Why do so many people prefer DBZ to DB?

[sintzu]

Um not really, sure Vegtea, Gohan, Trunks and Freeza are all fan favorites but OGDB had Gokuu,Piccolo,Kuririn, Bulma,Ten,Yamucha and Kame'senin are just as big if not as big.

Tien, Ymacha and Roshi are nowhere near as popular as who I mentioned and Piccolo's popularity came from Z, not DB.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

Um not really, sure Vegtea, Gohan, Trunks and Freeza are all fan favorites but OGDB had Gokuu,Piccolo,Kuririn, Bulma,Ten,Yamucha and Kame'senin are just as big if not as big.

Tien, Ymacha and Roshi are nowhere near as popular as who I mentioned and Piccolo's popularity came from Z, not DB.

From where did u get that Piccolo became popular in Z any evidence?

[UltimateHammerBro]

Z's production quality not only holds up against modern long running Shonen, it surpasses some of them.

I beg to differ. DBZ's quality is terribly inconsistent: Kai showed it really well.

Regarding the comedy, it may be a bit shocking if you go from the dead serious Cell saga to the more lighthearted DB, but I can't see how the earlier, sex-focused gags, mostly those centered on Master Roshi, are 'childish' or 'immature'. If anything, they're a lot less childish than anything in other non-Japanese cartoons at the time.

[sintzu]

From where did u get that Piccolo became popular in Z any evidence?

In DB he was nothing more then a generic villain who wanted to take over the world just because.

There was no difference between him, Pilaf & the RRA.

Everything that's liked about him came from Z.

'For the most part, DB sort of just feels like another run of the mill 80s anime / children's cartoon. DBZ is far more distinctive and doesn't just blend in with other 90s animation.

Exactly, Z fits in with today's anime a lot better then DB.

DBZ's quality is terribly inconsistent: Kai showed it really well.

They're both the exact same show, the only difference is one has filler and the other one doesn't.

[VegettoEX]

They're both the exact same show, the only difference is one has filler and the other one doesn't.

The point being made, as far as I can tell, is that Kai cutting material invariably tosses and mixes together episodes that were originally separate. The biggest example I can think of is that you go from Nakatsuru's amazing ending to DBZ 120 straight into Ebisawa's scene from DBZ 121:



These were originally separated by a week's time and ending/closing credits if you were to watch them back-to-back. When you toss them right next to each other into a complete scene that didn't originally exist that way, these differences are far more apparent than they already were.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

In DB he was nothing more then a generic villain who wanted to take over the world just because.

There was no difference between him, Pilaf & the RRA.

Everything that's liked about him came from Z.

I disagree Piccolo's popularity started in DB.Yes in Z he became even more popular but you are saying as if nobody gave a shit about him in DB. He was the main villain generic or not doesn't matter people liked him.

[ABED]

From where did u get that Piccolo became popular in Z any evidence?

In DB he was nothing more then a generic villain who wanted to take over the world just because.

There was no difference between him, Pilaf & the RRA.

Everything that's liked about him came from Z.

'For the most part, DB sort of just feels like another run of the mill 80s anime / children's cartoon. DBZ is far more distinctive and doesn't just blend in with other 90s animation.

Exactly, Z fits in with today's anime a lot better then DB.

DBZ's quality is terribly inconsistent: Kai showed it really well.

They're both the exact same show, the only difference is one has filler and the other one doesn't.

Piccolo wanted to takeover because he was evil incarnate. And not everything that everyone likes about him came in Z. In Dragon Ball he shows that he's insanely tough. The guy rips his own arm off. Dragon Ball was a show that was constantly evolving. To those on this thread claiming that DBZ is epic and DB is childish, you are judging it purely on early Dragon Ball.

[Vynak]

I disagree Piccolo's popularity started in DB.Yes in Z he became even more popular but you are saying as if nobody gave a shit about him in DB. He was the main villain generic or not doesn't matter people liked him.

Eh honestly I was disappointed in the Piccolo arc in DB. I was pretty hype for it too, having just come from Z. Z had great villains for the most part (wasn't too thrilled about Cell) so I was excited to see Piccolo as a full fledged villain. But both King Piccolo & Piccolo Jr. were a letdown overall. So I think most of Piccolo's popularity likely stems from Z, it's where he gets more (pretty much all?) of his character development and depth.

DB had pretty poor villains in general. Where it shined was with adventure & comedy. And the tournaments. The tournaments are what made it worth it for me.

[Hellspawn28]

I view DBZ to DB just like I view Stardust Crusaders to the first two arcs of Jojo. It's the most popular and casual fans seem to not notice or don't talk about it as much compare to the most popular ones.

[ABED]

Most of his popularity, yes, but not what makes him popular. All that depth and development means nothing if you don't see what he's developing from. If all you see is Z, all you will get is stories saying he was awful, but you won't see it. You will see him halfway through his arc, and it's not nearly as meaningful when he gives his life to save Gohan if you don't see Piccolo and Goku first as mortal enemies.

DB had pretty poor villains in general.

I agree to an extent. Red isn't a great villain, but I think Tao Pai Pai is as are Piccolo and Piccolo Daimao. Tenshinhan falls more into the antagonist category, but still, his arc in those episodes is fantastic.

Overall, DB is more enjoyable to me. It makes great use of its characters, it's fun, and has better fights. Goku being more proactive is a plus. In Z, the audience is constantly waiting for him.

[MCDaveG]

In DB he was nothing more then a generic villain who wanted to take over the world just because.

There was no difference between him, Pilaf & the RRA.

Everything that's liked about him came from Z.

I disagree Piccolo's popularity started in DB.Yes in Z he became even more popular but you are saying as if nobody gave a shit about him in DB. He was the main villain generic or not doesn't matter people liked him.

I remember Piccolo being pretty popular in Germany, and it started in DB. He was the first real rival of Goku and all the promo material for the upcoming DBZ in TV was around Goku and Piccolo.
Piccolo was the pre-Vegeta. I remember at least 3 people I knew, that were huge fans of Piccolo Jr. since DB and one of them even edited his recordings of the show (in crude way), to have Piccolo win all the major fights in Z instead of Goku

Btw. I find this treating DB and DBZ as different shows really wrong. More so that it actually only changed logo title and opening. It is mostly this US nostalgia and emphasis on Z there.

[Danfun64]

How was it edited? VHS? I'd love it if you posted the edited fights exactly as seen on those vhs tapes to youtube xD

[Bullza]

Dragon Ball Z is better in pretty much every way.

Better story, better characters, less gag humour, less Pilaf and Oolong, better fights, more memorable moments etc

[ABED]

Dragon Ball Z is better in pretty much every way.

Better story, better characters, less gag humour, less Pilaf and Oolong, better fights, more memorable moments etc

I don't agree, especially about better story, characters, fights or memorable moments. DBZ has its fair share of emotional moments, but I don't get the feels like I do in Dragon Ball. One of my biggest issues with the Z portion is how repetitive things get when Goku's friends are constantly waiting for him. They wait for him to return from the afterlife to defeat the Saiyans, they wait for him to get to Namek, and again wait for him to get out of the healing tank, wait for him to get over his heart virus, wait for him to finish training in the Room of Spirit and Time. I would argue the audience is waiting for him to come back to life in the Buu arc. If they aren't they are certainly waiting for Gohan to finish his magical power up.

[JulieYBM]

Dragon Ball Z is popular because society continues to repeat the same trauma to new generations. That trauma I speak of is the trauma of traditionalism. Mind you, I find the malarkey that is tonal extremism in mainstream television and film to be annoying as all get-out, but the real issue here is a need to appeal to one's society and peers. It's the same reason we see folks who claim "I'm not watching a cartoon, I'm watching anime!" The need to have one's interests and personality appear sociably acceptable preoccupies geeks because they are raised in an environment where they are constantly shamed and expected to act in the role of traditional gender roles. They then repeat this trauma with their children or other young and impressionable fellows.

If that isn't very clear, allow me to say it more pointedly: people have no self-respect and lack self-awareness, thus they cling to 'extremes'. Just as the annoying "DBZ IZ HARDCORE" fan repeats his trauma so does the "BUT DRAGON BALL/ONE PIECE IS FUN AND LIGHT AND HAS AN ACTUAL PLOT YOU BIG SHALLOW POOPY HEAD" fan and for that I shake my head.

[Lord Beerus]

I think it's due to the fact that Dragon Ball Z focused more on providing constant battles or threats, as supposed to the world building and adventure-centred plot that Dragon Ball had. Dragon Ball Z was more prided in continuous action, which the average viewer would be more enticed by, in comparison to the more structured and character driven narrative while providing a sense of adventure and light-heartedness and charm that Dragon Ball prided itself in.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Well considering the fact that the 1995 Ocean dub of Dragon Ball didn't do very well and Funimation proceeded to push the Z portion of the story I'm inclined to believe most people ended up looking at Dragon Ball as just a fun prequel series that they could watch and it may add to their understanding of the show, but it was not necessary. The fans who saw Dragon Ball Z in syndication or on Toonami got hooked on the Rock the Dragon into, the "Saturday morning" feel of the Saban dub, the greater scale of the story (expanding to outer space and the Other World) and the rest is history. Add that to the fact big muscular men with superpowers who gain power-ups and save the universe are more likely to be a lasting influence on young boys than another young male protagonist who goes on adventures and only saves the world. In short the fans who were captivated by all this never looked back.

[SuicidalZerg]

They're both the exact same show, the only difference is one has filler and the other one doesn't.

The point being made, as far as I can tell, is that Kai cutting material invariably tosses and mixes together episodes that were originally separate. The biggest example I can think of is that you go from Nakatsuru's amazing ending to DBZ 120 straight into Ebisawa's scene from DBZ 121:

Spoiler:

These were originally separated by a week's time and ending/closing credits if you were to watch them back-to-back. When you toss them right next to each other into a complete scene that didn't originally exist that way, these differences are far more apparent than they already were.

This is actually the exact reason that I prefer DBZ to DBKai. The transition between the different animators is too jarring for me. Plus they make it worse with reanimating some of the scenes.

Back on topic, I actually find DB and DBZ to be equal in terms of liking for me. When I was younger, I definitely liked DBZ sure, because that's what I was introduced to. And even when DB was airing at some point, I actually didn't even care to watch, because I liked Adult Goku over Kid Goku.

Then... oh, it was a little over 3 or 4 years ago, I saw a post on here recommending that if one wanted to watch the show in Japanese, that you start with Dragon Ball. (Don't ask which thread, I would never remember, plus there's probably a certain cliche'd number of them with such a recommendation...) At the time, I was a bit iffy on watching the original Dragon Ball, because I hadn't cared for it before.

And yet I was also curious. I was curious about all of Goku's childhood adventures, about Piccolo Daimao's history. So I shamelessly downloaded the episodes (I was cheap back then...), put them in my media center, switched to Japanese audio with subs, and started watching. It took a few minutes, and I had absolutely no idea what any of the words specifically meant, or how to even pronounce them, but once I had heard Masako Nozawa's and Hiromi Tsuru's voices for those few minutes, I was hooked. Hooked enough to watch through the entire series.

Watching through the series again right now (I'm at the end of the young Piccolo Daimao vs Kid Goku fight), every time I watch it, I find that the fight choreography is better than in Z, especially after the end of the Freeza saga. I find the animation to be slightly better. At the very least, I believe it to be more consistent in between episodes. By that I mean it seems like nothing looks like the example that VegettoEX posted in the quote above. I like the story just as much as DBZ, maybe even more. With the exception of the filler, which is thankfully rather condensed in between various story arcs, I find the story to be better written. I like the actual animation style of DB and also DBZ up to the Freeza saga, with the more rounded features.

With all these things saying that I actually like DB more than DBZ, it almost makes my starting point contradict myself. In fact, There are only a couple of reasons that they are equal. One is a sense of nostalgia, enhanced by watching it in Japanese. This nostalgia is a major reason that I believe many other people may prefer DBZ over DB. I find the Saiyan Saga to be far better than what it was when I originally watched it (we can thank Saban for that...). The other is a that my favorite character was only being conceived of in the minds of two newlywed fighters at the end of DB .

As for the fight choreography, I think many people may prefer DBZ over DB because you rarely see people flying into cliff faces from a flying kick, or Ki blasts everywhere. We only start to see that in the Piccolo Daimao arc, when Goku kicks Yajirobe into a boulder and shatters it. Meanwhile in DBZ, we see the characters throwing hundreds of punches every minute, and we don't even really see that until the Goku vs. Piccolo Jr. fight. Oh, and screaming. Can't forget the grunting, screaming, and yelling, now can we? To be honest, I think anything starting with the Piccolo Daimao arc should have enough of that to satisfy at least some people.

And to end what is practically an essay, I will say that had it not been for my interest in the original Dragon Ball, I would not be the fan that I am now. My aforementioned cheapness at downloading the series has given way to a growing collection. Nearly $1,000 worth of DVD's for the series (comprising the Blue bricks, Dragon Boxes, Green bricks, and movie packs), over a dozen figures, a few scattered Manga volumes, a few albums of the DBZ Hit Song Collection, and two animation cels. Naturally it has grown very well on me, and I actually consider it quite necessary to fully understand the series, especially the Japanese version.

[ABED]

Dragon Ball Z is popular because society continues to repeat the same trauma to new generations. That trauma I speak of is the trauma of traditionalism. Mind you, I find the malarkey that is tonal extremism in mainstream television and film to be annoying as all get-out, but the real issue here is a need to appeal to one's society and peers. It's the same reason we see folks who claim "I'm not watching a cartoon, I'm watching anime!" The need to have one's interests and personality appear sociably acceptable preoccupies geeks because they are raised in an environment where they are constantly shamed and expected to act in the role of traditional gender roles. They then repeat this trauma with their children or other young and impressionable fellows.

If that isn't very clear, allow me to say it more pointedly: people have no self-respect and lack self-awareness, thus they cling to 'extremes'. Just as the annoying "DBZ IZ HARDCORE" fan repeats his trauma so does the "BUT DRAGON BALL/ONE PIECE IS FUN AND LIGHT AND HAS AN ACTUAL PLOT YOU BIG SHALLOW POOPY HEAD" fan and for that I shake my head.

First, I think you should've lead with the second paragraph and second, not for a second do I believe DBZ is more popular because any sort of negative.

[Xeztin]

Oh God, as a kid I started with DBZ on the episode Gohan speared Raditz. At that point the action caught me the same way Ninja Turtles does my little cousin. Growing up with it, everyone in school tried to go Super Saiyan, I don't think anyone cared where Piccolo or the cast came from during my chilhood. It was the fighting, the character designs, music, and screaming that capitivated us. Before DBZ, we had your run of the mil cartoons like Johnny Bravo. DBZ showed us a mature different path, a gateway that till this day is helping other anime get dubbed. DBZ, Yugioh, and Halo were the big things all the kids liked growing up here. Everyone had an immediate connection with adult Goku.