Did the anime consider another rebrand for the Buu arc?

[ABED]

It's meant to stick out. I think you overestimate how many people have any issue with the switch.

[MasenkoHA]

This is the modern era of anime, where they change openings within shows all time. The standards are different.

This is what I mean by you just make up random rules. “it’s modern anime so it’s okay!”

The audience is the law. You have to do right by the audience and respect their expectations. Those expectations are informed by preestablished patterns. When you go against those patterns, you throw everything off.

I can guarantee you the majority of audiences don’t get mad or confused when the theme song changes. Most of them can read (or at least identify the characters) they know they’re watching Dragon Ball Z regardless if it opens with Head Cha La or We Gotta Power.

[An intro song is a part of a show's identity and thus very important. You can't be careless when handling a show's entire identity.

Skakehejwjeh fucking what? It’s a tv show not some sacred holy artifact.

[Skar]

This is the modern era of anime, where they change openings within shows all time. The standards are different.

Well it was probably a gradual change and only some anime did it until it became a standard. It's not like there was an industry wide declaration that said "at the beginning of year X will changing the intro be permitted".

[MasenkoHA]

This is the modern era of anime, where they change openings within shows all time. The standards are different.

Well it was probably a gradual change and only some anime did it until it became a standard. It's not like there was an industry wide declaration that said "at the beginning of year X will changing the intro be permitted".

Yuyu Hakusho is fairly contemporary to Dragon Ball Z and it changed its OP multiple times.

Pokemon came out right when GT was ending and was changing its openings before it started doing the “Re-Branding the title every year”’thing starting with gen 3.


It’s not even a modern anime thing.

[DBZAOTA482]

This is the modern era of anime, where they change openings within shows all time. The standards are different.

Well it was probably a gradual change and only some anime did it until it became a standard. It's not like there was an industry wide declaration that said "at the beginning of year X will changing the intro be permitted".

Yuyu Hakusho is fairly contemporary to Dragon Ball Z and it changed its OP multiple times.

It changed the animation 2 times but it kept the same opening theme.

Really it depends on the anime. Most anime openings are promotions for a popular band's album (which is why they change so much) but certain anime like Dragon Ball have themes made specially for them.

[JulieYBM]

The choice to change the Opening animation is typically done as funding issue. The sponsorship provides the production committee with the funds necessary to produce the cartoon. Of course, this money isn't exactly going back into the pockets of the people making said cartoons. I am myself always in favor of switching up the theme songs because it gives each era its own flavor and identity and I think it's also important for the staff because it allows them more opportunities to advance their creative skills and visions as artists. Nowhere is this seen more than with the NARUTO franchise. The Openings--especially those from Tsuru Toshiyuki and Suzuki Hirofumi--are legendary. BORUTO also continues this legacy.

Anyway, I think it would have been really cool to see the Dragon Ball cartoons find new ways to continually re-invent themselves. I know that fandom likes to remember the Dragon Ball franchise for being revolutionary but in a lot of ways it is and has been in fact left behind in the dust by younger titles like NARUTO, BLEACH or Black Clover. I can only imagine what sort of wonderful new ideas we could have seen Yama'uchi Shigeyasu and Ueda Yoshihiro come up with if they had been allowed to direct new Opening animation sequences for every cour or every other cour.

[MyVisionity]

I agree that it would have been interesting to see DB's openings change along with each story arc. However, there is something to be said for keeping one singular opening throughout an entire show. It reflects something special about a show's identity, how its core is unchanging. It gives the audience a sense of stability and grounding.

[Cure Dragon 255]

While Normally I do see My Visionity pulling nonsensical reasons for his way of thinking, I do kinda agree more modern anime tend to change their openings at the drop of a hat.

...but I think keeping kid gohan in the opening could have been seen as an artifact. It's for the best that it changed. Maybe a compromise and put Teen Gohan and keep Cha La HEAD CHALA.

[MyVisionity]

I agree, updated animation but with Head Cha La would have worked. Or a new version of the Head Cha La song as well. The final season of Happy Days did this with their opening theme.

[Soppa Saia People]

That's actually something that bugs me, about DBZ and Sailor Moon. I don't like how they both get brand new openings for the final sagas when the rest of the show was all one opening albeit with different versions. To me it comes off as careless and/or shortsighted.

to be fair sailor star song is way better then moonlight densetsu, no idea how that song lasted that long it doesn't even work very well in the first anime series much less the next 3.

but to be honest the switch to we gotta power isn't that weird to me, outside of some art updates and gohan, most characters look up to date in the 3 cha la head cha la openings so changing it when they got to boo and most of the cast had design changes made sense, i can see how it's a little weird that it's just the boo arc but i mean...that's almost a 3rd of Z, and most sources split up the boo arc so it's not that out there.

honestly the weird part to me is just how long cha la lasted and more importantly how through 200 episodes the animation changed 3 times, and one time from episodes 20-199. the opening through out the almost 80 episode long freeza arc has nappa and vegeta as the main villains and muten roshi, tenshinhan, yamcha and chiaotzu as goku's main supporting cast...i get Z's production around that time was pretty messy but damn.

[PurestEvil]

Considering how Cha La Head Cha La was used for 199 episodes, I think changing the opening song was a good choice. They wouldn't want viewers to become sick of hearing the same thing for another 100 episodes (even though Cha La has been used to death in the video games ).

[MyVisionity]

to be fair sailor star song is way better then moonlight densetsu, no idea how that song lasted that long it doesn't even work very well in the first anime series much less the next 3.

Uhhh...... Okay, wow first time hearing something like that!

Although Star may technically be a better song, Densetsu *is* Sailor Moon to my mind and is irreplaceable.

honestly the weird part to me is just how long cha la lasted and more importantly how through 200 episodes the animation changed 3 times, and one time from episodes 20-199. the opening through out the almost 80 episode long freeza arc has nappa and vegeta as the main villains and muten roshi, tenshinhan, yamcha and chiaotzu as goku's main supporting cast...i get Z's production around that time was pretty messy but damn.

I agree that's weird but on the other hand you could say that they were just letting the story speak for itself instead of relying on the opening to represent the series, putting all of their efforts into the episodes themselves instead of the openings.

Considering how Cha La Head Cha La was used for 199 episodes, I think changing the opening song was a good choice. They wouldn't want viewers to become sick of hearing the same thing for another 100 episodes (even though Cha La has been used to death in the video games ).

If viewers could last 200 episodes what's 100 more really? Plus, they could have just recorded an updated version of Cha La if they wanted to freshen things up.

[Saiya6Cit]

I never heared of it.

The most that happened here in mexico at around year 2001-2003 (this is before internet was on every home) people would think DB AF was canon and they would sell merchandise of that on the streets. Now that I think about it, they must worth something nowadays like the mexican bootleg in action figures... mmmhhh...


Now that we have db Super it does not matter, unless that they would make an anime that would ACTUALLY COMPLY with the end of Z facts.

[ABED]

what's 100 more really?

More episodes than most shows get. Also, the magic number for syndication.

[TheGreatness25]

Shoot, I looked "We Gotta Power" (though, I wish they officially titled this in Katakana, so I can call it "We Got Power" instead because "gotta" seems weird to me) and "We Were Angels." Not only that, but the recap music, title music, and the general BGM were so good for the Boo arc. I think that the series definitely needed that little refresh after 199 episodes of essentially the same sound. Also, might be an unpopular opinion, but I much prefer the music used in the Boo arc to its predecessor (I don't go super crazy over "Cha-La Head Cha-La" and don't care at all for "Come out, Incredible ZENKAI Power").

I've never once heard anyone complain nor get confused over the music change either. Then, I look at Death Note, which is a fraction of any Dragon Ball series, and it changed its opening and closing at least once, so is it really that big of a deal?

I could see if they rebranded during the Boo arc because it is very different (Goku is gone from the start, Gohan is unrecognized, there is a brand new main character in Gohan), but I don't think I'd care whether they did or not.

[MyVisionity]

I forgot that Hokuto no Ken is another Toei anime where they change the opening and ending for the last arc of the show, without rebranding. And that was only after 82 episodes. So there's definitely a precedent for it with Toei. I don't think that one bothers me so much because it felt like they knew that the show was ending and were acknowledging it. Also because they rebranded the anime immediately afterwards anyhow.

Also, might be an unpopular opinion, but I much prefer the music used in the Boo arc to its predecessor (I don't go super crazy over "Cha-La Head Cha-La" and don't care at all for "Come out, Incredible ZENKAI Power").

I don't know if that's necessarily unpopular, but I prefer those two also.