DBZ in the same category as pokemon or Yu gi oh?

[DragonBallKing]

What I mean by this is that many people tend to look as these show's more as american cartoons than anime, as opposed to naruto, bleach or one piece. In cartoons nobody cares about cheesy over the top random accents like for Jheese and other random characters. But suddenly when Sanji gets a goofy brooklyn accent everyone throws a fit. Does anyone else see this as a double standard.

[JulieYBM]

What I mean by this is that many people tend to look as these show's more as american cartoons than anime, as opposed to naruto, bleach or one piece. In cartoons nobody cares about cheesy over the top random accents like for Jheese and other random characters. But suddenly when Sanji gets a goofy brooklyn accent everyone throws a fit. Does anyone else see this double standard.

It has more to do with what a viewer was first exposed to. Your casual dub viewer has no real standard beyond what they initially accept as the truth, so when something is in direct opposition to that truth it winds up incurring a violent reaction.

Although I wouldn't be surprised if Joe Public was unable to see either of these three series as 'Japanese cartoons'. The North American licensees have done their damndest to make sure the emotional attachment their audience feels is not to any member of the actual production crew, but to their own production crews. It's why dub actors and writers have been flown around the world to various conventions for decades. They idea is that they can steal ownership from the licensors by building up a large enough (although ultimately still niche) audience to justify their continued renewals of the licenses and make their money that way.

[Hellspawn28]

They are all Shonen, so yes. Not to mention Dragon Ball air on Cartoon Network, a channel aim for kids under the age of 12. That's why people view Dragon Ball on the same category as Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Digimon, Beyblade, ect.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Correction, Dragon Ball airs on ADULT SWIM. It does air on CN outside of the USA.

[DragonBallFoodie]

All three are 90s animes filled with lots of awesome meme-worthy action.

[simtek34]

Correction, Dragon Ball airs on ADULT SWIM. It does air on CN outside of the USA.

It WAS on Cartoon Network, pre 2008

[precita]

It's just mainstream anime in the U.S. with dub fans.

Most other anime isn't big in the U.S. and is far more niche, so you don't see people associate it as much with them.

[Hellspawn28]

Most people who are not fans just remember Dragon Ball as a popular kids show from the late 90's and that's it. It's the same with other popular kids shows like how Pokemon is the same category as Transformers, Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers.

[Envy]

I can only speak of my own timeline, but I wasn't bothered by the accents or anything when watching Dragon Ball Z because I had no exposure to Dragon Ball Z in any other form. When I began watching One Piece, things had changed drastically - whereas when I watched DBZ my family only had dial-up internet (which I had very limited access to to begin with), when I began watching One Piece, we now had high-speed internet which I now had on a PC in my room. You know where I'm going with this, I knew what Japanese One Piece was like, it was so much easier to find out.

I'm sure plenty of other people who watched DBZ on Toonami back in early 00s (or before) have a similar experience.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

I'm surprised by the entire notion that anyone thought these properties were American. One look at the credits or any piece of merchandise and you see a clearly Japanese author or company. Anyone watching Z on Toonami is going to know the original author was Akira Toriyama. "1996 Kazuki Takahashi" is on every piece of YGO merchandise in existence.

[Ikazvyr]

It's a (very wrong) common sense that, if it's an cartoon, it's made for children. This is somehow different in USA considering that adult comedy animations are common since The Simpsons is still big even today, we have Family Guy (and its spin-offs) and an channel just for it, that is Adult Swim. You know, Rick and Morty is the next Family Guy-popularity level show. That reality is not the same in other countries like mine is

So, by this common sense, when distributors got their hands on japanese animations, they labeled as kids shows: cartoonish art, super powers and some soft comedy (if you manage to censor it and remove any gag involving Muten Roshi). They were right if in the most cases since every big hit anime in occidental lands are, indeed, kids shows. We had Pokémon, we had Sailor Moon... And 4Kids managed to transform Yu-Gi-Oh!, that was an teen marketable card game show, in a kid marketable card game show, but anyway

And then we have DBZ, the greatest of then all (if you consider that Pokémon was pretty much americanized that we can somehow label it as an mere cartoon). The early Toonami airing was a big BOOM in America. The only problem is that, like Yu-Gi-Oh!, DB and DBZ were teen shows. Shonen Jump's demographic focus were and still are japanese teenagers, mostly boys. DBZ had some gore moments, like Guldo decapitation and Freeza impaling and torturing Kuririn with his horn. But, if you manage to remove any death mention like Ocean saiyan saga did, ease gory and bloody scenes and remove Muten Roshi's gag, what you got? Exactly the same as Superman: The Animated Series. Have you guys ever watched Superman vs. Doomsday in their animated movie? DBZ can (and WAS) be labeled as an superhero cartoon, more blatantly considering any american Goku's VA interpretation and script. Mostly shonen anime can be labeled as kids show going by this. Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh! used a lot the "friendship power" trope; One Piece don't exactly use it, but show friendship and camaraderie importance, and DBZ is pretty much "the good one superhero vs. the evil one supervillain"

Ocean Dub was heavily edited to please american public. We had name changes, some censorship... And look, the american public were indeed pleasured! It was one of the biggest hits in CN/Toonami, so it's not hard to feel it was somehow american
By any means, I'm not saying that soften animes is something good. I like my Dragon Ball uncensored. But yes, Dragon Ball as a whole shouldn't, but can be in the same category as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!

[Hellspawn28]

What I mean by this is that many people tend to look as these show's more as american cartoons than anime, as opposed to naruto, bleach or one piece. In cartoons nobody cares about cheesy over the top random accents like for Jheese and other random characters. But suddenly when Sanji gets a goofy brooklyn accent everyone throws a fit. Does anyone else see this as a double standard.

People did hate how Jheese had a stupid accent in the dub back in the day. I find it odd that how the changes to the series in the dub use to get a lot of hate and now people have gotten use to it. Meanwhile people still throw a fit over the dub changes that shows like Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh have despite DBZ having the same type of demographic.

[Cure Dragon 255]

People DO hate Yu Gi Oh and Digimon dubs, but the love fans have for the Digimon dub is sickening. The Late Takanori Arisawa and Koji Wada's beautiful music is snubbed in American fans eyes in favor of a fucking soundtrack that wasnt even made for the show. Its shitty recycled music from Masked Rider. I really hate saying this but hearing stuff like "I didnt grow up with that Butterfly crap" makes me want to punch people.

[Hellspawn28]

I don't see how is that any different than what Funimation did with Dragon Ball? They changed the music too.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I hate it on Dragon Ball too, but outright calling Butterfly crap just because they didnt grow up with it is an extremely sore spot to me since Koji Wada is dead. Same with Takanori Arisawa.

Dont get me wrong, I hate it on Digimon (Albeit with some extra anger for Wada and Arisawa) and I hate it on Dragon Ball, like the fucking asshole who called Kikuchi's music Sharts or the crowd that wants Nozawa to die. And dont freaking tell "Their kidding LOL" no you just dont kid with stuff like that.

[DB_Fan1991]

Latin America was lucky to get faithful dubs of both Digimon & the original 3 Dragon ball series.