Defining fandom generations

[SHINOBI-03]

With the recent podcast episode about DBZ's 20th anniversary in America and the bonus GT Kirblog, I've noticed that there was some discussion about fandom generations and how each one started from before and after the American broadcast.

But if we would make a not-so-official classification of Dragon Ball fandom generations, how would you define and classify them and? The generation that started with the original manga and anime run? The generation of DBZ's syndicated and Toonami run? The video game era after the series was over? Dragon Ball Heroes? Dragon Ball Super? Do we even need classification? What are your thoughts?

[VegettoEX]

If I were to strictly talk American fandom, it would go:

1st generation:
Anyone who was into it before 1995. Anyone at all.

2nd generation:
Anyone who got into it from 1995-1998, spanning FUNimation's first attempt with Dragon Ball and first two seasons of Dragon Ball Z.

3rd generation:
Anyone who got into it from 1999-2003ish, spanning FUNimation's run of DBZ on Toonami.

4th generation:
I have no idea where to go from here.

This would all be completely different for any other country due to their own internal licensing, distribution, broadcast, etc.

[THEGOKU]

You could probably have a 5th generation spanning from the DBZ Uncut release Funimation had or the orange bricks with the 6th and most recent starting with Kai. Not sure if it would really work but it could help. Nice to know I am a second generation fan and I actually appreciate the podcast too because it brought back a lot of memories for me especially the score the older dub used.

[SHINOBI-03]

We can start with the American fandom if it's easier, or with the Japanese fandom is possible. Can't speak for the rest of the world,but our Middle Eastern fandom is mostly based on the American versions since that version was easier to watch and acquire even before we got our dub. But to break it down:

1st Generation:
Before 2002 when American broadcast episodes were accessible online, or home releases found in selected shops, along with select few who watched in European channels.

2nd Generation:
From 2002 to 2004 when the anime was first aired dubbed and didn't get to watch the American or even the European episodes.

3rd Generation:
From 2003 to 2008, a generation separate from anime watchers and started with the video games from the first Budokai game up until Sparking Meteor and afterwards the interest in games kinda slowed down or died.

4th Generation:
from 2009 to present. With Dragon Ball Kai airing allowing for new fans to get into the series but didn't watch the original Z version and now continuing with the movies and DB Super.

From the four, I see myself more of the second Generation. While I did hear about Dragon Ball before and saw an episode or two of DBZ in French at one point, it was the local broadcast that introduced me to the anime and from there on I branched to the video games and later on to the original Japanese version.

[Kakacarrottop]

I think you can make a distinction between early Toonami fans and late Toonami fans. Someone who became a fan during the early days of Toonami would have vivid memories of the Canadian-voiced dub being rerun to death in the late 90s, and as such would have some nostalgia for it. Someone who became a fan during later in the Toonami run at most would have only seen the older dub sporadically through reruns in the early 2000s, and therefore would be more biased towards FUNimation's in-house cast and Bruce Faulconer. I guess you could group the older Toonami fans with the ones who started following the show during the syndication era, as there is likely a bit of overlap between them.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

With the recent podcast episode about DBZ's 20th anniversary in America and the bonus GT Kirblog, I've noticed that there was some discussion about fandom generations and how each one started from before and after the American broadcast.

But if we would make a not-so-official classification of Dragon Ball fandom generations, how would you define and classify them and? The generation that started with the original manga and anime run? The generation of DBZ's syndicated and Toonami run? The video game era after the series was over? Dragon Ball Heroes? Dragon Ball Super? Do we even need classification? What are your thoughts?

When I talk about generations, I look more at how they get into the series, rather than the literal time that they entered. I really don't categorize hardcore fans at all, since we share a lot of similar knowledge and preferences.

Anyway, here's my general categorization, this only pertains to English fandom:

1st: The fansub generation, the tape traders, the collectors of legends! These are some of the founding fathers of the (better parts of the) DB community as a whole.

2nd: Those who got in with the first 2 seasons of Z with the Ocean Cast, whether it be in syndication or re-runs.

3rd: The Funimation Dub that we all know and... well, the second part is debatable, but we all know what it is!

3 1/2: Those who got in through the Viz manga and the continued Ocean and Blue Water Dubs. These have never had a huge, lasting presence in English Fandom, so I consider them kind of part of the 3rd gen, but also kind of separate.

4th: The video game generation, not much to say here, this is the group that got into the games after the series was completed in English. These people usually started with the Budokai games. (I'm part of this generation, although I actually started out with the first Sparking game. I actually still like it, not sure why Budokai is remembered so much more fondly.)

5th: Dragon Ball Kai generation. While I have my many, many issues with Kai, it did bring in new fans, so yay I guess. These fans are usually still often young and stupid, but some of them are old enough to hold a conversation with at this point.

6th: Dragon Ball Super generation, one that probably won't exist to its full extent until we get the English dub, but it's also mostly young and stupid. But hey, in another few years, we'll be able to have great conversations with them, too.

[VegettoEX]

My only debate there is that I would personally straddle two of those generations. I got into it in the earliest days of FUNimation's existence, but I was doing tape-trading and fansub acquisition. That's why I think it's important to delineate there by years, because I don't think I truly belong to the first generation. There was too much stuff going on and being done before me, and I don't think it's appropriate for me to tread on their importance.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

My only debate there is that I would personally straddle two of those generations. I got into it in the earliest days of FUNimation's existence, but I was doing tape-trading and fansub acquisition. That's why I think it's important to delineate there by years, because I don't think I truly belong to the first generation. There was too much stuff going on and being done before me, and I don't think it's appropriate for my to tread on their importance.

The idea is more like "which you fit into the best". For example, I watched some parts of both Z and Kai interspliced with my video games, but since the games were my primary method, I put myself in that category. Mine is a pretty flexible list.

[Ajay]

I'm gonna pretend I'm a first generation fan entirely because the UK didn't get the show until 2000. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

No, really. Where the hell do I fit in?!

[Jinzoningen MULE]

I'm gonna pretend I'm a first generation fan entirely because the UK didn't get the show until 2000. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

No, really. Where the hell do I fit in?!

By my metric, you're 3rd in the English Fandom, but you're probably 2nd by most people's criteria.

[ABED]

I fall between 1 and 2. I knew of Dragon Ball, and have vague memories of watching a scene here and there, but I didn't become a fan of it until 1996 when I saw Raditz arrive on Earth.

[THEGOKU]

See I wanted to mention the potential for the video game generation but since DB there has been video games and I off the top of my head don't know really what was the first American release here. Final Bout maybe? I feel you could but maybe it would have to start before Budokai.

[VegettoEX]

Final Bout came out in 1997, but it was such a limited release and so tightly connected with the mystique of the syndication broadcast, that I don't think it's possible to separate that out.

Following that, Legendary Super Warriors hit the Game Boy Color in June 2002 followed by the first Budokai on PlayStation 2 that same November. We've absolutely had a few people on this very forum say they got into the series via the PS2 generation of video games.

[THEGOKU]

Final Bout came out in 1997, but it was such a limited release and so tightly connected with the mystique of the syndication broadcast, that I don't think it's possible to separate that out.

Following that, Legendary Super Warriors hit the Game Boy Color in June 2002 followed by the first Budokai on PlayStation 2 that same November. We've absolutely had a few people on this very forum say they got into the series via the PS2 generation of video games.

With that said it would be more like a branch off of the 3rd generation since it happened right around the same time. I think that time period would also cover the Viz manga release too but I could be wrong. If that is the case the 3rd generation really has a lot of different ways it brought in fans for the US at least especially too considering that was when the internet grew a lot more in popularity.

[Luso Saiyan]

Became a fan when the anime premiered here, back in '96. Since the manga wasn't available back then (you had to import and that wasn't as easy as it's now), I guess I'm a 1st generation fan considering the options.

[TheBlackPaladin]

If I were to strictly talk American fandom, it would go:

1st generation:
Anyone who was into it before 1995. Anyone at all.

2nd generation:
Anyone who got into it from 1995-1998, spanning FUNimation's first attempt with Dragon Ball and first two seasons of Dragon Ball Z.

3rd generation:
Anyone who got into it from 1999-2003ish, spanning FUNimation's run of DBZ on Toonami.

4th generation:
I have no idea where to go from here.

Well, when categorizing this way, I'd say that I'm a 2nd generation fan, but I arrived almost at the end of it. By the time I got into DBZ, I was watching the Ocean dub on Cartoon Network, and there was no talk yet of "Season 3." Within a few months, however, the first promo indicating that the series would continue aired.

Of course, this is VegettoEX's attempt at categorizing, so I don't mean to speak for him, but if I were to plagiarize Yamamoto this into my own list, I'd say...

4th generation:
Anyone who got into it from 2005-2009, during the "Orange Brick" era.

5th generation:
Anyone who got into it from 2010-2013, during Kai's run on Nicktoons and the CW4Kids/Vortexx airings. It's actually been pretty cool to read posts like, "I grew up on the Nicktoons broadcast." Granted, it makes me feel old, but still, it's cool, especially since this generation of fans was introduced to a significantly more loyal adaptation of the original Japanese show. Also, while I'll be the first to admit that I haven't done any formal research to back this suspicion up, I suspect that, post-Cartoon Network, this generation is probably the one that saw the biggest wave of new fans.

6th generation:
Anyone who got into it from 2014-now, through the movies and Toonami's airings of Kai.

Prediction: 7th generation:
Anyone who gets into it as a result of the Super dub whenever it finally is released.

[THEGOKU]

From that list the 5th generation fans had the benefit of not having to deal with the very stupid lines that were used for the older dub. However, they missed out on the great Bruce Faulconer music but I am curious too which generation brought in the most fans. Me personally I would still have to say the third.

[VegettoEX]

No doubt the show being on cable television in an after-school timeslot during an era when television actually meant something brought in the most amount of fans.

[ABED]

That also has the benefit of being new. Even if DBZ stays popular, there's just no way it can ever reach the heights it rose to back then.

[omaro34]

I grew up with DBZ on YTV back in the late 90's, early 2000's here in Canada, so I would consider myself part of second generation. In Calgary they have the Blue Water Studios, and in Vancouver they had the Ocean Dub, and I believe Ocean was being recorded in the mid 90's according to Brian Drummond, so there's no way I could have been into Dragonball before 1995 because we simply weren't seeing it then.

As for the new 4th generation. I would say after the Tarble movie in 08 and on wards would be part of this new era.

That also has the benefit of being new. Even if DBZ stays popular, there's just no way it can ever reach the heights it rose to back then.

This could be true, mainly because many of the fans that grew to love DBZ should be in their late teens to late twenties by now, and I'm not sure if this younger generation is into it as much as we were.