How would you introduce Dragon Ball to Gen Alpha?

[mecha3000]

As I've gotten older (turning 27 this year), I realize there are now kids born the year BoG (2013) and Super (2015) released/started who are now 11 and 9. There's a whole era of kids born AFTER Beerus, Whis, and all the new concepts were introduced. So, I got to thinking, how would I introduce kids to DB? How would you? Remember, try not to be biased and keep in mind the younger generation and how they might prefer to watch Dragon Ball. I've chosen the following options and order.

MODERN OPTION:

1. Dragon Ball (Z) Kai
2. Dragon Ball Super
3. Dragon Ball Daima

I've chosen this order because I doubt a Gen Alpha kid is going to want to watch Dragon Ball and Z with all the filler, slower pacing, dated elements, and inconsistent/inaccurate dubs. Also, the Kai dub recast a few characters from the older dubs and to this day, Monica Rial and Colleen Clinkenbeard among others, still voice their characters. I'd rather a younger kid have a consistent cast and slightly more accurate scripts than get confused. Also, Kai does a good job quickly recapping the OG Dragon Ball series and the Bardock special to set the tone for new viewers in Episode 1.

CLASSIC OPTION:

1. Dragon Ball
2. Dragon Ball Z
3. Dragon Ball GT
4. Dragon Ball Super
5. Dragon Ball Daima

I'd suggest this if they want to watch everything in the order it came out originally and how it was originally intended for both the sub and dub. But again, I feel like younger kids would feel that the classic series are dated and would rather skip to newer material like Super and Daima. That's why I feel like the modern option works best because Kai gives them enough context heading into Super and Daima, but in the fastest way possible. However, I would suggest the classic option as supplemental viewing to the modern option.

Thoughts?

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I think everyone is going to be biased to a certain degree, even excluding original Dragon Ball for the modern option (which I suspect you wouldn't be alone in) carries with it a certain amount of bias because many fans who grew up in English-speaking countries, myself included did start with Z (or for the Nicktoons/Toonzai/Kix generation Kai) and turned out fine.

That said, it always is best to start with original Dragon Ball because you understand who Tien, Yamcha, Piccolo, etc are, how these characters were all originally Goku's enemies and you get to see how they gradually become his friends. Not to mention original Dragon Ball is a better, more tightly written story with the filler being woven so seemlessly into the plot its not as noticeable as in Z.

On the one hand I could also be called biased for my recommendation, because its what I grew up with, but I do plan at some point to create a thread explaining in more detail why fans should really give the Canadian dubs a proper chance, particularly the Blue Water dubs, which are better representations of the Japanese version in English than Funimation's dubs. Funimation's dub of original Dragon Ball, while not terrible has a lot of issues such as:

• Tao being referred to as a "General" even though he was merely an assassin hired by Commander Red to defeat Goku
• The implication of there being a feud between the Crane Hermit and Tao Pai Pai
• Certain characters being made up on the fly (like Black's sister), which is needlessly confusing
• Contradictions like the portly announcer saying at the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai flash photography wasn't allowed in the gymnasium (despite it being established in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai spectators weren't allowed in)
• Spoiling the fact Kami and King Piccolo were not from Earth
• King Piccolo claiming he fought beings all over the universe
• Goku saying he sensed King Piccolo's "power level" (which was clearly an attempt to appease Z fans)

The mysticism is also incredibly watered down and Funimation's first time completely ignoring it was in the King Piccolo arc with the Demon Clan simply being referred to as "monsters". In fact Funimation tried to tie the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai to stuff that fans already knew from Namek by adding some line about the "Warrior clan". It was simply not a dub meant to honour the original series, but rather to reward fans who had watched the Z dub, when it should be the other way around, as original Dragon Ball is the beginning of the series, and not a prequel by dint of it being created first.

It's also worth noting, despite it being claimed Funimation's dub of original Dragon Ball, as seen on the home releases and streaming services is "uncut" it is still a censored dub masquerading as an uncut one, with certain scenes not being corrected, like Turtle discouraging Lunch from entering the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai because she finds fights with rules boring (which was originally a line about weapons not being allowed) and Goku saying he needed to "wash his hands" while at the dinner table at the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai (this was censoring him needing to pee).

All of these issues and more are fixed in the Blue Water dub of original Dragon Ball, which sadly isn't legally available, but is worth seeking out, as unless someone can find the Creative Corp Product or Animax dubs it really is the best way to watch the series in English.

For the Z portion there is very little new fans can do. Funimation's Kai dub is closer to the Japanese version, but it still has some jokey lines like Nappa saying "I hate the media", the truck driver saying "DUDE, MAH TRUCK" when he was supposed to have been killed by Vegeta, but for the most part it does render the characters and their motivations right. The voice acting is far superior than the old Z dub, and still hold up over a decade later, the same can't be said of the Z dub, which has aged really poorly in that regard. If anyone did want to watch the Z portion I would recommend going through other means to watch the Westwood dub, it mostly has the same script as Funimation's dub, so your still going to get the heroic Goku, certain dub-only plotholes not being fixed, but the voice acting is superior and the replacement score is closer to the tone of the Japanese version. There are some examples of lines being smartened up, like Vegeta saying "I do a lot of pushups and situps, and I drink plenty of milk" rather than "I do a lot of pushups and situps, and I drink plenty of juice" or "The royal prince has awakened; I am the greatest of all Saiyans once again!" instead of "The sleeper has awakened; I am the prince of all Saiyans once again!", as well as some more correct pronunciations (vee-dell, k-eye-o-ken) and terms (Instant Translocation). Suffice to say neither Z dub is ideal, the Kai dub is solid and will get the job done for the most part. Hopefully one day we will see Ocean Kai and fans will have anotherb option.

While Funimation's dub of GT is not as unfaithful as the Z dub it doesn't capture the feel of the original Japanese show as it tries too hard to be hardcore and edgy, even with the dub and Japanese score Andrew Chandler's narration feels so out of place with the sentimental, bittersweet feel of the Tokunaga tracks. Blue Water's dub, which feels tonally correct throughout its run has a very accurate script (on par with the Pioneer movies) and does some neat things, like bringing up "next dimension" in episode 31 but in a context where it makes sense (when mysterious voices threaten to banish Goku and Sugoro), the only times I ever believe the terms "artificial human" and "ki" were mentioned in an official English dub in episodes 45 and 48 respectively, the former was Dr Myuu gloating about Super 17's power and the latter when Goku described an aurora in the sky. Not to mention more accurate terms like Tien using the "Light of the Sun" in episode 38 (which was Blue Water's rendition of "Fist of the Sun", which Funimation named "Solar Flare".

For Super, Funimation's dub is mostly accurate, although it does tend to punch up a lot of the dialogue, like Vegeta saying "let's go see Yamcha", undercutting serious scenes with Hit saying "time to make the donuts" but it does at least portray Goku as a battle, obsessed overgrown manchild, perhaps even tries too hard (like when Goku screams "HELL YEAH") but it's still better than how the Z dub made him more heroic than he was meant to be.

I'm not saying all of this to bash Funimation's dubs, just that there are other options out there, which will likely never see an official release, so I would still encourage anyone to support the industry, where possible, but Funimation's dub is not the only way to get into the series. Probably best for a new fan to sample bits of the different dubs if they wish to watch in English and decide from there what way they would like to experience it.

Similarly, if anyone wants to watch the series in Japanese, while I do encourage buying the DVDs and Blu-Rays or watching on a legal streaming service, what is offered by those options still leaves a lot to be desired. I've recently started rewatching the Japanese version to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the franchise by watching syncs of the broadcast audio to region 2 Japanese Dragon Box video and the experience is so much better. I've just finished rewatching the first 38 episodes of original Dragon Ball. The broadcast audio simply blows the mono track out of the water, but beyond that it's also my first time seeing the series with all the original Japanese title cards and next episode previews, which are omitted in most of the English-friendly home releases. It's still great to see the series as it was originally intended, and again if anyone is disappointed by the Japanese tracks they hear by official means, remember there are better options out there if you are willing to look.

[NeoZ Duwang]

One Piece seems to be pretty popular with the younger kids, I've watched film Red on the theater and there were plenty of children there, so I don't think pacing would get in the way in the case of Dragon Ball. I'd just say that they should try watching the show from the start, and then let them figure the rest for themselves. Maybe they won't like it, but sometimes, it's just not meant to be

[MasenkoHA]

Kids are way more tech savvy than previous generations. If they want to watch Dragon Ball they'll figure it out on their own.

[JulieYBM]

So, speaking as a woman with teenage nibling(s) into anime, I would actually not introduce them to Dragon Ball. There's some really awful shit in there, and quite frankly I don't think I need to introduce them to something just because I happen to like it. I'm more interested in learning from them, and trying to continue Dragon Ball along. I don't really think Dragon Ball needs that.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

So, speaking as a woman with teenage nibling(s) into anime, I would actually not introduce them to Dragon Ball. There's some really awful shit in there, and quite frankly I don't think I need to introduce them to something just because I happen to like it. I'm more interested in learning from them, and trying to continue Dragon Ball along. I don't really think Dragon Ball needs that.

While I don't condone the more pervy stuff in original Dragon Ball it is a product of its time, and I think as long as new viewers view it in that context and understand we can't judge media by the more civilized norms of the present they will be fine.

I forgot to mention the BLT dub, which also uses the Canadian cast and was released on home video where in episode 8 when Oolong (transformed into Bulma) tells Roshi he should date her and Roshi says she's too young (it's not accurate to what was said in the Japanese version but it at least gets around two issues, one being Roshi wanting to see Bulma's breasts and another being the potential implication of him wanting a relationship with a minor, which the date suggestion would have carried without Roshi's rejection). Similarly a case can be made in favour of both the Funimation and Blue Water dubs censoring General Blues attraction to Obotchaman as I find the stereotype about gay people being paedophiles incredibly disturbing, even as a straight guy, although both dubs tended to skirt around his sexuality.

The manga is another option for new viewers as Roshi trying to sexually assault Lunch in episode 16 was a TOEI addition, and an unnecessary one at that .

[MasenkoHA]

I forgot to mention the BLT dub, which also uses the Canadian cast and was released on home video where in episode 8 when Oolong (transformed into Bulma) tells Roshi he should date her and Roshi says she's too young (it's not accurate to what was said in the Japanese version but it at least gets around two issues, one being Roshi wanting to see Bulma's breasts and another being the potential implication of him wanting a relationship with a minor, which the date suggestion would have carried without Roshi's rejection). Similarly a case can be made in favour of both the Funimation and Blue Water dubs censoring General Blues attraction to Obotchaman as I find the stereotype about gay people being paedophiles incredibly disturbing, even as a straight guy, although both dubs tended to skirt around his sexuality.

The BLT dub is also just the first 13 episodes plus the first movie which isn't very useful in the long term. Like, I imagine people wanting to show somebody Dragon Ball would want to show them, more or less, the whole thing not just the first arc. The Blue Water dub would involve torrenting and some episodes are missing/have screwed up audio. Only about half the edited Funi dub was released on vhs.


I think most kids over the age of 8 can watch uncut Dragon Ball just fine as long as they haven't been brought up to be disrespectful little shits and understand boundaries and personal space and consent

The manga is another option for new viewers as Roshi trying to sexually assault Lunch in episode 16 was a TOEI addition, and an unnecessary one at that .

The manga still has Roshi coercing a teenager girl for sexual favors (and the joke being things went further than what she agreed to)
and Roshi as Jackie Chun using a knocked out Lanfang as an opportunity to feel her ass. And Oolong drugging Bulma to molest her.

[Zephyr]

My parents really sucked at the job of being parents, for the most part. But I think "being stewards of my media consumption" was actually something they did pretty alright at. I'm never intending to have kids, for a variety of reasons. But if I did, my policing of their media habits would probably be like my parents' was for me.

I'd 'introduce' them to things I personally like the way my parents introduced me to things they like: by just having that stuff on from time to time. They introduced me to some of my favorite bands simply by having them on at home while I was a kid. So I'd probably just watch Dragon Ball from time to time (something which would happen regardless of their presence), and if they like it they like it.

If they do like it, I'd probably talk with them about some of the rapey and racist shit, differences between fantasy and reality, etc. Same basic thing my mom did when I started playing things like Mortal Kombat.

[JulieYBM]

While I don't condone the more pervy stuff in original Dragon Ball it is a product of its time, and I think as long as new viewers view it in that context and understand we can't judge media by the more civilized norms of the present they will be fine

'Product of its time' is meaningless, because these things were awful then, they're awful now, and they will continue to be awful. I don't see why were should feel motivated to artificially introduce awful shit to kids.

I forgot to mention the BLT dub, which also uses the Canadian cast and was released on home video where in episode 8 when Oolong (transformed into Bulma) tells Roshi he should date her and Roshi says she's too young (it's not accurate to what was said in the Japanese version but it at least gets around two issues, one being Roshi wanting to see Bulma's breasts and another being the potential implication of him wanting a relationship with a minor, which the date suggestion would have carried without Roshi's rejection). Similarly a case can be made in favour of both the Funimation and Blue Water dubs censoring General Blues attraction to Obotchaman as I find the stereotype about gay people being paedophiles incredibly disturbing, even as a straight guy, although both dubs tended to skirt around his sexuality.

The manga is another option for new viewers as Roshi trying to sexually assault Lunch in episode 16 was a TOEI addition, and an unnecessary one at that .

There's still attempted sexual assault and sexual harassment in the comic, too.

It's like...y'all, this is embarassing. I wouldn't show this to kids lol

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

The manga still has Roshi coercing a teenager girl for sexual favors (and the joke being things went further than what she agreed to)
and Roshi as Jackie Chun using a knocked out Lanfang as an opportunity to feel her ass. And Oolong drugging Bulma to molest her.

Fair enough, it is unfortunate because as much of a disservice it is for any new fans to skip the first 153 episodes/194 chapters of the manga I really can't blame anyone from being turned off by the objectionable content even if they are missing a lot of great adventures and important character development. I wish we could have made progress as a society when it comes to respecting women, giving gay people their dignity and things of that nature much quicker than we did in the 20th century, but it is what it is.

This is part of the reason I'd love a Dragon Ball remake so that we could have an adaptation for that part of the story more in line with our more contemporary, liberal sensibilities, but new viewers who watch the show that way would be missing the great work of the Japanese voice cast in their prime, although for the English side it would be the perfect opportunity to have a truly definitive dub for everything from Pilaf to the Wedding Dress arc, which would be nice but probably a pipe dream all things considered.

[GhostEmperorX]

While I don't condone the more pervy stuff in original Dragon Ball it is a product of its time, and I think as long as new viewers view it in that context and understand we can't judge media by the more civilized norms of the present they will be fine.

It's probably worth mentioning that even back then in different media over in JP, different people did different things, regardless of what the times happened to be. As an example, even some of DB's contemporary series featured far less of the same comedic or gag elements that it did, particularly two other shonen manga series that also got adapted into anime by Toei during the 80's. And even other studios and creators that just went in different directions altogether.

[eledoremassis02]

I would love to see a Crunchyroll kids app that puts up all the old TV edits (and some new ones)

[GhostEmperorX]

As to the main topic, the "Classic Option" is made even less viable by the reality of Toei not caring to future-proof almost anything they ever made pre-Y2K whereas almost all their competitor studios have done this to a spectacular degree for many of their own productions (and counting) from the same time periods.

[Cure Dragon 255]

One thing I agree with MasenkoHa (Even if I disagree on the TV is Obsolete take) is that Dragon Ball needs no introduction: If they want to watch it, kids should seek it out themselves. However, I will say is that it should be available on TV. I am a "Till the Titanic sinks guy" . Kids watch more TV than people think and as long as TV exists it should be available there too.

Oh and if a kid asks their parent to watch Dragon Ball they are OBVIOUSLY free to curate the experience. Skipping Too Sexy or Violent things for the benefit of the kiddos.

[Hellspawn28]

I think most kids over the age of 8 can watch uncut Dragon Ball just fine as long as they haven't been brought up to be disrespectful little shits and understand boundaries and personal space and consent

Pretty much this. Kids are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. When I was a kid, I knew better not to be pervert or do anything wrong because I will get in trouble for it. Parents should also teach their kids that being a pervert isn't a good thing to do. I would imagine the kids in Japan who watch DB and the kids who watch it on Toonami most likely probably didn't try to sexual assault or sexual harassment people by watching Muten Roshi on TV.

[MasenkoHA]

I
[*] Tao being referred to as a "General" even though he was merely an assassin hired by Commander Red to defeat Goku

This was only in the Z dub. The original Dragon Ball dub "fixes it" by changing his name to Mercenary Tao. While that's not really correct either it was closer to the intent
and removes the implication he was a member of the army.

[GhostEmperorX]

tries too hard to be hardcore and edgy

For just about everything they did this with, they also had a contradictory obsession with sanitizing certain characters in one way or the other.

[Hellspawn28]

I
[*] Tao being referred to as a "General" even though he was merely an assassin hired by Commander Red to defeat Goku

This was only in the Z dub. The original Dragon Ball dub "fixes it" by changing his name to Mercenary Tao. While that's not really correct either it was closer to the intent
and removes the implication he was a member of the army.

They probably called him Mercenary Tao because the name probably sounds safer than Assassin Tao. Honestly, they should kept it as Tao Pai Pai. Funimation thinks Americans are stupid and can't appreciate, or say an actual Japanese names.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I
[*] Tao being referred to as a "General" even though he was merely an assassin hired by Commander Red to defeat Goku

This was only in the Z dub. The original Dragon Ball dub "fixes it" by changing his name to Mercenary Tao. While that's not really correct either it was closer to the intent
and removes the implication he was a member of the army.

They probably called him Mercenary Tao because the name probably sounds safer than Assassin Tao. Honestly, they should kept it as Tao Pai Pai. Funimation thinks Americans are stupid and can't appreciate, or say an actual Japanese names.

I know I will probably be saying something stupid, but is Tao Pai Pai a Japanese name? I thought it was Chinese.

[MasenkoHA]

I
[*] Tao being referred to as a "General" even though he was merely an assassin hired by Commander Red to defeat Goku

This was only in the Z dub. The original Dragon Ball dub "fixes it" by changing his name to Mercenary Tao. While that's not really correct either it was closer to the intent
and removes the implication he was a member of the army.

They probably called him Mercenary Tao because the name probably sounds safer than Assassin Tao. Honestly, they should kept it as Tao Pai Pai. Funimation thinks Americans are stupid and can't appreciate, or say an actual Japanese names.

Yeah there was no real reason to call him Mercenary Tao or Assaassin Tao other than wanting to stick to their silly [Title] Tao naming convention. Should have just gone back to Tao Pai Pai