Dragon Ball, the Great Parody? Dragon Ball's Forgotten Genre

[nickzambuto]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeROpLyAI8s

My second YouTube video. I posted my first video here two months ago, but it was soon taken down for copyright and I've had to battle that ever since

Luckily that's over and I've learned from my mistakes. Does anybody remember the Wuxia thread from around here? I read that and was fascinated to find Dragon Ball's true genre, but all along I couldn't help but think, wouldn't Dragon Ball be more properly classified as Wuxia parody? It started off as a gag manga after all. In this video, I wanted to discuss a few elements from those first two arcs, and analyze a few characters that point towards the parody aspects of Dragon Ball's origins. I hope you guys enjoy!

P.S. If you have any comments, leave them on the YouTube page and not here. Comments help videos to get more search results and stuff.

[Draconic]

Regarding the question if DB should be classed as a wuxia or a wuxia parody, I must say that it doesn't sound right to me. If you reread the essay from a while back, you can see that all the elements of a wuxia are there and presented straight. The character tropes, for instance, are just that, tropes, not parodies of said tropes. Gohan being the scholar trope for example is in no way played for laughs, that's just who he is. The story too, is presented straight: a quest to become stronger. The goal is not played for laughs like in let's say One Punch Man. Sure, the journey has it's comedic moments and generally is presented in a light and fun tone, but that doesn't change the genre. At best, I think you could call it a wuxia comedy, but not a parody, as those words don't mean the same thing.

Also, to not be an asshole I will also post this in the comments, so feel free to reply there if you wish so.