Goku vs. Bear Thief was the first battle AT thought of...

[Rebel_Yeh]

Ok, so in this article: http://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/ ... ong-times/ , Akira Toriyama says that in the beginning, he didn't think up the story of Dragon Ball at all, and that he only prepared storyboards for the first three chapters. Goku fights the Bear Thief in the third chapter, but he doesn't fight anyone else in the first three chapters. Well actually, in the first chapter, he kills a Pterodactyl, but that can't really be considered a fight because the Pterodactyl never tried to kill or attack Goku (well, he tied him up, but you can't really call that fighting someone), and also in the first chapter, Goku kills a fish that tries to eat him. Toriyama envisioned a martial arts manga when he made Dragon Ball, and a giant fish can't possibly put up a fight with a martial artist who lives on land. Since Toriyama initially only prepared storyboards for the first three chapters, the Goku vs. the Bear Thief fight was practically Akira's definitive vision of a Dragon Ball martial arts fight at the time.

So when Akira Toriyama thinks of Dragon Ball, the first image that comes to his mind is Goku and the Bear Thief fighting each other (well, when he first started Dragon Ball, at least). When you guys think of Dragon Ball, does the same apply to you? In other words, what is the first image that comes to your mind when you think about Dragon Ball?

[Gyt Kaliba]

Hmm...well, honestly, if we're talking that far back into the story, I do remember the fish incident before I do the thing with the bear thief...but before that even, I remember Goku's sweet firewood skills. So glad they referenced that almost verbatim with Gohan in movie 5.

...And only now does it occur to me that Goku's first scene in DBZ is getting firewood as well, just in a different way. That had to be an intentional choice.

[Gaffer Tape]

I agree it had to be an intentional choice. I only just realized that, though, upon rewatching it a few days ago, but a lot of the filler of the first episode of Z is calling back to the filler of the first episode of DB. Goku getting firewood is an example, and most of Gohan's exploits are a callback to how similar he is to Goku and also to how different. Goku hangs out in a tree. Gohan can barely scamper up two inches on one. Goku lets a saber tiger chase after him. Gohan chases after a saber tiger. Goku tricks his saber tiger to run off a cliff. Gohan, while in pursuit of his saber tiger, accidentally falls off a cliff.

Anyway, on topic, that's a good point, but I don't really see it as a negative thing. The bear-with-a-sword fight is pretty cool, I think and definitely fits the Chinese-inspired fantasy adventure thing he was going for at the time. Does it really match later DB fights, like Freeza? Not exactly, but I can see the distinct line of evolution between them.

[Herms]

It may not be a great martial arts battle, but Goku vs Fish is traditionally considered the first fight in the series. Or at least, it's listed as such in Daizenshuu 2's All Battle list, and it's status as the first fight used to be a standard bit of fan trivia.

Besides that, surely there's Goku vs Bulma? Bulma shoots at Goku, Goku tosses her car.

[B]

I guess the first fight that comes to my mind is Goku VS Freeza, if only because Goku in all his essence is the first thing I think of when I picture DB, and not out of any preference for that particular fight; it's just the most famous one.

[thomas1up]

What about Goku vs The Tree? In the first two pages of the manga we see him rolling on the body of his foe only to throw it in the air and shatter it into pieces, what a morbid fight.

Jokes aside, I guess the fish would technically be the first fight, but the Bear Thief felt more like the first "true" fight.

Whenever I think of DB though the first image I think of is Goku vs Vegeta (saiyan arc fight).