DBZ's TV Ratings reign is over.

[Cure Dragon 255]

After seemingly being unstoppable no matter what, getting good ratings no matter where it was aired, last week's Toonami airings ABSOLUTELY TANKED. These have to be the worst ratings the franchise has ever gotten.

I think MeTV could still pull it off and they are going to do an animation channel, but cable is dead.



The ratings went from this 2 weeks ago...


Ninja Kamui 257,000(0.11 P18-49)
Demon Slayer: 193,000(0.08 P18-49)
Lycoris Recoil: 178,000(0.07 P18-49)
One Piece: 156,000(0.07 P18-49)
Naruto: Shippuden: 140,000(0.06 P18-49)

To this last week.


Ninja Kamui 165,000(0.08 P18-49)
Demon Slayer: 147,000(0.07 P18-49)
Lycoris Recoil: 121,000(0.07 P18-49)
One Piece: 94,000(0.05 P18-49)
Naruto: Shippuden: 70,000(0.04 P18-49)

[Hellspawn28]

Most people don't watch cable anymore and people are not going to stay up super late to watch re-runs of a old TV show.

[MasenkoHA]

I think MeTV could still pull it off and they are going to do an animation channel, but cable is dead.

Again, Dragon Ball still doesn't fit with a channel that caters to baby boomer nostalgia. The anime that would make sense to air there would be more along the lines of Kimba and Speed Racer and Astro Boy and Battle of the Planets.

You might as well suggest Dragon Ball air on Lifetime

[Cure Dragon 255]

I think MeTV could still pull it off and they are going to do an animation channel, but cable is dead.

Again, Dragon Ball still doesn't fit with a channel that caters to baby boomer nostalgia. The anime that would make sense to air there would be more along the lines of Kimba and Speed Racer and Astro Boy and Battle of the Planets.

You might as well suggest Dragon Ball air on Lifetime

I love this post. I wish Astro Boy and Battle On The Planets aired on Me TV.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Still don't understand why Toonami went ahead with rerunning Kai again.

As has been stated no shows are going to get the ratings they could have got on traditional TV 15-20 years ago. Like physical media, it's a niche thing now. I'm sure it still has its supporters but it probably won't ever be mainstream again.

If Toonami wanted better than normal ratings for this day and age they should try run something rarer like the old 276 episode Dragon Ball Z dub, although I guess for the Saban dub especially that wouldn't be viable as they'd need uncut content.

[MasenkoHA]

.

If Toonami wanted better than normal ratings for this day and age they should try run something rarer like the old 276 episode Dragon Ball Z dub, although I guess for the Saban dub especially that wouldn't be viable as they'd need uncut content.

I think you're overestimating how many people give a shit about the old dub or are even aware there's a difference between what Funimation released from 1996-2003 and what's on the Orange Bricks/Blu Ray season sets

[Cure Dragon 255]

Cue Toonami airing DA FAULCONER DUB and outdoing the Super Bowl lol.

[90sDBZ]

If Toonami wanted better than normal ratings for this day and age they should try run something rarer like the old 276 episode Dragon Ball Z dub, although I guess for the Saban dub especially that wouldn't be viable as they'd need uncut content.

I honestly like this idea.

Yes many fans aren't even aware of the alterations made to the remastered dub, but I'm sure they could draw attention to it and hype it up with promos as "the original broadcast version".

The Saban dub might not be uncut, but it has the power of nostalgia on its side, and is obviously distinct from the current widely available versions of Z/Kai.

And the 1999-2003 dub could draw ratings from simply having the Faulconer score, even if people aren't aware of the other changes. It's surprising how many people don't even realise it's an option on current home releases, as Kikuchi is the default.

I doubt anything could bring the ratings back to their former glory, but it would be cool for those who do still care. Kai has been shown on Toonami several times at this point since 2015.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I think MeTV could still pull it off and they are going to do an animation channel, but cable is dead.

You might as well suggest Dragon Ball air on Lifetime

Now showing on Lifetime, the story of Bulma, victim of vile cheater Yamcha, finds herself a new man worthy of her! Just Saiyan: The Story Of Bulma Briefs.

Now with new GIRL BOSS DUB.

[GhostEmperorX]

It's surprising how many people don't even realise it's an option on current home releases, as Kikuchi is the default.

Honestly, that sounds like a skill issue on their end if they actually have those releases.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I wouldn't say it's a skill issue, more like an oversight, same with the people who bought a Dragon Box and thought it was sub-only (which yes, I've heard stories of). There are people who are big fans of this franchise but were more casual DVD buyers that may not be informed about how to work the settings.

The Saban dub also apparently never aired again on Toonami in the US after the inhouse dub premiered in 1999 (other than one time in early 2006), which would make it even more of a special event and something that could be hyped up as "Out of the vault from another dimension".

Kai just feels redundant as it had one long run before Super premiered, is widely available everywhere and most fans don't like the Kikuchi placement anyway.

[90sDBZ]

The Saban dub also apparently never aired again on Toonami in the US after the inhouse dub premiered in 1999 (other than one time in early 2006), which would make it even more of a special event and something that could be hyped up as "Out of the vault from another dimension".

Didn't know this. That's crazy if it's true. I just assumed those episodes continued to get reruns until the 2005 redub happened.

Toonami US had individual character promos featuring clips from Seasons 1-3, so you got to hear Peter Kelamis and Sean Schemmel in the same promo for Goku. Same for Drummond and Sabat in the Vegeta promo.

Toonami UK was still re-running those episodes as late as 2004, so I got to see them countless times over the years.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Didn't know this. That's crazy if it's true. I just assumed those episodes continued to get reruns until the 2005 redub happened.

I was the same, until MasenkoHA mentioned here the Saban dub was taken off reruns. I would have assumed Toonami reran them ocassionally at least. I was back in Ireland at this time, so didn't know the inticracies of what was going on in the US broadcasts. Some fans have reported seeing the Saban dub on TV between 2000 and 2005, although apparently the syndicates kept airing them, so maybe that's where fans remember still seeing them on TV even after the inhouse dub began.

I'm also sure I saw them when I lived briefly in the US while my dad's job took us there in 1999. I do distinctly remember seeing the episode Goku fell off Snake Way before Dragon Ball Z premiered in the UK.

Toonami UK was still re-running those episodes as late as 2004, so I got to see them countless times over the years.

I remember that too, I only lived in the US for a few months in late 1999 so I didn't see much of the Saban dub, so in addition to being excited Dragon Ball Z was coming to our countries I loved being able to see all the stuff I didn't get a chance to see while I was in America.

But yes I don't recall those episodes ever being taken off reruns up until 2004. 2005 would be the only year I'm sure they didn't rerun, but at that time Toonami UK seemed to be gradually phasing out the series with the original Dragon Ball going out around spring, Dragon Ball Z not long after and then GT during the summer, by which point we were only left with the Big Green dubs that only aired once or twice each.

I'd love to one day be able to get a hold of more ratings for the various Dragon Ball series as they aired in the UK between 2000 and 2005, I know DBZImran's video saved a few but BARB seems to have purged the rest from public viewing and from what I was told via email you have to pay for any that are not online.

Some interesting facts for anyone curious about the Cartoon Network UK ratings on their old Toonami block I transcribed from that video:

• The Freeza saga premiered to around 300,000 viewers when it first aired in September 2000. Viewership dropped during reruns but still managed to attain around 150,000
• Android saga, which marked the premier of the Westwood dub in April 2001 aired to approximately 250,000 viewers, reruns caused viewership to drop but not much below 100,000
• Throughout 2001 Dragon Ball Z remained in Cartoon Network's top 10 most viewed shows, retaining on average 170,000 viewers and scored 5 of the channel's top 10 spots the week of May 20th during its 5pm timeslot
• During the Cell Games saga's premier in September 2001 Dragon Ball Z's viewership figures remained no lower than 200,000, peaking at about 350,000 viewers and only drops to around 100,000 or lower closer to Christmas time

Also, looking back at the Kix and Pop airings it appears the series did fall a bit and climb back up, but obviously never to the heights we seen during the Cartoon Network UK days.

Kai topped out around the 39,000-43,000 viewers range, but it secured the number 1 spot a few times, come to think of it its quite impressive with streaming services becoming more popular in Dragon Ball's second hiatus from UK TV between late 2015 and early 2019 Super had over 100,000 viewers when it aired although being a brand new show with merchandising behind it there was significantly more hype. I'm not sure whether Super became the number 1 show at any point like Kai, the highest anyone noted here was number 3 although I guess it had about twice as many viewers as Kai, which is what matters.

[Cure Dragon 255]

On second thought I think the ratings tanked NOT due to Kai but Naruto reaching a REALLY BORING final stretch of episodes.

[Vorige Waffe]

The Saban dub also apparently never aired again on Toonami in the US after the inhouse dub premiered in 1999 (other than one time in early 2006), which would make it even more of a special event and something that could be hyped up as "Out of the vault from another dimension".

It was re-ran again in 2002.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUfwFPlOSc4

[Hellspawn28]

I remember the 1996-1998 dub episodes was still airing on Toonami in the early 00s when I was first getting into DB.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I know it was mentioned here, but I knew that couldn't be true. There's no way Toonami would have dropped those Saban dubbed episodes entirely considering the fantastic ratings they got, even pre-Cartoon Network on syndication, getting a one hour timeslot in a time before Pokemon no less (yes even in the US Dragon Ball Z was a massive success before Toonami, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Cartoon Network did not "save the bombing Saban dubbed episodes from obscurity", they aired them because of their popularity).

Not to mention new viewers would have been losing even more of the first half of the story, so it wouldn't have been a wise business move either.

[90sDBZ]

I remember the 1996-1998 dub episodes was still airing on Toonami in the early 00s when I was first getting into DB.

I thought as much. It struck me as bizarre when people were suddenly claiming it never aired again after 1999. Especially when there were promos that used clips from Seasons 1, 2 and 3 together.

Come to think of it, I remember someone else saying it went back to Raditz after Final Atonement first aired.

[MasenkoHA]

.

Come to think of it, I remember someone else saying it went back to Raditz after Final Atonement first aired.

It definitely looped back to Warriors of the Dead at least after the first time that Final Atonement aired . I very specifically remember that happening when I was expecting to see the next episode after Vegeta's kamikaze attack. "Gohan's First Date" even debuted in the second run of those episodes in November after being skipped for being set to air too close after 9/11 and featuring buildings on fire.


But it did take about 10 months between Final Atonement and Evil Lives On, so I guess it made sense that Cartoon Network would eventually just air older episodes instead of the same 43 episodes.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I very specifically remember that happening when I was expecting to see the next episode after Vegeta's kamikaze attack. "Gohan's First Date" even debuted in the second run of those episodes in November after being skipped for being set to air too close after 9/11 and featuring buildings on fire.

On the subject of 9/11 it's also interesting when Goku and friends were travelling to the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai Lunch (who was tense) said in the Japanese version she was trying to overpower her urge to hijack the plane whereas in Funimation's dub she said she was tense over the mention of Jackie Chun. I believe the episode aired a year after 9/11 but its really interesting they censored that line in particular to be cautious about anything involving usage of a plane.