If You Could Rewrite the Dragon Ball Manga, How Would You Do It?

[GenericTitle7]

First off, I would like to state that I know there is a topic about overseeing the entire DB franchise, but I want to be more specific and focus on the original work by Akira Toriyama.

Now, you can really change the Manga in any way you want.

The only rule I have is: You cannot include completely new characters, settings, etc. Anything fanmade by yourself or another fan should not be written about in this topic thread.

That being said, you change the Manga by including ideas from other parts of the franchise, like the Anime or even video games. This is a chance to make a Dragon Ball of your own imagination. These changes can be pertaining to the whole run of the Manga, Arc specific, or even just a small nitpick regarding something Toriyama forgot.

In no way am I saying that I'm better than Toriyama in making this thread. The only benefit I, and most fans, have above the original author and his editors is hindsight.

So, with all that out of the way, I'd like to provide a few examples of my own:
[*]Blooma and Goku's relationship in the first Arc should be more explicit, and not romantically. What I mean is that the two should have a bigger contrast in morality, with Blooma starting as more of a spoiled sow than in the original and Goku being more of a wide-eyed, curious, and innocent child that's along for the ride. This could lead to more comedic opportunities (like Goku constantly helping people against Blooma's wishes) and it could be explicit of when Blooma stops viewing Son-kun as a meat shield and starts viewing him as a friend.
[*]The middle part of the Saiyan Arc is pretty bare in the source material, glossing over everyone's training, Gohan's character development, and Goku literally just running along the Serpentine Road, and I believe the TV staff thought this too. So I think there should be some scenes of the Saiyan Arc filler incorporated into the Manga like showing panels of Gohan gradually learning to fend for himself, Goku falling to Hell, and more scenes of the Earthlings training with God and Popo. I think this would flesh out the middle part of the Arc and bring it up to par with the amazing first and last sections.

With everything out of the way, I hope everyone enjoys and creates something great with a great source material as a foundation.

[Polyphase Avatron]

Basically just include foreshadowing to not make the retcons so obvious (Dr. Gero being mentioned/shown in the Red Ribbon Army arc, even maybe Goku killing his son, stuff like that).

[emperior]

When thinking about it, there’s nothing I would change as I like the manga as it is, even though it’s not perfect, but nothing is.

I would just add more stuff to better expand the story where possible, like the Saiyan arc training - especially Gohan’s, to show more of his relationship with Piccolo.

And, as the user above me suggested, I would also add some of the lore Toriyama later gave us in interviews.

[ABED]

Basically just include foreshadowing to not make the retcons so obvious (Dr. Gero being mentioned/shown in the Red Ribbon Army arc, even maybe Goku killing his son, stuff like that).

You would plant seeds in a weekly comic that you wouldn't pay off until several years later?

Also, that's not a retcon. It does not supplant any information (other than some filler).

I wouldn't rewrite anything. I'm not a writer and my frames of reference are completely different from Toriyama's.

[Polyphase Avatron]

Basically just include foreshadowing to not make the retcons so obvious (Dr. Gero being mentioned/shown in the Red Ribbon Army arc, even maybe Goku killing his son, stuff like that).

You would plant seeds in a weekly comic that you wouldn't pay off until several years later?

Also, that's not a retcon. It does not supplant any information (other than some filler).

I wouldn't rewrite anything. I'm not a writer and my frames of reference are completely different from Toriyama's.

I thought the idea was that we rewrite it from the beginning with the hindsight of knowing how it ends already.

[Mister_Popo]

I'd mainly focuss on the Buu arc, make it more compact and consistent. The rest is fine as it is.

[KBABZ]

This is deviating a little bit, but I'd love a version of the Buu arc where Gohan STAYS as the protagonist rather than diverting to Goku and Vegeta.

[jjgp1112]

Basically just include foreshadowing to not make the retcons so obvious (Dr. Gero being mentioned/shown in the Red Ribbon Army arc, even maybe Goku killing his son, stuff like that).

Yup, this was what I was gonna say. Just inserting stuff to flesh out and tie together Toriyama's slapdash tendencies into a more coherent package

Also, switch up things in the Frieza saga so it's not following the same formula of "Remove Goku from the plot"

[Dbzfan94]

I'd have Freeza die on Namek and have King Cold go to Earth by himself. He transforms but still gets bodied by Trunks.

[ABED]

I'd have Freeza die on Namek and have King Cold go to Earth by himself. He transforms but still gets bodied by Trunks.

Samesies. Jobbing out Freeza like that does nothing for Trunks. It just makes Freeza look silly.

[Melee_Sovereign]

I'd make it so that the dragon balls aren't nearly as much of a crutch as they are. There ought to be some sort of consequence to using them a lot, and/or they should be far more difficult to obtain. Or maybe I would just limit their power more.

[Robo4900]

I'd make it so that the dragon balls aren't nearly as much of a crutch as they are. There ought to be some sort of consequence to using them a lot, and/or they should be far more difficult to obtain. Or maybe I would just limit their power more.

Personally, I'd build that into the Dragon Balls at the end of the story. Maybe extend the story a bit after the Boo arc, and tell a story about the consequences of overusing them.

Oh wait.

[GreatSaiyaJeff]

There is only two things I would rewrite for this series.

1. Make Yamcha less of a Jobber. I think he gets the short end of the stick as the series went on. For example, instead of him losing to Mummy, maybe a tie. Goku takes on Devil next but it shows Yamcha was able to take down Mummy but not without some kind of consequences. Maybe a bit more active during the Cell arc. If Tien and Krillin could be active players, it would have been cool if he had a shining moment.

2. The 2nd half of the Buu arc. Around the time after Vegeta sacrifces himself. I like the Satan and Buu friendship, I would keep that in, but making ot more about Gohan, Goten and Trunks being the heroes. Afterall, the begining of the arc was placing emphasis on this being the next generation of warriors.

[Mister_Popo]

I'd have Freeza die on Namek and have King Cold go to Earth by himself. He transforms but still gets bodied by Trunks.

It's such a great sequence: Freeza panicking when he realizes Trunks is a SSJ too, it emphasises his deep fear for Goku and the Saiyans in general. If you'd rewrite this scene with King Cold alone, it doesn't have the same impact IMHO. He hasn't been on Namek and doesn't know what a SSJ truely represents. Trunks finishing off Freeza first makes matters even more impressive for King Cold.
This epic piece of writing should remain untouched as far as i'm concerned.

[Tai Lung]

that goku ssj3 will fight fat buu and only intervene to teach to goten and trunks the fusion, keeping gohan as the main character in buu arc is not necessary than goku to be alive again

[ABED]

I'd have Freeza die on Namek and have King Cold go to Earth by himself. He transforms but still gets bodied by Trunks.

It's such a great sequence: Freeza panicking when he realizes Trunks is a SSJ too, it emphasises his deep fear for Goku and the Saiyans in general. If you'd rewrite this scene with King Cold alone, it doesn't have the same impact IMHO. He hasn't been on Namek and doesn't know what a SSJ truely represents. Trunks finishing off Freeza first makes matters even more impressive for King Cold.
This epic piece of writing should remain untouched as far as i'm concerned.

So we can trot out the biggest bad the series ever had to get owned in an episode just so we can see his fear? I like that moment as well, but there's a point of diminishing returns. The episodes would be different but we wouldn't be saddled with a feeling of devaluing a great villain just for a momentary pop. I don't see how Trunks finishing off Freeza makes things more impressive for King Cold. Freeza just looks pathetic.

Anyway, I don't like the idea of "how I would rewrite it", so I'll frame it as what I would wish Toriyama would've done. I wish the Buu arc hadn't been so thematically confused. I don't ask that the plot be super consistent or planned out, but I wish it hadn't been about the new generation taking over only to revert back to Goku. I wish he had known the end was going to be centered around Goku from the beginning.

[Tai Lung]

too Keep the resurrection limit in its original number 2 times
don't improve namek dragon balls or at least limited to not repeat wishes

[Melee_Sovereign]

I'd make it so that the dragon balls aren't nearly as much of a crutch as they are. There ought to be some sort of consequence to using them a lot, and/or they should be far more difficult to obtain. Or maybe I would just limit their power more.

Personally, I'd build that into the Dragon Balls at the end of the story. Maybe extend the story a bit after the Boo arc, and tell a story about the consequences of overusing them.

Oh wait.

Well I like what they did with the Super Dragon Balls. They seem to be replacing the regular Dragon Balls as the namesake objects of the franchise. I'd prefer this because, even though the SDB are basically limitless, they're not really readily available to the main cast. There's a huge restriction on even obtaining a wish from them.

[Robo4900]

I'd make it so that the dragon balls aren't nearly as much of a crutch as they are. There ought to be some sort of consequence to using them a lot, and/or they should be far more difficult to obtain. Or maybe I would just limit their power more.

Personally, I'd build that into the Dragon Balls at the end of the story. Maybe extend the story a bit after the Boo arc, and tell a story about the consequences of overusing them.

Oh wait.

Well I like what they did with the Super Dragon Balls. They seem to be replacing the regular Dragon Balls as the namesake objects of the franchise. I'd prefer this because, even though the SDB are basically limitless, they're not really readily available to the main cast. There's a huge restriction on even obtaining a wish from them.

Except all it actually does is add a third set of Dragon Balls, that can be used by the villains. The earth and Namek balls are still around for the good guys.

[SupremeKai25]

Dragon balls can still be rendered inert. Both Zamasu and the Androids did this in the Future timeline, so it can happen in the main timeline too.