Why Does The Japanese Version Have A Bad Rep?

[email2003]

Don't want to start a flame war but I really hate FUNimation's version of DBZ. Bruce Falcouner score, the dialogue, everything. I'm more towards the original Japanese version which gives me more of a great feel of the series.

Only exception is DB Kai from FUNi was well done in English.

[kinisking]

Gokus voice isnt as good in their opinion. I'm a Gohan fan yet for some reason it's gokus voice that bothers me in the Japanese version. Piccolo's voice is tremendously better than the English version. So charismatic.

[SaiyanGod117]

Come on now people less not act like the Japanese version of DBZ has been liked among the community for years, because that's far from the truth. Until recently with the release of Super, the sub for Dragon Ball was mostly hated and heavily criticized on, you could go on to mostly any forum on the Internet and make a thread of which is better. An 9 times out of 10, the replies would say the dub or make a thread asking if the DB sub is good an 9 times out 10 they would say no. Same for the DB videos in general, I remember one time some guy uploaded a fight between Goku and Kid Buu and forgot to label it was Japenesee, the video got heavily disliked and there were tons of comments saying the voices sucked. But with the release of Super it's kinda died down a bit since it's getting people accustomed to the Japanese voices and I do gotta say it isn't as bad as I thought it was.

[Bansho64]

Come on now people less not act like the Japanese version of DBZ has been liked among the community for years, because that's far from the truth.

Actually, that's nor very true. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, there were in fact many fans of the original. Matter of fact, there were always fans of the original. Heck, I read a couple of days ago that the first couple of English dubs use to get a lot of backlash from the older fans of the original. A lot of the older community happen to be fans of the original. Heck, the guys at TFS were and still are. Then there's Kanzenshuu, which has been here for years.

[Hellspawn28]

Come on now people less not act like the Japanese version of DBZ has been liked among the community for years, because that's far from the truth.

As someone who has been on DB fan sites and forums since 2001, that's not true. I remember you had fans of the Japanese version and the Ocean voice cast hating on the Funimation dub for many years. I remember people on Planet Namek and the Gamefaqs forums in 2001-2002 didn't have much nice things to say about the Toonami era dub. Even with Super on Cruchyroll, I still see a lot of people disliking the sub version of Dragon Ball on the web and people will be like "I will wait for the dub" and "Goku sounds like a waifu. I can't take this seriously".

[SaiyanGod117]

Actually, that's nor very true. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, there were in fact many fans of the original. Matter of fact, there were always fans of the original.

I'm taking about the newer generation of fans

Heck, I read a couple of days ago that the first couple of English dubs use to get a lot of backlash from the older fans of the original. A lot of the older community happen to be fans of the original. Heck, the guys at TFS were and still are. Then there's Kanzenshuu, which has been here for years.

That's understandable.

[SaiyanGod117]

Come on now people less not act like the Japanese version of DBZ has been liked among the community for years, because that's far from the truth.

As someone who has been on DB fan sites and forums since 2001, that's not true. I remember you had fans of the Japanese version and the Ocean voice cast hating on the Funimation dub for many years. I remember people on Planet Namek and the Gamefaqs forums in 2001-2002 didn't have much nice things to say about the Toonami era dub. Even with Super on Cruchyroll, I still see a lot of people disliking the sub version of Dragon Ball on the web and people will be like "I will wait for the dub" and "Goku sounds like a waifu. I can't take this seriously".

Well the roles have switched that was 14 years ago for the past couples years all I've been seeing is how bad the voices for sub is or that music is trash or why does Goku sound like a hag. Also recently some model on instagram posted on how she was happy Vegeta finally got his moment against Black, but she also added on how she can't wait for the English Dub and can't stand these voices and mostly everybody in the comments section below said the same thing.

[dario03]

The answer to all of this is different people have different opinions, likes, levels of criticism, etc. This is like asking why Pepsi has a bad rap because you see more people drinking Coke. Not everybody is going to like what you like. Also make sure you aren't just seeing certain trends because of confirmation bias or limited sample size.
As far as I can tell there has always been dub fans and sub fans. And there has always been good and bad from both.

[huzaifa_ahmed]

I suppose that getting a true, serious English--language production of Dragon Ball would both be 1. Extremely expensive for a company like Toei. or, 2. Totally not worth their time, despite the property making hundreds of millions of dollars in the West.

I mean Sega & Ninty allow things like Mario cartoons & Sonic Boom, but nope, let's keep Dragon Ball a niche show/butchered dub dichotomy. Jeez.

Good localizations, especially with the controversy behind dubs, are an uphill battle, I suppose.

[8000 Saiyan]

I suppose that getting a true, serious English--language production of Dragon Ball would both be 1. Extremely expensive for a company like Toei. or, 2. Totally not worth their time, despite the property making hundreds of millions of dollars in the West.

I mean Sega & Ninty allow things like Mario cartoons & Sonic Boom, but nope, let's keep Dragon Ball a niche show/butchered dub dichotomy. Jeez.

Good localizations, especially with the controversy behind dubs, are an uphill battle, I suppose.

And what is this true and serious English-language production of Dragon Ball you speak of? A production where the English voice actors need to imitate their Japanese counterparts to be good?

The most important part of voice acting/dubbing is knowing how to act, not imitating voices. Unfortunately, you're too dense to know that.

[Nejishiki]

I may have missed it, but when was it suggested English actors needed to vocally imitate the original performances? There's no need to harshly argue against subjects that weren't brought up, provided the original poster never guided the topic in that direction. Asking the question by itself was sufficient and friendlier.

[Marty Kirra]

I grew up on the original run on Toonami. Honestly, for me, I don't mind either or. I prefer Funimation but it's not going to kill me to watch the show (especially Super, since subs are the only option) in Japanese. I think what people run into is that it's different from what they grew up with. I remember the change from Ocean to Funimation and even as a kid I was like "uh everyone's voice is weird what's going on?".

Even within the "Dub only" subset of fans, people are still arguing over whether the original Funimation cast or the newer members from Kai are better. It's going to happen with everything, I don't think the Japanese version has a bad rap. If anything it's more respected now than ever.

[Hellspawn28]

I find it ironic how many people don't mind Luffy and Naruto having female VA's, yet with Goku, that's no good. Those people simply don't understand his character.

My guess is that DB is way older and those two had people watching fan subs for Naruto & One Piece before any English dub was made thanks to faster speed Internet. With Dragon Ball, most people only had one computer back in the 1990's and most of the audience watching Dragon Ball where too young to know how to use Google or knew how to get fan subs (or can read sub titles).

[TheBlackPaladin]

I find it ironic how many people don't mind Luffy and Naruto having female VA's, yet with Goku, that's no good. Those people simply don't understand his character.

My guess is that DB is way older and those two had people watching fan subs for Naruto & One Piece before any English dub was made thanks to faster speed Internet. With Dragon Ball, most people only had one computer back in the 1990's and most of the audience watching Dragon Ball where too young to know how to use Google or knew how to get fan subs (or can read sub titles).

I think it has to do more so with the fact that Nozawa's voice doesn't sound like it would come out of somebody who looks like Goku.

I know I had a very hard time listening to Nozawa for a while, and the line of logic that I used to allow myself to enjoy her performance...was to give up trying to fool myself that it fit. I just decided...OK, Goku's a strange guy, he can have a strange voice. As a bonus, having the same actress play him allowed for a very engaging evolution in her performance!

I know this is a very subjective subject, but I think a lot of people who prefer the Japanese version have lost sight of the fact that most people who look like Goku just don't sound like Nozawa. Goku is an adult male, and therefore, picking an adult male to voice him would be the logical choice. It's not a matter of getting the character right or wrong, that's related to the acting...we're talking about the voice itself here. That's not an idea that's unique to English fandom either, as pretty much every other dub cast an adult male to play Goku when he became an adult, and I've heard that even many fans of the Latino Spanish dub--probably the most loyal dub the Dragon Ball animes ever received--don't care for Nozawa's voice as adult Goku. Following the same line of logic, I've seen plenty of people who defend Nozawa's performance under the "gender shouldn't matter" line of reasoning also blast Linda Young's performance as Freeza because the voice she used "sounded so obviously like a woman."

Now don't get me wrong, this is not meant to bash anybody's preferences. I think both Schemmel's voice for Goku and Nozawa's voice for Goku work for different reasons. I just thought I'd point out that it's not exactly mysterious to me why people would be weirded out (at least at first) by Nozawa as adult Goku. Luffy and Naruto are on shaky ground (especially as they get older), but they still aren't quite adults, and so it's a tad easier to get away with casting females to play them.

[Xeztin]

I really couldn't add much to what everyone else said, but my point of view is that the dub and original are almost like two different shows. I'd even go as far as to compare it to the difference between Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!. It's crazy how much a soundtrack or a few words changed in a sentence can change the whole outlook of how a fan views the character as to what the character was originally meant to be portrayed as. The Dub gives this feeling of hard rocking kicking ass don't give a damn feeling while the original gives a magical adventure type of deal. I think that's the best I could describe each one, but depending on which one a person grew up with or seen first, usually sets in stone their view of the entire franchise and it's hard to view it in a different light.

For example: As a fan who grew up watching DBZ dubbed on Toonami, who was used to names like Hercule and Kuririn, it was really hard to adjust to their original names. Though I LOVE both, the dub will always hold a nostalgic feeling for me.

I'll also say that if we had Kai in the early 2000's that the fandom in the U.S would be dramatically different than what it is now, I honestly wouldn't know if it would've been more or less popular back then as good as Kai is. A friend once told me he feels like Kai makes it more obvious that the shows for kids while the dubbed Z was up in the air because of the soundtrack/score what have you.

[RandomGuy96]

How come the Japanese version has such a bad rep with the Western fandom?

BWAAAAK

[Bansho64]

How come the Japanese version has such a bad rep with the Western fandom?

BWAAAAK

I don't get it.

[RandomGuy96]

How come the Japanese version has such a bad rep with the Western fandom?

BWAAAAK

I don't get it.

This (now banned, unfortunately) forum member, Rocketman, had a somewhat infamous dislike of the Japanese voices, particularly Nozawa. When asked why, his responses would usually include "BWAAAAK", an imitation of Nozawa Goku's scream.

I thought it was funny.

[Kid Buu]

A lot of people don't like Nozawa as adult Goku, as well as some not liking the Japanese score as much as Falcouner. That's the only complaints I hear really. Never heard someone say they don't like Vegeta or Mr. Satan's Japanese voice actors, for example.

[huzaifa_ahmed]

A lot of people don't like Nozawa as adult Goku, as well as some not liking the Japanese score as much as Falcouner. That's the only complaints I hear really. Never heard someone say they don't like Vegeta or Mr. Satan's Japanese voice actors, for example.

As someone who didnt grow up with the Toonami run (for better & worse), & thus has a very light involvement with the dub..."objectively", while the dub's tone (score included) isnt "reflective of Dragon Ball's essence, as a foreign replacement score that didnt have any effect on later productions...I will say that it still can be judged on its own merits. Kikuchi can get a little too quiet at times, tho it's definitely worse in Kai. It isnt as if Bruce Faulconer himself was a bad composer, either; I like some of the tracks, but it's the principle of replacing music, especially tonally.

Personally, one dub voice that I do enjoy (nay, prefer), is Scott McNeil as Piccolo, in the Pioneer dubs. I know many here dislike the extra cost (as well as principle) of "dubbing" in the first place (ideally theyd reanimate, but then again, Toei & cheap), but Scott has a resume much thicker than Toshio Furukawa's & under proper conditions & script he'd have done even better. Ryo Horikawa is one voice I wish had carried over into the English version, it's that good. Sabat has a big voice, but..that's not Vegeta.

..That being said, Nozawa's voice (while it's not a real issue for me)is just insult to injury for the audience that a version of the show specifically Americanized to appeal to that audience created. Without this heavily Americanized production (one could argue that we'd handle a lesser extent, however), that audience wouldnt exist in the first place. As Kunzait & Attitude Man have stated..it'd probably be a cult following similar to Ranma, or semi-popular álá Naruto & Bleach.

You have to keep in mind many of these are fans who've never touched anime or anything that wasnt specifically designed to appeal to a Western audience (FF, KH, MGS, Sonic, Afro Samurai, etc). Just the recent crashing of CrunchyRoll, due to the Japanese version of Dragon Ball Super, a show that (to them) would be a heavily altered version of the show that they grew up with, should tell you something - that audience was created by the adaptation. The story & characters are at the heart of it, but the tonal "adjustment" makes a big difference - just look at the popularity of Avatar TLA versus, say, Naruto or it's dub. Just having more of a Western tone (albeit sprinkled with references to Asian cinema) heavily increased its popularity in the West.

There are loads of "Dragon-Ball-dub-only" fans, that dislike the "actual" Japanese Dragon Ball for the same reasons that most Voltron or Power Rangers fans dislike or are uninterested in the original versions of those shows, or why those fandoms dont heavily overlap w/general anime fandom. DBZ introduced anime fans to anime, but many fans only stuck with the DBZ dub.

* The dub is so mainstream that, even for several members *here*, it's the only dub (or one of few) they'll watch, or care to look up the names of folks behind the mic, despite even the Kai dub being...not that good. Good dubbing efforts are rarely rewarded. DBZ did the opposite, & like it or not, it made a ton of money & became so popular it's the only dub that even the *purist* community cares about. If it'd been dubbed *properly*, we wouldnt even *care* or be *talking* about the dub, because "dubs are silly". Sure, it's "not the show", but it is definitely incredibly infectious.

& no amount of time passing without a dub or Westernized versions of the show, is truly going to change that fundamental difference in taste, for the mainstream that doesnt enjoy Japanese-only media, unless DB Westernizes, the way that Nintendo began doing so for Pokémon once the franchise became mega-popular in the West. But it seems Japan doesnt work that way, & the only way we'd get heavy Western involvement in Dragon Ball is if we made an entirely separate DB cartoon...which is silly. DB certainly could take influence from a more Western tone..oh wait ...Different subject anyhow.

Anyway, I hope I've made a decent point, that DBZ dub fandom is less "anime niche" & more "mainstream Japan-inspired show", & that seeps into much of the anime niche, who got started on the medium thanks to the dub, & can use it as a proud link to the mainstream. (btw, I keep using "dub" as shorthand for the derogatory DB adaptation, just because it's easier. The Naruto & Bleach dubs (to an extent the JJBA & One Piece dubs) are just great, & the first two, especially, deserve all the credit they can get.)