Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.
Better versions of the Trunks and Gohan gut punch GIFs:
Here are both of Metal Coola's gut punches to Goku:
"Kenshi is sitting down right now drawing his mutated spaghetti monsters thinking he's the shit..."--Neptune Kai "90% of you here don't even know what you're talking about (there are a few that do). But the things you say about these releases are nonsense and just plain dumb. Like you Metalwario64"--final_flash
Why Dragon Ball Consistency in something such as power levels matter!
Spoiler:
Doctor. wrote:I've explained before, I'll just paraphrase myself.
Power levels establish tension and drama. People who care about them (well, people who care about them in a narrative) don't care about the big numbers or the fancy explosions. If you have character A who's so much above character B, who's the main character, you're gonna be left wondering how in the hell character B, the character we're supposed to care and root for, is going to escape the situation or overcome the odds. It makes us emotionally invested.
If character B doesn't escape the situation in a believable way that's consistent with previous events, then that emotional investment is gone. It was pointless tension, pointless drama made just to suck in the viewer. It has no critical value whatsoever. The audience is left believing that the author can just create whatever scenarios he wants and what happens to the characters is decided by whatever the author wants to happen, regardless of the events that happened in the story. Which, in fairness, is what happens, but the audience wants to be fooled. The audience wants to know that the world they're following has rules. That the world they're invested in isn't going to bend to external factors that are irrelevant to them.
An author can do whatever he wants with the characters, that's not false. But the author should also have the responsibility to make sure it fits in cohesively with the other events in the narrative he has created.
ABED wrote:Vegeta does in fact punch Gohan in the stomach in the Saiyan arc right before he tosses him next to a broken Goku.
I think he was talking about the Namek scene.
I know. I was pointing out that there was a scene when Vegeta punches Gohan in the stomach. He might have forgetten that scene.
Does anyone remember that awkwardly staged punch 17 gives to Piccolo during Vegeta's fight with 18?
The biggest truths aren't original. The truth is ketchup. It's Jim Belushi. Its job isn't to blow our minds. It's to be within reach.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretzky" - Michael Scott
Happiness is climate, not weather.
Oh yeah, I made that one a couple of years ago too! :p
"Kenshi is sitting down right now drawing his mutated spaghetti monsters thinking he's the shit..."--Neptune Kai "90% of you here don't even know what you're talking about (there are a few that do). But the things you say about these releases are nonsense and just plain dumb. Like you Metalwario64"--final_flash
Nejishiki wrote:There are two punches that come to mind: No. 17 and Piccolo exchanging those blows, taking their turns dealing damage and Boo mercilessly destroying Vegeta's core. The latter, in particular, has staying power and I felt Vegeta's anguish as he was stalling for Goku. It really sells the moment that he's lost the will to move and Mr. Satan is the only one who can save him. The former felt grueling; There were no more strategies to utilize, just two fighters at their wit's end, trying to make one another submit through pain.
These are my favorites too, especially the slugfest Piccolo and 17
Not exactly in the gut, but Goku's one-inch punch against Golden Freeza in RoF was a recent favourite of mine. Probably an homage to Bruce Lee, which makes it even better.
Wow! Best thread ever! Just about any gut punch involving Piccolo, Frieza, or Cell was top tier. Gohan's punch to Super Buu was great too, the one where he knocked all the smoke out of him after detonating the ki blast inside of him.
Big fan of the characters of Dragon Ball, all of them, especially formerly prominent sub-characters. -__-
"Kenshi is sitting down right now drawing his mutated spaghetti monsters thinking he's the shit..."--Neptune Kai "90% of you here don't even know what you're talking about (there are a few that do). But the things you say about these releases are nonsense and just plain dumb. Like you Metalwario64"--final_flash
Tenshinhan's gut punch to Tao Pai Pai in the 23rd Tournament:
"Kenshi is sitting down right now drawing his mutated spaghetti monsters thinking he's the shit..."--Neptune Kai "90% of you here don't even know what you're talking about (there are a few that do). But the things you say about these releases are nonsense and just plain dumb. Like you Metalwario64"--final_flash