Should Dragon Ball still air on TV in the 2020s and beyond?

[mecha3000]

I'm 25 years old and grew up watching Dragon Ball Z/GT on DVD and the Ultimate Uncut on Cartoon Network at like, 10:30pm at night back in the day (I was about 8-9 years old back then). Then, Kai came out and I watched it on Nicktoons while collecting the home releases in my teens. Then, Super started airing right before my twentieth birthday. Now, in my mid-twenties, I'm wondering: Does Dragon Ball still need to be on TV?

We all know Dragon Ball is most likely returning, but we don't know if it will still air on TV. In the mid 2010s when Super first came out, me and another user CureDragon (shoutout to you, man) used to discuss where Super would air in the U.S when the dub came over. Then, in 2016, Super got a toyline. I immediately thought it would air on Nicktoons or Disney XD (honestly, at that point, the latter would've been perfect, especially for Super - as Nicktoons was on a decline). However, it was announced to air on Adult Swim's Toonami along with Kai: The Final Chapters, despite getting a toyline (which was a mistake in my opinion since Super is more kid-friendly anyway)......

So, this brings me to my next point. Where should Dragon Ball air in the future? Should it air at all? Honestly, if Toonami is still a thing by the time it returns, it will probably air there. But once again, you're excluded the younger generation from getting introduced (which Kai was able to do on Nicktoons and Toonzai). And in this age of streaming, with Crunchyroll now owning Funimation: SHOULD DRAGON BALL EVEN CONTINUE TO AIR ON TELEVISION OR IS THAT A DATED CONCEPT NOW?

Maybe, a simuldub would be better or at least a streaming-exclusive release? Crunchyroll could possibly even be Dragon Ball's version of a Disney Plus or HBO Max. But we also know how traditional Japan is when it comes to television airings. I don't know, I'm just spitballing here. Thoughts?

[dultimate02]

I can't help but feel like it'll still air on TV in some way in the US, but I certainly don't think that in today's day and age that's really necessary. I don't know how other anime dubs are aired but I just feel that with the increased popularity when it comes to streaming services in America, airing DBS on TV here is kinda redundant. Most kids use streaming services to watch content nowadays. Hell, so do most adults. It'd be weird but that seems where the industry is going.

[WittyUsername]

Television was already struggling to stay relevant when Super aired on Toonami, but now it’s practically on its way out. I don’t see what purpose continuing to air Dragon Ball on TV would even serve, especially now that Sony owns Crunchyroll.

[Ashur]

Airing is good for hooking random viewers, especially recognizable series like Dragon Ball, that's good for potentially expanding the ammount of people who consume DB media, at least that's how i see it.

In my country DB was banned for gender politics reasons (you can probably guess why ) yet WB is still airing it, it's got an audience, i'm one of the people that sometimes tunes in for one of their DBZ movie marathons or watches some DBS episodes, even when i'm not the biggest fan of DBS overall i can't help but tune in, something i wouldn't do if my only option for watching Super was streaming.

I suppose it is different on the USA, but in here there is a strong market for it.

[Saiya6Cit]

Dealing with channels is dealing with censorship.

I wish for dragon ball to be broadcasted the way it was in the 90s but maybe times have changed....

We should get an TOEI Animation streaming services, shounen jump already have the digital mangas for a membership, disney plus is a thing, so I don't see why they should not get their own.

[Cure Dragon 255]

God is this thread tailor made for ME! And yes it should. Not just on Toonami which is on its last gasp but some sort of Broadcast Diginet aimed at a nostalgic crowd. Those are actually growing and their viewers increase by the year, and there is plenty of viewers who want to watch fun stuff with their kids but have no choice but to watch Police Procedurals with them. DBZ is such a huge show that the one channel to get it will own all the others and that would be awesome to see agai.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

As long as linear channels exist, why not? Dragon Ball has generally got great ratings wherever it aired, and consistently brought in new fans whether that be Toonami, YTV, Nicktoons, Club Dorothee, Magic Kids or any international channel or block where kids were exposed to it.

[MasenkoHA]

It's 2023 not 2003. Pretty much nobody under the age of 50 watches traditional tv anymore, least of all children.

What benefit does Dragon Ball airing on tv serve other than "I grew up watching it on television and can't accept that things have changed"

We should get an TOEI Animation streaming services, shounen jump already have the digital mangas for a membership, disney plus is a thing, so I don't see why they should not get their own.

Because there doesn't need to be ANOTHER streaming service

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

It's 2023 not 2003. Pretty much nobody under the age of 50 watches traditional tv anymore, least of all children.

My wife religiously watches the Late Late show, which is a popular talk show here in Ireland and various housing programmes on TV. Our national broadcaster RTÉ also has a range of different programmes that are all watched by under 50s I know. It may not be as popular as it was 20 years ago, and streaming is undoubtedly surpassing it, but there are still plenty of young people watching traditional TV for content other than sports (which is of course a huge draw for traditional TV).

For what its worth Super still did relatively well on Pop, so while things aren't like they were back in the Cartoon Network/CNX/Toonami days it never hurts having Dragon Ball on a linear channel as plenty of families still avail of them to fill the gaps when there is nothing for them on streaming services.

[ABED]

I don't see the point in not also having it on TV. Even though we all have streaming and I think it's overtaken traditional TV, not everyone who would've otherwise watched Dragon Ball is going to watch it on Crunchyroll. Maybe if it were on Hulu or some other popular streaming service, but I doubt Crunchyroll would get the numbers traditional TV will.

[MasenkoHA]

I don't see the point in not also having it on TV. Even though we all have streaming and I think it's overtaken traditional TV, not everyone who would've otherwise watched Dragon Ball is going to watch it on Crunchyroll. Maybe if it were on Hulu or some other popular streaming service, but I doubt Crunchyroll would get the numbers traditional TV will.

I agree that Crunchyroll isn't necessarily the best place to put Dragon Ball if you want to attract new and younger viewers. It's too niche and is dependent on kids A. Having parents who are anime fans (which is totally feasible) or B. Having parents who are lenient enough to pay for Crunchyroll even if they themselves don't care for anime.

Obviously, a better solution would be to put Dragon Ball on a bigger streaming service like Netflix or Hulu or YouTube. But traditional tv in this day and age sure as hell isn't going to attract new viewers.

[ABED]

I'd be willing to bet that in the streaming age even with more people cutting the chord, people's viewing habits aren't what we assume. It's especially hard to figure this all out and make informed opinions when streamers don't release ratings.

[Cure Dragon 255]

ABED I know we may have had arguments or disagreements in the past but I love you now. Also, while I am super glad you finally admit Crunchyroll being behind a paywall makes it a bad place to have kids watch it, Masenko ha, and I agree that moving it to a more mainstream and or free streaming giant would do wonders for it, I have to say kids do watch Crunchyroll, a little girl inspired this Boomer Comic about Pretty Cure of all things!

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/intere ... ip/.176035

This happened before Crunchyroll became paywalled so I REALLY doubt this could happen nowadays though. Also being in Broadcast Television would mean absolutely NO PAYWALLS. Put the TV in the channel you want and there you go. And Broadcast Diginets are all about nostalgia and the good old days anyway, would you prefer kids watching Police Procedurals with their grandparents instead? Because that is exactly what is happening right now.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I'd like to see Dragon Ball on a more mainstream streaming service like Netflix, especially in the UK and Ireland where customers get it as part of a package if they have Sky, which would migitate the payroll issue.

Netflix has also has a history of licensing different English dubs to what would be the most convenient, such as the Hong Kong dub of Yo-Kai Watch, which was streamed in Southeast Asia and temporarily internationally, as well as the Canadian dub of Paw Patrol, so it could bode well for Ocean's dubs to finally, once again see the light of day officially.

I fear its unlikely though, at least in English-speaking territories and Germany, which are now all covered by Crunchyroll who could in theory pull some strings to prevent other streamers from getting it (because we know from good sources Funimation prevented Ocean Kai from airing on Kix, no reason Crunchyroll wouldn't pull a similar stunt).

[Dr. Casey]

I don't see the point in not also having it on TV. Even though we all have streaming and I think it's overtaken traditional TV, not everyone who would've otherwise watched Dragon Ball is going to watch it on Crunchyroll. Maybe if it were on Hulu or some other popular streaming service, but I doubt Crunchyroll would get the numbers traditional TV will.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna43704

According to this, streaming became the number one form of television viewing for the first time the July of last year. Which is actually really surprising to me, I'd have guessed it passed that milestone around 2014-2015.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I was hoping broadcast would be higher than cable but cable is dying and broadcast is growing. Most of the channels that grew or were stable in ratings were the broadcast diginets.

[ABED]

ABED I know we may have had arguments or disagreements in the past but I love you now. Also, while I am super glad you finally admit Crunchyroll being behind a paywall makes it a bad place to have kids watch it

Did I say otherwise?

[Cure Dragon 255]

I was talking to Masenko Ha you are totes awesome and I agree with you this time.

[Saiya6Cit]

Update: In mexico they are currently airing DBZ Majin buu saga and we are waiting to see the fight between spopobitch and videl. So far and since DBZ started everything has been the way it used to be broadcasted in the 90s: bloody and violent, just no censorship... ALTHOUGH now they have included a legend on the screen that says that the show is for children 12 years of age and older and it stays on the screen for quite a while...


DBZ is having great ratings and an active community on twitter right now, I don't have a twitter but there is hastag #DragonBallZ, the tv station is called TV Azteca.

Perhaps it is worthy to mention that they also kept the roshi scenes, dragon ball is also airing before DBZ but I have not watched that one, they are at the uranai baba saga that is all I know.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Update: In mexico they are currently airing DBZ Majin buu saga and we are waiting to see the fight between spopobitch and videl. So far and since DBZ started everything has been the way it used to be broadcasted in the 90s: bloody and violent, just no censorship... ALTHOUGH now they have included a legend on the screen that says that the show is for children 12 years of age and older and it stays on the screen for quite a while...


DBZ is having great ratings and an active community on twitter right now, I don't have a twitter but there is hastag #DragonBallZ, the tv station is called TV Azteca.

Perhaps it is worthy to mention that they also kept the roshi scenes, dragon ball is also airing before DBZ but I have not watched that one, they are at the uranai baba saga that is all I know.

FOUND THE ARTICLE!!!

https://www.mediotiempo.com/virales/tv- ... accionaron

Actually while I dont live in Mexico Azteca did get to Videl Vs Spopovich and there was a major buzz of controversy but luckily not enough to get it cancelled I saw it on Social media and some articles about it.