How would Dragon Ball be if Toriyama planned ahead?

[Kid Buu]

I was wondering how do you think the series would be if Toryiama planned it out? Too be honest; I cant really see it being any different so I'm asking what do you guys think.

[DragonBoxZTheMovies]

I was wondering how do you think the series would be if Toryiama planned it out? Too be honest; I cant really see it being any different so I'm asking what do you guys think.

It would've been short and would probably have ended after Pilaf, I reckon. I don't think Toriyama would've been ambitious enough to plan out what Dragon Ball became. The series just kinda grew by itself.

EDIT: Here we go:

Bulma was Tripitaka, Oolong was Zhu Bajie, and Yamcha was Sha Wujing. I initially thought that I’d end it after they finished collecting the Dragon Balls

http://www.kanzenshuu.com/intended-end/dragonballs/

[Draken]

There'd be something with Goku being a Saiyan instead of a kid with a tail, from AT's interview about BoG.

[thatdbzguy]

It might have actually been good.

[Hellspawn28]

It's possible that things could have ended on a shorted note if he did. I would imagine most of us would never be fans if he ended after Pilaf and Dragon Ball would fallen into obscurity.

[Gyt Kaliba]

It's possible that things could have ended on a shorted note if he did. I would imagine most of us would never be fans if he ended after Pilaf and Dragon Ball would fallen into obscurity.

Which would no doubt have an amazingly devastating effect in the long run too. Without Dragon Ball having gone on exactly as long as it had, then there's a very good chance there'd be no Naruto or One Piece, hell maybe not even Bleach, or FMA, or Fairy Tail, or the like. It would also have a huge effect on anime in general, especially in the US.

And sadly, I think that is the case. If Toriyama had planned it out, it probably would have ended early on at some point. He really doesn't seem to be the type of creator that thrives from overplanning things, it's even likely that he would have lost interest completely if he'd done that.

[GeeRod]

Toriyama said he will end Dragon Ball in 10 volumes. Don't know why he changed his mind, probably because of popularity.

[Jodaku]

While a bit more future planning would've been nice for clearing up some of the inconsistencies here and there, I think for the type of writer Toriyama was, Dragon Ball benefited from his write-as-he-went-along almost free flowing style. Sure there's a few bumps in the road, but I think it's actually a surprisingly coherent story for the most part, given its length and the style with which the author wrote it.

I just have a feeling that Dragon Ball would be a whole lot less interesting if, in Toriyama's hands, it was more planned out in advanced, even if it would most likely result in a better written story.

In the hands of another author maybe? Sure it could be better overall, but then it would cease to be Dragon Ball.

[Hellspawn28]

It's possible that things could have ended on a shorted note if he did. I would imagine most of us would never be fans if he ended after Pilaf and Dragon Ball would fallen into obscurity.

Which would no doubt have an amazingly devastating effect in the long run too. Without Dragon Ball having gone on exactly as long as it had, then there's a very good chance there'd be no Naruto or One Piece, hell maybe not even Bleach, or FMA, or Fairy Tail, or the like. It would also have a huge effect on anime in general, especially in the US.

I almost forgot to mention that. DBZ seem to help the growth of anime in the US during the late 90's and help Toonami became more popular. We would still have anime, but maybe not as much. It would be like how anime was in the 60's - 80's where you had shows like Astro Boy, Space Racer, Kimba the White Lion, Gignator, Battle of the Planets, Robotech, Voltron, Star Blazers, Mazinger Z and a few others. The market for anime in the 90's and early 2000's won't be the same without DBZ and Sailor Moon.

[Insertclevername]

It probably would've either been very short and had stayed close to the look and motifs of the first arc. Basically, just more "early Dragon Ball". Toriyama went in all those crazy directions because he was writing it off the seat of his pants and used whatever inspiration was current to him.

[helsinkirocks]

Now I want Oda to just re-write Dragon Ball.

[B]

Didn't Toriyama say something that, if he had been the type to plan things out, he would've made an attempt to at least foreshadow that Goku was an alien?

[AgitoZ]

Now I want Oda to just re-write Dragon Ball.

If he did, then let's hope he wouldn't be the one drawing it.

[Fizzer]

Now I want Oda to just re-write Dragon Ball.

A structured re-write of Dragon Ball that actually sticks to the same core story with the same arcs and whatnot, but just more robust with extra plot threads and whatnot due to the planning, is something I'd be really, really, really, really interested in reading.

[The Tori-bot]

It might have actually been good.

I really don't think this is the board for you.

[ABED]

Now I want Oda to just re-write Dragon Ball.

A structured re-write of Dragon Ball that actually sticks to the same core story with the same arcs and whatnot, but just more robust with extra plot threads and whatnot due to the planning, is something I'd be really, really, really, really interested in reading.

I don't think there needs to be extra plot threads, just more coherent threads.

[JamesOwnz]

I remember reading that Toriyama really only started the whole writing it as he went along with Namek.. and that he at least had a little bit of an idea where it was going before that.

[thatdbzguy]

It might have actually been good.

I really don't think this is the board for you.

Why do you think that?

[Fizzer]

I remember reading that Toriyama really only started the whole writing it as he went along with Namek.. and that he at least had a little bit of an idea where it was going before that.

That would explain a lot. Namek, or at least after Namek, is where the writing really goes downhill for me. The series fell into Deus Ex Machina Central and became one huge dick-measuring contest after that.

[rereboy]

It might have actually been good.

It already is good.

It probably would have less plotholes. Otherwise I don't think it would be very different.