Which year do you consider the start of the revival?

[DBZAOTA482]

I noticed a lot of people claiming the revival started with the Battle of Gods movie but I'm not too sure about that.

I'd say it started in 2002 which is where Dragon Ball Z was extremely popular in Nort America... so much that it was at one point the most popular show on television (quite a feat for a show that wasn’t airing on primetime television). Since then we got the Kanzenban, the PS2 games, that tv special where Goku watches Japanese historical figures fight, and the Dragon Boxes. Iirc one Japanese fan said DBZ's newfound popularity in the states resparked interest in the franchise as it was considered dead in Japan up until that point.

Not to discredit what the modern stuff has done for the franchise as it's now arguably more popular now than it ever was since it was first serialized, but such feats I feel wouldn't be possible if it hadn't blown up in the states.

[PremiumSalt]

2009 or 2013, depending on how you look at it. Kai, imo, set into motion the events that snowballed into the fullon revival, but the revival proper really started with BoG, where we got brand new story content.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

It really depends on what you classify as a revival. I say 2013 because that was the beginning of brand new content, no less than a theatrical film. Dragon Ball was already going strong in North America with the dub going into 2002, so I don't think of that as a revival because the franchise was already very hot during that time, even if the series itself was complete. Kai definitely brought in new fans, but Battle of Gods was a new film that ushered in a new series and more movies.

[Kakacarrottop]

For English speaking countries I break things up like this,

Late 90s-early 2000s = peak popularity of Dragon Ball
Mid-late 2000s = the dark years
Early 2010s = the period when Dragon Ball was only relevant because of nostalgia
Mid-2010s onward = the revival

For Japan,

Late 80s-early 90s = peak popularity of Dragon Ball
1995-1997 = the decline in popularity that happened when the series was still on the air
1998-2001 = the dark years where there weren't even any video games
2002-2012 = the period when Dragon Ball was only relevant because of nostalgia
Mid 2010s onward = the revival

[Cure Dragon 255]

..................................1984!

[MasenkoHA]

2013. I don’t consider the show airing late to the party in English speaking countries in the West a revival by any means because it’s not a revival of any sort. The series was still on-going in Japan when Dragon Ball came to America. Albeit in the twilight of its life.

Episode of Bardock and Yo Son Goku and His Friends Return were treated as one off things.

Dragon Ball Kai was just a Special Edition run of Z.

Battle of Gods though? It beget Resurrection F which beget Super which used those movies for its first 29 episodes. Battle of Gods also officially declared GT no longer part of the anime continuity, introduced “Super Saiyan God” and Destroyer Gods, and the the multiverse. Things that are identifiable with the revivals dna and what separates it from older material.


Dragon Ball Kai

[Grimlock]

2008. Hell, it's even in the OVA's title "Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!".

Two years later, Dragon Ball Online and Dragon Ball Heroes came up. Sure, the former would only live for a few years, regrettably. But it leaved a great legacy.

One year later, Bardock OVA.

Then two years later, Movie 14 and Jaco, the Galactic Patrolman came up.

The fact that things were released after two years does show some sort of "coming back", which would inevitably lead to a new series (but if only this new series were good). It all began with a simple OVA for celebrating purposes that still isn't even available outside of Japan!

[Koitsukai]

2013.

Between 1996 and 2012 there were videogames, OVAs, adaptations and live action movies, none of them revived anything. To be fair, I don't think BoG revived anything, the franchise wasn't dead, plenty of stuff was still being released.

[kemuri07]

2013.

Between 1996 and 2012 there were videogames, OVAs, adaptations and live action movies, none of them revived anything. To be fair, I don't think BoG revived anything, the franchise wasn't dead, plenty of stuff was still being released.

I disagree BoG absolutely revived interest for the franchise. It was, after all, the first DBZ full length feature since the 13th DBZ movie. I mean, it added new characters and a completely new Super Saiyan form. Of course it revived the franchise. I mean, sure DBZ had always been popular, but this was the first time in which there seemed to have been an absolute push to continuing with the franchise.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

2013.

Between 1996 and 2012 there were videogames, OVAs, adaptations and live action movies, none of them revived anything. To be fair, I don't think BoG revived anything, the franchise wasn't dead, plenty of stuff was still being released.

I disagree BoG absolutely revived interest for the franchise. It was, after all, the first DBZ full length feature since the 13th DBZ movie. I mean, it added new characters and a completely new Super Saiyan form. Of course it revived the franchise. I mean, sure DBZ had always been popular, but this was the first time in which there seemed to have been an absolute push to continuing with the franchise.

Definitely. By no means am I undervaluing any interest generated by some of the games and OVAs...but there was not constant Dragon Ball talk like this until Battle of Gods. Here on the forum, maybe, but this is a forum of hardcore Dragon Ball fans. But just look at all the big YouTube channels that emerged following BOG and Super. I'm sure there are people aware of Super who don't even watch any Dragon Ball. People I know who are film fans, but not Dragon Ball fans, even asked me if they should go see Super: Broly. Speaking purely for myself, I had been an on-and-off fan of Dragon Ball over the years, but without Battle of Gods and what followed, I likely wouldn't have had renewed vigor for the franchise and probably would have never watched GT (ironic consider how people clash over the two). At the time, it was exciting knowing I'd be able to experience new theatrical films and a series. Also I see Dragon Ball action figures in stores again, something I don't remember seeing from maybe 2007-2013.

[VegettoEX]

But just look at all the big YouTube channels that emerged following BOG and Super.

I don't think this is a worthwhile medium to use for any kind of comparison, here. This is roughly just following YouTube's 10- and 15-minute video length limit removals/upgrades, and subsequent jump in activity on the site overall. There's a correlation, but I would argue not causation. People were just naturally moving to the latest medium that made sense to them. Everyone's uncle having a YouTube channel was just the everyone's uncle having a fansite of two or three generations prior.

Anyway, the answer is 2013.

[WittyUsername]

I suppose that 2008-2012 could be seen as a proto-revival period, but even at that point, the general consensus was that Dragon Ball as a whole was long past its heyday. The big shonen series that most people were talking about at that point were One Piece and Naruto. The Jump special was just a one-off, and stuff like Online and Heroes weren’t really that big at the time. BoG was the true beginning of the current era.

[Ozotto]

Probably September 21, 2008.
With Yo Son Goku & Friends Return.
Followed by;
DBZ Kai (April 5, 2009 – March 27, 2011)
Plan to eradicate the saiyans remake (November 11, 2010)
Episode of Bardock (December 17, 2011)
Dream 9 Toriko & One Piece & Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special (2013)
Then BoG (2013)

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

But just look at all the big YouTube channels that emerged following BOG and Super.

I don't think this is a worthwhile medium to use for any kind of comparison, here. This is roughly just following YouTube's 10- and 15-minute video length limit removals/upgrades, and subsequent jump in activity on the site overall. There's a correlation, but I would argue not causation. People were just naturally moving to the latest medium that made sense to them. Everyone's uncle having a YouTube channel was just the everyone's uncle having a fansite of two or three generations prior.

Anyway, the answer is 2013.

Maybe so, it's just that YouTube has been around since 2005 and I don't remember any big push on talking about DB content prior to 2013. While a lot of it can be chalked up to changes in YT, I'd still say there was a noticeable fervor about the new series that added to it. Especially when you consider people had new forms, villains, etc to talk about.

[sunsetshimmer]

I'd say it started in 2002 which is where Dragon Ball Z was extremely popular in Nort America

It's barely few years after series ended in Japan. Hard to call that a revival. Although it made DB games being created again.

[DBZAOTA482]

I'd say it started in 2002 which is where Dragon Ball Z was extremely popular in Nort America

It's barely few years after series ended in Japan. Hard to call that a revival. Although it made DB games being created again.

As long as material is consistently being made and selling, Dragon Ball will never die. The PS2 games and DVDs for example sold like hotcakes.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

I'd say it started in 2002 which is where Dragon Ball Z was extremely popular in Nort America

It's barely few years after series ended in Japan. Hard to call that a revival. Although it made DB games being created again.

As long as material is consistently being made and selling, Dragon Ball will never die. The PS2 games and DVDs for example sold like hotcakes.

True, i think even when there isn't a weekly anime or manga running there will still be merchandise and lots of other things like games being made in some form. Dragon Ball as a franchise won't truly be over and dead certainly not anytime soon.

[nhienphan2808]

In terms of general public and fandom? BOG 2013.
In terms of actual meta and universal continuation? Kanzenban ending 2002. It's like 9/10 things that have been added by Toriyama in the lore since then were to expand Vegeta's perspective and development. Even Beerus and Whis taught HIM more than Goku. Goku learned nothing new, it's the same lessons in DB from Master Roshi repeated.

[PurestEvil]

2013 obviously. The point of a revival is to make something popular again, and Dragon Ball hype skyrocketed only after the release of BoG.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

2013, because a revival should in theory not just be a new major installment, but also lead to a resurgence. Battle of Gods didn't just give us back the characters we love with one more big battle, it actually expanded the lore and gave Super a reason to exist.

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions isn't considered the revival of the original anime series, as it is a one-off epilogue that doesn't leave more to be explored. That's what Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return was in 2008, it didn't revive the series as such, but it was a brief celebration of the past not intended to be anything more.

And Kai is no more a revival than any HD remaster of an old show is. The only real difference was the music, and we all know how that turned out. As much as I love Kai it was just the old Z anime repurposed for another generation, it wasn't designed to bring anything new to the table.