrificial lamb to Trunks. Cold could've done that all by himself.

I understand why many see her as only a nag, but I do think she forms a bond with Giru that's sweet.

I would've liked to have seen more from the Crane Hermit. I liked what we got, but I don't quite remember in the manga if it was said or implied that Crane Hermit went bad after Piccolo Daimao. Beyond simple exposition, I think there's fertile ground for even greater drama in the 22nd TB between the Turtle Hermit and the Crane Hermit.