Do You Have a Different Favorite Arc than You've Had in the Past?

[PurestEvil]

Well, yeah. I felt like the arc is mostly an after-thought until Piccolo's three fights. Chi-Chi and Gokuu are poorly written and Tenshinhan's character just feels so phoned in. Then, of course, there's Yamcha.

To be fair, I'd say the height of Tenshinhan as a character was during his original arc. Ever since then, he's had his moments, but he became milquetoast (figuratively speaking, in relation to later edgier characters like Piccolo and Vegeta) pretty immediately after becoming a good guy. There's only so much of interest you can do with stoic personality types once they are good guys and side characters, at that. Personally though, I love his confrontation with Cyborg Tao (who is admittedly pretty lame, although I suppose that's the point). And although Goku was already far above Tenshinhan in their rematch, it's still satisfying seeing Tenshinhan pulling out all the stops to try to repeat as champion.

For Goku and Chi-Chi, do you feel they were poorly written individually, or as a couple? I don't agree with the former if that's the case, but if it's the latter, I kind of get that, although I feel they were at their most endearing together at this point.

Both. I think making Gokuu so immature is just boring. I think his growth as a person needed to be even more stark. I also don't like how Chi-Chi is centered only on Gokuu.

Apart from thinking that marriage was a kind of food, how was Goku portrayed "so" immaturely? Removing all of his childishness would have made him less endearing. If anything, the arc made him out to be more mature by having him use more fighting strategy.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Apart from thinking that marriage was a kind of food, how was Goku portrayed "so" immaturely? Removing all of his childishness would have made him less endearing. If anything, the arc made him out to be more mature by having him use more fighting strategy.

For me personally, Goku in the 23rd Budokai is the most mature the character has ever felt, apart from the Saiyan and Freeza arcs.

[MyVisionity]

What do you mean by this, exactly? When I think of a wacky old man, I think Roshi, not someone like King Piccolo?

There were all the gags with the lime soda, and him falling asleep. Plus the comical way he would react to the Mafuba and Denshi Jar. And I thought his death scene was a bit hammy, with the hole through his chest and his reaction. The character had a comedic edge to him, despite his evil. Probably because of the stronger emphasis on comedy that DB still carried at that time.

[ABED]

There are moments of humor but his death wasn't hammy. THe irony is that the Piccolo Daimao arc is the one that takes a VERY sharp turn towards the more serious tone that people attribute to DBZ. And it's very possible for great moments of humor and darkness to coexist at the same time. It doesn't undercut him.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I hate to agree with MyVisionity but They might have a point. Even Torishima hated the death of Piccolo Daimao in the anime and he attributed it to the comedic bent the original produced and anime director had.

[ABED]

I hate to agree with MyVisionity but They might have a point. Even Torishima hated the death of Piccolo Daimao in the anime and he attributed it to the comedic bent the original produced and anime director had.

Okay the face contorting at the end is a tad funny I guess but the gaping hole and rather subdued performance is not played for laughs. It's meant to be cathartic.

I'm not sure where the idea where humor and seriousness or darkness can't coexist comes from.

[MyVisionity]

I thought his little scream or reaction just after the attack was comical. And the gaping hole itself.

Of course humor and darkness can co-exist. It's just that there was greater emphasis on the humor during that era than later, and Daimao himself is a product of it. It's why he's so eccentric.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

What do you mean by this, exactly? When I think of a wacky old man, I think Roshi, not someone like King Piccolo?

There were all the gags with the lime soda, and him falling asleep. Plus the comical way he would react to the Mafuba and Denshi Jar. And I thought his death scene was a bit hammy, with the hole through his chest and his reaction. The character had a comedic edge to him, despite his evil. Probably because of the stronger emphasis on comedy that DB still carried at that time.

I see what you mean now, but I rarely found his behavior comical. I feel like a lot of the more humorous hijinks came from his initial partnership with the Pilaf gang, particularly when he was old. I also never found the death comical either; this is the first instance I've seen it described as such tbh.

[ABED]

I thought his little scream or reaction just after the attack was comical. And the gaping hole itself.

Of course humor and darkness can co-exist. It's just that there was greater emphasis on the humor during that era than later, and Daimao himself is a product of it. It's why he's so eccentric.

He's really not. Piccolo Daimao is meant to be a gamechanger, where things take a more ominous turn. The arc begins with the main character's best friend having been murdered.

I found Freeza's defeat and Nappa's death more comical looking than Piccolo's.

Even with greater emphasis on humor, that doesn't have to take anything away from the darkness. It can accentuate it. Look at the Ginyu Force. They are very funny and yet there's a sense of dread as Reacoom takes down the heroes one by one.

[MasenkoHA]

There’s comedy throughout all of Dragon Ball


Even the Cell arc had the comical appearance of 19 and 20, the whole Mr. Satan schtick, and Cell’s self destruction method involve impersonating the mom from “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

There’s comedy throughout all of Dragon Ball


Even the Cell arc had the comical appearance of 19 and 20, the whole Mr. Satan schtick, and Cell’s self destruction method involve impersonating the mom from “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”

Yep. I should clarify that yes, I can see the comedy with King Piccolo, I just never felt he was over-the-top comedy. He was a marked shift toward darker-but-still-somewhat-comedic Dragon Ball villains. Heck, if we want to go earlier, there's Mercenary Tao, the first villain to murder one of Goku's friends. The man coukd kill people with his tongue (equally funny and scary), and flew on a beam (equally funny, cool, and scary).

[PurestEvil]

Okay the face contorting at the end is a tad funny I guess but the gaping hole and rather subdued performance is not played for laughs.

It was meant to be funny? I thought it looked creepy!

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Okay the face contorting at the end is a tad funny I guess but the gaping hole and rather subdued performance is not played for laughs.

It was meant to be funny? I thought it looked creepy!

It's certainly grotesque . I remember being creeped out by his face (before he blew up) as a kid watching this saga on Toonami back in 2003(?), now that I think about it.

[90sDBZ]

For me its always been the Frieza saga. It has so many great moments; Goku getting out of the healing tank, Vegeta's death, Kaioken x20, the Spirit Bomb, Super Saiyan, and Namek's destruction.

The buildup to Goku vs Frieza is also well done, with the legend of Super Saiyan and everyone struggling to survive until Goku arrives. It's the classic formula done at its best. Seeing Goku bravely struggle on while being dominated by Frieza is inspirational, and seeing him turn the tables later is really satisfying.

My 2nd favourite is a tossup between the King Piccolo and Saiyan sagas.

[nhienphan2808]

Not my top favorite, but RoF movie for sure. It pushed me out out of DBZ in 2015, but i am able to appreciate it as what is meant to be. When you watch all 3 movies as if they were one manga arc all together it suddenly made sense.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

For me its always been the Frieza saga. It has so many great moments; Goku getting out of the healing tank, Vegeta's death, Kaioken x20, the Spirit Bomb, Super Saiyan, and Namek's destruction.

The buildup to Goku vs Frieza is also well done, with the legend of Super Saiyan and everyone struggling to survive until Goku arrives. It's the classic formula done at its best. Seeing Goku bravely struggle on while being dominated by Frieza is inspirational, and seeing him turn the tables later is really satisfying.

My 2nd favourite is a tossup between the King Piccolo and Saiyan sagas.

Those are the elements that made the Freeza saga my favorite in the past, and they still elevate it for me to this day. I've just come to find the Piccolo Jr. and Saiyan (and even Tenshinhan) arcs tighter and overall stronger (especially in the anime; in the manga, they're pretty even for me). But as you said, the Freeza saga is chock full of crucial moments in the Dragon Ball lore. I love the level of tension present, and it's just plain fun.

Not my top favorite, but RoF movie for sure. It pushed me out out of DBZ in 2015, but i am able to appreciate it as what is meant to be. When you watch all 3 movies as if they were one manga arc all together it suddenly made sense.

While it's not high praise on my part, I definitely prefer the RoF movie to the Super arc. I remember seeing SS Blue Goku in promo material and, despite the common notion that the hair was a lazy color swap (which I can understand), feeling like an 8-year-old seeing an SSJ Goku action figure for the first time. I remember theorizing what was going to happen and-what-not. While it's a weak link for sure, it definitely stands up better when looked at as a trilogy of sorts, with Battle of Gods and Broly.

[BWri]

The 23rd Tournament was my undisputed favorite, but the 22nd had slowly crept up to its level.

I feel the exact same. The Cell arc used to be my favorite.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

The 23rd Tournament was my undisputed favorite, but the 22nd had slowly crept up to its level.

I feel the exact same. The Cell arc used to be my favorite.

I didn't realize just how much I loved the 22nd Budokai until reading the manga for the first time last year. It's been several years since I've watched the anime (which I plan to re-watch subbed soon), but in the manga, it was the first time where it really felt like "Wow, Goku is really something special." I mean, yes, we had many demonstrations of that in previous arcs, but this arc is when we truly see how Goku has matured as a martial artist, plus his physical growth (he's slimmer and taller since it's been 3 years) is more apparent in the manga than in the anime. It's more pronounced because of how much better Krillin and Yamcha are also, yet Goku is still several paces ahead. Add to that the introduction of Tenshinhan and what that brings, culminating in the heavyweight battle between him and Goku, and you just have a stellar arc.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

So I've just started something I've been meaning to do for awhile, which is watching all of DB/DBZ subbed (I've seen bits of it subbed, but nowhere close to the entire anime). My feelings on the arcs are largely based on memory of the anime I've watched plus reading the manga last year. So I'll see if my thoughts still hold.

[BWri]

So I've just started something I've been meaning to do for awhile, which is watching all of DB/DBZ subbed (I've seen bits of it subbed, but nowhere close to the entire anime). My feelings on the arcs are largely based on memory of the anime I've watched plus reading the manga last year. So I'll see if my thoughts still hold.

I honestly need to do the same. I also want to do a big series manga read with Dr. Slump included. Hopefully, I'll find the time to do it soon.