Why isn't Dragonball classified as a sci-fi anime series?

[precita]

Whenever you see Dragonball/DBZ classified online it's usually "action" "adventure" or something along those lines. It's never classified as sci-fi. Why?

The series is literally about an alien main character who came to Earth from space. Even the original Dragonball has robots, demons and monsters that would classify as sci-fi. The Saiyan arc basically has 3 alien invaders come down to Earth.

The entire Namek arc is on an alien planet in space where the heroes have to fight an intergalactic conqueror. The Cell arc is about a human scientist who creates artificial beings essentially killer robots/androids. Cell himself is a mix of a sci-fi alien and bug creature. The Boo arc is again about a mysterious being created in the past that will terminate all life in space by an alien wizard.

The series has more sci-fi influences than anything else.

[VegettoEX]

I would say it's because the "sci" part is secondary to the "fi" part. The science is just a dressing for the story, rather than a significant focus of it.

Yes, there are aliens coming down, but the story still focuses on the action. Yes, a mad scientist made scary robots, but the story focuses on the action. Yes, an evil army made robots and body suits, but the story focuses on the action. Yes, they travel to space, but the story focuses on the action.

Rarely are the characters themselves actually hung up on any of the science portion of things. Traveling to space is just a matter-of-fact, natural next step toward the goals they have to accomplish. Fighting the evil scientist is just their next wall to climb.

[MasenkoHA]

Because outside of maybe the Cyborg arc it’s hardly a sci fi series. Most of the stuff is window dressing at best. Action/Adventure is the most accurate genre for it.

[Polyphase Avatron]

Because it's a mix of genres - sci-fi, fantasy, martial arts, etc.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Whenever you see Dragonball/DBZ classified online it's usually "action" "adventure" or something along those lines. It's never classified as sci-fi. Why?

The series is literally about an alien main character who came to Earth from space. Even the original Dragonball has robots, demons and monsters that would classify as sci-fi. The Saiyan arc basically has 3 alien invaders come down to Earth.

The entire Namek arc is on an alien planet in space where the heroes have to fight an intergalactic conqueror. The Cell arc is about a human scientist who creates artificial beings essentially killer robots/androids. Cell himself is a mix of a sci-fi alien and bug creature. The Boo arc is again about a mysterious being created in the past that will terminate all life in space by an alien wizard.

The series has more sci-fi influences than anything else.

There is no DBZ Starter Pack meme bigger than this post.

[MyVisionity]

The science fiction doesn't hit until Z and even then it's secondary to the martial arts.

[The Undying]

I won't pretend to be a genre expert, but Z also has its share of mysticism, gods, wizards, magic, etc. just as the manga's first few arcs have their share of robots, sophisticated tech and radars. It's a martial arts adventure with a mix of typical fantasy and sci-fi elements, and has been since its inception.

[jjgp1112]

Because science fiction tends to be grounded in actual science, even if it's tenuous. Dragon Ball is a kung-fu series with whatever technology can make the jokes and/or plot move along but otherwise isn't given much thought.

[KBABZ]

As Vegetto said, the science-fiction elements are almost never a focus. 90% of the imagery in Dragon Ball doesn't even have science fiction in it. Goku's an alien, yes, but we the audience are only informed about it and it's not a defining aspect of his personality or livelihood. Capsules are used for convenience and not plot introspection. The stories are much more focused on martial arts and pure adventure than they are about, say, how Android 18's life was ruined by being taken by Dr. Gero and converted into an android. Future Trunks' timeline comes pretty close, but it's ultimately backstory for a character who only appears in two arcs.

Science fiction has been a long-time flavour of Dragon Ball's setting since the very beginning (the joke of the very first arc is basically "Tripitaka has a sweet future bike"), but it takes the story nearly 70 Chapters to show us its first futuristic city. Even the aliens we meet know wuxia-style martial arts and only a few actually use laser guns.

There is no DBZ Starter Pack meme bigger than this post.

Honestly I do find these sorts of questions quite refreshing because it's the first step into a larger world of understanding about Dragon Ball. It's a nice refresher from complaining about physical releases for the 500th time!

[MyVisionity]

When your main character is an alien who travels to outer space and battles other aliens then you've crossed over into science fiction. It's not the primary genre, no, but it becomes an additional genre for the series. This was not the case pre-Z however.

[Psajdak]

For the same reason Red Ribbon saga isn't war genre, even though it has army in it.

[Rory]

When your main character is an alien who travels to outer space and battles other aliens then you've crossed over into science fiction. It's not the primary genre, no, but it becomes an additional genre for the series. This was not the case pre-Z however.

I mean, pre-'Z' had robots, it had dragon radars, I don't think the treshhold is just 'more tech', it was always there. Science fiction is normally fiction about the science (or the human condition resutling from said science). Dragon Ball at best flirts with science fantasy concepts, it's not in any way sci-fi though.

[MyVisionity]

When your main character is an alien who travels to outer space and battles other aliens then you've crossed over into science fiction. It's not the primary genre, no, but it becomes an additional genre for the series. This was not the case pre-Z however.

I mean, pre-'Z' had robots, it had dragon radars, I don't think the treshhold is just 'more tech', it was always there. Science fiction is normally fiction about the science (or the human condition resutling from said science). Dragon Ball at best flirts with science fantasy concepts, it's not in any way sci-fi though.

A few robots here or there and a radar device doesn't equal sci-fi genre to me. Just elements of science fiction maybe. It's the Z-era when science fiction as a genre emerges, even if it only goes but so deep and doesn't overtake everything else.

[Hellspawn28]

DBZ barely has Sci-Fi elements. Dragon Ball is not counted as Sci-Fi for a similar reason why Star Wars is not consider to be Sci-Fi. George Lucas said that Star Wars is not Sci-Fi because

"The laws of physics are different here. Star Wars is not science fiction at all. It's much more attuned to mythology, to psychology, to history than it is to science"

[precita]

I would definitely say Star Wars is sci-fi...but that's for another topic...and another forum.

[Hellspawn28]

Dragon Ball has very different laws of phsyics than our world though. Dragon Ball has and will always be a wuxia series.

[MyVisionity]

Dragon Ball has very different laws of phsyics than our world though. Dragon Ball has and will always be a wuxia series.

How are the laws of physics in the Dragon World any different than the laws of physics in the real world?

[Polyphase Avatron]

Dragon Ball has very different laws of phsyics than our world though. Dragon Ball has and will always be a wuxia series.

How are the laws of physics in the Dragon World any different than the laws of physics in the real world?

Well with fictional series with fantastical elements it's not usually that the laws of physics are explicitly different, but that there are additional laws of physics that allow you to 'sneak around' limitations in RL, like traveling faster than light.

Although in the DBU, Einstein's Theory of Relativity might not even apply, as I don't think it was ever mentioned, and there seems to be no actual barrier to traveling faster than light. You just need a spaceship that's fast enough.

[KBABZ]

Dragon Ball has very different laws of phsyics than our world though. Dragon Ball has and will always be a wuxia series.

Same with The Jetsons but that doesn't discount it.