Viz & The Dragon Ball Manga

[Yosheets]

I always hated how they separated Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Anyone else feel the same way I do?

[BeerusTrinken]

Hate is a strong word, but yeah, I'm not a big fan of it. I totally understand why they did and perhaps we can thank that decision for helping make the manga so popular in the west.

It is, however, for that reason that I own the Viz 3-in-1 manga set as opposed to any other. I always like to think of Dragon Ball as one coherent story. I know many people aren't fans of that set but that's where my priority lies (I'm also not made of money lol).

I get why they did that initially, however I cannot help but feel that in this era, we could afford to have more releases that keep it under one name.

[Gyt Kaliba]

It is a bit annoying, but for me it's manageable enough. The cover might say 'Z', and I know it contains the 'Z' portion of the story, but I know the manga is all one thing and thus just think of it as such. The only place it sometimes gets complicated for me is if I need to refer to particular volume numbers or even more so chapter numbers. I've still stuck with the VizBigs as my preferred release of the series, both for the better paper quality and just being easier to get it all that way.

It is, however, for that reason that I own the Viz 3-in-1 manga set as opposed to any other. I always like to think of Dragon Ball as one coherent story. I know many people aren't fans of that set but that's where my priority lies (I'm also not made of money lol).

Completely understandable, on the money side of things, cuz I know that song all too well. I just can't stand how thin the paper in those releases are.

It's also worth pointing out that while those releases did revert the series to just 'Dragon Ball' rather than keeping a split between early and Z, it wasn't restored to that for any sense of integrity - it was done to make it easier to split into 3-in-1 volumes. The VizBig releases were also generally 3-in-1 in nature, but for series that didn't end up divisible by 3, you ended up with an even-numbered release instead here and there, some examples being the last Rurouni Kenshin VizBig having four volumes, and even Dragon Ball itself ending with a four-volume one, and a two-volume one for 'Z'. With the split, DB is 16 volumes and Z is 26, neither of which is divisible by three. But combined? Combined it becomes 42, making their splitting job much easier that time around.

So yeah. It was much more about practicality for that run than it was anything else really.

[KBABZ]

I don't like the split for perpetuating the myth that Z is the better "sequel" to lame-old Dragon Ball, and the logo for both are either awkward or genuinely ugly... but there's not denying the helpfulness of getting eyes on the page by including Z, similarly to how what Dragon Ball Kai is exactly is immediately more clear when you throw the Z in there.

From a favouritism standpoint, it also makes it MUCH easier to buy the half that I want in one boxset chunk with all the Kid Goku stuff in it.

[Soppa Saia People]

it's a understandable change from a marketing standpoint but it def is pre annoying, and can lead to confusion. i remember being rly confused when i started notcing all the "hidden" numbers on the manga covers despite it saying volume 14 or whatever lmao.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

My guess is that they separated it back then to follow the lead of the anime doing the same thing, rather than keeping it just named Dragon Ball the whole way through beginning to end.

[Mr.Saturn99]

It's moreso goofy 90's leftovers like Piccolo's Yoda-speak for the first couple Z chapters that bug me, although thankfully that nonsense is few and far between.

[Hellspawn28]

Oddly enough, Viz decided to keep the Naruto manga as "Naruto" in the US while they still seperate the DB manga.

[Gyt Kaliba]

Oddly enough, Viz decided to keep the Naruto manga as "Naruto" in the US while they still seperate the DB manga.

There was quite a bit of time between the initial releases of both is probably one of the biggest reasons for that. I'm not entirely sure when the original floppy one-chapter comic book releases of DB and DBZ came out from Viz, but it was quite a long time between that and when Viz would put out the first volumes of 'Shippuden' era Naruto in the earlier 2000's.

[KBABZ]

Oddly enough, Viz decided to keep the Naruto manga as "Naruto" in the US while they still seperate the DB manga.

That's an easy enough one to answer: the original Naruto series was popular in the west so there's no need to make a divide. The popularity gulf between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden is nowhere near as large as that between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.

[Robo4900]

Oddly enough, Viz decided to keep the Naruto manga as "Naruto" in the US while they still seperate the DB manga.

That's an easy enough one to answer: the original Naruto series was popular in the west so there's no need to make a divide. The popularity gulf between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden is nowhere near as large as that between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.

The reason Viz split DB and Z up in the first place was that Z was airing on TV, DB wasn't. So, they started from the beginning and from the Z era at the same time, and published them alongside each-other. That way, they had what was on TV, but they were also doing the whole run.

Popularity only had anything to do with it in as much as it had something to do with BLT blundering the run of DB 1-13, and Funi/Saban deciding to skip to Z.

Then, obviously, with DB and Z seen as separate in the western consciousness, Viz generally kept up the tradition of splitting them up.

[KBABZ]

The reason Viz split DB and Z up in the first place was that Z was airing on TV, DB wasn't. So, they started from the beginning and from the Z era at the same time, and published them alongside each-other. That way, they had what was on TV, but they were also doing the whole run.

Popularity only had anything to do with it in as much as it had something to do with BLT blundering the run of DB 1-13, and Funi/Saban deciding to skip to Z.

Then, obviously, with DB and Z seen as separate in the western consciousness, Viz generally kept up the tradition of splitting them up.

Ah, thank you! At the very least, the DB ViZ manga has better covers than DBZ with that great red and yellow look.

Side-bar: I've had this question bouncing around in my head but I'm not sure whether to make a thread for it. Do you guys wish Toriyama provided the Tankobon with context-appropriate cover art, like the Kanzenban? The art is of course brilliant, but if you're looking for a specific point in the story, it can be a bit maddening trying to figure out which Goku-driven vehicle cover is the one that has the part of the story you want.

[Robo4900]

Side-bar: I've had this question bouncing around in my head but I'm not sure whether to make a thread for it. Do you guys wish Toriyama provided the Tankobon with context-appropriate cover art, like the Kanzenban? The art is of course brilliant, but if you're looking for a specific point in the story, it can be a bit maddening trying to figure out which Goku-driven vehicle cover is the one that has the part of the story you want.

Hah. I agree 100%. The Tankobon covers are just a bit daft.

[Scsigs]

At the very least the full color editions of the manga just say "Dragon Ball" & the arc title, though I wish they'd get around to releasing the next 2 arcs. It's Z's 30th anniversary as an anime. Why are they not doing the last 2 arcs in full color? The last time the full color manga was released was 2015, right? It's baffling.

[Robo4900]

At the very least the full color editions of the manga just say "Dragon Ball" & the arc title, though I wish they'd get around to releasing the next 2 arcs. It's Z's 30th anniversary as an anime. Why are they not doing the last 2 arcs in full color? The last time the full color manga was released was 2015, right? It's baffling.

Apparently the problem is that Shueisha are continually dragging their feet on the licensing, and refuse to handle it any other way than to license each arc individually, separately, and laboriously.

[KBABZ]

At the very least the full color editions of the manga just say "Dragon Ball" & the arc title, though I wish they'd get around to releasing the next 2 arcs. It's Z's 30th anniversary as an anime. Why are they not doing the last 2 arcs in full color? The last time the full color manga was released was 2015, right? It's baffling.

Apparently the problem is that Shueisha are continually dragging their feet on the licensing, and refuse to handle it any other way than to license each arc individually, separately, and laboriously.

ViZ: "What is this, 1989???"

[IAmTheMilkMan]

Apparently the problem is that Shueisha are continually dragging their feet on the licensing, and refuse to handle it any other way than to license each arc individually, separately, and laboriously.

I hear that all of the time, but if that's really the case, then how come Planeta Cómic seems to have had no such problem, having already released the entire series in print and digitally? Sounds like bullshit to me. If Viz really wanted to make it happen, they would.

[PremiumSalt]

It is, however, for that reason that I own the Viz 3-in-1 manga set as opposed to any other. I always like to think of Dragon Ball as one coherent story. I know many people aren't fans of that set but that's where my priority lies (I'm also not made of money lol).

Completely understandable, on the money side of things, cuz I know that song all too well. I just can't stand how thin the paper in those releases are.

It's also worth pointing out that while those releases did revert the series to just 'Dragon Ball' rather than keeping a split between early and Z, it wasn't restored to that for any sense of integrity - it was done to make it easier to split into 3-in-1 volumes. The VizBig releases were also generally 3-in-1 in nature, but for series that didn't end up divisible by 3, you ended up with an even-numbered release instead here and there, some examples being the last Rurouni Kenshin VizBig having four volumes, and even Dragon Ball itself ending with a four-volume one, and a two-volume one for 'Z'. With the split, DB is 16 volumes and Z is 26, neither of which is divisible by three. But combined? Combined it becomes 42, making their splitting job much easier that time around.

So yeah. It was much more about practicality for that run than it was anything else really.

Not to mention the fact that said 3-in-1 release didn't even bother to remove all the references to the "DB/DBZ split" that Viz added to the Saiyan Arc chapters, such as, in chapter 195, "One peaceful day, five years after the events recounted in Dragon Ball" with the footnote "As in the other Dragon Ball (without the Z) comic published by Viz, which tells the story of Goku's childhood". So, yeah. Clearly this change was made solely for economic reasons with no thought put into it beyond that.

[coola]

I feel sorry for US fans of manga, so many years, and to this they there was never one single 100% uncensored release of manga. I'm also not huge fan of some of 3 in 1 manga releases, not sure how it is for Dragon Ball, but some releases are so bulky it is uncomfortable for me to read.

[Scsigs]

Apparently the problem is that Shueisha are continually dragging their feet on the licensing, and refuse to handle it any other way than to license each arc individually, separately, and laboriously.

I hear that all of the time, but if that's really the case, then how come Planeta Cómic seems to have had no such problem, having already released the entire series in print and digitally? Sounds like bullshit to me. If Viz really wanted to make it happen, they would.

Even then, that's not really an excuse. Yeah, Shueisha license the manga in arcs. So? Viz could easily license them, plug in their already-done translations, & set them up to come out like they already did with the first 2 arcs. Why haven't they?