Has Super's reputation softened or hardened since it ended?

[Totamo]

I don't see a lot of defense videos like I do of GT nor do I see a lot of critique videos like I do of GT. It seems to get a general consensus of a 7 out of 10 and thats where I place it as well.

[TheSaiyanGod]

I feel that after the hype around the series during the weekly airing has disappeared the criticism has become harsher. I also saw some people talking about it after re-watching the series again.

Perhaps the animation problems and some inconsistencies have not aged well without the euphoria of the releases, and some episodes are really dragged on. But it's definitely not as bad as some say, it's fun and enjoyable

[PremiumSalt]

I think the show has been off the air long enough that it has become victim to the internet's favorite activity at the moment, "Why that thing you like/that thing that's popular in the mainstream is actually really bad." So yes, I do think the show's reputation has hardened, and in some respects in a manner that I feel is unfair. Yes there are legitimate criticisms to be had when it comes to Super but I feel that people are unfairly harsh towards it in a very "hive mind" sort of way.

[Skar]

Yes there are legitimate criticisms to be had when it comes to Super but I feel that people are unfairly harsh towards it in a very "hive mind" sort of way.

Just wondering but where do you see these hive mind opinions? There are a lot anime to choose from so I usually check year-end or best of the decade lists. Many of the reoccurring titles on these lists are fairly mainstream such as Attack on Titan, One Punch Man, HunterXHunter, and My Hero Academia. I'm sure there are those who hate a series for being mainstream but I think that's a minority otherwise these lists would only consist of lesser known titles.

[SupremeKai25]

There aren't a lot of defense and critique videos because Super, unlike GT, is an ongoing story and is currently in the Moro arc. Even if you never read the manga, the anime literally says at the end of the ToP arc that it's not the ending of the show, it's just a brief parting.

[LoganForkHands73]

At least around here, I'd say it's probably hardened, but then again I wasn't on this forum when Super was airing so I don't know whether or not the general zeitgeist has changed that significantly. Looking back at older threads, a lot of people still held the same negative criticisms when it was still airing. However, I don't believe Kanzenshuu is in anyway indicative of the mainstream opinions on Super, since most communities I've seen elsewhere seem to be much more positive about it. And I do absolutely believe that Dragon Ball Super is as close to a "mainstream" anime as any of the other popular brands. Whatever the TV ratings statistics show, I don't think they account for everyone in the West watching it weekly through not-entirely-legal online uploads.

Since joining, I've seen tonnes of opinion pieces saying that Super is irredeemable garbage all the way through and should be flat-out retconned out of reality, consigned to the dustbin of history, which I think is very extreme as well as completely unrealistic considering the impact Super has had on culture. Whether you like it or not, I find it impossible to agree that Super has produced nothing of value in its 3 year run/still ongoing manga run.

[Matches Malone]

I don't think this is an easy question to answer, as it's hard to compare random people's opinions back then to what they are now. Personally speaking, my opinion has just hardened over the years, especially after seeing what Toei is currently doing with the likes of One Piece and Dragon Quest. On the flip side, my outlook for its future is far brighter than it was when it was still airing, as there have been multiple changes behind the scenes to ensure that once it returns (hopefully), it'll be on the level of both the original series and current other anime.

[BWri]

I don't see a lot of defense videos like I do of GT nor do I see a lot of critique videos like I do of GT. It seems to get a general consensus of a 7 out of 10 and thats where I place it as well.

I think its softened a little due to the nature of nostalgia and the fact that its been off air for 2 and a half years now. I think many folks miss the spectacle it provided. I still sometimes see DBS memes. Among the more hardcore DB fans, most of the energy has moved on to the DBS manga, DBS Heroes, and video games such as Dragon Ball Fighterz and DBZ Kakarot. Most of the DBS reviews I see tend to be from around the time the show ended, within about a year of it. Those were mostly mixed or negative which I think is fair given the production of the show. There's quite a lot of positivity too, since the show ended on such a high note. Because of that, I barely see any negativity towards the anime nowadays, but there is always outrage with every new manga chapter, on these forums, Youtube, Mewe, etc.

[SaiyanEpic]

it's just the hype has disappeared as said above so critism are harsher yep

[Majin Buu]

The irony for me is that I was very apathetic towards Super and did not watch the anime at all during its run, let alone read the manga. I had no interest because I figured it would ultimately just be more of the same (which sounds like it mostly was).

Zamasu I always gave credit for being a genuinely new idea for a Dragon Ball villain (a villain whose evil stems from his ideology rather than being evil just 'cause), but what made me somewhat turn around on being staunchly anti-Super was realizing that Jiren, despite sounding kinda flat as a character, also represents something new for a major Dragon Ball antagonist (an anti-hero who on paper is an outright superhero, but is also kind of an asshole that at times rides the line between hero and villain- I'm strictly referring to his anime personality). Plus I like what I've been reading about Moro and how the most dangerous thing about him is his intelligence and cunning rather than his strength.

These three characters have made me soften on Super a bit since they are intriguing concepts (though not executed to their full potential from what I've read), enough that I actually plan to watch it in its entirety out of intellectual curiosity. I'm likely going to hate it if I go into it as a hardcore Dragon Ball fan, so this is how I plan to approach it. Don't know if I'll come out of it an apologist like I did when I finally watched GT in its entirety or if I'll genuinely hate it, but that fact that I'm actually willing to give Super a chance now says a lot considering how apathetic I was about it in the past.

(Since the Moro arc is manga only for now, I'll probably read that once I finish the anime.)

[ChronoTwigger]

The trend I spot is a general lack of interest.
YouTube is not exactly the best platform to get an honest metric : kids are not prone to produce meaningfull videos and critics should be exagerated to grab attention.
The new generations are also VERY low on attention span: if you'll mind Demon Slayer was the all time best selling manga ever, and just three months after the ending no one talk of it anymore you'll be aware the web is not exactly the best place to spot a trend, right now.
If you want for a genuine debate you should find dedicated forums like this one.

Another element: Super is average. Is not exactly the best shonen ever, but is not even so bad. For example, I can't watch more than 2 episodes of My Hero Academia without fall asleep. Super at least, when watched in stock, have a nice pacing. But is not exciting, no game changer, no ultra-explosive feelings, nothing new. They played fair.

Super is... average.
And his reputation is... average.

[Dbzfan94]

I think the show has been off the air long enough that it has become victim to the internet's favorite activity at the moment, "Why that thing you like/that thing that's popular in the mainstream is actually really bad." So yes, I do think the show's reputation has hardened, and in some respects in a manner that I feel is unfair. Yes there are legitimate criticisms to be had when it comes to Super but I feel that people are unfairly harsh towards it in a very "hive mind" sort of way.

If anything I feel like it's the opposite. Usually anyone who expresses criticism of DBS on reddit for example gets downvoted to hell.

[precita]

Without a doubt people have been more harsh and critical on it. Ignoring the movie adaptions, a lot of people are bothered by Goku/Vegeta constantly getting all the spotlight whereas the rest of the main cast being pushed to the sidelines. And before anyone says anything, no DBZ was not like this. Goku sat out of the action for long stretches of time and Vegeta shared screentime with Gohan, Piccolo and Krillin...and later on Gotenks.

Now the entire main cast basically has the role Yamcha and Tenshinhan had back in DBZ, which isn't much at all. Even Krillin managed to remain relevant at least until the Boo arc where he mostly took a backseat.

Besides stuff like power scaling issues and some inconsistencies, I think Super also needed one more big arc to show the rest of the cast do something in. The Broly movie was again Goku/Vegeta and from what I see of the Moro arc it's mostly the same.

[Block88]

Hardened as hell

[Jiren The Alpha]

Without a doubt people have been more harsh and critical on it. Ignoring the movie adaptions, a lot of people are bothered by Goku/Vegeta constantly getting all the spotlight whereas the rest of the main cast being pushed to the sidelines. And before anyone says anything, no DBZ was not like this. Goku sat out of the action for long stretches of time and Vegeta shared screentime with Gohan, Piccolo and Krillin...and later on Gotenks.

Now the entire main cast basically has the role Yamcha and Tenshinhan had back in DBZ, which isn't much at all. Even Krillin managed to remain relevant at least until the Boo arc where he mostly took a backseat.

Besides stuff like power scaling issues and some inconsistencies, I think Super also needed one more big arc to show the rest of the cast do something in. The Broly movie was again Goku/Vegeta and from what I see of the Moro arc it's mostly the same.

Tournament of power?, Revival of F?

[Matches Malone]

Revival of F?

The biggest insult to both Gohan and Piccolo.

[Jiren The Alpha]

Revival of F?

The biggest insult to both Gohan and Piccolo.

Not if GT still exist.

[Matches Malone]

Not if GT still exist.

At least Piccolo was useful in GT.

[LoganForkHands73]

Not if GT still exist.

At least Piccolo was useful in GT.

Sorry, wha-? Piccolo essentially shows up for one arc in GT and unceremoniously dies without any real build-up. At least in Super he gets to: train Gohan back to full power, compete in both tournament arcs, defend Earth from both Freeza and Moro's armies (with the latter, he got several chapters to himself against Seven-Three), etc.

[Matches Malone]

Sorry, wha-? Piccolo essentially shows up for one arc in GT and unceremoniously dies without any real build-up. At least in Super he gets to: train Gohan back to full power, compete in both tournament arcs, defend Earth from both Freeza and Moro's armies (with the latter, he got several chapters to himself against Seven-Three), etc.

I wasn't talking about Super as a whole, just RF. He was treated even worse in its anime adaption.