Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

User avatar
Majin Man 101
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:45 pm

Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Majin Man 101 » Wed Aug 03, 2022 4:40 am

By the time of Dragon Ball GT, this ensemble cast had exploded into the dozens. In my opinion, the powers that be chose just about the absolute worst crew one could think of with very uninteresting dynamics overall, and not enough options for flexibility.

While there are some great moments of Pan being embarrassed about her grandfather acting like a child (despite the fact that he now is one once again), and then Trunks being annoyed at Pan for being a major pain on their entire journey, there just isn’t enough there.

So here is who should have gone and why.

Goku- Obvious reasons, Goku is pretty dynamic and well written character all around. Serves as muscle and comic relief. All purpose most balanced character.

Gohan-Gohan finally would be able to put all those years of studying to be an all around generic scholar to good use and would be able to document and write about alien races and planets they come across on their journey.

Majin Boo- Nothing could be more essential to a journey than Mr. Boo himself with all of his Boo magic. His magical feats could always come in handy as they could possibly have very few writing limitations to what they could do. Also another very strong warrior to have around, and could also get the rest of the cast into bad situations due to his overall naivety. This could also serve as a great and hilarious sub plot on earth as Mr. Satan’s bromance would turn into a long distance relationship

Oob-We know little of Oob and how he could have been characterized if given much more screen time. But Goku bringing along his pupil on this endeavor would help Oob grow as a man and a fighter.

Trunks-Being the son of Bulma a master scientist and engineer did actually pay off sometimes in maintenance of the ship in the original show. Trunks would generally serve the same purpose as he actually did in GT.

So Goku, Gohan, Trunks, Majin Boo, And Oob. This to me would have been a much better dynamic.

Would love to hear some other thoughts on this subject.

User avatar
Hellspawn28
Patreon Supporter
Posts: 15191
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:50 pm
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Hellspawn28 » Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:06 am

I would have Goku, Pan, Trunks, Goten, and Uub. You have a new generation along with Goku himself on the way.
She/Her
PS5 username: Guyver_Spawn_27
LB Profile: https://letterboxd.com/Hellspawn28/

User avatar
DBZAOTA482
Banned
Posts: 6995
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:04 pm
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by DBZAOTA482 » Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:54 am

Uub, Bra, and Pan (but change her characterization and role). Make way for the new gen.
Last edited by DBZAOTA482 on Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
fadeddreams5 wrote:
DBZGTKOSDH wrote:... Haven't we already gotten these in GT? Goku dies, the DBs go away, and the Namekian DBs most likely won't be used again because of the Evil Dragons.
Goku didn't die in GT. The show sucked him off so much, it was impossible to keep him in the world of the living, so he ascended beyond mortality.
jjgp1112 wrote: Sat Jul 18, 2020 6:31 am I'm just about done with the concept of reboots and making shows that were products of their time and impactful "new and sexy" and in line with modern tastes and sensibilities. Let stuff stay in their era and give today's kids their own shit to watch.

I always side eye the people who say "Now my kids/today's kids can experience what I did as a child!" Nigga, who gives a fuck about your childhood? You're an adult now and it was at least 15 years ago. Let the kids have their own experience instead of picking at a corpse.

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6201
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by MasenkoHA » Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:55 am

I want to say Oob but I don't know how he would work in an adventure setting. I'd probably just give him a bigger role in the Evil Dragons arc so Son Goku can properly name him his successor when he leaves.

Likewise I'd want Bra to be there. If Toei really wanted to recreate the original arc IN SPACE it makes sense to have Bulma's daughter there. Plus she was wasted as a Half Saiyan. But I'd be damned if there would be a good reason for her to be there. Her parents wouldn't make her go. She doesn't seem interested in the same way as Pan.

Screw it, Goku, Pan, and Goten. Goku and Pan for obvious reasons and Goten because he seemed way less fleshed out than Trunks and needs some character development.

User avatar
Zephyr
I Live Here
Posts: 4021
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:20 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Zephyr » Wed Aug 03, 2022 10:39 am

Up front, Goku needs to be there. He's the main character of Dragon Ball, you're making a new Dragon Ball story: you're making a new Goku story.

Now, that story can be about how he's training/guiding the next generation of martial artists. That's fine. Goten and Trunks are more into dating than fighting, so they're out. Bra seems more interested in shopping than fighting, so she's out. Gohan has his conferences and shit, so he's out. But Oob becoming Goku's defacto pupil was Dragon Ball's ending, so him going makes sense. Pan can also be a pupil of his, as she demonstrated great fighting spirit during the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai. This mission can be another phase of training for these two pupils.

Need a techie. Honestly, I'd send Bulma over Trunks. He's an exec now, or something. Bulma actually built the ship (if I remember correctly?). If you really wanna capture that "Hunt for the Dragon Balls arc" nostalgia, then have Goku and Bulma going on an adventure together again, so that their specific chemistry can shine. Maybe it'll be different this time around with Goku having aged, maybe it'll be the same.

User avatar
Majin Man 101
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:45 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Majin Man 101 » Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:59 am

MasenkoHA wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:55 am I want to say Oob but I don't know how he would work in an adventure setting. I'd probably just give him a bigger role in the Evil Dragons arc so Son Goku can properly name him his successor when he leaves.

Likewise I'd want Bra to be there. If Toei really wanted to recreate the original arc IN SPACE it makes sense to have Bulma's daughter there. Plus she was wasted as a Half Saiyan. But I'd be damned if there would be a good reason for her to be there. Her parents wouldn't make her go. She doesn't seem interested in the same way as Pan.

Screw it, Goku, Pan, and Goten. Goku and Pan for obvious reasons and Goten because he seemed way less fleshed out than Trunks and needs some character development.
I agree with bra. I heavily considered her for my supposed cast and even started typing her out early on and then retracted. She definitely was a missed opportunity for sure.

User avatar
Ashur
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 138
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2022 6:48 am

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Ashur » Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:26 pm

I completely disagree with excluding Pan, GT is a story about her and Goku first and foremost and the changes in their relationship is important for the story being told, if she doesn't go with Goku to the travel, then they don't have an opportunity to bond after the initial shock of Goku being turned into a kid, with everything culminating in Goku's SSJ4 transformation.

I'm not sure about how to redesign the team to make it work while not loosing the important elements of the original team, i feel like having it be such misfit was the point: It was not intended to be an efficient group, that said something could have been done to make Trunks more interesting.

User avatar
FPSSJ4_Goku
Regular
Posts: 537
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:33 pm
Location: New York, US
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by FPSSJ4_Goku » Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:35 pm

I was originally going to suggest the entire Dragon Team + Pan and Bra, but then that leaves nobody to protect Earth, and some of them are retired. So, my team would be Goku, Vegeta (because we barely saw him as a good guy in GT), Gohan, Piccolo, and Pan. Maybe I could throw Tenshinhan in there too just for good measure. To give our favorite triclops some love.
So, you decided to read my signature, eh?

If you'd like, check out my YouTube channel, and maybe subscribe?

User avatar
JulieYBM
Patreon Supporter
Posts: 16503
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:25 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by JulieYBM » Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:46 pm

Gokuu, Pan and Bra.

Trunks was meant to provide a stabilizing element to the original trio but I think what would have been more fun is using Bra as another challenge for the trio to work under. Bra as the relaxed one who—while a genius—doesn't care to put a lot of effort in and isn't concerned with growing stronger. Pan, who wants to grow stronger and is very serious—so much so that she lacks an ability to relax. Gokuu, who appears to be a wild card with no allegiance and only a spirit for adventure. Pan thinks Gokuu and Bra don't take life seriously enough, Bra thinks Pan takes life too seriously. The audience doesn't quite know what to think of Gokuu. Pan reminds the audience of the mistakes of our youth that we would rather not remember. Bra niggles the audience about our own resignation to our status quo, living in the shadow of our parents, coasting off the success of a life that came easy to us.
She/Her💕 💜 💙
progesterone princess, estradiol empress
Lucifer's bimbo daughter

WittyUsername
I Live Here
Posts: 4170
Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2013 12:09 am
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by WittyUsername » Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:19 pm

I’d say that Pan is pretty vital to being part of the quest. She’s Goku’s granddaughter who was given a fair amount of focus in the epilogue in the manga. It only makes sense to bring her along. Plus, it allows there to be a female character as part of the cast, which would help satisfy many people. I also think Trunks makes sense to have along, since he’s the tech guy of the group, and is Bulma’s son. So, I think those three can stay.

As for who else I would include, I think Goten makes sense. He and Trunks are best friends, and they can work off each other in the story. Plus, it would give Goten something to do, so his character wouldn’t just feel like a blank slate. I’m not sure I’d include anyone else. Maybe I’d throw in Oob, since there should probably a non-Saiyan in the group, and it would tie in with that whole next generation idea.

User avatar
DBZAOTA482
Banned
Posts: 6995
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:04 pm
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by DBZAOTA482 » Fri Aug 05, 2022 10:38 am

Like I said, Pan should come along just don't write her the way she was in GT. That shit was awful.

Like when Pan blamed Goku for everything going wrong when she was the one who forced herself into the situation, she was the who made them leave prematurely and caused them to go off course, and Goku had absolutely no control over the wish Pilaf made.

Man if I was Goku, I woulda whoop her ass then and there don't care if Trunks sees. Disrespectful little shit. :x
fadeddreams5 wrote:
DBZGTKOSDH wrote:... Haven't we already gotten these in GT? Goku dies, the DBs go away, and the Namekian DBs most likely won't be used again because of the Evil Dragons.
Goku didn't die in GT. The show sucked him off so much, it was impossible to keep him in the world of the living, so he ascended beyond mortality.
jjgp1112 wrote: Sat Jul 18, 2020 6:31 am I'm just about done with the concept of reboots and making shows that were products of their time and impactful "new and sexy" and in line with modern tastes and sensibilities. Let stuff stay in their era and give today's kids their own shit to watch.

I always side eye the people who say "Now my kids/today's kids can experience what I did as a child!" Nigga, who gives a fuck about your childhood? You're an adult now and it was at least 15 years ago. Let the kids have their own experience instead of picking at a corpse.

User avatar
Koitsukai
I Live Here
Posts: 4276
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 5:02 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Koitsukai » Fri Aug 05, 2022 11:50 am

I wouldn't take more than 4 characters to space. Goku and Pan are set in stone for me.

I love Goku, Pan and Trunks and I do get a kick outta Trunks, the Z brat, being the most level headed of the bunch.

Uub seems like a good choice. good opportunity to see him do something, but if fighting is his thing, staying behind to protect Earth just in case, with Goku in space, works. I would actually like it if some low level goon goes to Earth and Uub steps up, something he did not when Baby arrived. So maybe another alien was on that ship, too. (This reminds that now we are welcoming visitors from outer space!)

Mr. Buu sounds like a great addition, I'm sure several planets would panic at his sight. He can conveniently fall asleep when the story needs his absence. He could also be too convenient to have as a member, reducing the stakes.

Goten: I think his relationship with Trunks might be too much for an entire arc, besides what teenager wants to travel with their dad?

Bra: we already have a young brat on the ship, no need for another one. Besides, too big of a task for three kids.

Geets: lol. Although, a former space conqueror would find the DBs in like 4 days. Goku, Trunks, Pan and Geets sounds like a helluva crew.

Bulma: I'd rather not repeat the original team, besides space is big, she might be more of a liability than an asset.

TL;DR: I'd add Buu, Geets or Uub to the original team, in that order.

User avatar
TobyS
I Live Here
Posts: 2450
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 12:11 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by TobyS » Sat Aug 06, 2022 4:18 pm

Piccolo should feel responsibility for forgetting them and Goku should want to get the wish undone. Uub as the student and someone to maintain the ship.

Otherwise I would have had the og cast be there like Bulma Yamcha and have the og team go to space go all in on the nostalgia not just goku-timing it
Yamcha almost certainly did not cheat on Bulma:
He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
Alternate future Trunks is not a reliable source.
Toriyama wanted new SSJ Kids and not make new characters.

User avatar
90sDBZ
I Live Here
Posts: 2500
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:34 am
Location: UK

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by 90sDBZ » Sat Aug 06, 2022 5:39 pm

Goku, Goten, and Trunks would have been fun to see. We could have had an adult Gotenks appear, and maybe have an unlikely twist with Goku being the immature one and Gotenks of all people becoming the voice of reason. Or maybe swap out Goku for Piccolo and have him deal with Gotenks's antics again.

User avatar
ChronoTwigger
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1225
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 9:45 pm
Location: PizzaLand

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by ChronoTwigger » Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:19 am

Interesting question.
Changing the team change the entire mood of the story, so I'll try to forget the entire plot and start from scratch.

So... in the end... only Goku and Dende (!!!). Other characters should have come from the plot. My idea of GT was way more like a Chrono Trigger RPG. New characters with new background to explore.
One thing that you feel in GT is the lack of characters arcs - you knew their shared goal, you knew their overall destination. Making them meet new characters with different goals could had been way more interesting than replaying the same stuff 2.0
It's strange they didn't so, considering it was a thing in early DB.
I learned english listening to songs. So I don't know anything about. The day you had to learn play piano by just listening .mp3, you'll understand.

User avatar
super michael
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1065
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:05 am

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by super michael » Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:46 am

I would choose these characters to go into space:

Goku
Pan
Goten
Trunks
Piccolo
Oob

Bra in GT isn't smart at all and she isn't a fighter, she is just dead weight. Goku, Pan, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo are into fighting and adventures. Goku and Piccolo are the best fighters in the team, who they can teach the next generation on the team.

Goten and Trunks can teach fusion dance to the team and how they got to SSJ3 levels and the other levels.

User avatar
jjbgood
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 74
Joined: Sun May 01, 2022 4:31 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by jjbgood » Mon Aug 08, 2022 1:59 pm

they should have launched 2 teams, to search in different directions.

first team: Goku, Uub and Pan
second team: Vegeta, Trunks, Goten

every team should have different adventures on their own and the last dragonball put them together for a big boss fight.
HOST AND FOUNDER OF THE GERMAN DRAGON BALL PODCAST "KAMEHAMEHA".
ADVISOR FOR THE GERMAN DUB OF DRAGON BALL SUPER.
FAN FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
https://kame-hame-ha.de/

User avatar
Koitsukai
I Live Here
Posts: 4276
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 5:02 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Koitsukai » Mon Aug 08, 2022 2:18 pm

jjbgood wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 1:59 pm they should have launched 2 teams, to search in different directions.

first team: Goku, Uub and Pan
second team: Vegeta, Trunks, Goten

every team should have different adventures on their own and the last dragonball put them together for a big boss fight.
Dude, this sounds really interesting. I'd definitely watch an arc with two teams exploring the universe, having their own adventures and finally getting together to join forces. It'd be a helluva a contest between Team Kakarotto and Team Vegeta to see who finds the most DBs.

User avatar
Majin Man 101
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:45 pm

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by Majin Man 101 » Mon Aug 08, 2022 4:17 pm

jjbgood wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 1:59 pm they should have launched 2 teams, to search in different directions.

first team: Goku, Uub and Pan
second team: Vegeta, Trunks, Goten

every team should have different adventures on their own and the last dragonball put them together for a big boss fight.
That’s a fantastic idea, but Gokus team would need someone more competent with space ships. When Goku was sent to Namek, it was a straight shot. But The Black star dragon ball hunt going to many different worlds could prove to be more of a challenge.

User avatar
jjbgood
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 74
Joined: Sun May 01, 2022 4:31 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball GT: Who should have launched off in search of the black star dragon balls.

Post by jjbgood » Mon Aug 08, 2022 6:46 pm

Majin Man 101 wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 4:17 pm
jjbgood wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 1:59 pm they should have launched 2 teams, to search in different directions.

first team: Goku, Uub and Pan
second team: Vegeta, Trunks, Goten

every team should have different adventures on their own and the last dragonball put them together for a big boss fight.
That’s a fantastic idea, but Gokus team would need someone more competent with space ships. When Goku was sent to Namek, it was a straight shot. But The Black star dragon ball hunt going to many different worlds could prove to be more of a challenge.
I think thats an easy fix. Just make the Ships interactive mit AIs, or give each team an AI Pilot, maybe an robot like Giru. So you can have the relationship between Pan and (her) Giru, but a different origin Story for him (as a Pilot robot made by Bulma). Or... well... make Pan smarter. She is in the end the daughter of gohan, so maybe she could be the pilot. But i think i like the AI Robot idea more, because it brings something to the teams.
HOST AND FOUNDER OF THE GERMAN DRAGON BALL PODCAST "KAMEHAMEHA".
ADVISOR FOR THE GERMAN DUB OF DRAGON BALL SUPER.
FAN FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
https://kame-hame-ha.de/

Post Reply