Favorite Tenkaichi Budokai?

[AS_Saiyan]

That's really hard... I love them all very much.

The 21st is great in comedy aspects, and also in understanding how strong Kuririn and Goku really became, and of course battle where great and Jackie Chun was awesome.

The 22nd had some really cool plot with the schools' rivalery, great and VERY enjoyable fights. And of course, Tenshinhan, which has one of the best character arcs in the whole series.

But hands down, my favorite will have to be the 23rd which was also very touching at some moments and had some of the best fights and character development in the series.
Kuririn understanding his limits by giving up to Piccolo and admitting defeat.
Yamcha learning to never underestimate his oponents, no matter how strong you are.
Tenshinhan finnaly getting over the Crane school and leaving them for good.
Goku fulfilling his destiny by fighting Piccolo Jr. and beating him, and also getting married on the way.
And Chaozu... for being a good plot device... I guess...
Overall, this arc has some flaws, as mentioned above, but it was the most fun, enjoyable and intresting out of the 3. and also the end of it when looking back at the all series and realizing how far we've come was perfect imo.

[Doctor.]

I know I'm in the minority, but, while I love all the major Budoukai arcs, the 23rd is definitely my least favorite. It's just too crowded. There's so little spontaneity to it, and half the matches just feel rather obligatory. We all know from the beginning it's going to be Goku and Ma Junior standing in the end. Everything else is window dressing. Don't get me wrong. Most of it is great window dressing. But it's just a problem the other two don't have.

In Dragon Ball Dissection, I scored the 22nd as the highest. And I think it's awesome. But sometimes I really love the freshness of the 21st. With all of its random fighters, it felt like anything could happen. It felt like a real (albeit wacky) tournament.

The problem I have with the 21st and 22nd tournaments is that they don't make enough of an effort to make us care for anyone we don't know. The only time Toriyama tried was with Namu. The other characters in both tournaments just seem like random fights that are there as placeholders until we get to the final with Goku and someone else. This isn't the case with the 23rd Budokai, you know everyone there, you care about everyone there, there are stakes, there's tension, there's something more to lose than just some dumb tournament.

[Man-Child]

22nd gave us a great character in Tien, and his development throughout was engaging. It was nice to see how cold he was initially, then through Roshi's subtle teachings, Goku's resolve, and Crane Hermit's character flaws, he softened into the noble fighter we know and love. Not to mention, the actual line ups in fights were probably the best in Dragon Ball. Tien vs. Yamcha, Krillin vs. Chaozu, Goku vs. Krillin, Tien vs. Roshi, and Goku vs. Tien. All entertaining fights, and some were just hilarious. If we count Krillin's death as the end of the saga, then it was the most shocking end to a Tenkaichi Budokuai. If not, then Goku's loss by hitting a truck might also take the cake. Great stuff.

[Soppa Saia People]

I know I'm in the minority, but, while I love all the major Budoukai arcs, the 23rd is definitely my least favorite. It's just too crowded. There's so little spontaneity to it, and half the matches just feel rather obligatory. We all know from the beginning it's going to be Goku and Ma Junior standing in the end. Everything else is window dressing. Don't get me wrong. Most of it is great window dressing. But it's just a problem the other two don't have.

In Dragon Ball Dissection, I scored the 22nd as the highest. And I think it's awesome. But sometimes I really love the freshness of the 21st. With all of its random fighters, it felt like anything could happen. It felt like a real (albeit wacky) tournament.

The problem I have with the 21st and 22nd tournaments is that they don't make enough of an effort to make us care for anyone we don't know. The only time Toriyama tried was with Namu. The other characters in both tournaments just seem like random fights that are there as placeholders until we get to the final with Goku and someone else. This isn't the case with the 23rd Budokai, you know everyone there, you care about everyone there, there are stakes, there's tension, there's something more to lose than just some dumb tournament.

See that's my problem with it you know everyone there are no surprises in it. For the 21st and 22nd ones there are surprises hell when Tenshinhan beats Goku is a "twist" nobody saw coming same with Krillin vs Chaozu Toriyama could had Goku face both Crane students instead we get a great moment for Krillin. In the 23rd I knew who was going to win every match.

[Doctor.]

See that's my problem with it you know everyone there are no surprises in it. For the 21st and 22nd ones there are surprises hell when Tenshinhan beats Goku is a "twist" nobody saw coming same with Krillin vs Chaozu Toriyama could had Goku face both Crane students instead we get a great moment for Krillin. In the 23rd I knew who was going to win every match.

There are no surprises in the other tournaments either. Nobody we "know" EVER lost to someone who was recently introduced and didn't stick around (I don't think Tenshinhan and Chaozu count, otherwise I can count God and Piccolo). I knew who was gonna win every match besides the finals in the other tournaments too, imagine if Kuririn lost to Namu or something in the 21st TB, now THAT would be an actual twist. And even the final of the 22nd TB was so unfair, considering Goku had the upper-hand the ENTIRE match and lost out of pure luck, that's so lame.

[ABED]

I like them all. I used to not enjoy 22, but have come around to it. Each tournament has its charm, at least in DB, not so much in Z. I'm all for commercialism but I prefer the intimate nature of the first 3 tournaments. The crowd is full of legit fight fans, not people who are into a celebrity, Pamputto not withstanding.

And even the final of the 22nd TB was so unfair, considering Goku had the upper-hand the ENTIRE match and lost out of pure luck, that's so lame.

I actually like that, sometimes luck plays a part, and it gives Goku something more to strive for so luck doesn't play as big of a factor next time.

In the 23rd Budokai, we knew who would win, or at least had a good idea, but that doesn't matter. It wasn't about the destination, it's about the journey.

[Geekdom101]

I love them all, but the 23rd is my favorite. The entire series was built up in a way to that moment and it is the culmination of the character arc for several characters and has one of the most ridiculous fights ever.

[TheUltimateVegito]

Definitely 22nd. That saga rivals the DBZ era in greatness. You know the saga is fantastic when even the gag fight was awesome.

[TenshinFan]

1. 23rd
2. 21st
3. 22nd
4. 31st
5. 28th
6. 25th

The 23rd featured the 8 fights and prelims most in depth. The 21st was funniest. The 31st was cool how Papyaman/Uub made the finals and Goku was knocked out by Mulligan, harkening back to Shen vs Yajirobee.