MistareFusion's Dragon Ball Dissection! (Updated 4/21/25!)

[jcogginsa]

What should have happened is that Gohan should have fought Boo as the Great Saiyaman.

At least that could have been entertaining in a similar way to the Gotenks fight

[capsulecorp]

It's super aggravating whether you're a fan of Gohan or not as it's just really unsatisfying as a story beat. Don't hype up or promise something and then fail to deliver. It's just a waste of reader and viewer time to waste plot points. It's probably why in recent times the Boo arc has dropped to dead last for me after I originally thought it was at least just campy fun. It's direction is too all over the place and I care about story direction a lot more than I used to. I haven't experienced many stories like this arc that have no idea what it wants to do until by the time it finally does, it's too late and the cracks become caverns.

I started responding to this and figured I should just make a new thread. If you're interested, my response is here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=46960 ...but the tldr version is, I think this is a misreading of the themes of the Buu arc. There's more going on with Gohan than many people think!

[dbzfan7]

It's super aggravating whether you're a fan of Gohan or not as it's just really unsatisfying as a story beat. Don't hype up or promise something and then fail to deliver. It's just a waste of reader and viewer time to waste plot points. It's probably why in recent times the Boo arc has dropped to dead last for me after I originally thought it was at least just campy fun. It's direction is too all over the place and I care about story direction a lot more than I used to. I haven't experienced many stories like this arc that have no idea what it wants to do until by the time it finally does, it's too late and the cracks become caverns.

I started responding to this and figured I should just make a new thread. If you're interested, my response is here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=46960 ...but the tldr version is, I think this is a misreading of the themes of the Buu arc. There's more going on with Gohan than many people think!

I'm not interested in really debating it. I took a glimpse and my points are from a writing perspective. It's not me caring about Goku taking back the reigns, it's that it's done so poorly and the story retroactively wasted time with pointless moments and tennis matches that offer nothing. I even said Gohan could have died against Fat Boo and you'd not lose anything of worth from his section cut out. I'd feel the same way whether it was Vegeta or anyone else in this spot. This has nothing to do with whether Gohan was worthy or not to take the lead role, It's the clear lack of direction the Boo arc had at this point. They could have written Goku back in just fine without making everything else feel like a waste of time. This is where the writing as he went style really bit Toriyama in the ass, and probably didn't help he was likely burnt out of Dragon Ball and wanted it to end.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

I didn't like it on the first go around, of course, but subsequently I see Toriyama having boxed himself in with Gohan here. He had found his new toy with Fusion, but he had committed to Gohan for so long, since before Fusion was even on the table, that he was obligated to make something of him. So Gohan gets a new look that will probably look good in the next anime movie, a perceptive air and promptness that lets him dominate Buu and get some good hits in (Yuji is right on that one), and with those bare character development boxes checked, Buu suddenly has a new technique that none of the good guys could have accounted for, and now he's gone. There is a thread to resolve, so try to do it quickly and remotely tactfully as possible so we can abruptly bring Vegeta back into the story to do the same with him. Beyond all of that, I don't think Gohan's taking Buu out at this stage would have been all that satisfying anyway; the Cell fight at least had the build up of training the Time Chamber but the Elder Kai's power up isn't the way to end a story arc, let alone your entire comic. I really think he was just left behind.

I've never been bothered by the choice of Goku's gi, he had just had a little goodbye to his dad, Gohan has never struck me as looking too much like him. Anecdotally some of the Super animators had problems distinguishing him from Vegeta during the Tournament of Power if I remember some talk. As for Tenshinhan, I'm all for him showing up. He was already teased and I find it better he be acknowledged and come to little than not. Funny too that the two times Tien addresses Gohan is "He's got a good look to him, like his father" and "Gohan, wow, I hardly recognized you!", and his arriving after Gohan both times, first as a new face but later as a save.

We cannot compare Gohan to Yamcha without my posting this:

[Zephyr]

I think it benefits the narrative, Ultimately, to have Gohan not be the one to beat Boo, and instead have Goku and Vegeta come back into the picture and be the ones to do it. It's their fault all of this happened in the first place, so for the kids to have all functionally been red herrings (intended or otherwise), and for the ones who caused the mess be the ones to clean it up, seems a fairly natural direction.
As it goes in the opening of The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo:
"Only you can return the demons to the chest."
"Why us?"
"Because you let them out!"

In terms of "wasting" Gohan, I agree that he's a lot less interesting without his self-doubt, and lacks Goku's charm, so I personally don't feel like we really missed anything.

Execution-wise, it's somewhat unfortunate that this all leads to another long tennis match, but I do like Boo wanting to have a strong opponent to use his strength against. The universe revolves around dudes wanting to fight and test themselves, so them making life-or-death battles into faux-tournaments is expected at this point.

[Scsigs]

I feel really bad for the Majin Buu arc. Like, it starts out in a soft reboot kind of thing with with the timeskip & dealing with Gohan's life, but then it transitions into regular DB stuff fro up until that point & it kinda ruins what could've been. On top of that, the glaring tone shifts that cause mood whiplash & characters acting certain ways for no other reason butt for the plot to advance rather than the characters driving the plot, it's just really bad. There are cool moments for sure, but most everything around them is not great.

[Gaffer Tape]

Vegetto, the Bootleg Gogeta - Dragon Ball Dissection: The Majin Boo Arc Part 24!

This is the one I've been looking forward to. It's that Vegetto guy whose enduring popularity escapes me. To me he's that guy with the incomprehensible name who only exists because Toei screwed Toriyama over yet again. But there's certainly some good old-fashioned Toriyama charm on display here.

And BlazingFiddlesticks, I love that image! Did you make that?

[Zephyr]

Ah, disappointed you didn't mention the chapter before he appears calling him "Gogeta" at the end of chapter teaser.

[jcogginsa]

Funny that Part 25 is coming out on Christmas, December 25th

As for Vegito's popularity: I imagine it's because the main things people remember are the Ki Sword and the Candy beatdown, and forget about the rest of it

[Zephyr]

Also, as pointed out in the episode, his character design is great.

[jjgp1112]

Yeah, the tennis match is just so exhausting at this point. The Kid Buu part just can't come soon enough.

Totally agreed about Vegetto not working in either language. It's literally just Vegeta with an O. Vegerotto would've sounded awesome in Japanese.

[jjgp1112]

I feel really bad for the Majin Buu arc. Like, it starts out in a soft reboot kind of thing with with the timeskip & dealing with Gohan's life, but then it transitions into regular DB stuff fro up until that point & it kinda ruins what could've been. On top of that, the glaring tone shifts that cause mood whiplash & characters acting certain ways for no other reason butt for the plot to advance rather than the characters driving the plot, it's just really bad. There are cool moments for sure, but most everything around them is not great.

At least with the Android saga, the stupid decisions that drive the plot are actually in character. Vegeta discarding everyone's fate because he views life as a personal dick measuring contest, Krillin being a simp, Gohan becoming drunk with power (not *in character* per say but a realistic consequence in the context of the story), etc. This on the other hand is classic idiot plot.

[Kid Buu]

I like Vegetto. His fight with Buu is entertaining and I love how he finds new ways to troll Buu. Like the scene where he belew up the ghosts with Ki Blasts and mocked it as a kid's move.

Do agree in the context of the tennis match that is kind of annoying.

Gohan failed to catch an earring when Raditz could catch a bullet. Power level bros what is your explaniation?

[Koitsukai]

Also, Vegito/Vegetto in spanish sound like a male Bejita/Vegeta, lol.

Veku would've been nice, short and to the point, the complete opposite of the character's actions, and Vegito should've been the skinny/fat one, the unbalanced fusion with an unbalanced name.

I guess you have to accept the potara fusion puts Vegeta on the wheel, he refers to one of the fusees as Kakarotto, unlike the dance fusion. Well, that's what you get when Toriyama chooses to accomodate his manga to Toei's movie.

[Scsigs]

Also, Vegito/Vegetto in spanish sound like a male Bejita/Vegeta, lol.

Veku would've been nice, short and to the point, the complete opposite of the character's actions, and Vegito should've been the skinny/fat one, the unbalanced fusion with an unbalanced name.

I guess you have to accept the potara fusion puts Vegeta on the wheel, he refers to one of the fusees as Kakarotto, unlike the dance fusion. Well, that's what you get when Toriyama chooses to accommodate his manga to Toei's movie.

I remember hearing that, for the English dubs, Sabat has different ways of directing for the 2 fusions of Vegeta & Goku. For Vegetto, he records the lines first, then Sean Schemmel matches his delivery in his Goku voice (although, since Kai, he's been mmimicking the accent Sabat uses too), but for Gogeta, Schemmel will record first & Sabat will match HIM instead. The thinking is that Vegetto is more like Vegeta & Gogeta's more like Goku in personality, which I can see. Vegetto is more like Vegeta, I think. He's more self-serious & smart like Vegeta, but has Goku's combat prowess & creativity, as well as a general want to free their kids & Piccolo, which I think is why Vegetto made up that plan. People can decide if the name spelling thing is good or not, but on that level, it makes sense.

[Damian0358]

And BlazingFiddlesticks, I love that image! Did you make that?

It was made by Tanukichi! The original version on Twitter is no longer available sadly, but they did include it in this Twitter log on their Pixiv, as #30.

[Gaffer Tape]

The Final Faces of Boo - Dragon Ball Dissection: The Majin Boo Arc Part 25!

Merry Christmas from Dragon Ball Dissection! Enjoy the holiday traditions of crushing the Christmas earrings, tearing down the Christmas skin pods, and escaping through the Christmas head sphincter. Oh, and don't forget the ceremonial destroying of Earth. It's Part 25 on the 25th. It's almost like I planned it that way! (I didn't.)

[jcogginsa]

My headcanon on the tiny Buu is that removing all the absorbed characters caused Buu to crash to reset to factory default, to use a metaphor

[jjgp1112]

Yeah, the nature of the split and the reconfiguration of the evil balance has always been the way I viewed it too. I actually never picked up on the fusion inconsistency though

[Ssj3Engels]

I feel really bad for the Majin Buu arc. Like, it starts out in a soft reboot kind of thing with with the timeskip & dealing with Gohan's life, but then it transitions into regular DB stuff fro up until that point & it kinda ruins what could've been. On top of that, the glaring tone shifts that cause mood whiplash & characters acting certain ways for no other reason butt for the plot to advance rather than the characters driving the plot, it's just really bad. There are cool moments for sure, but most everything around them is not great.

"Fro"? Did you mean "from"?