Series/Storyline set between 23rd TB and Saiyan arcs

[TheOverlyMadHatter]

Yes, I realize this plays into the whole "supposedly peaceful timeskip being surprsingly eventful in retrospect" issue Super is going through, but I feel having a couple storylines involving the cast of that era. A lot of characters are about enter the end of their relevace, and since a lot of a character's importance is based on how hard they can punch someome, I feel it's rife with opportunity what with the cast still being able to more or less play the field with Goku. Goku and Chi-Chi are now newlyweds, but Gohan isn't quite in the picture yet, so maybe we could see a previously unseen dynamic between two, and Chi-Chi being in an active fighter role before her eventual evolution into a Tiger Mom. Piccolo is now still a villain, so maybe the seeds for his eventual alliance with Goku and maybe insights into his demonic nature. The writers not having to worry about a different hair color. Maybe have Yamcha cheat in order to cement his retcon into fuckboy, I dunno.

Could such a series work? Would Toriyama participate in the writing à la Super, and if not, would fans even bother with it? Would it even be considered given that characters that punch harder and look cooler are what's thought to be what sells? Would Toriyama participate in the writing à la Super, and if not, would fans even bother with it? I wouldn't think so normally, but Shueisha's Dragon Ball Room has dabbled into out-of-the-box ideas what with the still pretty recent Yamcha special, so while still pretty unlikely, I think it's not that wild of a stretch.

[Yuji]

As with any midquel, that kind of series would be limited by what comes afterwards. Goku & co can't do or learn anything that clashes with what comes later. Super is lucky because there's not much substance to EoZ so they can take more artistic liberties, but there isn't much wiggle room in this timeskip, I feel. The only kind of stories you'd be able to tell would be more character-driven: Goku learning how to be a dad, Lunch going after Tenshinhan, Piccolo mellowing out after his loss, and so on. I think finding a villain to carry a genuine arc would be difficult without redoing the Raditz scenario with Piccolo and Goku teaming up. Goku was already the strongest in the world, so the opponent would have to be necessarily an alien or some kind of ancient evil.

I'd be open to the possibility especially since I love the early Z combat where beams started being used more frequently, but flight combat was still wonky and characters still focused more on ground combat and hand-to-hand, but I can see how a lot of issues could come up. I think the 7-year gap between the Cell Games and Boo is probably the most ideal timeskip for a midquel besides the current one.

[BWri]

I'd like something like this, but with the way the series works now ... I can't see it working. Don't get me wrong, a talented writer or team of creatives can make some really good stories in this time period, but the series isn't currently focused on telling good stories. Since there's no major strength gain/power progression during this time, there's not much the current writers can do without retconning things.

Instead of a series, perhaps a one-off movie would work, similar to the early DBZ movies. I'd prefer non-canon stuff, but canon stories would be okay. They'd just have to work hard to make that interesting while not retconning later events. They're already struggling with that with Super.

**I just want to add that the games sometimes do this really well. I like some of the scenarios in Budokai 3 and the Xenoverse games.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

As in after the end of the 23rd Budokai and during the five years leading up to the start of DBZ? I mean, you could in theory do something but there isn't really a goldmine for creating new storylines with a limited amount of material available about that period. I would like to see something touch upon this time between the end of the Dragon Ball portion of the manga/anime and Z's beginning but it would have to be a one off special or OVA or something because i don't realty see a long form series working set within that span of a few years.

[Koitsukai]

I would like it as a movie. One funny little afternoon or day told in 45 minutes with a past adventure we never knew about, involving the original cast.

A lighthearted story, with toddler Gohan. Maybe have Roshi trying to develop that bootleg UI, which should be far from what we'll see.

I might be more interested in that than the Fukkatsu no Cell we're getting next year

[MasenkoHA]

I might be more interested in that than the Fukkatsu no Cell we're getting next year

Hmmm?

[Shobijin 小美人]

I would like it as a movie. One funny little afternoon or day told in 45 minutes with a past adventure we never knew about, involving the original cast.

A lighthearted story, with toddler Gohan.

I'd love this. Maybe include the Pilaf gang trying to steal the Dragon Ball from Gohan's hat, that could add some cute antics.

[Polyphase Avatron]

Didn't they already do this with Dead Zone?

[Shobijin 小美人]

Yeah kind of, but this time it could be played completely for comedy. Like, imagine if it was the further adventures of New-Dad Goku trying to take care of a baby, with the Pilaf gang scheming in between. No fate-of-the-world stuff necessary.

[MasenkoHA]

Didn't they already do this with Dead Zone?

Kinda but not really. Dead Zone doesn’t actually take place between Dragon Ball and Z as Goku hasn’t seen his friends in the 5 year gap and they didn’t know Gohan existed until the reunion. Dead Zone is less an interquel between Dragon Ball and Z and more of an AU where Raditz never landed on earth and crashed the Kame House reunion. Thus Kuririn, Bulma, and Roshi know who Gohan is and Gyumao comes over for mealtime to bring Gohan presents just like he did in the tv series.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Didn't they already do this with Dead Zone?

Kinda but not really. Dead Zone doesn’t actually take place between Dragon Ball and Z as Goku hasn’t seen his friends in the 5 year gap and they didn’t know Gohan existed until the reunion. Dead Zone is less an interquel between Dragon Ball and Z and more of an AU where Raditz never landed on earth and crashed the Kame House reunion. Thus Kuririn, Bulma, and Roshi know who Gohan is and Gyumao comes over for mealtime to bring Gohan presents just like he did in the tv series.

Yes, it's sort of at the point where DBZ starts but without Raditz and the whole introduction to the Saiyans. There are other things which are present from it like Gohan still being a timid cry baby and Piccolo and Goku still being rivals, so the characters more or less look and act like themselves from the Saiyan arc but there is still them knowing Gohan meaning unlike the show their interaction happened off screen at some point. You can basically call Z movie 1 an alternate telling of the beginning of DBZ only without Raditz and everything.

[TheGreatness25]

I would have a lot more interest in it if it were to include minor characters like Kuririn, Yamucha, or something like that. The story goes that there was "peace" -- well that's relative. Just because the world isn't being threatened doesn't mean that nothing happened. Maybe nothing really bugged Goku's life in the middle of the wilderness, but surely Kuririn could've had a run-in with an old bully from the Orinji Temple or something.

[Majin Buu]

I would like it as a movie. One funny little afternoon or day told in 45 minutes with a past adventure we never knew about, involving the original cast.

A lighthearted story, with toddler Gohan. Maybe have Roshi trying to develop that bootleg UI, which should be far from what we'll see.

I'm burnt out on midquels, especially for this franchise, so I personally wouldn't want a movie (this wouldn't work as a series IMO) like this to have any major call-forwards or super huge stakes. Keep it strictly small, self contained, and personal to the characters at that moment in time.