Why do you like Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Z Kai?

[sangofe]

Since I'm composing a document in hope of getting a tv-channel license Dragon Ball Z for TV-airings in Norway ( viewtopic.php?f=7&t=42329&p=1514888#p1514888 ) , I thought I might as well ask fans here why they like the show. Since I obviously should write a paragraph about why they should release DBZ Kai here in Norway.

So, what are your reasons for liking Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Z Kai?

[TheGreatness25]

Is there anything that needs to be said more than that it's one of the most iconic anime series in history? The revenue that it has generated alone speaks volumes more than what any fan can say.

It's a classic. It was unique, it was different, and it was completely out of the ordinary. It told a lengthy story of one character since childhood through adulthood. The stories in Dragon Ball are ones that withstand the test of time: friendship, standing up for what's right, anger, happiness, sadness, and that classic good vs. evil. It had that intangible way of just gripping me and making me want to see more and more.

[Gligarman]

Unlike most animated series it has a real sense of progression. We get to see the characters not only grow physically, but we see how their relationships change each other. Add in the fact that it has some of the most iconic over-the-top action sequences ever animated and you have an instant classic that still continues to this day. I just hope that whoever gets this TV license doesn't make the same mistake Funimation did and try to change what makes it great to suit who they think their audience is.

[Yuli Ban]

To be brutally honest, it's the over the top action.
I could take over leave the wackiness, the comedy, and the plot because that's all been done better by other anime (starting with Yu Yu Hakusho, which I still stand by my words that it was 'Dragon Ball Z Done Right'). And I like it for what it is.

The fight scenes appeal to my primal masculine desire to see overwhelming dominance and struggle, and that's all I need. I also think it appeals to a sort of power fantasy. Considering a lot of superhero media (especially around the '90s to '00s) dealt with Five Man Band set-ups to make sure no one fighter could completely carry the story, having warriors so strong they could individually blow up planets was everything an 8-year-old could ever want. In Z, the only reason why you lost a battle was because you weren't strong enough, not because your powers were not specially able to deal with a specific opponent or through quick-thinking strategizing. Funnily enough, the same thing I give Dragon Ball so much grief about now.

The story's so simple that you can put your own headcanon explanations into it, which forces you to get more involved in the lore as long as it interests you. And the characters are relatively simple as well. They're not totally archetypes but they're not fully-fleshed out 3D characters in and of themselves, so you have characters that feel more real than some other anime tropes while also leaving a lot for fanon to figure out.

But in the end, it's the action.

[Robo4900]

I could be smarmy and talk about the fact that I like Dragon Ball Z because it's 291 further episodes of my favourite anime, but basically I like Dragon Ball because the characters are generally very likeable, the world is creative and vast, the stories are all vastly different to one-another, there's a healthy mix of action, comedy, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, and all that jazz throughout, and basically as long as you're willing to stick around for the whole run, it's one of the ultimate cartoon shows, because across its run(Whether it be the original 508-episode run, Kai's 167-episode run, the manga, or however you choose to experience it), it'll take you through a ton of different moods and styles; it's not really a show that stagnates, because it never sits still! One moment, it'll be a comedy adventure, the next it'll be a martial arts comedy, then a mystical epic, then a tragic revenge tale, then sci-fi action, then a high school comedy, then a mystical drama... All done very well, all taken as far as they need to go, and all transitioned to and from very naturally.

[KBABZ]

For Dragon Ball Z Kai, it works so well because in addition to everything everyone just said, it has a great amount of momentum, moreso than Z ever did. The fight with Nappa and Vegeta are gripping and have you on the edge of your seat even when you know what's going to happen, the events on Namek are a giant chess game where many are in power but nobody's winning, and the mysteries behind Trunks' dystopian future and Cell are creepy and intriguing. And rarely does the show feel like it's wasting the audience's time.

[TheBigBoy]

It's the forms baby!! Can't get enough forms!! Give Goku cheez wiz orange hair and I'm on board!!!!!!!

[ekrolo2]

It's got a nice simplicity to it I feel most of its successors lack, primarily in terms of characterization. While most Shonen suffocate themselves and especially the audience in cringe-inducing melodrama, DB never does that. Hell, it openly mocks the idea of anger and/or intense emotions giving someone an edge such as with Vegeta trying to kill Cell after Future Trunks bites the dust. In any other series nowadays, including modern DB, he'd pull it off. Back then? He gets knocked on his ass for the moron he is.

In a world where Natus and Erza survive a magic death star laser bringing a tower down on them and surviving it all because their friendship is so strong, you've no idea how refreshing it is to see the exact opposite.

[Robo4900]

It's the forms baby!! Can't get enough forms!! Give Goku cheez wiz orange hair and I'm on board!!!!!!!

dude... dude... let me.. what if ... what if his hair was red. like tomatos. but mor elike... i dunno... something red but wait better... bte. better idea. what if... go with me... what if... what if hsi hair was blue instead. like... blue. or green... dude... ill be a millionare with this idea dude.

(For maximum enjoyment of the preceeding content, imagine a drunk guy who's taking a swig of beer at almost every pause is delivering this to you, and collapses in a heap on the ground at the end)

[PFM18]

I don't really know. I have just grown so attached to the characters and the story that I can't imagine my life without Dragon Ball. I really can't entirely pinpoint why I love it so much though. (Or atleast I can't at 2 in the morning)

[sangofe]

I started liking Dragon Ball because of the art style. I remembered how cool the drawings were. This was when I was a kid, probably around 5 years old.

Then lots of years passed where I was parted from Dragon Ball because we moved countries. But I remembered that incredibly cool art.

Then, when I got back into it I was immediately swapped into the universe with never before seen action, engaging characters, screams like I'd never heard before (the french version of DBZ had the japanese screams) dramatic stories mixed with comedy, and often the inexpected happening.

[Shaddy]

Dragon Ball as a franchise has awesome visual presentation, fun characters, (usually) pretty great music and a hell of a lot of charm. It's enjoyment is primarily the excitement of watching fights constantly kick it into higher and higher gears while their participants undergo entire character arcs and lifetimes of growth.

[ABED]

It's got a nice simplicity to it I feel most of its successors lack, primarily in terms of characterization. While most Shonen suffocate themselves and especially the audience in cringe-inducing melodrama, DB never does that. Hell, it openly mocks the idea of anger and/or intense emotions giving someone an edge such as with Vegeta trying to kill Cell after Future Trunks bites the dust. In any other series nowadays, including modern DB, he'd pull it off. Back then? He gets knocked on his ass for the moron he is.

In a world where Natus and Erza survive a magic death star laser bringing a tower down on them and surviving it all because their friendship is so strong, you've no idea how refreshing it is to see the exact opposite.

Does he really? Gohan's whole MO is his emotions give him an edge. Super Saiyan is built off that idea. I also don't think Vegeta not defeating Cell mocks the convention. Vegeta doesn't pull it off because he's not the central protagonist.

Anyway, I like DB because it's simple, fun, full of great, well defined characters.

[ekrolo2]

It's got a nice simplicity to it I feel most of its successors lack, primarily in terms of characterization. While most Shonen suffocate themselves and especially the audience in cringe-inducing melodrama, DB never does that. Hell, it openly mocks the idea of anger and/or intense emotions giving someone an edge such as with Vegeta trying to kill Cell after Future Trunks bites the dust. In any other series nowadays, including modern DB, he'd pull it off. Back then? He gets knocked on his ass for the moron he is.

In a world where Natus and Erza survive a magic death star laser bringing a tower down on them and surviving it all because their friendship is so strong, you've no idea how refreshing it is to see the exact opposite.

Does he really? Gohan's whole MO is his emotions give him an edge. Super Saiyan is built off that idea. I also don't think Vegeta not defeating Cell mocks the convention. Vegeta doesn't pull it off because he's not the central protagonist.

Anyway, I like DB because it's simple, fun, full of great, well defined characters.

Gohan's anger almost never does anything meaningful if you pay close attention. It's always made a big deal out of it but it gets swept aside fairly easily by the opposition. Even the one time it almost does something, him vs Cell, it gets Goku inadvertently killed and makes Cell strong enough to stand up to Gohan and nearly destroys the whole planet.

With Vegeta, they openly point out how stupid he's acting by lashing out at Cell and the practical results speak for themselves, it gets Gohan hurt and cuts his power in-half, giving Cell a near-definitive edge to win. Vegeta himself realizes how stupid the whole thing is and apologizes to anyone for the first time ever.

This might be me reading too much into it, I doubt Toriyama put this much thought into the convention but even accidentally, he REALLY mocks the hell out of it whereas other Shonen considerably praise and abuse it.

[ABED]

Gohan's anger almost never does anything meaningful if you pay close attention. It's always made a big deal out of it but it gets swept aside fairly easily by the opposition. Even the one time it almost does something, him vs Cell, it gets Goku inadvertently killed and makes Cell strong enough to stand up to Gohan and nearly destroys the whole planet.

To which I would point out Raditz and Cell. Your analysis of the Cell fight is missing one big point - had Gohan's rage not triggered Gohan's transformation, Cell would've killed Goku and the whole planet anyway. In the end, Gohan's anger does save the day.

Vegeta's blind rage leading to nothing is not Toriyama undercutting that trope, it's using a different trope - blind anger leading to bad decisions and consequences. Neither example you give is an example of Toriyama mocking anything. He does mock certain tropes, but not the one you're talking about. An instance where he undercuts expectations and mocks certain conventions is the evil organization out for world domination. It turns out Commander Red just wanted to be taller. It was a brilliant moment and one of the things I love about DB.

Question to the original poster, is this subject limited to DBZ(kai)? If so, I prefer Kai in many cases to Z because it's shorter and thus better paced (for the most part). There aren't constant digressions during the fights, allowing them to keep the momentum.

[Lord Beerus]

Dragon Ball Z is a straightforward, quirky, whimsical, martial arts oriented story, that (mostly) just straight to the point and doesn't try to and pretend to be more than what it already is -- a good, old fashioned, entertaining, and somewhat dumb, action laiden romp.

[sintzu]

I like DB as a whole because of its great characters, simple to understand story and amazing action scenes.

[sangofe]

Gohan's anger almost never does anything meaningful if you pay close attention. It's always made a big deal out of it but it gets swept aside fairly easily by the opposition. Even the one time it almost does something, him vs Cell, it gets Goku inadvertently killed and makes Cell strong enough to stand up to Gohan and nearly destroys the whole planet.

To which I would point out Raditz and Cell. Your analysis of the Cell fight is missing one big point - had Gohan's rage not triggered Gohan's transformation, Cell would've killed Goku and the whole planet anyway. In the end, Gohan's anger does save the day.

Vegeta's blind rage leading to nothing is not Toriyama undercutting that trope, it's using a different trope - blind anger leading to bad decisions and consequences. Neither example you give is an example of Toriyama mocking anything. He does mock certain tropes, but not the one you're talking about. An instance where he undercuts expectations and mocks certain conventions is the evil organization out for world domination. It turns out Commander Red just wanted to be taller. It was a brilliant moment and one of the things I love about DB.

Question to the original poster, is this subject limited to DBZ(kai)? If so, I prefer Kai in many cases to Z because it's shorter and thus better paced (for the most part). There aren't constant digressions during the fights, allowing them to keep the momentum.

Feel free to speak about both. Updated topic title.