Why do so many people prefer DBZ to DB?

[floofychan333]

I don't understand why DBZ is so much more popular. DB had a fun story, actual comedy, characters which I fell in love with within seconds of meeting them, actually consistent animation, and a really unique and beautiful art style.
I don't mean to bash DBZ here, as I'm watching it right now and definitely enjoying it, but DB will always have a bigger place in my heart that DBZ. I wish the humans hadn't been reduced to jokes, the art style hadn't changed so much, and the comedy had stayed.

[DBZAOTA482]

Because DBZ is much more serious, action-packed, and had twists left-and-right. Simple as that.

[Cure Dragon 255]

In Latin America, Europe and other places that got DB first, its more popular because it had the momentum of Dragon Ball behind it. That's why Dragon Ball is big on the USA, but its HUGE AND MASSIVE on LatAm, Europe and so on.

For the USA, its because its the first DB Series to land on Healthy Soil ie Toonami. If Toonami had gotten DB first it would be way bigger than it is now.

[Tyro]

I find it's more often the opposite actually. Fans love OG Dragon Ball's charm and more choreographed fighting style over Z's (or technically mid-to-late Dragon Ball if we're discussing the manga) storytelling-fighting combination.

If the general public does like Z more than DB, it's most likely because that's what they grew up with, and the fights involve more ki techniques which makes them "cooler" by default.

[sintzu]

Goku was an adult in Z which gave it more of a serious tone.

95% of the iconic moments and fan favorite characters are from Z.

All the epic battles happened in Z.

Z used it's secondary characters a lot better then DB which is why Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan & Future Trunks are fan favorites compared to DB's secondary characters.

Z took a lot more risks with it's story and had the most plot twists.

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

Although Z's story is a continuation to DB's and should be watched as such, it can still be watched on it's own which means fans who don't have a lot of free time can jump in and still enjoy it.

[MozillaVulpix]

There's also the fact that DBZ feels a bit more "mature". It had a lot less slapstick, immature humour and fanservice, and the fights were often incredibly dramatic with high stakes.

[lancerman]

I've always found that it's people have either none or very little exposure to DB that "prefer" DBZ. If anything most fans will say that the series peaked around late DB and early DBZ.

[Hellspawn28]

DBZ is more action pack and had a more serious tone to it. Not to mention more people saw DBZ before DB since DB didn't do so well in 1989 and 1995 in the US. While DBZ was always a pretty popular show even before it air on Toonami in 1998. I feel like that I'm one of the very few fans that saw DB before DBZ in the US.

[emi_b7]

A lot of people prefer the badass, super powerful, more serious tone of DBZ than the more comedic tone (early) DB has.
With that said, not everybody watched DB and, of those who did watch it, a lot did it after watching DBZ. Having watched only the Saiyans, Freeza, Cell and Buu's arc and then start watching Oolong and kid Goku's silly gags is probably a turn off for some people because it feels like a totally different, more childish, show. I think if everybody had started with DB, more people would appreciate it more.
Personally, I don't really think about it as 2 different shows.

95% of the iconic moments and fan favorite characters are from Z.

All the epic battles happened in Z.

Z used it's secondary characters a lot better then DB which is why Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan & Future Trunks are fan favorites compared to DB's secondary characters.

I don't agree with this. You also use a lot of hyperbole.
You can't say DB didn't have epic battles or iconic moments. Also, characters like Bulma, Muten Roshi and Tenshinhan were used really well. You are underselling DB here.

[Vados_chan]

Cause muh dark and edgy seriousness no comedy allowed.

[Ozotto]

More action.
More serious.

Growing up as a kid, watching epic fights with Faulconer music just got me going.

Coulda cared less about Dragon Ball as a kid, it seemed immature to me as a seven year old.

[MCDaveG]

We know better, but yeah, for kids, DBZ have more mature feel. It sure had for me. (But only the true DBZ! Not these Saban and Fox Kids abominations!)
DB on German TV had this weird noir kung-fu tone, but DBZ was more brutal and sci-fi.
Those are my children days feelings. It was so cool to watch DBZ and slap it in the faces of your schoolmates, who were running around the class shoutin: ''Char, char, charmandah!''
Literally, with DBZ, you could slap them one, lol.

[Hellspawn28]

I remember kids in my school enjoy both DB and DBZ, but DBZ was still more popular. Also DB looked dated when it air on Toonami in 2001 and the animation in DBZ was still recent looking for 2000-2003. Younger anime fans seem like that they can't get into older anime. I see people that can't watch Fist of the North Star because it's too dated for them.

[Netter75]

I find it's more often the opposite actually. Fans love OG Dragon Ball's charm and more choreographed fighting style over Z's (or technically mid-to-late Dragon Ball if we're discussing the manga) storytelling-fighting combination.

If the general public does like Z more than DB, it's most likely because that's what they grew up with, and the fights involve more ki techniques which makes them "cooler" by default.

I would agree with this. It doesn't help either that Z got crazy popular before they showed the original Dragon Ball. Think about it, besides learning how those "random" characters with little real significance in Z like Puar, Chiaotzu, Oolong, Roshi, Korin, and Baba were introduced, most kids didn't have much to be interested in. As others have pointed out, the tone is an about-face, the earlier arcs have an entirely different format, and the staging of the later fights is very different. When you go from the huge ki techniques and ridiculously dramatic stakes, it would be hard for a kid to shift to a downgrade of those two aspects, especially when much the main cast consists of characters that Z conditioned them not to care much about.

The evolution between the two shows works a lot better if watched in order, but most kids in America didn't have the opportunity to do that, so the original DB gets shafted a bit. I remember passively watching Z on its initial run, but I became invested in it after I viewed all of Dragon Ball first.

[Kakacarrottop]

'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.

[Kuririn Fan]

I see DB and DBZ as one show, 444 episodes, 10 arcs, all adapted from the same manga.
Goku was grown up in 23rd TB, it got serious with Kuririn's death and Boo returned to gags so DB - just gags with kid Goku division doesn't work. And it's more popular, because USA got introduced with Z and grew up with it, nostalgia and equally terrible Faulconer and dub is unbeatable for them and even today, a lot of casuals don't know about first 37% of Toriyama's story. But i don't give a fuck, it's their loss and that's why they're called casuals.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

DBZ has epic fights and transformations and to most fans thats all that matters. I am not among those i prefer DB to DBZ.

[Soppa Saia People]

Goku was an adult in Z which gave it more of a serious tone.

95% of the iconic moments and fan favorite characters are from Z.

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.
Anyways, I massively prefer OGDB over Z, I mean I love Z but IDK something about OGDB makes me love it a lot more, maybe because of its or the fights in DB being better (come at me!) then Z or not having so many idiot ball moments like there is in Z, but in the end it's just matter of opinion about some stupid action adventure series from the 80s.
Also starting to hate the words "epic" and "serious".

[Jaetinh]

I see DB and DBZ as one show, 444 episodes, 10 arcs, all adapted from the same manga.
Goku was grown up in 23rd TB, it got serious with Kuririn's death and Boo returned to gags so DB - just gags with kid Goku division doesn't work. And it's more popular, because USA got introduced with Z and grew up with it, nostalgia and equally terrible Faulconer and dub is unbeatable for them and even today, a lot of casuals don't know about first 37% of Toriyama's story. But i don't give a fuck, it's their loss and that's why they're called casuals.

Spot on dude.

[RedRibbonSoldier#42]

'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.

I can't understand this sentiment at all, Toriyama's style is present throughout the show. And the whole thing looks like a children's cartoon because it is one.