Has Super come into its own as "part" as Dragonball?

[Master Xar]

I just recently watched Geekdom's 101 celebration video and while I was thinking about my personal most/least favorite moments I wanted to come here and as if you guys think Super has become it's own thing rather than be DBZ 2.0? Like how Dragonball and Dragonball Z have their own different "charms"

Me personally I feel it has, because it has different strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the other series, it has it's own great moments while still referencing the past, has it's own interesting characters that are now most fans favorites. Namely Caulifla, Hit, Black, Zamasu, Beerus Etc.

So does it DBS have it's own "charm"? Would you watch it without having watched the previous series?

[Vegeta123]

No I would not watch Super without watching z.....thats like watching a tv show and starting at season 3

[Master Xar]

No I would not watch Super without watching z.....thats like watching a tv show and starting at season 3

I meant unknowingly, many have seen DBZ without watching Dragonball, as a continuation can it stand on it's own 2 feet?

[precita]

Super can't stand on its own without knowledge of DBZ prior. None of the old characters would make sense otherwise.

[Boo Machine]

I would like to hear from some people who started with Super. Because I can't really tell if you even can start with it and still enjoy it. I would say no, but as someone that started with Z I don't think I have any room to talk. But then again, I was 6 at the time.

[GodKaio-Ken]

You could start and enjoy it...but after a few episodes youd probably at least look up who everyone was, what they did and so on.

[Fizzer]

Definitely seeing as Super only seemed to find it's way with the Universe 6 arc, and for many not until the Future Trunks arc, I imagine anyone who isn't already a DB fan would start watching Super and think it was a pretty poor anime. It's all about nostalgia.

[sintzu]

I think at this point it's its own part with its pros and cons, just like the 3 series before it.

Many have seen DBZ without watching Dragonball, as a continuation can it stand on it's own 2 feet?

No, simply because Super is too connected to Z's plots, it goes out of its way to remind us that it's a sequel to Z an anyone who hasn't seen Z will be completely lost.

Z worked on its own because Toriyama decided to take the story in a completely different direction to the point where his writing style even changed, that's not the case with Super.

[MR.Mark]

It's bad enough just starting with Z, makes the Saiyan arc lack a lot of drama if you watch it for the first time that way.

OFCOURSE Super doesn't stand on it's own, It's ridiculous to expect it to. The story by and large is where it is now BECAUSE of what came before it. Countless characters have grown and had familys and kids, wtf do you expect going into Super not having watched/read anything else Dragon Ball related?

Fans can be so unreasonable.

That said it has certain elements fresh and unique to it's own identity, but it is trying to be a continuation of Toriyama's story, as it should be.

[GodKaio-Ken]

It's bad enough just starting with Z, makes the Saiyan arc lack a lot of drama if you watch it for the first time that way.

OFCOURSE Super doesn't stand on it's own, It's ridiculous to expect it to. The story by and large is where it is now BECAUSE of what came before it. Countless characters have grown and had familys and kids, wtf do you expect going into Super not having watched/read anything else Dragon Ball related?

Fans can be so unreasonable.

Lol its just like...okay so this random guy who can fly is actually an alien?

Watching DB definitely makes Z more enjoyable, especially with the stuff about Piccolo, Kami and their connectipn to the Dragon Balls.

Most people watched it as a stand alone because they had to and adapted, but honestly it isnt meant to be that.

[MR.Mark]

Lol its just like...okay so this random guy who can fly is actually an alien?

Omg his son has a tail...and wait a minute didn't he just carry an enormous tree with one hand home to his wife afew minutes ago?! WTF why is he riding on a fart?

[BlueBasilisk]

It's bad enough just starting with Z, makes the Saiyan arc lack a lot of drama if you watch it for the first time that way.

OFCOURSE Super doesn't stand on it's own, It's ridiculous to expect it to. The story by and large is where it is now BECAUSE of what came before it. Countless characters have grown and had familys and kids, wtf do you expect going into Super not having watched/read anything else Dragon Ball related?

Fans can be so unreasonable.

There's also the Androids/Cell Saga which ties back to the Red Ribbon Army Saga. Even though Dr. Gero was never mentioned anywhere in that arc. But I feel like the story of Z is so well known and has been retread so many times that anyone interested could jump on with Super and have a fairly good idea what's going on. Super doesn't exist in a vacuum but as part of a massive, well-known multimedia franchise.

[Chuquita]

No, it's a mid-quel and still feels like a mid-quel. You would have to go in without knowing how Z ends in order to get any sense of urgency about it. I honestly think if the manga had ended right after the Buu arc, with no EoZ, that Super would have so much more of a sense of repercussion about it.

But how many people are going to watch Super without having already been exposed to the way Z ends?

That said, it absolutely has its own charm. There were moments and characters I really enjoyed, even if this current arc is kinda blah for the most part.

[Kanious]

I think it is important to know about Z and DB. I know people who didn't watch both, but they read some wikia info about all the arcs of the previous anime and everything is on point for them while watching DBS.

[Kanassa]

There's also the Androids/Cell Saga which ties back to the Red Ribbon Army Saga. Even though Dr. Gero was never mentioned anywhere in that arc.

Really, that connection is very worthless in the grand scheme of things. Dr. Gero's motivation is quickly forgotten and cast to the wayside because he's really just there to start the plot. With Super, stuff like the RoF arc, the connection back to Z is heavily in focus, with Frieza's motivation and prior plot points driving the arc and the characters.

[Nano]

New viewers will be alright until they get to the RoF arc. They'll see Goku get one shotted by a p.o.s laser gun and then be done with Super.

This is how they'll look

[sintzu]

New viewers will be alright until they get to the RoF arc. They'll see Goku get one shotted by a p.o.s laser gun and then be done with Super.

This is how they'll look

Then they stick around for one more episode to see Vegeta beat Freeza into the ground and decide it's worth it to watch till the end just to see more of him.

This is how they'll look whenever his royal greatness is on screen

[Lord Beerus]

I think Super really can only be greatly enjoyed if you have previous knowledge of DB and Z with the throwbacks and callbacks it makes to both show. I think Dragon Ball Super has earned that nice little niche label of being a fun, run-of-the-mill battle shonen, with some dense and wacky comedy thrown in their from time to time.

[Lionel]

Funny, it seems like two dichotomic interpretations of Dragon Ball Super's existence is forming here. One is the belief that the series is specifically tailor made for children to encourage them to purchase merchandise while the other believes DBS is a deeply connected extension of the original DBZ before the final ending; the latter mentality no doubt requiring in-depth knowledge of Z's timeline to understand events, references and characters in Super. How do you reconcile these two notions? It seems obvious Toei is aware of the many older fans who watch Super. They must also be aware of the huge international market that exists for DB. The studio's main demographic should be the show's country of origin, but finding some compromise that better accommodates some of the desires of international fans wouldn't be a bad idea, in my opinion.

I give credit to Super for putting much more emphasis on lore and world-building. In the previous series this deistic hierarchical structure did exist, but it was mostly relegated to the background with it acting as the motivational framework for certain events happening. With Super, the gods are the centre of many conflicts. They oversee the actions of our cast and manipulate them into doing exactly what they want.

Super has also made efforts to try and relegitimise the non-Saiyan fighters to varying degrees. The choreography has been largely mediocre, but I appreciate the effort they're making to rectify one of the most glaring flaws of Z's later arcs.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

I think Super really can only be greatly enjoyed if you have previous knowledge of DB and Z with the throwbacks and callbacks it makes to both show. I think Dragon Ball Super has earned that nice little niche label of being a fun, run-of-the-mill battle shonen, with some dense and wacky comedy thrown in their from time to time.

I wouldn't say it's run of the mil at all. 100episodes in and the main protagonists have only won one battle, plus we have such unique protagonists.

I also disagree it can't be enjoyed without prior knowledge as I've been watching episodes randomly with family from time to time and they enjoy the show just fine. You'll get enjoyment with previous knowledge sure but I think it still can be enjoyed.