Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

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Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Cure Dragon 255 » Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:47 am

I am not making this thread to make controversy or say "DRAGONBALLIZIMMORALZ!" but I would like to know what you as a parent or caretaker AND as a DB fan what you avoid showing to children about it.
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by PurestEvil » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:42 am

The Pilaf arc, for starters.
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Koitsukai » Tue Oct 12, 2021 7:32 am

Oolong trying to date-rape Bulma.
That whole General Blue pedophile thing.
DB Minus.

I'd temporarily add, based on this particular moment in history, those episodes about Goku wanting nothing to do with syringes.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by JulieYBM » Tue Oct 12, 2021 9:36 am

Honestly, I just would not show my nieces Dragon Ball in general.
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Tue Oct 12, 2021 12:46 pm

I'm watching through Dragon Ball right now, and honestly? I probably wouldn't show any of it to a younger child.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by JulieYBM » Tue Oct 12, 2021 1:01 pm

Fun fact: my niece is a big fan of Boku no Hero Academia, Fruits Basket and The Promised Neverland. It scares me to think of what she might think about the former's trans characters, especially Magne because I'm not out to her as a woman and her parents are not queer-friendly to say the least. It scares me to think about what kind of negative effect JUMP portrayals of queer folk can have om her, especially since I'm not allowed to be out to her as queer.

Not to be a mom, but this is why I'm so ferverant about how children's media portrays gender and sexuality.

God help me if she reads about General Blue some day.
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by TheGreatness25 » Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:15 pm

I never thought about it honestly. I assumed that my kids would be ignorant to the sensitive topics like I was--to me, it was just gag stuff. I knew that you couldn't just grab girls when you felt like it, but it was funny seeing the old guy doing it and getting slapped for it. That's where it ended too because I never put any more thought into it. With General Blue, it was more, "Look how evil he is" because of his actions, not because he was gay or whatever. So maybe in my own ignorance, I never thought that my kids would have an issue with it.

Of course, I do not have kids yet, but should get some in the next couple of years (hopefully). And honestly? As time goes by, I don't think I'll watch DB with them at all. Not because if any social commentary or anything, but because I feel like they wouldn't care about it and I'd just be torturing them. I say this because of my experience force feeding it to the wifey. Also, I have cousins and nieces and none of them care about that stuff. They are more interested in their Netflix shows and iPads. Do I think they DB is a lot better? I sure do. But I'm not going to judge what kids are into these days because I'm sure all of my interests seemed stupid to my parents, but they never made me feel like they were. So, I'll do the same.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by pepd » Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:26 pm

I would probably not introduce DB to my children unless they show interest in drawing comics or something; not because its problematics, but simply because it wouldn't contribute to them. If they by themself would want to read it tho, I would just let them and take the opportunity to educate them on the correspondent topics, or reiterate it with the specifics and context.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by jjgp1112 » Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:44 pm

The better question is why would I try to get my hypothetical kid to watch the bullshit I watched as a kid? It's their childhood, not mine.

I don't know how the rest of y'all grew up but if Cartoon Network didn't show old cartoons that my mom would see passing by and say "Hey, I watched that as a kid!" I would have no idea what my parents grew up on.
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:07 pm

jjgp1112 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:44 pm The better question is why would I try to get my hypothetical kid to watch the bullshit I watched as a kid? It's their childhood, not mine.

I don't know how the rest of y'all grew up but if Cartoon Network didn't show old cartoons that my mom would see passing by and say "Hey, I watched that as a kid!" I would have no idea what my parents grew up on.
Children of the 80s/90s are generally obsessed with living out nostalgia and seeing their kids relive their experiences. I mean, maybe that's a broad generalization, but I don't think it's too far off considering how multiple companies and franchises are profiting off of nostalgia. Just look at that soulless Lion King remake, just to name one of numerous examples. Although the older Disney movies are kind of multi-generational and widespanning, so that's a bit of an exception, as most kids would end up seeing them anyway.

Granted, I did get introduced to some older TV shows/movies by my mom, and I'm actually glad for it, but thankfully she never forced me to like what she liked. And even though I enjoyed those, I also had my own shows I naturally got into. I think it's cool if kids decide they're interested in checking out some older movies/TV, but after a point they should be the ones indicating their own interest in it.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by MasenkoHA » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:19 pm

jjgp1112 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:44 pm The better question is why would I try to get my hypothetical kid to watch the bullshit I watched as a kid? It's their childhood, not mine.

I don't know how the rest of y'all grew up but if Cartoon Network didn't show old cartoons that my mom would see passing by and say "Hey, I watched that as a kid!" I would have no idea what my parents grew up on.
All of this tbh.

Like, I don’t have kids but I can’t imagine making them watch something you liked as a kid. It’s just really weird. If they stumble upon it themselves that’s neat.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by MyVisionity » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:31 pm

It's all or nothing for me. Either I'd show them the series completely intact or not at all. No editing or skipping episodes.

My concern would be what kind of effect it would have on their thinking. I'm not sure if I'd be willing to risk it. I don't know enough about childhood psychology to make that call. Maybe I would consult with experts first.

Part of me wants to just go "what the hell" and let them have at it. Maybe check in from time to time to make sure they understand.

This is all hypothetical for me.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Dr. Casey » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:31 pm

jjgp1112 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:44 pm The better question is why would I try to get my hypothetical kid to watch the bullshit I watched as a kid? It's their childhood, not mine.

I don't know how the rest of y'all grew up but if Cartoon Network didn't show old cartoons that my mom would see passing by and say "Hey, I watched that as a kid!" I would have no idea what my parents grew up on.
By the time I was 6 or 7 I had a general idea of what all of the "retro cartoons were that were before my time" were (Hannah-Barbera, Looney Tunes, etc), but I have no idea what my parents grew up on, if anything. Honestly, I don't think either of them were hugely into cartoons. I know that my mom liked Ruff and Reddy when it first premiered when she was 5, but I don't know if she liked any other cartoons. And my dad loved The Flintstones during its entire run, but otherwise he had almost zero interest in cartoons and watched nothing but live-action movies and TV series from the time they first got television as a 5-6 year old. Maybe 50s/60s kids were less into cartoons than 70s/80s/90s kids, I don't know.
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Koitsukai » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:36 pm

I don't think the thread was about what program you as a parent or guardian would show a kid, why or how you'd do it. But if you were doing it with DB, what would you avoid showing?

Like, for this particular thread, it's a given that the kid is willing to watch the show, so what would you not want them to see of this specific show?

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by PurestEvil » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:39 pm

I think that kids under 12 shouldn't watch it to be honest. I always assumed DB was for the teenager crowd...
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by jjgp1112 » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:43 pm

PurestEvil wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:39 pm I think that kids under 12 shouldn't watch it to be honest. I always assumed DB was for the teenager crowd...
I mean, nowadays since it's largely a legacy property, but at the peak of its powers during its original run in the states I was ages 7-12 and it was the most popular cartoon among my peers.

Maybe my parents were more hands-off than most (doubt it) but outside of r-rated stuff they just kinda figured my brother and I had the common sense not to take too much away from TV.
Last edited by jjgp1112 on Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:44 pm

Koitsukai wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:36 pm I don't think the thread was about what program you as a parent or guardian would show a kid, why or how you'd do it. But if you were doing it with DB, what would you avoid showing?

Like, for this particular thread, it's a given that the kid is willing to watch the show, so what would you not want them to see of this specific show?
My answer is still nothing from the original series. Then again, I was 8 when I got into it and I don't think I turned out terrible, so idk lol.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by Hellspawn28 » Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:00 pm

I don't think kids get gross by nudity as most people make them out to be. I remember when I was a kid, other kids would laugh if they see someone naked. They would also be like "Look boobies!!" or "Look at his wiener!!". Not to mention, kids see themselves naked every day when they take a bath. I think having good parental guidance can help kids know what is right or wrong. I already knew that doing dirty things at a young age would get me into trouble.
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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by MasenkoHA » Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:05 pm

Koitsukai wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:36 pm

Like, for this particular thread, it's a given that the kid is willing to watch the show, so what would you not want them to see of this specific show?
I don’t think anything at face value is harmful or inappropriate for young kids. Most of the more questionable content becomes understood with age.


Kids are taught pretty young by authority figures that nobody is supposed to touch them when they don’t want to be touched and also to extend the same courtesy to others. My problem isn’t that I think Roshi’s disregard for consent is going to convince young boys that it’s okay to touch girls without asking, my problem is the comedy makes light of something that is an actual issue and treats it as nbd.


ETA: Also a lot of the problematic stuff with its representation of minorities is just kind of dated anyways. The problem with General Blue is it reflected the mentality of its time. I think nowadays most kids would know its not cool for Kuririn to call him a “flaming homo” and that not all gays are also pedophiles. Same with Mr.Popo. The issues with his character are just as bad as they were in 1988 but they’re bad because of the historical context. I don’t any kid is gonna watch Dragon Ball and go “Huh so this is all black people”

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Re: Parts of Dragon Ball that you avoid showing to children as a parent or caretaker

Post by MyVisionity » Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:44 pm

PurestEvil wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:39 pm I think that kids under 12 shouldn't watch it to be honest. I always assumed DB was for the teenager crowd...
DB is definitely for the under 12 crowd. It just so happens that it features content that is considered inappropriate outside of Japan. As well as unusual content that non-Japanese kids are not/were not used to seeing in the United States or elsewhere. So that's why so many teenagers were attracted to it back in the day.

jjgp1112 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:44 pm The better question is why would I try to get my hypothetical kid to watch the bullshit I watched as a kid? It's their childhood, not mine.

I don't know how the rest of y'all grew up but if Cartoon Network didn't show old cartoons that my mom would see passing by and say "Hey, I watched that as a kid!" I would have no idea what my parents grew up on.
Parents from generations past didn't have access to things like home video or streaming. All they typically had was the television, so the motivation to introduce their kids to their favorite shows wasn't nearly as strong. Nowadays a parent could just go and pull out their DVD collection or whatever.

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