Keeping weaker characters relevant

[ABED]

I'm torn, Buu has magic, so that's a skill that could be useful regardless of strength. However, Josh Martin voices Buu in the dub and his high pitched delivery and dialog is annoying.

[MarCas92]

When it comes to keeping weaker characters relevant there really is only 2 choices:

Change the focus of the story so that it's not just ALL fighting. Similar to the 1st Arc or the RR Arc. In those arcs you had a strong ensemble of characters who each brought something to the table (for the most part).

Give all the characters buffs to help them compete with the new threats.

Personally, I prefer the 1st option. I love my DB best when it's a mixture of Fighting and Adventure. But unfortunately I don't see the series returning to it's roots anytime soon. We got close with the 2008 Special and BoG, but after RoF it seems to me Toei might just want to make Super more of the same old same old.

[FoolsGil]

Well the easiest way to keep weaker characters relevant is by teaching them techniques that don't rely on their own strength: Having other characters know the Spirit Bomb would keep Goku in the fight longer. IT would be best used saving the stronger fighters against a foe. Mafuba works on demons, and it seems it can be tweaked to work on anyone, if the Mafuba Reversal is a good indicator. After that the story would need careful planning to prevent weaker characters from putting the kibosh on all villains, but are active enough that going into battle without them feels like an extreme loss.

[SSJ Human]

When it comes to keeping weaker characters relevant there really is only 2 choices:

Change the focus of the story so that it's not just ALL fighting. Similar to the 1st Arc or the RR Arc. In those arcs you had a strong ensemble of characters who each brought something to the table (for the most part).

Give all the characters buffs to help them compete with the new threats.

Personally, I prefer the 1st option. I love my DB best when it's a mixture of Fighting and Adventure. But unfortunately I don't see the series returning to it's roots anytime soon. We got close with the 2008 Special and BoG, but after RoF it seems to me Toei might just want to make Super more of the same old same old.

Good ideas. I think parts of early DBZ were also like this, though that was mostly training.

[Chuquita]

Outside of that Kai stage show, and that joke episode of GT, Gokû hasn't been kidnapped yet. You could have the main villain kidnap him (how? Magic, probably.), that'd put the rest of the cast in the spotlight.

[The Desert Bandit]

Outside of that Kai stage show, and that joke episode of GT, Gokû hasn't been kidnapped yet. You could have the main villain kidnap him (how? Magic, probably.), that'd put the rest of the cast in the spotlight.

Not just Goku. The main villain would have to kidnap all the Saiyans, plus Majin Buu. This would allow all the weaker characters to enter the fray. Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, Master Roshi, Chaotzu, and Yajirobe can all contribute then. Hell, maybe even characters who don't even fight can chip in, like Oolong, Puar, Launch, Dende, and a few others can help. I would also like to see Chi-Chi fight again, only this time to save her husband and children (Coupled with their friends).

However, this would mean we'd have to go with this:

Change the focus of the story so that it's not just ALL fighting. Similar to the 1st Arc or the RR Arc. In those arcs you had a strong ensemble of characters who each brought something to the table (for the most part).

And, like everyone else, I'm very doubtful that Toei Animation or Akira Toriyama would follow through with that.

[FoolsGil]

Another option would be that a villain before he attacks the Earth, places a forcefield around it that prevents ki from rising a certain level. The stronger Z fighters would have to depend on the weaker ones for assistance, and Bulma could work on taking the forcefield down.

[ABED]

Another option would be that a villain before he attacks the Earth, places a forcefield around it that prevents ki from rising a certain level. The stronger Z fighters would have to depend on the weaker ones for assistance, and Bulma could work on taking the forcefield down.

This sounds more like a convoluted way to get around the issue.

[Wibbs]

At this point I think they would be better off doing a spinoff following the characters around during the Timeskips. At least then it wouldn't feel like they were just taking pity on the weaker characters having them get a few good hits in on the main villain before the stronger Z-fighters show up. On the other hand it could work like that part in the battle against Cell where the others threw some blasts at Cell to try and hold him off for Gohan.

Other than that I got nothing, they could have the weaker guys power up but I don't know what good that would do. Unless maybe the stronger guys where off somewhere doing something else that stopped them from helping in a fight. Or hey like that other guy said, they don't have to fight they could just have time ponsing about having some downtime.

[FoolsGil]

Another option would be that a villain before he attacks the Earth, places a forcefield around it that prevents ki from rising a certain level. The stronger Z fighters would have to depend on the weaker ones for assistance, and Bulma could work on taking the forcefield down.

This sounds more like a convoluted way to get around the issue.

Convoluted can work. It worked for the Freeza Saga, and I villain who thinks with his mind primarily and not his fists can really make an arc memorable.

[ABED]

Another option would be that a villain before he attacks the Earth, places a forcefield around it that prevents ki from rising a certain level. The stronger Z fighters would have to depend on the weaker ones for assistance, and Bulma could work on taking the forcefield down.

This sounds more like a convoluted way to get around the issue.

Convoluted can work. It worked for the Freeza Saga, and I villain who thinks with his mind primarily and not his fists can really make an arc memorable.

What was convoluted about the Freeza arc?

I can give you the Cell arc, but that's because time travel is always convoluted.

[Doctor.]

What was convoluted about the Freeza arc?

I can give you the Cell arc, but that's because time travel is always convoluted.

I imagine the entire race between the 3 sides for the Dragon Balls?

[Lord Beerus]

What was convoluted about the Freeza arc?

I can give you the Cell arc, but that's because time travel is always convoluted.

I imagine the entire race between the 3 sides for the Dragon Balls?

I never saw that as convoluted. The three parties that were after the Namekian Dragon Balls were all after them for simple and different reasons.

[Doctor.]

What was convoluted about the Freeza arc?

I can give you the Cell arc, but that's because time travel is always convoluted.

I imagine the entire race between the 3 sides for the Dragon Balls?

I never saw that as convoluted. The three parties that were after the Namekian Dragon Balls were all after them for simple and different reasons.

Yes, but the Dragon Balls kept changing hands all the time.

[Wibbs]

Yes, but the Dragon Balls kept changing hands all the time.

It's no different from the Red Ribbon army arc where the DragonBalls are taken by General Blue and Tao Paipai only to be recovered after each of them is defeated. I wouldn't say it's convoluted though as in each stories there aren't too many people involved. Convoluted is more along the lines of how Goku can escape from Hell in GT for example.

[ABED]

How was that convoluted. It was easy to follow. Freeza wanted the DBs to gain immortality. Vegeta is going after them for himself, and the heroes are after them to wish their friends back. Did you find the DB's switching hands hard to follow?

Buu's transformations are convoluted.

Convoluted is more along the lines of how Goku can escape from Hell in GT for example.

Not hard to follow. Goku and Dende open a portal by focusing and synchronizing their energies

[Wibbs]

How was that convoluted. It was easy to follow. Freeza wanted the DBs to gain immortality. Vegeta is going after them for himself, and the heroes are after them to wish their friends back. Did you find the DB's switching hands hard to follow?

Buu's transformations are convoluted.

Convoluted is more along the lines of how Goku can escape from Hell in GT for example.

Not hard to follow. Goku and Dende open a portal by focusing and synchronizing their energies

Yeah my bad, that was a bad example. I guess I just remembered it being really complicated.

[SSJ Human]

At this point I think they would be better off doing a spinoff following the characters around during the Timeskips. At least then it wouldn't feel like they were just taking pity on the weaker characters having them get a few good hits in on the main villain before the stronger Z-fighters show up. On the other hand it could work like that part in the battle against Cell where the others threw some blasts at Cell to try and hold him off for Gohan.

Other than that I got nothing, they could have the weaker guys power up but I don't know what good that would do. Unless maybe the stronger guys where off somewhere doing something else that stopped them from helping in a fight. Or hey like that other guy said, they don't have to fight they could just have time ponsing about having some downtime.

I made mention of Krillin during the Cell Saga because that is my idea of how you make someone who can't keep up physically still remain important to the plot. Videl was important to Battle of Gods because she was responsible for Super Saiyan God Goku with being pregnant with Pan, Bulma being relevant as well due to powering up Vegeta with getting knocked out as well as having a party which serves as the setting for the majority of the film and at one point trying to flirt with Beerus alongside convincing Vegeta to give the holding hands thing a shot. That's what I'm talking about. They could do that for any character that can't fight anymore and that's what I'm hoping they do in Super.

[Wibbs]

At this point I think they would be better off doing a spinoff following the characters around during the Timeskips. At least then it wouldn't feel like they were just taking pity on the weaker characters having them get a few good hits in on the main villain before the stronger Z-fighters show up. On the other hand it could work like that part in the battle against Cell where the others threw some blasts at Cell to try and hold him off for Gohan.

Other than that I got nothing, they could have the weaker guys power up but I don't know what good that would do. Unless maybe the stronger guys where off somewhere doing something else that stopped them from helping in a fight. Or hey like that other guy said, they don't have to fight they could just have time ponsing about having some downtime.

I made mention of Krillin during the Cell Saga because that is my idea of how you make someone who can't keep up physically still remain important to the plot. Videl was important to Battle of Gods because she was responsible for Super Saiyan God Goku with being pregnant with Pan, Bulma being relevant as well due to powering up Vegeta with getting knocked out as well as having a party which serves as the setting for the majority of the film and at one point trying to flirt with Beerus alongside convincing Vegeta to give the holding hands thing a shot. That's what I'm talking about. They could do that for any character that can't fight anymore and that's what I'm hoping they do in Super.

Those are some pretty good examples, I can see where you're coming from. I just think it would be nice for them to be relevant in a fight or something. I know DragonBall isn't all about the fighting but I dunno, I just want to see some of the older DragonBall characters kicking ass again - like Tenshinhan or Yamcha.

[Attitudefan]

What really hurts character strength and their relevance to the plot is transformations! The whole show does revolve around transformations, specifically starting in the Saiyan arc, defining how important it was to strength with Raditz' shock that Goku got rid of his tail, where if he didn't he would have been unstoppable. That was the beginning of the end for Earthlings who don't transform!