At its core, why is Dragon Ball so loved?

[baconisbacc]

After catching up on the entire One Piece manga in 2 months, I started wondering what at its core, made Dragon Ball so unbelievably beloved.
Going past the cool action, and Badass transformations, what makes Dragon Ball tick?

[Polyphase Avatron]

Probably a combination of nostalgia (we grew up with it), and how innovative it was at the time.

[The Accountant]

I think the main reason is that it is so much fun. It is also extremely accessible and charming, it doesn't require the casual viewer to be up to date with the story to find enjoyment. You can just sit down and watch it, whether that be a full episode or some random recommended clips on YouTube. I have seen plenty of anime and manga that I would consider better, but Dragon Ball is the one show that never gets boring for me no matter how many times I watch or read it. I often find myself being drawn back to Dragon Ball after finishing a series, to refresh my palate before getting invested in another story.

[baconisbacc]

Probably a combination of nostalgia (we grew up with it), and how innovative it was at the time.

Nostalgia is definitely a big factor for me

[baconisbacc]

I think the main reason is that it is so much fun. It is also extremely accessible and charming, it doesn't require the casual viewer to be up to date with the story to find enjoyment. You can just sit down and watch it, whether that be a full episode or some random recommended clips on YouTube. I have seen plenty of anime and manga that I would consider better, but Dragon Ball is the one show that never gets boring for me no matter how many times I watch or read it. I often find myself being drawn back to Dragon Ball after finishing a series, to refresh my palate before getting invested in another story.

Totally agree with you, my first experience with Dragon Ball was episode 1 of the Buu saga. And I was already crying when Vegeta's sacrifice came around, even though I knew very little about him, I was pulled in.

[Cipher]

I think the main reason is that it is so much fun. It is also extremely accessible and charming, it doesn't require the casual viewer to be up to date with the story to find enjoyment. You can just sit down and watch it, whether that be a full episode or some random recommended clips on YouTube. I have seen plenty of anime and manga that I would consider better, but Dragon Ball is the one show that never gets boring for me no matter how many times I watch or read it. I often find myself being drawn back to Dragon Ball after finishing a series, to refresh my palate before getting invested in another story.

I think a lot of it's this--it's intensely easy to watch or read and enjoy; it's exciting, tongue-and-cheek when it needs to be, which keeps it enjoyable even as an adult--and it comes with Toriyama's general level of craft in action presentation, humor, and creating an accessible, fun story.

I think another important factor is also its willingness to play sincerely with the passage of time. I don't think we'd be talking nearly as much about it had Toriyama not insisted the cast age, quite considerably, progressively as the series went on. It helps give it a distinction and odd sincerity among other shonen action series that might try to outdo it.

Super, for example, is fun as a fan, but just "fun." It lacks that second, weirdly sincere second element (in addition to as high a level of craft in either version, but it's really hard to overstate how insane a comics god Toriyama is; we're talking one of the medium's best ever).

[DragonBallFoodie]

I can't help thinking that "love" and "popularity" may be blurred here...

Anyway, it's got a simple but engaging plot, the characters are eccentric but lovable, the action and artwork are stunning.

[Yuji]

It has a little bit of everything that makes it the perfect marketing combo (in spite of being mostly one man's vision) to attract the widest amount of demographics possible. The slice of life and comedic adventures appeal broadly to young children and women, the bombastic gritty fighting appeals broadly to teenagers and men. It captures the hardcore nerd and casual audience simultaneously. In the modern world's increasing political polarization, it also finds its way into both right and left-leaning social circles somehow.

[Tylerman29]

It's the delicate combination of a lot of things , the balance of drama/comedy, world building, likable characters, unique Toriyama designs, and the over the top battles. No other show really has everything like Dragon Ball, except maybe it's successor (in my mind) One Piece. Which in some ways improves on the foundation DB set (such as the world building x100times over, using its secondary characters better, and having an even better emotional core/ comedy ratio).

[ABED]

Great action, fun likable characters, memorable artwork.

[Yuli Ban]

Great action, fun likable characters, memorable artwork.

This + the power fantasy and catharsis fantasy aspects

[super michael]

Great action, fun likable characters, memorable artwork.

I agree with that 100% and for me I also enjoy the training scenes. Doing extraordinary training makes it enjoyable for me since it looks cool.
Seeing martial art + ki attack makes it look good. I also enjoy characters transforming and character fusing.

[DBZAOTA482]

Distinctive art style, great use of drama and suspense, endearing and well-rounded characters, and great pacing (the manga, at least). Like someone else said, it also benefitted for being innovative for its time.

For the east, it popularized and even create many tropes common in Shonen today while for the west, it has continuous storylines and was really violent for a kid's show.

[Goku da Silva]

The combination of the unique sense of humor, extreme and well choreographed fight scenes as well as a mix of traditional and pop culture, in another words: the talent of the autor.

[JulieYBM]

I keep misreading the title as "Why is Dragon Ball so lewd?" And I am infinitely disappointed that this was a kid's comic.

[precita]

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the "Citizen Kane" of anime.

[JulieYBM]

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the "Citizen Kane" of anime.

On the off l-chance that you-re being sincere: no, it's not. Please read comics from before 1984. Heck, Ashita no Joe is closer to Citizen Kane than Dragon Ball is.

[super michael]

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the "Citizen Kane" of anime.

On the off l-chance that you-re being sincere: no, it's not. Please read comics from before 1984. Heck, Ashita no Joe is closer to Citizen Kane than Dragon Ball is.

What makes Ashita no Joe really good? I have never read the manga, so I am curious to hear some of its good qualities.

I would watch it now, but I can't at the moment since I can't watch videos at the moment.

[MasenkoHA]

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the "Citizen Kane" of anime.

#StopComparingEverythingToCitizenKaneEspeciallyWhenItsCompletelyUnwarranted2021Challenge

[kemuri07]

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the "Citizen Kane" of anime.

#StopComparingEverythingToCitizenKaneEspeciallyWhenItsCompletelyUnwarranted2021Challenge

okay but we can all agree that Akira Toriyama is the Stanley Kubrick of anime drawing, right?