Is now the right time for a Dragon Ball Remake?

[FortuneSSJ]

Some months ago I wasn't interested in a Dragon Ball remake anytime soon, because I wanted to take the most new stories Toriyama had to offer. But now that he's not with us anymore and the highly talented and DB fanboy Chikashi Kubota appeared, who's interested in doing a remake, I've been thinking about that.

Even though for the music Kikuchi will always be irreplaceable and defined how DB and DBZ must feel for me, a remake with Kubota as the character designer, who respects the original artstyle, and the level of production of Daima would be incredible to see. Even if it had a less good composer.

Meanwhile Toyotaro would go ahead and write more stories for DBS to adapt later.

For those that don't know who Kubota is, he's the animator responsible for the 2D recap in Super Hero and will be involved in the Buu arc recap in Daima too

[Yuji]

If done right, as a tribute to Toriyama, I think it would be well received.

[Xeogran]

Time as good as any, but I'm not seeing it being greenlit anytime soon. The demand for it is nowhere near as big as for new DB content.

I think that Daima will serve as a DB remake of sorts already, and whatever project comes after Daima will most likely be Super related again. Yeah, Daima is a whole new thing and has DBZ characters and transformations, but it's still a story about Kid Goku going on adventures, as a tribute to the classical Dragon Ball.

For the noticeable future however, IMO, the reanimated content we get here and there will have to suffice.

[MisteryOne]

I mean, I would love it. A truly accurate to manga version (not you Kai you are drunk) of both Dragonball and Super, that has the ability of fixing plotholes or inconsistencies in hindsight? And that could propertly build up future threats like Beerus and Goku Black? That would have enough time and resources to make it look awrdome animation-wise? Sounds awesome on paper. The question is, would the fandom even want it? If they don't, Toei will see no reason to do it. But it woymd be fantastic to also tie Daima to Super more organically and as a Toriyama tribute.

[JulieYBM]

There is exciting young talent at Toei Animation who both grew up on Dragon Ball and could create a new adaption that is a modern retelling. After Daima finishes production I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a second animated adaption of the 1984 comic series within the next ten years.

For the time being, I imagine that such a project will wait until One Piece (1999) ends before beginning production. I'm not sure such a massive project would be put into production before then.

[Tian]

It'd be nice if Toei considered to make, at least, a new OG DB mini-series as some sort of thank you to Toriyama-sensei.

[PowerPhantom245]

I don't see remake happening anytime soon; maybe 10~15 years later.
As much as I don't want remake of any good franchise, since it's been oversaturating in industries these days, franchise like Dragon Ball is inevitable though.
If there is going to be remake, I'm curious who's going to voice Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo; it's going to be very hard to pick a cast for that.

This might sounds stretch, but if remake comes out, maybe that might be an opportunity to release classic series (original, Z, and GT) on Blu-ray, as a tie-in to promote the show. The likely hood of that is very slim, but one can hope.

[TechExpert2021]

While I liked the idea of a remake or a reboot of OG DB, I see no point in it and it isn't going to happen. Also, I'm pretty sure a remake or a reboot of OG DB be different from the original anime content-wise considering that the original contained material that is no longer considered suitable for Japanese shonen cartoons.

Toei might do a Kai-esque recut of OG DB though, since it's cheaper than a full remake or reboot of OG DB.

[BlueChi]

I don't believe a full-on remake of the original anime is necessary, it holds up quite well as-is. Surprisingly so, sometimes.

I'd be totally down for movies covering the arcs, though.
Think Path to Power, but a bit more faithful and longer.

[MasenkoHA]

Has "Should OG Dragon Ball get a remake/Kai treatment!?!? become the new "Can Dragon Ball work as a live action movie?" in terms of this exact topic popping up over and over

[super michael]

I don't see anything wrong with Dragon Ball getting a remake. I can imagine that there would be a lot of improvements. When it comes to anime remake, I don't know any anime that are inferior to the original.

[SaiyamanMS]

Honestly, I would love a Dragon Ball remake. Is the original still good? Yes, of course it is. Could a remake be better? Abso-fucking-lutely. The show is almost 40 years old, there’s a lot of unnecessary filler and padding, animation has come a long way and plenty of other anime have gotten remakes which are well received. Hunter x Hunter being an immediate example that comes to mind.

Also, a remake doesn’t necessarily mean that we need Toei to be behind it. Hunter x Hunter was done by Nippon Animation originally and the remake by Madhouse. One Piece is one of the biggest cash cows out there right now, being animated by Toei, and we’re literally getting a remake by Wit Studio coming soon while Toei’s adaptation is still ongoing.

Looking at something like the Super Hero recap, I would love to see the manga adapted into something that good looking.

[OmegaRockman]

I'd prefer they wrap up the current era of stuff (Daima, Super) to give the remaining original cast a final sendoff, but I'd support a full remake after that. It would be a great opportunity to introduce a new voice cast too. Not to mention that they could tone down some of the more problematic aspects of the original series.

I wouldn't be against a Kai recut either, but I'd want the remaining original cast to do that. I wish they would've done it while Tsuru and Yanami were still with us though.

[GTx10]

I disagree. I think DB should not get remade/remaked. Why? Because some of DB' 80s/90s charm will be last in the transition.

We already have Z and Kai and that is a mess all on its own. Imagine a Kai for OG, Z (again), GT, and Super. Good lord the arguments over the animation and whether or not Roshi's antics are PC or not. Added additions and/or content lost, the voices will be different for JPN and English, the needless comparing it to the original...

I guess Kakarot is our remake more or less and that isn't perfect. So no, now is not the time for a remake. It would be more cost effective to re-release the 4 series on Blu-ray 4K super mega disc over 9000 version than a remake of the entire series.

[JulieYBM]

I disagree. I think DB should not get remade/remaked. Why? Because some of DB' 80s/90s charm will be last in the transition.

We already have Z and Kai and that is a mess all on its own. Imagine a Kai for OG, Z (again), GT, and Super. Good lord the arguments over the animation and whether or not Roshi's antics are PC or not. Added additions and/or content lost, the voices will be different for JPN and English, the needless comparing it to the original...

I guess Kakarot is our remake more or less and that isn't perfect. So no, now is not the time for a remake. It would be more cost effective to re-release the 4 series on Blu-ray 4K super mega disc over 9000 version than a remake of the entire series.

A second animated adaption of Dragon Ball would be more easy to market than trying to sell a 40 year old animated series to new audiences across the world. The older series are not simply flawed works of art, but they will not be as appreciated by a 2024 audience as an audience from 20-40 years ago due to their age and their quality. Dragon Ball (1986) and Dragon Ball Z were not created to be high-quality and re-watchable, they were created to fill a timeslot and sell merchandise, not to be sold based on their creative merits. A second animated adaption created in the anime industry of the 2020s would be able to be sold based on its quality while using the franchise's past as a prestige selling point.

Change is how older stories survive into a new era.

Honestly, I would love a Dragon Ball remake. Is the original still good? Yes, of course it is. Could a remake be better? Abso-fucking-lutely. The show is almost 40 years old, there’s a lot of unnecessary filler and padding, animation has come a long way and plenty of other anime have gotten remakes which are well received. Hunter x Hunter being an immediate example that comes to mind.

Also, a remake doesn’t necessarily mean that we need Toei to be behind it. Hunter x Hunter was done by Nippon Animation originally and the remake by Madhouse. One Piece is one of the biggest cash cows out there right now, being animated by Toei, and we’re literally getting a remake by Wit Studio coming soon while Toei’s adaptation is still ongoing.

Looking at something like the Super Hero recap, I would love to see the manga adapted into something that good looking.

The Wit Studio series is still being co-produced with Toei Animation—although, I am not sure if anyone from Toei Animation will wind up working on it like when Toei Animation and Madhouse worked together for Casshern Sins. That is to say, ultimately I do not see the Dragon Ball series leaving Toei Animation completely. They apparently went through some trouble to do Daima, after all.

[Rafa Fast]

I'm in the same boat as you, a time ago I was against the idea of remaking the old anime too, specially because they would probably cut a lot of things, specially the fillers (which I love, I think Pilaf vs Red Ribbon is phenomenal), but now I really don't mind it, and I believe I would even like it, specially because it could be a tribute to Toriyama.

I also had that "It will lose the 80's magic/charm" thought in mind too, but honestly? The original will remain there, it will continue existing, we'll still be able to watch it, I don't have to watch the remake if I end up not liking it.
And Honestly, I would really be curious to see the changes, how they would adapt some scenes to fit the modern style of story telling, etc, and I do agree that the modern audiences deserve a version of the show that is more "watchable", with better pacing and all, DB and Z animes really weren't made to be rewatchable despite how many of us rewatch it and the countless home releases, Kai existed for a few reasons, making a version of the show that is "accessible" for modern audiences was one of them (though I still think that naming it "Dragon Ball Kai" pretending that a lot of stories didn't happen before Raditz was dumb, they at least had the decency to call it "Z Kai" internationally)

I love Kikuchi music too but I also would be interested to hear new soundtrack by new composer in this remake, also, I agree that it would be a good opportunity to recast the characters with brand new voice actors.

A remake of the series would make the Pre-Raditz stuff more popular too, that would probably lead us to finally getting out from the hole we've been inside for years, which is DB not receiving any good treatment in the videogames, I strongly believe one of the reasons DB always get weak representation in the games is because it's not as popular as Z and Super, and there's the fact that the style of Kakarot just works perfectly for a DB focused game, but they decided to just make a Z game from it, so I strongly believe that a remake of it would allow to more games based on first series being made and getting better representation in the fighting ones.

Now for the question "Is it the right time for it?", well I personally don't think it is, we have Daima right in front of us, and a lot of fans (me included) are way too eager for a animated adaptation of the remaining Super stories, I could wait, but remaking DB before it would just make them more frustrated I think, so I think the best they could do at the moment is remaking the show in 2026, why 2026? Because it would be the celebration of the 40 years since Dragon Ball became a animation, I don't think the remake should start airing exactly the same day/week the original anime started its broadcast, it could be in the latter part of 2026, so I think a very good run would be like this:
late 2024-middle 2025: Daima
late 2025-middle 2026: Super
late 2026-2027?: DB Remake

Though, it's very unlikely that it's going to be like this, specially because we are probably still going to get new Super stories in 2025 onwards, and people would like to see them adapted, so there's really no space for a remake of DB thinking on the long term, only when Super ends and the series enter in a new hiatus, so Toei would've adapted everything so they would be able to do anything they want, and I have no idea when that could happen.

Also, I wouldn't be so damn positive when it comes to the animation, I strongly doubt that the animation and visuals would be Daima level, it would definitely be better than Super's and Heroes', but not on par with Daima, and I don't think it has to XD
And, at the moment I'm more interested in getting a remake of Super first, there is way too much stuff in the manga that I would like to see in animated format, but I wouldn't be disappointed if DB remake was made first.

[JulieYBM]

"It won't be the same!" Is always such a weird argument to men. Like, yeah, that's the point of making a new adaption. The original 1984-1995 Dragon Ball comic is still out there, available to purchase. It's still on your shelves!

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

The parts I think would be most difficult about a remake would be finding a new composer who could create something as iconic as Kikuchi, and recasting Masako Nozawa. I don't know how the new musical scores have been received by Japanese audiences, but they don't feel as instantly iconic (to me) as the score from OG/Z. The tougher sell would be recasting Nozawa. She will have been the only voice of Goku for 40 years come 2026. Other iconic characters have been recasted, most recently Mario, with Charles Martinet leaving for undisclosed reasons. But, doing a decent Mario impression isn't too hard. (Not trying to be rude Martinet is a good actor, and by all accounts a nice man.) I've yet to hear an actor who sounds anything like Nozawa. So unless they take the character's voice in a completely new direction, I don't think that they'll be able to match the original.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

As has been said, let Daima and the remaining Super story arcs be animated, but after that, why not?

Anime remakes have a solid reputation with titles like Hunter X Hunter, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, I'm hearing praise for the new Spice & Wolf as we speak, imagine any of the creative teams behind these being behind Dragon Ball.

Comparisons to the original will be inevitable, but does it really matter? There will always be far less worthwhile conversations and there's a better chance of new fans getting into Dragon Ball through a remake than expecting them to find the original themselves and get into it that way. If they love the remake they will eventually see the original out of curiosity, so there's nothing to lose but everything to gain.

If a remake is bad we can just ignore it as it won't be essential viewing anyway. If it's good then we have another show that can be enjoyed both by new fans and older fans like many of us here wanting a fresh experience of Dragon Ball.

[Jord]

It would get needlessly censored on all fronts. No thanks.