Is the Japanese Version Underrated?

[Ripper 30]

We are talking in the United States, right? Then yes. I feel like the dub is particularly bad among dubs in general, and the original Japanese is fantastic among voice productions in general. Now obviously, the Kai dub is pretty spot-on and I have nothing but admiration for that version, but the fans who say the dub is superior think Linda Young as Freeza is superior (in voice and dialogue) to Chris Ayers (and by extension, the original Z dub is better than the Kai one), so I think these people are beyond help.

I have heard from fans that in Eastern Parts and maybe European and Latin Fanbase it's not as much overlooked, is it true?
And I agree those fans who say things like "Linda the One and only Frieza" or "Linda is better than Ayres" are just blinded by nostalgia and just blindly hate Kai for no reason there is no use arguing with them they just hate anything closer to original be it Japanese version or English Kai and these are the same fans who only watch the show for fight and Faulconer's Music (Which I personally find obnoxious, loud repitetive and bland)

[Saikyo no Senshi]

I said underrated because they kind of treat DBZ as its a western Type of Cowboy Bebop or where English Voice make it better

Settings don't mean anything. The original audio of Cowboy Bebop gets the dialogue and the plot across to the viewers just fine. The performances are also quite good. Yamadera as Spike owns. I never quite understood that logic.

[Ripper 30]

I said underrated because they kind of treat DBZ as its a western Type of Cowboy Bebop or where English Voice make it better

Settings don't mean anything. The original audio of Cowboy Bebop gets the dialogue and the plot across to the viewers just fine. The performances are also quite good. Yamadera as Spike owns. I never quite understood that logic.

Yes he does but the fans think that the dub voice fits his Attitude and coolness better as it was more smoother voice in dub but Yamadera does a great job though in Japanese version though same with his beerus but the thing with FUNimation/Saban is, it Americanized the whole show and trying to avoid the use of the word "Ki" in the Dub that's why Kienzan is changed into "Destructo Disk and Noi Boi is changed into Nimbus, Kinto in is changed into nimbus, Hoi Poi Capsules are changed into Dino caps, Even Tenshinhan is changed into Tien Shinhan so they instead use mistranslated Names instead of either properly translating or Using original names, they replaced the Japanese Soundtrack with Americanized Techno Music ,they changed the dialogues, the only thing they didn't changed was animation so it's almost a disguised American Cartoon Show not really DBZ the Anime

[Saikyo no Senshi]

Even if it was super accurate it still wouldn't be the original. A dub can never be the original. By very definition its different which is why I stopped caring about why and what FUNimation changed.

FUNimation's version is not DBZ by Toei Animation. I care about the show made by Toei Animation. FUNi can do whatever the hell they want to with their version. I am not going to watch it anyways. And, this applies to every show not just DBZ.

[Ripper 30]

Even if it was super accurate it still wouldn't be the original. A dub can never be the original. By very definition its different which is why I stopped caring about why and what FUNimation changed.

FUNimation's version is not DBZ by Toei Animation. I care about the show made by Toei Animation. FUNi can do whatever the hell they want to with their version. I am not going to watch it anyways. And, this applies to every show not just DBZ.

Even if it's not super accurate atleast they can try their best to follow the original and portray the characters like they are supposed to because not everyone is willing to watch it in Japanese as there is a group of audience or even kids who like it in English language so they should kept that in mind that they show the real show but anyways FUNimation Now doesn't butcher DB Series Anymore

[8000 Saiyan]

I never understood why people think a dub works better in a Western setting and think that it makes no sense for the characters of that setting to speak Japanese. I mean, it's a cartoon. Of course it doesn't make sense because it's a cartoon. This isn't real life we're talking about.

[MasenkoHA]

Well the biggest reason I've seen people prefer the dub over the sub is Goku's woman's voice. I myself have issue watching Digimon in Japanese because how off putting it is for the Digimon to still sound like little kids in their evolved forms no matter how much I love the Japanese score. Wargreymon may have sounded like a constipated wwe wrestler in the Saban dub but at least he doesn't sound like a little kid asking for cookies.


And I dunno I think its harder to get into an anime subbed when you grew up on the dub.


Somedau I'll watch DBZ in Japanese

[Ripper 30]

Well the biggest reason I've seen people prefer the dub over the sub is Goku's woman's voice. I myself have issue watching Digimon in Japanese because how off putting it is for the Digimon to still sound like little kids in their evolved forms no matter how much I love the Japanese score. Wargreymon may have sounded like a constipated wwe wrestler in the Saban dub but at least he doesn't sound like a little kid asking for cookies.


And I dunno I think its harder to get into an anime subbed when you grew up on the dub.


Somedau I'll watch DBZ in Japanese

I think the Best way to get used to Japanese Dragon Ball voices is simply watch from Beginning that is Original Dragon Ball and by the time you finish watching 153 Episodes of it, you will know why the Japanese voice fits goku perfectly and then Z will be more Epic in Japanese and the Japanese Voice Actress of Goku significantly Deepened her voice in Adult form and still kept the same childish hick tone to show that Even as adult he is same character

[Hellspawn28]

No at all. It's under appreciated by the modern English speaking fandom since the kids who saw DBZ on Toonami took over most of the fandom since 2006 or 2007. Back in the late 90's, early 2000's and even the mid 2000's, the Funimation 1999-2005 dub was consider to be awful and one of the worst dubs next to the DIC dub of Sailor Moon. I remember going on web forums and chat rooms in the early-mid 2000's and very few people like the dub. The Japanese version back then was always the version everyone watched the most.

Not to mention a lot of casual fans would believe that the Japanese version was a darker, more mature and edger version of the show while the dub was view as a version for little kids. So people would watch the sub version to see the full uncut action. I think once Youtube and other video sites came out along with the Orange Bricks, more people started to watch the Japanese version and was like "WTF is this?! Why does Goku sound like a little girl?!".

Not to mention most kids who saw DBZ on Toonami was probably not old enough to join web forums until much later (A kid born in 1994 that saw DBZ in 1999 would not be old enough to join Daizenshuu EX until 2007 when they turn 13). So those type of people became more common and made the dub the better version by popular opinion.

[DB1984]

Go on GameFAQs. They'll call you a weeaboo for preferring the original Jpanaese.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

The original Japanese version of the show is highly praised among my fellow fanbase. Scripts, dialogues, voice acting and music are considered great. It's an absolute and unquestionable reference point.
Big majority of people love it, some at least respect it, very few don't like it (there is some sentiment towards the French dub, because it was the version that first aired in our TV).

[MasenkoHA]

GameFaq and IGN are cesspools though


It does need to be said that ouside this forum the American DBZ with the funi in house cast and uncut with the Faulconer score is the most popualr version among casuals.

[Bajosexto]

It's definitely underrated by the casual fanbase. Especially withing the English speaking fandom. The original Japanese is just too different from the version they grew up with. A different score, different dialogue, "grandma" Goku, etc. But even in a community that had a faithful dub like Latin America, the Japanese version is still underrated.

[Hellspawn28]

Go on GameFAQs. They'll call you a weeaboo for preferring the original Jpanaese.

I remember a lot of people on GameFaqs like the Japanese version more when I used to be on there in the mid 2000's. I guess times have changed since then.

[huzaifa_ahmed]

I would say that it is, in the widest possible view, & while I wonder if it is, as has been stated, because everyone grew up with DB (& it would've been the same had the dub been good) or because the dub is so different, "adds" to the experience somehow. I'd say it's a combination of the two. Normally it wouldnt bug me that a majority prefers a dub of a work, as long as the story was the same & the character portrayals were approximately the same. The Kingdom Hearts & Final Fantasy dubs are very impressive, as is (underrated dub btw) the Naruto dub IMO.

Dragon Ball is one of those things that's had international fame before localization was readily available in many continents, so the older fans can even remember a time when there was only the Japanese version, and every fan loved it. Of course, there's a newer I-prefer-the-local-version fanbase nowadays, but that seems only natural. It's easier to watch things in a language you understand, and overcoming a language barrier is a chore that viewers, especially casual ones, don't want to put with in a tv show.

I don't think this is the case with DB. This is the case with most people that I know. DB's dub was huge (in a negative way) & I feel like you're downplaying the near-ubiquity of it. The older fans that you speak of are very, very small in number, & people that actually appraise dubs' acting & production quality are a pretty tiny minority. The "local version" is a non-issue these days. Dubs are post-production, & they're only done for the sake of exposure. Now that Internet allows immediate subs, from a company perspective you have even less need to do dubs. Dub budgets are lower than they were in the 90s, & the most common way I've noticed people watch anime is subs nowadays. The only reason that DB's dub is so popular is all the really negative stuff that went along with it, on top of being a HUGE exposure back in the day. [I have often heard things like "all anime w/subs 'cept for DBZ". Not in this well-educated bubble, but in general fandom. The dub is pretty (annoyingly) normalized. Why else would Toei use FUNi's dub terms in the official Super subs?

It is kinda fun seeing the script flipped so to speak after Super came out. Sure you still have that part of the fanbase that lives and dies by the dub, and hate the JPN version, but a lot more people seemed to have formed an opinion on it, rather then hating it by default.

The people that casually enjoy a show (these days, without dubs) are confused, often upset with different versions of the thing, & make fun of a new version offhand, continue to do such a thing. It isn't as if they magically developed an interest in the art & business of voice-over after seeing the Japanese DB.

The most I've seen is "I'm still/no longer, nostalgic for the dub". Most people aren't judging the acting quality as much, I would say that most arent really interested. That said, the important thing is they at least get exposed to the original.

[8000 Saiyan]

the Funimation 1999-2005 dub was consider to be awful and one of the worst dubs next to the DIC dub of Sailor Moon.

While the DiC Sailor Moon dub was terrible, there were some good voices such as Tracey Moore's Sailor Moon and Susan Roman's Sailor Jupiter. The dub just needed better directors, better casting, better scripts and no censorship.

Dub budgets are lower than they were in the 90s.

Is that really true?

[MasenkoHA]

The Ocean/Funi dub had good voices too though.

[Ripper 30]

The Ocean/Funi dub had good voices too though.

I think back in old days Ocean Dub had better and more Experienced Voice Actors than FUNimation had, if only they had better Script, no Censorships, Japanese Soundtracks and had the Japanese Audio to take idea then they could have done justice to DBZ

[Hellspawn28]

The Uncut dubs of DBZ Movies 1-3 with the Ocean voice cast should what a proper DBZ dub on TV without bad censorship and localization at the time.

[huzaifa_ahmed]

the Funimation 1999-2005 dub was consider to be awful and one of the worst dubs next to the DIC dub of Sailor Moon.

While the DiC Sailor Moon dub was terrible, there were some good voices such as Tracey Moore's Sailor Moon and Susan Roman's Sailor Jupiter. The dub just needed better directors, better casting, better scripts and no censorship.

Dub budgets are lower than they were in the 90s.

Is that really true?

Yes, Animaze (which Bandai & pre-2002 Geneon used regularly) had standards of 10,000/episode, & Streamline used Studiopolis (used a different name then), generally a more expensive studio (they do American games & shows mainly). Bang Zoom got popular because they had lower standards, & in the era of lower need for dubs (thanks to the Internet & a Japanese-partly-owned venue for streaming without need for American TV), there's inherently going to be less money put into it - dubs are made just to support the lowest common denominator, that is why the budgets are so low despite the huge success of many of these shows. The actual show & production cost barely spends anything on dubs, & they obviously want to minimize it as much as possible.

* It's mainly producers/business executives that have control & jurisdiction on these things, but I suspect there might be actual creative people who probably either dislike it strongly, or simply are apathetic/would prefer you watch it subtitled. Miyazaki advocates for dubs though, as does (I think?) Tomino. That might be part of why their dubs are so good. (Satoshi Kon's dubs were always non-union, despite the films' massive success - probably because, as he said, he didn't like or support dubs)

I would also say that it is a triumph for marginalized groups & artists to have their language & cultural flavor preserved in mainstream viewings. The fact that we are able to lower dubs' budgets now is a positive thing - & that's not to knock on distributors from putting in whatever investment needed to bring in more viewers & revenue (or on dub VAs & directors who at least attempt to do a good job with what they're given) just that it's nice they have less need to alter viewers' experience of the works. I would love it if someday we got to the point where language barriers were a non-issue honestly. I think being more open & inclusive of minority artists, though, is a step forward.

...As for Sailor Moon's dub, yeah, I think it wasn't too shabby. Honestly for a Toei mainstream dub, I'm extremely impressed that they more-or-less left in the opening song, & the voices are pretty accurate to how the characters were done in Japanese. Rino Romano (& Vince Corazza) made fantastic Tuxedo Mask's. I would say it's significantly better than Saban/Toei's Digimon dub. I havent seen the old SM dub much though, loving the Viz one so much.