Why a next generation series should be a PRIORITY

[mecha3000]

With Super ending, there has (of course) been talk about a potential new series within the community. However, many are torn on whether it should be one of two things: 1. Continuing in Super's direction where we follow the story of Goku and the gang within the ten year pre-timeskip period (trap gap, as I've dubbed it) OR 2. Move on from Super into new territory such as following Goku and Vegeta mentoring the new generation of characters such as Uub and Pan. I decided to make my own post about this because I felt I could lay out my points about why Option 2 should be a priority:

1. A new DB series NEEDS to appeal to the next generation: Ever since the end of DBZ, Toei has created GT and Super - both of which fail to welcome in new fans to DB as both series only work if you've seen DB or at least DBZ. DB needs to move on from our generation a little bit and this should be symbolized by putting spotlight on newer characters like Uub. Through Uub and Pan, the new and younger fans can see themselves in those characters like some of us saw ourselves in Gohan. Through the use of Uub or Pan, DB can truly welcome in new fans in a never before seen manner by possibly reintroducing concepts. For example, imagine an entire arc about Goku training with Uub in his village - teaching him how to fly, utilize ki, and the Kamehameha. Uub would represent the new viewers, who have never seen the original Dragon Ball and don't exactly know what Kamehameha is. Also, many people rightfully bring up the point that Dragon Ball Super can't really be recommended for newbies like Attack on Titan or My Hero Academia can. The next-gen concept would change that a little bit.

2. There's already a precedent for time and character shifts in the series: Some say characters like Uub and Pan aren't interesting enough and don't warrant focus, but DB has introduced newer characters before. At one point, Gohan and Vegeta weren't even a thing in DB - but for some fans, now they're THE ONLY THING in DB. Gohan is interesting in particular because he was around the same age as Pan when he debuted in Z and Pan seems like she could be even stronger than he was then (obviously). Imagine Pan getting involved in the series somehow and growing up similar to Gohan by training and being involved in the battles. It'd recreate the Gohan effect many of us had for the new generation of fans with Pan. Basically, Uub and Pan can become iconic characters like Gohan and Vegeta. Hell, even 17 wasn't as big a character until Super reintroduced him.

3. We need stakes again: We can't stay trapped in this eternal trap gap anymore because there's no real stakes in it. We know the end of the manga and unless Super is designated as an alternate canon (which many fans and Toyotaro have proven false), there's no point to follow this story anymore. I want to get to EoZ and eventually the GT timeframe and really get the unexpected nature back in DB because right now, it feels like I'm watching a typical episode of Ninja Turtles. Besides what happened with Future Trunks, there hasn't been too many big consequences in Super - which means Toriyama/Toei is playing it too safe.

4. Goku doesn't have to go anywhere: I see time and time again that there can be no Dragon Ball without Goku, which I slightly disagree with because at one point - Toriyama was going to make Gohan the focus (even though it may have cost readers). Even Trunks proves you can perhaps have DB without Goku due to his Time Patroller exploits. Still, Goku doesn't have to go anywhere and that was never what was being suggested. At the end of Z and specifically the Kanzenban ending, Goku passes his nimbus onto Uub - symbolizing him passing the torch to Uub. Some feel like this should be the end of DB, but I feel like this should be a new beginning (as that one Funimation DVD title was) in Dragon Ball!! GOKU AS A TEACHER, TAKING UP A ROSHI ROLE?!!! THAT'S LITERALLY THE GREATEST SETUP FOR A NEW SERIES - AND GT DIDN'T EVEN SHOW HIM TEACHING!!!! IT'S SO UNTAPPED!!! So yeah, Goku doesn't have to go anywhere. If anything, he should be a main character more than ever because of this (while also providing spotlight to Uub).

5. A back-to-basics approach: Honestly, I don't really care for the whole gods, god ki, and god transformations concept that was brought to DB because I feel it kind of hurt the franchise with how confusing it was, in my opinion. A new series could sort of retcon this concept and also, just make Goku and Vegeta more vulnerable again because hearing HOW DID KRILLIN OR 17 BEAT SSBLUE GOKU or HOW DID SSB GOKU LOSE TO (INSERT CHARACTER WHO IS NOT SSB) - has gotten so old. I feel like certain things from Super should be softly/slightly retconned for a new series to bring back some sort of - Well, sense.

So yeah, those are my thoughts: Agree or disagree? I'm interested to see if someone can defend their point about why NOT to do this (although I already expect the BECAUSE MORE UNIVERSES, GODS OF DESTRUCTIONS, PRIDE TROOPERS replies - despite the fact that DB has never been good really completely paying off these sorts of concepts and that it might not be too wise to get too attached to Super's concepts moving forward)

[kinisking]

I agree. Uub, Pan, Goten, and Trunks deserve to be main characters with Gohan, Vegeta , Piccolo and Goku taking mentor roles.

[Michsi]

Disagree, honestly.

Aside from the fact that replacing characters who I am emotionally invested in with new ones I care very little about is upsetting in and of itself, I also find changing the focus back to kids and young teenagers greatly unappealing. Trunks and Goten's antics before the fusion plot-line was a little on the annoying side, and I don't want to see that take center stage.
I very rarely like kid characters and would not want the story give them the biggest part of the screen time.
Also, I try to picture a group shot with Trunks, Goten, Uub and Pan and I find it visually boring.

I'd rather have the main cast be wished back to kids and force them to relearn and regain their power because that at least would be hilarious.

[Kanious]

I don't think that dragon ball will continue as a series... but if ir happens... having the next generation should be inevitable at some point.

[Totamo]

I have watched Boruto and the last jedi and if dragon ball goes that route, I will immediately dropped it.


Next Gen stories suck because they evolve the new gen too quickly and basically destroy everything the heroes did, people were divisive about the female saiyans yet they are ok with a new gen.

[mute_proxy]

Say what you will, but there is no DB without Goku. He'll never be a sidecharacter.

[buutenks]

Seriously? People,Goku has a day dedicated to himself in Japan. Goku is the face of DB, he wont go away. Goku will always been the main character. If they make a new series passed End of Z, it will have Goku as the main character. Also why do some people say Goku is getting old?Goku at end of Z is around 50 i think. Saiyans look like 20ish till their 80+ so they can fight more. So infact, Uub will proly look older than Goku in 30 years passed end of Z lol.

I don't think that dragon ball will continue as a series... but if ir happens... having the next generation should be inevitable at some point.

Most of the nex gen anime is because the stories of naruto and such is over. Because he had a goal. Luffy has a goal etc. Oda can stretch it to thousands of episodes but inevitably the goal will be reached and it is game over. DB in that aspect is practically immortal. Since Goku's goal is to keep getting stronger, added that with the fact that saiyans live a very long time, unlike luffy and naruto who by 60 they will proly need to visit the hospital on a regular basic, Goku at 60+ will be like 20 years old fresh and ready to unlock a new transformation or learn a new technique. They could make an anime series 500 years in the future about Goku if they so wished.

[TekTheNinja]

Absolutely. In fact, I'm sick of the same tired arguments of, "I don't care about these characters" since as you said, nobody cared about Gohan at first either. Then there's people acting like we just want to take Goku away, which is ridiculous since mentor Goku could be a really cool way to use him and isn't just a way of doing away with him. He'll still be around, but focus can go to the new guys just like focus went to Gohan in Z

[dbs fanboy]

Absolutely. In fact, I'm sick of the same tired arguments of, "I don't care about these characters" since as you said, nobody cared about Gohan at first either. Then there's people acting like we just want to take Goku away, which is ridiculous since mentor Goku could be a really cool way to use him and isn't just a way of doing away with him. He'll still be around, but focus can go to the new guys just like focus went to Gohan in Z

So, Goku=All Might?
New Gen=Deku?

[TekTheNinja]

Say what you will, but there is no DB without Goku. He'll never be a sidecharacter.

Goku being dead, comatose, or otherwise out the action for most of Z says otherwise.

[TekTheNinja]

Absolutely. In fact, I'm sick of the same tired arguments of, "I don't care about these characters" since as you said, nobody cared about Gohan at first either. Then there's people acting like we just want to take Goku away, which is ridiculous since mentor Goku could be a really cool way to use him and isn't just a way of doing away with him. He'll still be around, but focus can go to the new guys just like focus went to Gohan in Z

So, Goku=All Might?
New Gen=Deku?

That sounds amazing so yes.

[Totamo]

Say what you will, but there is no DB without Goku. He'll never be a sidecharacter.

Goku being dead, comatose, or otherwise out the action for most of Z says otherwise.

Yes, while the cast got murdered until he showed up, beautiful utilization.


Goku wasn't around a lot, but when he showed up, he made everyone look like shit.

[Chuquita]

If Shueisha doesn't want me to give them any more money OR spend any more time indirectly promoting new DB stuff, then yes, go for it. Save me time and money.

I have no love lost for the next gen, the "mentor" thing is boring imo, and the aspects about EoZ Pan that I like I've already got in Caulifla and Goku himself. None of the next gen cast interest me.

Dragon Ball isn't about the world to me, it's about Goku and his friends/allies. Replace them and I have no reason to stay.
Yeah I watch Precure and that reboots with a next gen each year, but Precure reboots its entire universe and not just the characters. It's like magical girl mad-libs at this point and I enjoy that, but it's a different case entirely.
JoJo reboots to a new gen after each arc, but you know it's going to do that going in and the world Araki creates is so much richer and more reliant on solving puzzles than pure strength battles. (Oh! That's a baseball!)

If I want a series about a group of next gen then there's tons of fresher franchises with much younger authors that I can get that from. Dragon Ball doesn't need to be MHA or Boruto. It's Dragon Ball.

Is it a wish-fulfillment thing? Like do people want to self-insert themselves as Uub or Pan or Bra and live vicariously through them? Is it like how some people who got attached to kid Gohan did so because they were around his age while first watching Z? I don't know. Is it people who like everything about Dragon Ball except the Z fighters themselves? How could you watch a show despite not liking any of the characters if that's so?

[sintzu]

Boruto is trying that with 0 success so far. It has one seemingly interesting plot point that they're holding on to by dragging the show out so unless a next gen show is a limited series then it most likely won't work.

One thing they could do is what Toriyama did with Gohan, write him in with the old cast cause that way they can naturaly develop but the stakes won't reset and we won't be always thinking about the old cast cause they'll still be there.

One of the biggest problems I have with Boruto is that I always know Naruto or Sasuke can step in anytime and take care of this very small issue compared to what we saw before. If you have a next gen cast only then they'll be up against "threats" that even the humans could take care of.

[IM21]

I wouldn't mind Goten and Trunks being in the front, but without Goku as the lead a lot of people will stop watching it. He's the face of the franchise and it is his story. Personally, I wouldn't care if the show goes 50 years in the future and concentrates on a whole new group.

[buutenks]

People dont understand that DB isnt about the dragon balls and some characters thrown in. it is about the adventures of Son Goku and his friends.

Why do you think Toei keeps Goku as the MC in all their movies and stuff? Because Goku's marketing potential is limitless. He is not restricted by age or time or anything.

Look at most big time animes. Naruto, gets hokage, settles down has some kids and he's done. Ichigo, same thing. Luffy, hasnt reached the end yet, but he will do same thing, since he is kinda stuck there once he becomes PK. Maybe some next gen kids will try to be PK like Luffy and so forth. YYH, Yusuke, settles down and opens his own ramen shop. Gon, tries to find his father, will eventually settle down. It's how it goes, they all have goals that once they reach them their life is fulfilled and the story is over.

Now look at Goku, guy has some kids, but he isnt satisfied so he flies off to train some more. His goal is infinity, which u can never achieve. The story potential for Goku is limitless because it is simple. Get a stronger guy and Goku will want to surpass him because that is who he is. He never settles down and he is never satisfied with just that, doesnt matter if he is dead, he will keep on training and keep on improving himself.

[precita]

I want to adult Trunks and Goten as major characters, I have ever since the end of DBZ. Pan and Uub will of course get some focus. Gohan should be relevant.

This time they can even make Bra and Marron into fighters if they want to.

[sintzu]

I think a main issue fans who want this aren't taking into account is that Goku is DB. DB has been around for nearly 35 years and its been soley about Goku. You cannot take something like that and completely change the face of it as that's what everyone knows it to be.

Batman and other superheroes have been around for 80 years and everyone young and old still love them so why would people out of nowhere drop Goku ? if kids can get into characters as old as batman and superman they can't get into Goku who's been arounf for less than half that time ?

You can of course do a TV special or limited series with different characters (next gen, past stories, etc.) but when it comes to MAIN DB, that's and always will be Goku.

DB is also written in a way that allows new fans to jump right in and once they like what they see they'll probably jump back and watch what they missed so it's not like DB can't bring in new fans. DB's current popularity is higher than it was when its manga was in publication so that should tell you something about Goku's power to bring in viewers.

I don't think that dragon ball will continue as a series... but if ir happens... having the next generation should be inevitable at some point.

Why should it when Goku is making them millions of $$$ ?

Say what you will, but there is no DB without Goku. He'll never be a sidecharacter.

Goku being dead, comatose, or otherwise out the action for most of Z says otherwise.

He was still the focus of everything.

[Nickolaidas]

Disagree, honestly.

Aside from the fact that replacing characters who I am emotionally invested in with new ones I care very little about is upsetting in and of itself, I also find changing the focus back to kids and young teenagers greatly unappealing. Trunks and Goten's antics before the fusion plot-line was a little on the annoying side, and I don't want to see that take center stage.
I very rarely like kid characters and would not want the story give them the biggest part of the screen time.
Also, I try to picture a group shot with Trunks, Goten, Uub and Pan and I find it visually boring.

This. A new series basically ditching the old core cast is a very risky move, especially when we're talking about a franchise whose core cast is more or less the same for many, many years. Sometimes change is good, sometimes not.

Dragon Ball however, has demonstrated that doesn't like change.

On the other hand ...

A new cast with lesser powered characters will actually give them something to go after in terms of strength. The old cast has become ridiculously powerful to the point of disbelief, and that sometimes hurts the show.

I'm a Dragon Ball character fan first, and fan of the show second, so such a move would be a definite hit-or-miss for me.

[Xeogran]

I still can't see it.

Pan at the age of 5 can travel the whole Earth in an instant, and unlike the current DB cast, she doesn't hesitate to do it. How would slice of life episodes even look with her? "Oh, there's a bank robbery on the other side of the world. Ok, let me handle that in a minute."

Frankly, it would get too childish with them in the main spotlight. Things like this are okay as a side story, but as a main.. it's hard to execute. It's not like someone like Pan or Bra or Marron have any life dramas surrounding them. Only Uub has a family problem, and Goku can fix that too.