Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

[Lord Beerus]

Full blown new generation characters with none of the old cast.

If there is to be a true sequel to original manga, it needs to have its own identity rather than resting on the nostalgia of previous stories and characters. As much as I like GT and Super, those shows willingly creatively limit themselves due to not only when they set the story, but who's majorly involved in it.

[WittyUsername]

Full blown new generation characters with none of the old cast.

If there is to be a true sequel to original manga, it needs to have its own identity rather than resting on the nostalgia of previous stories and characters. As much as I like GT and Super, those shows willingly creatively limit themselves due to not only when they set the story, but who's majorly involved in it.

On the subject of GT, I always used to wonder what a Dragon Ball series centered around Goku Jr. would’ve been like.

[ABED]

Full blown new generation characters with none of the old cast.

If there is to be a true sequel to original manga, it needs to have its own identity rather than resting on the nostalgia of previous stories and characters. As much as I like GT and Super, those shows willingly creatively limit themselves due to not only when they set the story, but who's majorly involved in it.

Then why not just create a brand new show? What's DB about it?

Remember folks, George Lucas originally wanted to make a Flash Gordon movie, couldn't get the license, so created his own world heavily influenced by it and the rest is history.

[MyVisionity]

Then why not just create a brand new show? What's DB about it?

Let the title speak for itself. Just include some Dragon Balls and some martial arts and that's all. Do you really need the old characters and world to do a new DB series? The story and characters aren't always everything. Maybe it's possible to transcend them and take the "Dragon Ball" name into the future.

[Matches Malone]

Then why not just create a brand new show? What's DB about it?

Because it wouldn't be dragon ball. When fans ask for a next gen show, they just want new characters set within the dragon world. The established lore will still be intact, such as the various planets, the teachers, the martial arts schools, the dragon balls, etc. Essentially, we'll see the dragon world from the perspective of different characters. We saw how Goku and his friends interacted with this world, so how would (insert name) and his or her friends interact with it ?

[goku the krump dancer]

Thing is, out of the 10 arcs of the manga only 3 of them have the Dragon Balls as a major vocal point of the story being told. The Pilaf arc, The RRA arc and The Freeza arc are the only stories where the Dragon Balls take center stage as why things are happening. Every other arc they are merely just a plot device to make things better for the good guys or worse in some instances.

Dragon Ball isnt just called that because of the wish orbs but its Goku's journey to be the best he can be and constantly improve, the Dragon Balls play a part in his journey through varying degrees so if you take him out, you're removing a huge part of what the series is. Its iffy honestly.

[ABED]

Then why not just create a brand new show? What's DB about it?

Let the title speak for itself. Just include some Dragon Balls and some martial arts and that's all. Do you really need the old characters and world to do a new DB series? The story and characters aren't always everything. Maybe it's possible to transcend them and take the "Dragon Ball" name into the future.

Because seven McGuffins aren't the draw. There are plenty of other martial arts series out there, so what makes DB different? The story and the characters. They are everything. I haven't a clue what you mean by transcend in this context.

Because it wouldn't be dragon ball. When fans ask for a next gen show, they just want new characters set within the dragon world. The established lore will still be intact, such as the various planets, the teachers, the martial arts schools, the dragon balls, etc. Essentially, we'll see the dragon world from the perspective of different characters. We saw how Goku and his friends interacted with this world, so how would (insert name) and his or her friends interact with it ?

At that point it's just clutching onto nostalgia. Of course it's not DB, but neither is a story set in the same world but with no connections beyond 7 plot devices. The world is not the draw. The characters weren't used to explore the world, it was the other way around. And of course it's not Dragon Ball, that new story can be whatever anyone wants it to be with a lot of new ground to cover.

[Forte224]

Assuming GT and Super never existed, I would just want a well paced Tenkaichi Budokai arc that has good art and good animation and finds a good balance of drama and humor.

[Lord Beerus]

I can't wrap my around the idea that a story isn't "Dragon Ball" because it doesn't have Goku and gang in it. Yes, Goku, Bulma, Krillin, Vegeta and the rest are what the fans are most invested into, but the exploration of what it means to be a martial artist and how that can affect the lives of those around is the core concept of what Dragon Ball is. And Goku was moulded, as far as character and design goes, to fit that criteria the best it could be. There is NOTHING indicating that can't be replicated with another cast of characters in the same setting or in a new one.

[ABED]

I can't wrap my around the idea that a story isn't "Dragon Ball" because it doesn't have Goku and gang in it. Yes, Goku, Bulma, Krillin, Vegeta and the rest are what the fans are most invested into, but the exploration of what it means to be a martial artist and how that can affect the lives of those around is the core concept of what Dragon Ball is. And Goku was moulded, as far as character and design goes, to fit that criteria the best it could be. There is NOTHING indicating that can't be replicated with another cast of characters in the same setting or in a new one.

Because the world is not the story. DB is not the world, it's the characters. The story isn't about the world and the magical orbs.

[goku the krump dancer]

Why replace the original cast just to have the new guys fight androids again? It'll be the same thing as watching everyone but Goku fight the androids and we got that already. The new characters would just be retracing old steps and Super is doing a lot of that already especially with the Tournament of Power.

[ABED]

Earnest question, what's the draw of a story set in the DB universe without the characters we all know and love? That feels hollow to me. I love stories. It's the characters that get me emotionally invested. It's characters who make me laugh, cry, get upset, laugh, etc. I'm neutral about the setting except as an expression of who the characters are. I know I'm not alone in this. I think that's how most people feel about stories.

[Matches Malone]

The new characters would just be retracing old steps and Super is doing a lot of that already especially with the Tournament of Power.

This would be bad writing. The purpose of going with a new cast is to do something as different as possible, not the exact same thing with a different look.

[Mad Swami]

For me it'd be a well done GT using the good concepts such as Shadow Dragons, Baby, and Majuub. I want a good passing of the torch and send off for Goku as some sort of definitive end

[Lord Beerus]

I can't wrap my around the idea that a story isn't "Dragon Ball" because it doesn't have Goku and gang in it. Yes, Goku, Bulma, Krillin, Vegeta and the rest are what the fans are most invested into, but the exploration of what it means to be a martial artist and how that can affect the lives of those around is the core concept of what Dragon Ball is. And Goku was moulded, as far as character and design goes, to fit that criteria the best it could be. There is NOTHING indicating that can't be replicated with another cast of characters in the same setting or in a new one.

Because the world is not the story. DB is not the world, it's the characters. The story isn't about the world and the magical orbs.

I never said said the world is story. Hell, I never mentioned the word "world" in my comment. I'm specifically talking about the journey of a marital artist, which is the narrative foundation for every story told in Dragon Ball. It's the basic storytelling trope that is applied to Goku, and could be easily done for another character. Hell, it could end up being an even more interesting and compelling journey than Goku's if you have a quality staff behind the story.

Earnest question, what's the draw of a story set in the DB universe without the characters we all know and love? That feels hollow to me. I love stories. It's the characters that get me emotionally invested. It's characters who make me laugh, cry, get upset, laugh, etc. I'm neutral about the setting except as an expression of who the characters are. I know I'm not alone in this. I think that's how most people feel about stories.

Yes, you have every right to be attached to certain characters and grow accustomed to them. But that is no way a justification to veto the idea of moving on to a new set characters to tell a new set of stories in the same world. This is like saying you can't have another Star Trek story without the original cast that the viewers and fans came to love. I find it to be an incredibly reductionist argument. Especially at this point where all of the major character have had their character arcs end and the main character himself have become static in terms of development.

[ABED]

The new characters would just be retracing old steps and Super is doing a lot of that already especially with the Tournament of Power.

This would be bad writing. The purpose of going with a new cast is to do something as different as possible, not the exact same thing with a different look.

If it's set in DB World, it's not as different as possible. The whole purpose of a sequel anything is to take advantage of name recognition but if it's so different from what came before, what purpose does that serve?

This is like saying you can't have another Star Trek story without the original cast that the viewers and fans came to love. I find it to be an incredibly reductionist argument. Especially at this point where all of the major character have had their character arcs end and the main character himself have become static in terms of development.

Star Trek seems to be the only example but at least there while it's not the same characters, it's the same ethos, the same sort of mission. Although at this point, it's probably a lot like Power Rangers or Super Sentai. It's a lot of the same but with slight variations. You still have yet to answer my question. What's the draw?

It's the basic storytelling trope that is applied to Goku, and could be easily done for another character. Hell, it could end up being an even more interesting and compelling journey than Goku's if you have a quality staff behind the story.

You didn't have to say "world". After you get rid of all the characters, all you have left is the world. If this journey can be applied anyone else, then why not create your own world for such a character to inhabit? If it's not primarily about Son Goku, it's not DB, at best, it's DB adjacent.

[MyVisionity]

Star Trek seems to be the only example but at least there while it's not the same characters, it's the same ethos, the same sort of mission. Although at this point, it's probably a lot like Power Rangers or Super Sentai. It's a lot of the same but with slight variations. You still have yet to answer my question. What's the draw?

The ethos can be the draw. A Dragon Ball series set in the same world but with new characters while the same spirit. Or better yet, an all new world with all new characters and the same spirit. People clearly enjoy Star Trek and Sentai, or things like Gundam.

[JulieYBM]

I want to take pages from Pocket Monster: Sun & Moon and Pocket Monster (2019). Easy, simple designs that are great for character animation combined with episodic slice-of-life stories that put the Dragon Ball characters in situations that Toriyama Akira alone would not normally be able to do himself. After seeing her work on the aforementioned series, I really want to see Matsui Aya get another shot at Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball GT had a lot of issues but none of those were present in Pocket Monster: Sun & Moon, of which she was the head writer and wrote some truly spectacular episodes

I want to see episodes that deal with death in a meaningful manner, like Sun & Moon Episode #21: ニャビー、旅立ちの時！, Episode #79: メテノとベベノム、星空に消えた約束!, and #108: カプ・レヒレの霧の中で. I want to see Dragon Ball episodes like Sun & Moon #59: マオとスイレン、にがあまメモリーズ！, where see see girls interact with cute animation. Do for Goten and Trunks--two characters with no arcs--episodes like Pocket Monster: コハルとワンパチと、時々、ゲンガー (2019) Episode #11 (written by Matsui Aya).

I also want to see the kind of stories we saw in Dragon Ball (1986). The expanded version of the introduction to Colonel Silver, the story with Husky in Episode #44: 悟空と仲間と危険がいっぱい and the Gokuu Training arcs in #79-83 and #123-132. Sprinkle in longer arcs of 4-8 episodes but please, please, please, no more of this one 52+ episode story arc bullshit. Learn from other series, for fuck's sake. GeGeGe no Kitarou (2018-2000) had great character and horror-based one-shots, learn from those! Episode #7 (directed by Chioka Kimitoshi) and Episode #40 are supremely dark with poisonous stories that would keep the series from getting too goody-two-shoes.

In other words, I want a sequel that celebrates Dragon Ball, animation, television and life.

[Lord Beerus]

Star Trek seems to be the only example but at least there while it's not the same characters, it's the same ethos, the same sort of mission. Although at this point, it's probably a lot like Power Rangers or Super Sentai. It's a lot of the same but with slight variations. You still have yet to answer my question. What's the draw?

Not just Star Trek. Gundam, Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Dr Who, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure... these are are long running stories that operate under shifting the narrative from one cast of characters to another.

You didn't have to say "world". After you get rid of all the characters, all you have left is the world. If this journey can be applied anyone else, then why not create your own world for such a character to inhabit? If it's not primarily about Son Goku, it's not DB, at best, it's DB adjacent.

If you get rid of the all the characters, replace with them with new characters and take the time to characterise just as well, if not better, than the previous set. The world of Dragon Ball didn't solely exist for Goku and his merry band of martial artists. It was a merely a setting for Goku and the rest to explore. And it can be explored by other people.

[ABED]

Not just Star Trek. Gundam, Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Dr Who, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure... these are are long running stories that operate under shifting the narrative from one cast of characters to another.

And after a while, it's the same thing just a few details have changed. That's not Dragon Ball. It gets a little boring after a while. I'm a big fan of James Bond, but 007 movies are mostly the same. Why do you feel the desire to change DB into something it's not? Why do you want it to become Gundam or Power Rangers?

If you get rid of the all the characters, replace with them with new characters and take the time to characterise just as well, if not better, than the previous set. The world of Dragon Ball didn't solely exist for Goku and his merry band of martial artists. It was a merely a setting for Goku and the rest to explore. And it can be explored by other people.

Then what's the point of calling it DB? At that point, it's just marketing. DB isn't a setting, it's a story. The world exists for Goku and his merry band, not the other way around. Why not create a new fictional universe with rules you want to explore ideas you find interesting that happens to be influenced by DB?