What made you switch over to the Japanese version?

[sangofe]

But the French dub has the original music.

Except for the OP/ED which is custom made by AB Groupe.

Not for the re-runs in recent years actually.

[Soppa Saia People]

I just didn't like the funi dub so thought may as well.

[Kodoshin]

I found almost every aspect of the dub distasteful. What drove me over the edge? It was a combination of everything I think. I found myself especially irked by the replacement music and the nonsensical writing that created whole new plotholes. I also found the way they wrote Freeza in season 3 to be utterly offensive. As soon as a legal way to obtain the original version was available I never looked back.

[Ripper 30]

I haven't I may start soon.

They have a pre conceived notion about Kai that it's a watered down kiddy version of DBZ.

They're not technically wrong if they're talking about the original Japanese Z vs Japanese Kai.
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They're almost ALWAYS without fail talking about English dubs at all. The fact they mention Blue Popo is a dead giveaway they think Kai is just the Toonzai edited version. Putting Kai on Nicktoons and especially Toonzai was a huge mistake and ruined Kai's reputation in the West that only started getting fixed by Toonami airing the uncensored version.

Also Japanese Kai censored like what? Two especially gory shots out of the 8000+ ones and some baby penis shots. That hardly makes it a watered down kiddy version. We can all live not seeing Gohan's penis guys.

Japanese version adds so much depth and emotions to the show that dub doesn't specially with its Techno stuff.

[Jackalope89]

I like both sub and dub.

I watch the sub because it came out long before the dub did, but with the dub now on Toonami, I'm basically re-watching the series dubbed.

And I'm not disappointed.

[KinguKurimuzon]

I got into Dragon Ball by watching the Orange Brick dub (with the Kikuchi score) back in mid-to-late 2015, and the dubs of DB and GT directly after in that order. My first real exposure to the Japanese voices was the 2008 OVA which I watched immediately after finishing Buu, but it was from watching Super fansubs that I came to realize that I'd have to get used to the Japanese voices in order to watch this series, as well as a bunch of other stuff that hadn't been/never will be dubbed. I definitely prefer the Japanese voices now (and I can't believe I never raised any eyebrows over the butchered English script), but it's ironic that I ever watched the dub in the first place as I've been a subs > dubs guy since I was a teenager.

[GamerSkull]

Another thing that bothered me are the actual errors in the scripting like when Sabat accidentally has Vegeta say "Goku" instead of "Kakarot".

Although, I can't remember so I'm not sure if there were any such mistakes in the japanese version too.

[Son Gara]

I started watching the "Ocean" dub, but would always watch those 10 second Quick Time/Real Player blurry-ass video clips that populated all over the old fan sites back in the day, so I had a little bit of familiarity with the Japanese version. However I mainly just stuck with the original 52 episode run. Once "Season 3" got announced I was so excited and raced to the store and got the first new tape: Ginyu Assualt. It was pretty shitty. At the time I didn't understand why all the character's voices sounded different, but it didn't change the fact that the voice acting was terrible. Regardless I still bought the tapes until the end of the series, because that was the only way for me to view the series. Once I actually got a DVD player (in the form of a PS2) and had grown tired of Funimation's shitty business practices (cancelling the Ultimate Uncuts and the GT "Lost Episodes" bullshit) I cut ties with the Funimation side of production as much as I could and have never looked back since.

In short: A combination of shitty voice acting mixed with shady business practices of the company in charge of the dub.

[majinwarman]

I got into the Japanese version because it was the first version someone gave to me. Once I finish the series, I went on to watch other anime in Japanese as well. Eventually I went on to watch the dub though that was when Battle of Gods was a few months away from coming out in America.

[Gligarman]

Back before Youtube and high speed internet was a thing my best friend and I use to watch low-res clips from the Japanese version. Then we started watching it on Toonami and we noticed the show was significantly toned down. I also noticed that in general the voice acting was far more compelling as well as consistent since they were all veterans of the series by that point. But what really made me never turn back was when Funimation took over the dub in the late 90's. At that point, given the option, I always opted to watch the original Japanese version.

[obiwan23s]

Back when Z was first airing on Toonami with the Ocean dub, they would always get to the episode when Goku's spaceship lands on Namek and he starts fighting the Ginyu Force and then reset to Episode 1 the next day. Back then there were two fairly popular fansite forums, Planet Namek and DB3K. I can't remember which site, but it was one of those forums where someone posted a link to a website index that had all of DB and DBZ subbed in Japanese on RealPlayer files. You could've burned both shows onto like 6 CD-R's the files were so small. The video quality was low quality VHS and sometimes you knew the subtitles had to be wrong because there was too much cursing like Vegeta calling Android 19 a "candy ass faggot" and lots of F bombs. The community back then really thought the Japanese version of DBZ had an R rated script for some reason. It was weird...you kinda had to be there to get it. I guess the fansubbers thought they were giving the people what they wanted? But it was a way to watch DBZ when Toonami didn't have more episodes. Now that there's lots of official releases to choose from I still enjoy watching the original DB and Z shows subbed. I think Kai and Super dubbed are just fine, but for the older shows the Japanese version sticks to the script much better in my opinion.

[Kokonoe]

Had no choice but to watch it with Super or else I'd be 10 years behind. Still prefer dub, still dislike Goku's voice being that of a child, but hey least Frieza's voice is amazing.

[Forte224]

Another thing that bothered me are the actual errors in the scripting like when Sabat accidentally has Vegeta say "Goku" instead of "Kakarot".

Although, I can't remember so I'm not sure if there were any such mistakes in the japanese version too.

I don't believe so, but there is a consistent subtitle mistake when Vegeta is talking to 19 and 20. At one point he says "Kakarotto" but the subs say "Goku". It's been this way since the DVD singles and remain in the Dragon Boxes and blu rays. Kai fixes it but Funi had to redo those subs from scratch for that.

[Banana]

When I was a child and watched Toonami, I had seen a few minutes of DBZ here and there but unfortunately never any full episodes. I think Sailor Moon came on right after if I remember correctly right after I got home from school, so I didn't really experience this show much as a kid, however I was aware of its existence.

It wasn't until college, my first year of actually studying Japanese (8 years ago) that I began watching Dragonball first, and then Dragonball Z. Because by this point I had already seen Sailor Moon one of my other favorite shows a few times through in Japanese due to the bootleg box sets I owned, (which was interesting and kinda sparked me wanting to learn the language) it was time for something new to me and just as awesome. I said to myself I really ought to get around to seeing the db series, and at the time I had torrented the whole thing for DB and then found a streaming site for Z. It was all over from there- I just became so accustomed to the Japanese version that I can't have it any other way! Even back then, the English just sounded weird when I would pull up voice clips.

Now that the original broadcast audio rips of DBZ exist and just the high quality voice acting in Xenoverse 1, 2, and FighterZ exists, I won't be able to sit through the English versions, which is sort of regrettable, because I honestly wish that through the clips I've seen that the series should have gotten better treatment. Granted, it was a lot better than Sailor Moon in comparison, but it just doesn't fit in my mind. I often feel out of place because my best friend is the exact opposite and prefers the English because that's what he grew up with. I understand, but sometimes nostalgia isn't always best in my opinion lol. I do have to admit though, they did cast my favorite character Future Trunks well in the English Funi dub, so I'm glad he got justice. "If they set that android free, it will be the end of all of usssss!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Lol his voice was great *swoon*

On the other hand, in Japanese, Vegeta has this smoothness to his voice that the American actors have not been able to match, but Roger Rhodes came closest. And no one can beat Nozawa in my mind. Sure she voiced Goku, Gohan, Goten, Bardock, and Turles and probably some others, but in their voices I can hear some subtle differences in the way she presents them which is good enough for me lol

[One_Instance]

I don't know if anyone else was ever mistaken in thinking there was practically no difference between the dub and sub. As I got more into the Dragon Ball community, I started hearing people talk more and more about how Goku was a hick and that the dub's dialogue meaninglessly created new plot holes. With that I pretty much figured I'd watch it since 1) I was already itching for more Dragon Ball at the time and 2) it seemed like it would be more or less brand new experience. After finishing it subbed, watching clips in the dub gradually got harder and harder because of the old FUNi voices being pretty cheesy (sometimes for some characters, damn near always for others). While I could still enjoy a good amount of the replacement score, it didn't really feel as right as Kikuchi's. I think it's pretty natural, unexciting story on my end

[Okara]

I’ve “switched over” out of necessity rather than choice. If the English dub was released at least relatively alongside the Japanese version, I’d never subject myself to Japanese Goku’s grating voice.

[Banana]

I’ve “switched over” out of necessity rather than choice. If the English dub was released at least relatively alongside the Japanese version, I’d never subject myself to Japanese Goku’s grating voice.

Lol it's more the struggles that get grating- not Goku's normal speaking voice. The "eh keh keh kuh" noises. Even then, just watching Gohan trying to pull the z-sword out of the ground in the kaio-shin realm and later swing it, as someone who normally prefers that voice it was a bit hard to listen to, as it really came on strong!