What's canon?

[nato25]

Literally everything made by Toriyama, Toei and Shueisha is canon. Only stuff like DB Evolution (which was not made by either of these 3) is non-canon.

The real question is which media belongs to which continuity. And the way I say it, there are 4 official major continuities in the franchise:

1. Jaco/DB Minus -> Original Manga -> DBS Manga

2. Bardock FoG -> Early DB anime -> DBZ (90s TV series, including all filler) -> DBGT

3. Early DB Anime -> DB Kai -> DBS Anime.

4. DB Heroes (where literally everything from all DB anime/manga/video games is canon). Plus, it has its own unique timelines with the "Xeno" characters.

The DBS Broly film is canon to #1, 3 & 4, and The History of Trunks special is canon to #2 & 4.

The 13 Z movies each form about 4 different continuities among themselves.

DB Online seems to have been completely retconned away from history, since it contradicts Super (both versions) and has been completely overridden by Xenoverse. The same can be said for the BoG and RoF movies, being overridden by their DBS adaptions.

I really like your way of thinking about this. This is probably the single best way to view the content without too many contradictions flowing in.

[Tylerman29]

Literally everything made by Toriyama, Toei and Shueisha is canon. Only stuff like DB Evolution (which was not made by either of these 3) is non-canon.

The real question is which media belongs to which continuity. And the way I say it, there are 4 official major continuities in the franchise:

1. Jaco/DB Minus -> Original Manga -> DBS Manga

2. Bardock FoG -> Early DB anime -> DBZ (90s TV series, including all filler) -> DBGT

3. Early DB Anime -> DB Kai -> DBS Anime.

4. DB Heroes (where literally everything from all DB anime/manga/video games is canon). Plus, it has its own unique timelines with the "Xeno" characters.

The DBS Broly film is canon to #1, 3 & 4, and The History of Trunks special is canon to #2 & 4.

The 13 Z movies each form about 4 different continuities among themselves.

DB Online seems to have been completely retconned away from history, since it contradicts Super (both versions) and has been completely overridden by Xenoverse. The same can be said for the BoG and RoF movies, being overridden by their DBS adaptions.

I really like your way of thinking about this. This is probably the single best way to view the content without too many contradictions flowing in.

#3 is my preferred way of looking at the series now with everything else being nostalgia trip or what-if/side stories. Although Kai still seems to take the Bardock special as canon so I guess you just have to close your eyes for the Kai prologue and TFC hell scenes....

Also why exactly does the trunks special not fit with Kai? It might be a dumb question but I seem to be missing something obvious.

[AnimeNation101]

Dragon ball Super anime is canon.

Dragon Ball Super manga is canon.

DBS: Broly is canon until it is retconned by a possible retelling when DBS comes back provided that said retelling is from Toriyama or has added things from Toriyama.

[sintzu]

The 13 Z movies each form about 4 different continuities among themselves.

You can fit them within Z's story if you try hard enough (and look past some inconsistencies).

Dead Zone takes place between the 23rd Tenkaichi and the Saiyan arc.

World's strongest, Tree of Might, Lord Slug, Cooler's Revenge, and Return of Cooler take place within the 3 year time skip between Trunks' arrival and the fight between Goku and #19.

Super Android #13 takes place slightly before Goku and Vegeta use the time room.

Broly takes Place before the Cell games.

Bojack Unbound takes place after the Cell games.

Broly's second movie takes place before the 25th Tenkaichi.

Bio Broly was a bad dream Goku had when Vegeta knocked him out.

Fusion Reborn and wrath of the dragon take place after the battle with Kid Buu.

[PsionicWarrior]

The original manga is canon, Jaco and a few specials are canon, Super is canon (all three medias, which is confusing as ****), and that's it. Everyone who tells you otherwise like GT or other similar stuff is wrong, period.

[Grimlock]

I think we should already be beyond the point of stating our opinion as if it was a fact.

[PsionicWarrior]

I think we should already be beyond the point of stating our opinion as if it was a fact.

You seem more to be wanting to know which continuity to follow instead of an actual canon (which this franchise does not have).

Uh, uh lol

[Grimlock]

Well, I'm still waiting for anyone here to provide the official canon established in this franchise. If it has, I'm pretty sure someone will be able to prove it and post it here.

[ruler9871]

Also, may you provide evidences on what Dragon Ball Online contradicts Dragon Ball Super?

None of things introduced by BoG, RoF & Super (Hakaishin, Angels God ki, the new transformations, the Multiverse, Galactic Patrol, etc.) are in DB Online.

[ruler9871]

Literally everything made by Toriyama, Toei and Shueisha is canon. Only stuff like DB Evolution (which was not made by either of these 3) is non-canon.

The real question is which media belongs to which continuity. And the way I say it, there are 4 official major continuities in the franchise:

1. Jaco/DB Minus -> Original Manga -> DBS Manga

2. Bardock FoG -> Early DB anime -> DBZ (90s TV series, including all filler) -> DBGT

3. Early DB Anime -> DB Kai -> DBS Anime.

4. DB Heroes (where literally everything from all DB anime/manga/video games is canon). Plus, it has its own unique timelines with the "Xeno" characters.

The DBS Broly film is canon to #1, 3 & 4, and The History of Trunks special is canon to #2 & 4.

The 13 Z movies each form about 4 different continuities among themselves.

DB Online seems to have been completely retconned away from history, since it contradicts Super (both versions) and has been completely overridden by Xenoverse. The same can be said for the BoG and RoF movies, being overridden by their DBS adaptions.

I really like your way of thinking about this. This is probably the single best way to view the content without too many contradictions flowing in.

#3 is my preferred way of looking at the series now with everything else being nostalgia trip or what-if/side stories. Although Kai still seems to take the Bardock special as canon so I guess you just have to close your eyes for the Kai prologue and TFC hell scenes....

Also why exactly does the trunks special not fit with Kai? It might be a dumb question but I seem to be missing something obvious.

Now that I think of it, The History of Trunks could also fit in #3. It has no contradictions with it.

[ruler9871]

The 13 Z movies each form about 4 different continuities among themselves.

You can fit them within Z's story if you try hard enough (and look past some inconsistencies).

Dead Zone takes place between the 23rd Tenkaichi and the Saiyan arc.

World's strongest, Tree of Might, Lord Slug, Cooler's Revenge, and Return of Cooler take place within the 3 year time skip between Trunks' arrival and the fight between Goku and #19.

Super Android #13 takes place slightly before Goku and Vegeta use the time room.

Broly takes Place before the Cell games.

Bojack Unbound takes place after the Cell games.

Broly's second movie takes place before the 25th Tenkaichi.

Bio Broly was a bad dream Goku had when Vegeta knocked him out.

Fusion Reborn and wrath of the dragon take place after the battle with Kid Buu.

The only Z movie that can fit into the main continuities is Bojack Unbound. Everything else doesn't fit either because of power levels, characters being alive when they shouldn't or both.

[Grimlock]

None of things introduced by BoG, RoF & Super (Hakaishin, Angels God ki, the new transformations, the Multiverse, Galactic Patrol, etc.) are in DB Online.

Did you take a look at when Dragon Ball Online, Movie 14, Movie 15 and Dragon Ball Super were released? Also, how any of those things contradict one another?

[Dbzk1999]

I really like your way of thinking about this. This is probably the single best way to view the content without too many contradictions flowing in.

#3 is my preferred way of looking at the series now with everything else being nostalgia trip or what-if/side stories. Although Kai still seems to take the Bardock special as canon so I guess you just have to close your eyes for the Kai prologue and TFC hell scenes....

Also why exactly does the trunks special not fit with Kai? It might be a dumb question but I seem to be missing something obvious.

Now that I think of it, The History of Trunks could also fit in #3. It has no contradictions with it.

History of Trunks’ scene of Trunks transforming into ssj from Gohan’s death is re animated in Super, it kinda has to fit with 3

[Rakurai]

DBS anime follows the Toei anime more closely.

That's not true, both follow the manga most closely.

Nope, DBS anime has Gregory, History of Trunks special, Ultimate Gohan being a transformation, Bulma remembering Ginyu frog. All from Z/Kai.

You can believe whatever you want, but those are the facts. Toei will tend to be influenced by Toei.

[PFM18]

DBS anime follows the Toei anime more closely.

That's not true, both follow the manga most closely.

Nope, DBS anime has Gregory, History of Trunks special, Ultimate Gohan being a transformation, Bulma remembering Ginyu frog. All from Z/Kai.

You can believe whatever you want, but those are the facts. Toei will tend to be influenced by Toei.

Ultimate Gohan wasn't handled any differently in the manga than in the anime. It isn't as though it was a transformation in the anime but not the manga.

The facts are that:

-Kai depicts the old Hell in which Freeza is chilling with all the other villains and not in a cocoon, and literally watches Buu get defeated by Goku. In Super, Freeza is in a cocoon, not hanging out and interacting with all the other villains, and had no clue that Goku had defeated Buu. Both of these notions are extremely important to the plot in Super, and neither exist in Kai.
-Kai opens with the Episode of Bardock, but Super follows Minus is Toriyama's manga that supplements the original manga. Goku's back story as a character is sort of important.
-Gohan recognizes robbers that NEVER appear in Kai/Z at any point, and only appear in the manga.

Kai is heavily contradicted when aligned with Super, and the manga simply isn't. You can believe whatever you want, but the facts are that enormously important plot points like Freeza's entire existence for the past 40 years, and Goku's back story are more vital to the continuity than a grass hopper that hangs out with Kaio and Bulma being a frog at one point.

The original manga is canon, Jaco and a few specials are canon, Super is canon (all three medias, which is confusing as ****), and that's it. Everyone who tells you otherwise like GT or other similar stuff is wrong, period.

I agree with this.

[Majin Buu]

You can fit them within Z's story if you try hard enough (and look past some inconsistencies)

You're just proving the point that they can't fit if you have to "look past" the inconsistencies just to make it work.

[sintzu]

You can fit them within Z's story if you try hard enough (and look past some inconsistencies)

You're just proving the point that they can't fit if you have to "look past" the inconsistencies just to make it work.

That's why there's an if. You can't fit any of them without looking past some issues. Dead Zone for example fits between the Piccolo Jr and Saiyan arcs IF you look past Krillin meeting Gohan during the movie and forgetting about him in the Saiyan arc. That's of course assuming you don't take any of Super's events into account as those completely destroy the movies such as Broly's.

[Majin Buu]

That's why there's an if. You can't fit any of them without looking past some issues. Dead Zone for example fits between the Piccolo Jr and Saiyan arcs IF you look past Krillin meeting Gohan during the movie and forgetting about him in the Saiyan arc. That's of course assuming you don't take any of Super's events into account as those completely destroy the movies such as Broly's.

That "If" to me sounds like "pretend that the inconsistencies aren't there", and that doesn't feel like a sound argument since it requires you to essentially reject the reality of the movie's design. It's flimsy logic.

Taking it to its logical extreme, you can use that to make the case that GT fits with Super. It would be a flimsy argument though, just like this is.

[sintzu]

That "If" to me sounds like "pretend that the inconsistencies aren't there", and that doesn't feel like a sound argument since it requires you to essentially reject the reality of the movie's design. It's flimsy logic.

I agree. It's just something you can do if you like the movies enough. Obviously it won't hold much ground in a serious discussion.

[Majin Buu]

I like quite a few of the movies a lot, but that doesn't mean I need them to exist in the story proper, and I've never really understood this desire many fans have to force them to work as such when they clearly weren't designed to. What's wrong with just letting them be their own thing that exists outside of the story proper?