GT is technically canon right??

[flashback0180]

Well I remember reading somewhere that Toriyama accepted Dragonball-GT as canon and a continuation of Dragon Ball Z.

But I don't remember where I read it from (post it if you find it).

I mean it's just as cannon canon as BOG or Burdock: Father of Goku...

Toriyma even drew all the side/main characters except SSJ4.

Do think it's canon? I for one have always considered GT as canon though.



SO post as much evidence as you know or find that proves it's canon. Well at least in DBZ standers[?].

[Ajay]

There isn't really any canonicity to Dragon Ball outside of the main series. You just take it as you will since there's so many contradictions. I tend to take everything as canon excluding all the movies bar Battle of Gods.

I mean, GT has its fair share on contradictions but it's not a bad tie-in. If you're interested, here's two threads from a while back that detail some of the bigger ones from the show - http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtop ... =7&t=13429 and http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtop ... f=8&t=8908. Hope they help you make up your mind!

[Bullza]

Do think it's canon?

No of course not.

And it's nothing like BoG. Toriyama just did some design work for GT whereas in BoG he did the entire story aswell.

[B]

Dragon Ball has no "canon" as defined by any official companies. Of course, there is closer attention paid to the comic, and newer guidebooks, spin-offs, and other tidibts have a habit of disregarding cartoon-specific material, so make of that what you will. Toriyama refers to GT as a "grand side-story," so... again, make of that what you will! If "canon" is what you're using as a catch-all term for "fits within the continuity of the original comic as drawn and written by the original author," GT fails at this. There a number of reasons, but perhaps the biggest is the Super Android 17 arc. The events of this arc simply cannot happen within the original comic, specifically dead enemies coming back from Hell with their bodies. In the comic, dead people, good or bad, do not keep their bodies, and special cases were made for Goku and others in times of crisis.

Battle of Gods was written by Toriyama and it is the most involved he has ever been with animated side of the series. He specifically re-read the series to better serve the scenario. Everything we know about Toriyama suggests this is not a regular occurence; he shamelessly admits he doesn't relive his creation on a normal basis. Combined with the poor turnout of Dragonball Evolution and the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake leaving many in despair, he had a fair amount of personal stake in the film's quality and staying true to his source material.

The Bardock TV Special, of course, was never written by him, and never could be, according to Toriyama. And because it's a sad story he feels he could never tell, he likes it so much, and obviously, gave Bardock a panel within the comic. Bardock exists within the world of the comic. We know this. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the actual events, beat for beat, of the special happened within the comic. New information coming to light about Saiyans and Goku's mother, Gine, have been slightly contradicting the events of the special as well.

[Sin]

You're really opening a can of worms with sweeping statements like these.

I think you should just run a search for similar threads and look for the conclusions which seem to be drawn by the majority of users here: there is no one true canon.

Some purists likely only consider the manga canon, some might consider the anime canon, some may consider BoG canon, some may not. The issue is that Toriyama hasn't outright said what is and isn't canon, so really it's quite subjective, which can often result in clashes of opinions (take the Broly vs. X arguments). The best thing to do is acknowledge that some people may have a different idea of what is canon than you, once you're aware of that you can begin to identify where users stand in certain points. For instance if you went to YouTube it's likely that most of the YT DB fanbase consider the statements made in the Funimation Dub to be canon, and likely the movies and maybe GT too. Whereas here the statements characters make in the anime are superseded by anything said or not said in the manga, because that is the definitive author's vision of the franchise.

With regards to GT it's fairly safe to say that whilst Toriyama did have some input on GT in the early stages of development, it is not his vision, it's TOEI's. If you were to consider BoG to be canon, which many people do due to Toriyama's involvement, it might be seen as contradictory to GT, placing it outside of canon. The reality is there is no quotation where Toriyama says GT did or did not happen within the main canon, we just have to draw that conclusion for ourselves, and I think that for the sake of building logical debates it is better to just enjoy GT as a sequel within it's own rights, and not as part of a set canon that you can draw from in a debate.

[dbboxkaifan]

Why does it really matter if A or B are canon? Are they any less fun to watch?

To be faithful to how Dragon Ball was supposed to start and end then reading the mangas will do the job perfectly. Dragon Ball GT was anime-only so I guess it isn't canon.

[hleV]

Why does it really matter if A or B are canon? Are they any less fun to watch?

Yes, because it gives you a headache for not fitting in.

[xmysticgohanx]

Dragon Ball has no "canon" as defined by any official companies.

I hate when people say this (not trying to be mean). Toriyama obviously thinks Jaco, the Manga, JSAT, and BoG is canon; maybe EoB. As for the op's question GT is most likely not canon because it contradicts BoG and shows pre-BoG movie characters when Toriyama said the pre-BoG movies happen in alternate dimensions. That doesn't mean you shouldn't watch GT though.

[Marco Polo]

Dragon Ball has no "canon" as defined by any official companies.

I hate when people say this (not trying to be mean).

They say this because it's true.

Proof that Toriyama doesn't care: Dr. Slump, Neko Majin Z.

[Cetra]

Do think it's canon?

And it's nothing like BoG. Toriyama just did some design work for GT whereas in BoG he did the entire story aswell.

For Battle of Gods he first only planned to check the story and canonicity just requires legal owners of a brand to declare something as canonical or not so when it comes to the never-ending debate, it should really not be a hot topic anymore. When it comes to my own opinion, yes it should be canonical. It was made to continue the story.

[Tanooki Kuribo]

It's really up to you. I mean, if you want it to be canon then consider it canon.

[The Monkey King]

DBO is the continuation of Z as written by Toriyama himself.

[Hellspawn28]

He views it as a side story which could translate as that he does not view GT as a main part of his story that he created. Fans don't view GT canon to the manga since AT had nothing to do with the story and most of GT is based off of filler ideas which never happen in the manga.

[DoomieDoomie911]

You can consider whatever you want canon....

[ABED]

I still don't get why this is an issue, whatever Toriyama wrote is canon, even the parts that contradict the other parts (as Flanders said). Why wouldn't an author's own story be canon to his own work? What would it even mean for one's own story to not be canon?

[Cetra]

Sidestory or spin-off does not mean not-canonical so that really means nothing for that topic.

[Hellspawn28]

I believe just because there's no canon that does not mean something can't be canon. Not everything can be canon other wise you will deal with major timeline issues.

[Marco Polo]

I believe just because there's no canon that does not mean something can't be canon.

Wow.

[FortuneSSJ]

For me yeah, its canon. i won't deny it after all these years.
If Toriyama makes a saga about the Gods that throws GT out the window, i will see it like an alternate universe at least.

Bardock's special too. I will see how I manage my thoughts when more things about the saiyans are revealed.

[garnetjester]

GT has so many plotholes and inconsistencies that it can barely stand on its own feet, let alone fit in universe with the rest of the series. I suppose I enjoy it for what it is: A little more time with my favorite characters, but it always frustrates me because it could've been so much more if it was better written.