How would you rank Dragonball compared to other Shonen?

[UI Peter]

What is your opinion on how the Dragonball franchise holds up in quality compared to other Shonen anime and manga, and why do you feel this way? Note that this is comparing the franchise on the whole as well as the 4 individual series (OG, Z, GT and Super) in particular.

[MasenkoHA]

I mean shonen is incredibly vast since it’s any manga/anime aimed at young boys. Can you really compare Dragon Ball to something like Prince of Tennis or Food Wars?

How do you think this show selling toys to boys 6-11 compare to all the other shows selling toys to boys 6-11?

[UI Peter]

I mean shonen is incredibly vast since it’s any manga/anime aimed at young boys. Can you really compare Dragon Ball to something like Prince of Tennis or Food Wars?

How do you think this show selling toys to boys 6-11 compare to all the other shows selling toys to boys 6-11?

Lol, by Shonen I obviously mean series of DBs sub-genre like Naruto and One Piece.

[MasenkoHA]

I mean shonen is incredibly vast since it’s any manga/anime aimed at young boys. Can you really compare Dragon Ball to something like Prince of Tennis or Food Wars?

How do you think this show selling toys to boys 6-11 compare to all the other shows selling toys to boys 6-11?

Lol, by Shonen I obviously mean series of DBs sub-genre like Naruto and One Piece.

Dragon Ball is better than both of those but that’s not much of an accomplishment.

[precita]

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the Citizen Kane of anime.

[UI Peter]

I mean shonen is incredibly vast since it’s any manga/anime aimed at young boys. Can you really compare Dragon Ball to something like Prince of Tennis or Food Wars?

How do you think this show selling toys to boys 6-11 compare to all the other shows selling toys to boys 6-11?

Lol, by Shonen I obviously mean series of DBs sub-genre like Naruto and One Piece.

Dragon Ball is better than both of those but that’s not much of an accomplishment.

How so?

[MyVisionity]

In terms of the anime I would probably rank it above Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Hokuto no Ken, and Naruto. It just seems to have something that the others do not.

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the Citizen Kane of anime.

Of *all* anime? Not even just shonen anime?

[Matches Malone]

To keep things simple and fair, my comparisons will be between each franchise's original manga only.

I think the biggest advantage DB has over most of the Shonen manga that followed in its footsteps is that it didn't overstay its welcome. I feel Naruto would've been a far stronger story had it been changed to where Pain would be the final villain instead of dragging on past that point. The same goes for Bleach, there was really no reason to continue it past Aizen's capture, yet Kobu literally dragged it into cancellation. Although One Piece has stayed up in sales and reputation, it'll be reaching its 1000th chapter in a few weeks, with at least 300 more on the way. Does it really have to be that long ?

I also like the fact that Toriyama kept things focused on the arc he was telling at the time, rather than worrying about setting up the next 10. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against set ups, but the way it's handled in other manga just takes away from what's currently going on. If you're going to tell me there are 5 strong opponents coming up, why should I care about who the heroes are currently fighting ? Would we have cared about Freeza as much as we did if Toriyama kept cutting away to Gero creating the androids or Babidi looking for Buu's egg ? probably not.

One thing DB gets criticized for by other Shonen fans is its simplicity, but I don't consider that a negative. DB's stories are, generally speaking, pretty straightforward, but Toriyama's writing still keeps your attention from start to finish. With Naruto on the other hand, Kishimoto had this very convoluted plot involving Madara, Kaguya, Zetsu, & Obito that just didn't work out that well. It felt like he was trying to have his cake and eat it to, resulting in him dropping it on the floor and getting to do neither. The same applies to One Piece, there's simply too much going on and too many characters involved for its own good.

These are just ideas I thought of off the top of my head, so it's be no means everything worth covering. I've yet to write what other have over DB for example, which I'll do in a later post.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I haven't watched seen enough of other battle shonen, but I hear several (Hakusho, Kenshin, HxH) have stronger writing than Dragon Ball. That said no anime will ever mean as much to me personally as Dragon Ball.

[Matches Malone]

No anime will ever mean as much to me personally as Dragon Ball.

Same here. I recognize it's not perfect and there are other anime that do things better, but DB will always be my favorite.

[MasenkoHA]

Lol, by Shonen I obviously mean series of DBs sub-genre like Naruto and One Piece.

Dragon Ball is better than both of those but that’s not much of an accomplishment.

How so?

Namely they’re both terrible so being better isn’t an accomplishment.

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the Citizen Kane of anime.

I......no?

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

As a whole a very solid entry in shonen manga but far from the best in the demographic and certainly far from the best in martial arts/action genre, with the likes of Hokuto no Ken being better crafted stories.

[DBNamek]

I think the original DB (Ball and Z) is a very solid shonen series. While it doesn't have the best storytelling/worldbuilding, considering its time back in the 80s/90s, it was pretty damn good if I say so myself.

Writing wise, it's not the best, but considering its impact and tropes, DB/Z is without question one of the great shonen series ever.

[DBNamek]

The original run of Dragonball/DBZ is probably the pinnacle of anime storytelling. It's the Citizen Kane of anime.

I agree and disagree with this. As a whole, I disagree very much. That's giving db/z way too much credit, essentially overrating what is a simple story. Given it's time frame though, I agree that its storytelling was probably ahead of its time, or at the very least, creative in its storytelling.

[DBNamek]

Dragon Ball is better than both of those but that’s not much of an accomplishment.

How so?

Namely they’re both terrible so being better isn’t an accomplishment.

how is One Piece terrible? Sure, I can get Naruto because of its war arc and Boruto, but what does OP do terribly in your opinion?

[MasenkoHA]

How so?

Namely they’re both terrible so being better isn’t an accomplishment.

how is One Piece terrible? Sure, I can get Naruto because of its war arc and Boruto, but what does OP do terribly in your opinion?

Besides refusing to die (there is no justification for a series being 900+ episodes) the characters are annoying and the artwork is hideous.

[DBNamek]

Namely they’re both terrible so being better isn’t an accomplishment.

how is One Piece terrible? Sure, I can get Naruto because of its war arc and Boruto, but what does OP do terribly in your opinion?

Besides refusing to die (there is no justification for a series being 900+ episodes) the characters are annoying and the artwork is hideous.

the anime is more of the fault of Toei milking OP. Granted, the anime is pretty bad, but the manga on the other hand is pretty damn good.

sure, I can agree a good amount of OP characters are annoying, but that is to be expected with a almost 1000 manga series.

The artwork isn't the most prettiest thing, but it does have a certain charm to it.

OP isn't perfect, but it does many things better than DB. It has a better story/plot, greater worldbuilding/lore, and better usage of characters (both main and side characters). The characters develop a whole lot more than DB characters, and their designs are more unique, coming in different shapes, sizes, colors, and features.

i don't love OP as much as DB, but OP does a lot things better than DB.

[Goten_jr]

DB is still my fav as a Franchise and I think it still has the most enjoyable Fight Scenes but i would rank DBZ below Death Note, OP, Naruto OG, HxH,& Bleach it's on the same tier as Naruto Shipudden & MHA for me. GT&DBS are both better than Boruto

[Polyphase Avatron]

Criticizing One Piece just because it's long doesn't make sense if you haven't actually read it and don't understand the progression of the story and why it has to be that long to fit the entire arc Oda wants to tell. It's not like some series where the author just keeps adding new arcs after the last one to drag it out, everything is all connected and is part of the buildup to a planned climax.

[JewyB]

Criticizing One Piece just because it's long doesn't make sense if you haven't actually read it and don't understand the progression of the story and why it has to be that long to fit the entire arc Oda wants to tell. It's not like some series where the author just keeps adding new arcs after the last one to drag it out, everything is all connected and is part of the buildup to a planned climax.

Didnt they say that about Star Wars too?

Not saying its incorrect but i think what we as an audience are told doesn't necessary = fact, and manga companies are well known for milking animals that aren't even mammals.

I do think criticising the length is fair though, its one of it's aspects, and it should be open to criticism for all of them regardless of how planned it is(You can criticize Man Of Steel for having Superman kill Zod even if it was part of the Justice League plan). Whether the criticism is used fairly is a different matter, but you could argue say "a better writer would be more concise in what they were saying" for example(something i find true of LOTR, which is long).

Its kinda like how you've clarified its all part of a bigger picture and its all connected and its well-done. If saying its long isnt a valid criticism, justifying its length doesnt count as a valid piece of praise, because its length can't be commented on, in the interest of fairness in the debate, no?