OG Dragon Ball and why one shouldnt mind if people skip it

[Skar]

I was introduced with DBZ first but I loved the series enough to go back and watch DB. I know there are still casual fans who have only seen DBZ and treat DB as a prequel. I've seen younger audiences say they grew up with Kai which doesn't help because it only covers DBZ! Not many of those casual fans would likely be on the forum though. If you're a big enough fan to join a DB forum, you likely watched the whole series.

That's not the intended way to experience the series but I don't think they would argue it is and just the only part they were interested in watching. I have a friend who mainly watches anime movies but not anime. He's aware Broly isn't a direct sequel to RoF but he just wasn't interested enough to see all the arcs that took place in-between. He also enjoyed Mugen Train even though it's the 6th or 7th arc of Demon Slayer and takes place between the two seasons.

[Shinsa]

In my opinion DB and DBZ are essential and shouldn't be skipped. DBS and GT you can but if you want some sort of closure, GT can give you that since Super is a mess.

That being said I know plenty people that have only watched DBZ and Z only and I think that's fine. They don't know everything in detail but I think Z gives enough information for the viewer to understand who Goku is ontop of Gohan being a good "fish out of water" character that the viewer can grow with.

I also know plenty of people that have watched DBZ and DBS with out watching DB or GT and again I think that's fine. Honestly DB/Z/S/GT aren't master class writing so its very easy to get on board and follow what's happening no matter when you join.

[MasenkoHA]

In my opinion DB and DBZ are essential and shouldn't be skipped. DBS and GT you can but if you want some sort of closure, GT can give you that since Super is a mess.

That being said I know plenty people that have only watched DBZ and Z only and I think that's fine. They don't know everything in detail but I think Z gives enough information for the viewer to understand who Goku is ontop of Gohan being a good "fish out of water" character that the viewer can grow with.

I also know plenty of people that have watched DBZ and DBS with out watching DB or GT and again I think that's fine. Honestly DB/Z/S/GT aren't master class writing so its very easy to get on board and follow what's happening no matter when you join.

I sort of agree with what you’re saying. The writing tends to be written broadly enough to allow new viewers to come in at any point and mostly follow along. Obviously pretty much anyone living in an English speaking country was more than likely introduced to the series through Z. Not just because Funimation skipped ahead after a run of the first 13 episodes but also I’m pretty sure the International Channel only ran Dragon Ball Z and most fans that came in the pre-Funi era were introduced by bootleg fansubs of the Cell saga (someone more knowledgeable please correct me if I’m wrong!) but very few of us can say we started watching at Dragon Ball Z episode 1 most of us probably came in at a random episode and got hooked by the action or the unique visuals and artwork.

But as a fan of Dragon Ball Z why would you not want to see where it began? It’s one thing to be a kid circa 2000 where you were at the mercy of what was on tv and not everyone had access to every available episode online and legal releases were incomplete and about $20 just to own 3 episodes.

But now? When you can own the complete series or watch it with a monthly subscription fee of $6 a month or other means that aren’t encouraged here, why wouldn’t you see the series from the beginning? To understand who that triclops, and Chinese Vampire and that pig and that crazy sneezing girl are? To understand why that red haired women and Frankenstein looking fellow recognize Goku’s voice when he needs help with the spirit bomb to stop Buu? to understand what the hell this Red Ribbon army thing that was frequently mentioned in the Cell saga was about?

[90sDBZ]

When I first watched Z seeing the flashbacks really made me want to see DB. There were all these glimpses of awesome scenes from the RRA and Piccolo sagas, and I wanted to see the full story behind them. The idea of Goku taking on an entire army as a kid sounded badass. And the animation style was similar to the Saiyan Saga, which was one of my favourites. When OG DB finally aired in the UK I was hyped.

[Zephyr]

In summary, no-one's right, everyone's right, and just do whatever the heck you want to do. I think there's a fair point to make, though, that if you don't go back and consume the prior material, you're really in no spot to be making calls about narrative flow, characterization, etc. from a holistic perspective across the entire original story. That's OK -- you don't have to read or watch it if you don't want, but again, you're really in no position to be making statements you can't back up with any substance at all.

This is what it comes down to for me. Watch what you want, however you want, in whatever order you want, with whatever translation, and to whatever degree of completion you want. But if you're interested in participating in discourse about the work, it helps to actually consume the work. That's why I think there's so much pushback around here against the idea of skipping parts of the story: you're inherently knee-capping whatever you're going to be able to bring to a discussion, which is ostensibly the whole point of a forum.

No, not everyone is obligated to participate in discourse of a work just because they're on a message board for it, but being on a message board kind of gives off the impression that that's what you're here for. And insofar as you are interested in that, well, yeah, you should read/watch the relevant stuff first. It's not gatekeeping to implore, say, students in a class to actually read the material before it's being discussed. That's just an implied, inherent, and integral part of the whole activity.

Granted, I'm also a crazy person who thinks that, past a certain point, when discussions get deep enough down the rabbit hole, a work's antecedents are also important material to be familiar with, which can be helpful for understanding the hows and whys of a story's development and structure, what's simply a trope of the genre, what's simply a common thing an author or creator does across their works, etc.

[Koitsukai]

The only reason I can see for not wanting to watch DB is if you are only interested in super flashy fights, space travel, alien lords, mystical creatures, cyborgs, planets going boom, standard attacks that put the planet in danger, people flying at top speed that you cannot even see, and power levels that would be considered by some weirdos as universal, solar or whatever.
DB is more down to Earth in that regard, while Z is really unfathomable, and DBS, well...

I'm always surprised when somebody doesn't want to see how Goku's story began. Specially when it's so funny and cute, and without even knowing it, it does touch upon subjects that are so abundant in Z, like zenkai boosts, saiya-tail, ohzaru transformation. But it's fair to like Dragonball only for the outrageously outstanding fights.

Also, people do have Goku as this superhero persona, that's what Z went with, including the movies, so it could be odd to have a Goku that's kinda dumb and makes you laugh, even if he is still kinda funny as an adult.

[Shinsa]

In my opinion DB and DBZ are essential and shouldn't be skipped. DBS and GT you can but if you want some sort of closure, GT can give you that since Super is a mess.

That being said I know plenty people that have only watched DBZ and Z only and I think that's fine. They don't know everything in detail but I think Z gives enough information for the viewer to understand who Goku is ontop of Gohan being a good "fish out of water" character that the viewer can grow with.

I also know plenty of people that have watched DBZ and DBS with out watching DB or GT and again I think that's fine. Honestly DB/Z/S/GT aren't master class writing so its very easy to get on board and follow what's happening no matter when you join.

I sort of agree with what you’re saying. The writing tends to be written broadly enough to allow new viewers to come in at any point and mostly follow along. Obviously pretty much anyone living in an English speaking country was more than likely introduced to the series through Z. Not just because Funimation skipped ahead after a run of the first 13 episodes but also I’m pretty sure the International Channel only ran Dragon Ball Z and most fans that came in the pre-Funi era were introduced by bootleg fansubs of the Cell saga (someone more knowledgeable please correct me if I’m wrong!) but very few of us can say we started watching at Dragon Ball Z episode 1 most of us probably came in at a random episode and got hooked by the action or the unique visuals and artwork.

But as a fan of Dragon Ball Z why would you not want to see where it began? It’s one thing to be a kid circa 2000 where you were at the mercy of what was on tv and not everyone had access to every available episode online and legal releases were incomplete and about $20 just to own 3 episodes.

But now? When you can own the complete series or watch it with a monthly subscription fee of $6 a month or other means that aren’t encouraged here, why wouldn’t you see the series from the beginning? To understand who that triclops, and Chinese Vampire and that pig and that crazy sneezing girl are? To understand why that red haired women and Frankenstein looking fellow recognize Goku’s voice when he needs help with the spirit bomb to stop Buu? to understand what the hell this Red Ribbon army thing that was frequently mentioned in the Cell saga was about?

Completely agree 100% here. If you want to invest time into the show then it's so easy now a days to get all episodes and binge watch.
I think where the problem may lie is the shift from DB to DBZ and some people might want to skip a head to get caught up with Z/Super. IMO DB is a much different show from Z. Super just rehashes stuff from both but I think it's more similar to Z and easier to digest as a follow up. 500 plus eps is a big ask for someone if they only just wanted to watch a version of the show they want to watch. Specially if you're in the 30 plus club!

An interesting case is my girlfriend, she always thought DBZ was stupid but she loves anime and respects what it did for the scene back in the mid 90s/00s. When I showed her DB on the other hand she grew to love the show because it was a lot more cute, funny, grounded and full of adventure. Which in turn lead us into DBZ and while she still didn't like DBZ (she feel asleep a lot during the fights lol), she wanted to know the out come and where the journey took certain characters.

Its honestly not a big deal and its always interesting meeting a DB fan; some are casual, some are hardcore, and some are starting out. I however always, always recommend everyone to start out with DB before DBZ or if you couldn't get hooked onto DB, I would recommend DBZ and then go back to watch DB like a prequel.

[ABED]

500 plus eps is a big ask for someone if they only just wanted to watch a version of the show they want to watch. Specially if you're in the 30 plus club!

I don't think it's that much of a bigger ask than 300 episodes. Once you cross a certain barrier, I think you on board for it all, so why should 150 more bother anyone?

people flying at top speed that you cannot even see,

There are moments like that as early as the 21st TB. Kuririn and Jackie Chun replay a sequence of moves they did that happened in a split second because no one in the crowd could see it. Maybe they weren't flying, but they were faster than the human eye.

[DBZAOTA482]

It isn't necessary to watch OG Dragon Ball first because the plot is simple enough but a lot of things won't have as much impact if you do like the Z-Warriors' death during the Saiyan arc.

[goku the krump dancer]

It isn't necessary to watch OG Dragon Ball first because the plot is simple enough but a lot of things won't have as much impact if you do like the Z-Warriors' death during the Saiyan arc.

That and you miss majority of the the side characters main development arcs, by the time we get to the fight with Nappa, Tien, Krillin and Chaozu's main conflicts are long since resolved with Piccolo's main arc being tied up in that very same fight when he protects Gohan. Yamcha's is more or less off hand concluded when he admits to being no help against the androids.

So to a person who is "Z Only" anyone not named Goku, Vegeta or Gohan aren't fleshed and only show up to die and that just isnt true. Most super casual DBZ fans typically carry that mindset, most of whom have zero idea that a site like this even exists so if anything its definitely interesting that someone who absolutely feels like they can do without the early story arcs is still somehow fan enough to join a forum dedicated to the entire franchise and more specifically the original work.

[ABED]

Piccolo's death still works if you've only seen DBZ because considerable time has been spent with him as well as time building that relationship between him and Gohan. However, it's not as rich if you don't experience his full journey. Tenshinhan and Yamcha's deaths feel hollow.

[MetaMoss]

I don't think it's that much of a bigger ask than 300 episodes. Once you cross a certain barrier, I think you on board for it all, so why should 150 more bother anyone?

As the old saying goes, "Time flies when you're having fun," which means 300 episodes of something you really enjoy is way less daunting than 150 of something you're not convinced is for you.

This is why I take the stance of recommending just Daimao and the 23rd, because a) I can confidently say it's basically Z in all but name, so they're almost guaranteed to enjoy it, and b) 50 episodes is a much more reasonable ask.

[ABED]

Sure, but in that case it's not about the episode count. Those are the episodes that are closest to the look and feel they are used to.

While the episode count no doubt makes it seem daunting, it's the worry that the payoff isn't worth the investment in One Piece that keeps me from watching it.

I just wish people's perceptions of DB were more accurate. DBZ isn't all one thing, and DB isn't all one thing. Far too many see DB as starting off too goofy and dumb kids stuff then it gets more serious (which seems to equate to good), and more action packed and cooler, and then stays that way for its entire run. To a certain degree it's true. DBZ falls into a pattern but not for the better. And so much of the refusal feels less like someone not getting out of it what they enjoy as much as they aren't getting out of it what they know. They know DBZ to be a certain thing and while many of those elements are there from the start, it's different.

[MetaMoss]

Sure, but in that case it's not about the episode count. Those are the episodes that are closest to the look and feel they are used to.

While the episode count no doubt makes it seem daunting, it's the worry that the payoff isn't worth the investment in One Piece that keeps me from watching it.

I wouldn't discount the lower episode count as being a big plus for some people. There's a non-zero chance that our hypothetical Z-only watcher is no longer in the life situation that afforded them the freedom to watch the entirety of Z, for example. I know if I hadn't seen any of pre-Z until now, I'd have trouble finding the time to make it through even if I was excited for it. Even the 50 episodes I'm suggesting would be an ordeal for me.

Honestly, I think if you can break the person's stigma that "classic Dragon Ball isn't my thing" with the later arcs, then that person might then be much more willing to try the earlier ones.

[ABED]

Sure, but in that case it's not about the episode count. Those are the episodes that are closest to the look and feel they are used to.

While the episode count no doubt makes it seem daunting, it's the worry that the payoff isn't worth the investment in One Piece that keeps me from watching it.

I wouldn't discount the lower episode count as being a big plus for some people. There's a non-zero chance that our hypothetical Z-only watcher is no longer in the life situation that afforded them the freedom to watch the entirety of Z, for example. I know if I hadn't seen any of pre-Z until now, I'd have trouble finding the time to make it through even if I was excited for it. Even the 50 episodes I'm suggesting would be an ordeal for me.

Honestly, I think if you can break the person's stigma that "classic Dragon Ball isn't my thing" with the later arcs, then that person might then be much more willing to try the earlier ones.

In this scenario are they rewatching or only watching once?

[Raki]

Is this divide primarily with American/European fans? I've always seen Dragonball as one big franchise once I found the manga.

[Cure Dragon 255]

HEY LATIN AMERICANS are american too and they began Dragon Ball with OG Dragon Ball!

[PurestEvil]

HEY LATIN AMERICANS are american too and they began Dragon Ball with OG Dragon Ball!

clearly they meant United Statesians...

[Cure Dragon 255]

I dont know if that's mocking me or not, but I will say saying Americans and exclude Latin Americans in that context REALLY pisses me off.

[Raki]

I dont know if that's mocking me or not, but I will say saying Americans and exclude Latin Americans in that context REALLY pisses me off.

I meant people in the United States and Canada.