4 post-Boo sequels/stories

[Yuji]

I realized we essentially received 4 different interpretations of what Dragon Ball post-Boo can look like.

We of course have GT and Super. Now Daima, too. And the old forgotten DB Online chronology. Now whether or not these can all fit together or you can mix and match chronologies is a separate issue, but at the time, all represented a sort of soft reboot for what a post-Boo Dragon Ball. All have unique aesthetics, themes, atmosphere, general vibe and tone. Which one was your favourite direction for post-Boo DB to go? Conceptually speaking, not necessarily in terms of execution.

[CashmanX]

While I love Daima so far, I adore the nihilistic undertones and dark comedy Super had where the drama wasn't whether or not the villian would win, but how long the protagonists can do Beerus's job for him before Zeno takes notice and nuke Universe 7. I love the fact that that's the entire explanation for why the series in its entirety plays out the way it does in the first place where Universe 7 is just a half abandoned K-mart in the ghetto suffering from constant robberies and at risk of being shut down at any point. The fact that Universe 6 is supposed to be the good twin Universe by comparison is just icing on the cake.

It's so Toriyama. I'd love for it to get a remake with some actual good production behind it.

[SupremeKai25]

Super is the only series that manages to balance both the universal stakes of a dark conflict and the light-hearted humour of a comedy.

Beerus the Destroyer, a God who wants to destroy the Earth, who is also a literal cat who wants to destroy the Earth over pudding.

Hit the Galactic Assassin, a fearsome killer with 1,000 years of experience at his back, who gets taken out by the Mighty Monaka.

Zamasu the would-be King of All, who had a masterplan to eradicate all mortals in existence. He's also just a frustrated middle-manager who loses himself on sanctimonious and patronizing speeches to compensate for something.

The Tournament of Power, a fight to the death for the very future of the Cosmos, as the defeated universes will be destroyed by the almighty King of All... who is a literal brat who just wants to make some friends and piggy-ride.

Super is simultaneously a serious and unserious series, and thus it perfectly captures the essence of Toriyama's Dragon Ball.

Super's only glaring flaw is conceding to all the nostalgic people who want their 1990s Childhood DBZ back, even when it makes no sense. Leading to what are quite clearly the weakest and blandest storylines in Super (Golden Frieza, Broly, and Super Hero; such boring rehashes of things that already happened 30 years ago, yawn!).

[JulieYBM]

I prefer Super, even as flawed as it is. I think Daima slips right in there between the Majin Buu arc and the arrival of Beers, though, so I just don't really see a reason to decouple them, even if I think Daima has serious structure and pacing issues.

Honestly, if you sat me down, threw money at me, and said "What do we do?" I'd just do an new animated retelling of all four that weaved them all together more tightly. I don't really care fornthe weird tribalism and I think there's good material to work with in all of them.

[AliTheZombie13]

My favorite was GT by far. Like, say whatever you want about its execution, and by all means criticize the pedophilic shit they put in there, but for a story to work for me, it has to have consequence and meaning. GT has that, it took risks, it went places, made the characters grow and learn with their mistakes, killed off important characters and brought the Dragon Balls back into relevance in a way that felt important after they were reduced to plot devices.

I can't say about Daima so far, and haven't played Online to judge, but Super doesn't engage me because it feels like an overextended glorified filler episode. Things happen, but at the same time, nothing happens. The Earth and the Universe get nuked multiple times, and yet, it's always reset back to the way it was in like 3 seconds. Nobody learns anything, nobody grows as a person, there is no consequence, the story has no meaning except giving the audience a good fight scene. Which... Okay, if you come to Dragon Ball for that, I can't judge you, but it's not my thing.

[Chuquita]

Conceptually speaking, not necessarily in terms of execution.

If we're talking conceptually only, not execution, then for me it puts Super and DBO in a dead heat. DBO's entire Goku and Vegeta and the supernova in year 801 is still fascinating to me.

Realizing his death is imminent, Goku, who wanted to settle their rivalry, left the Earth with Vegeta. Years later, a supernova explosion was detected; perhaps caused by Son Goku and Vegeta’s battle.

https://www.kanzenshuu.com/tidbits/character-fates/

Like, what was Goku dying from? How was he able to convince Vegeta to run away with him? And for them to potentially battle to the death?! (Vegeta's not surviving that supernova).

[JulieYBM]

Old Man Yaoi at it's peak: realizing that you and your boyfriend are about to no longer be able to fight at your highest level and going off to an abandoned planet for one last fight is romantic as fuck.

[Jord]

Well, Super was creative bankruptcy with color swaps counting as power ups, nostalgie bait a plenty, a finale that dragged on for a year even though we already knew the outcome and the laziest and worst ending of any saga in the animated franchise with Goku using his magic remote to beat the bad guy. It felt like a pastiche of Z with the worst Z writing amplified.

DB Online sounds very interesting, it's concepts and where characters wind up seemed like an interesting take on the (far) future of DB. It's too bad it was just the story of a MMO barely anyone played. It would have been very interesting for it to have gotten a manga adaption, just like how side stories such as the Heroes games got their mangas. Has there every been any adaption of the general DBO storyline? I know parts of it were used in Xenoverse and such.

Daima seems pretty boring thus far but perhaps it will improve later on. The character writing seems better than for Super perhaps, but the story telling relies to much on dumping lore. "Show, don't tell" is basic story telling trope they unfortunately forgot. It does look pretty though. I am at least wondering how it will continue.

GT feels the best attempt to me, even though it may feel uneven due to the sudden switch in tone. We get to see characters age and grow up, an important part of dragon ball, there are risks being taken (some good, some bad) and there are actual stakes in it with several major characters dying. Not getting wished back. Nope. Gone forever, which adds gravitas to the situation.

There's a sense of closure of a long story surrounding GT, which I like. And at the time, it was probably seen that way. Writing a way to finish the story for these characters after 12 years. DB will now go on forever probably so they can't take any huge risks by eliminating huge characters. In a way, the characters are spending their time in limbo, continuously doing the same thing. The only way the writers seem to be able to make characters grow is by first making them dumber and see them regain their power later on.

I would count the Yo Son Goku special and Battle of Gods as a separate 5th category, with a different tone than most of Super, feeling a lot more in the vein of Z, and very enjoyable.

[tonysoprano300]

My favorite was GT by far. Like, say whatever you want about its execution, and by all means criticize the pedophilic shit they put in there, but for a story to work for me, it has to have consequence and meaning. GT has that, it took risks, it went places, made the characters grow and learn with their mistakes, killed off important characters and brought the Dragon Balls back into relevance in a way that felt important after they were reduced to plot devices.

I can't say about Daima so far, and haven't played Online to judge, but Super doesn't engage me because it feels like an overextended glorified filler episode. Things happen, but at the same time, nothing happens. The Earth and the Universe get nuked multiple times, and yet, it's always reset back to the way it was in like 3 seconds. Nobody learns anything, nobody grows as a person, there is no consequence, the story has no meaning except giving the audience a good fight scene. Which... Okay, if you come to Dragon Ball for that, I can't judge you, but it's not my thing.

“A Hero’s Legacy” alone justifies this. Brilliant movie that i think outpaces anything we’ve gotten from the revival era. It embraced DB as an actual story that’s moving in a particular direction, it allowed the space for a new adventure to take place without being so deeply entrenched in what is familiar. Outside of Goku Jr becoming a SSJ(which i felt was bad) it was a heartfelt story where the characters came first.

[Grimlock]

If I remember correctly, Neko Majin takes place after Majin Buu saga, so there are five "post-Buu saga" stories.

The best one is by far Dragon Ball Online, even it's just texts and there's nothing animated that sets up all those ideas. Then again, a lot of epilogues and prologues out there are just texts so there's no problem with it, though seeing it animated would have been great.

[Jord]

My favorite was GT by far. Like, say whatever you want about its execution, and by all means criticize the pedophilic shit they put in there, but for a story to work for me, it has to have consequence and meaning. GT has that, it took risks, it went places, made the characters grow and learn with their mistakes, killed off important characters and brought the Dragon Balls back into relevance in a way that felt important after they were reduced to plot devices.

I can't say about Daima so far, and haven't played Online to judge, but Super doesn't engage me because it feels like an overextended glorified filler episode. Things happen, but at the same time, nothing happens. The Earth and the Universe get nuked multiple times, and yet, it's always reset back to the way it was in like 3 seconds. Nobody learns anything, nobody grows as a person, there is no consequence, the story has no meaning except giving the audience a good fight scene. Which... Okay, if you come to Dragon Ball for that, I can't judge you, but it's not my thing.

“A Hero’s Legacy” alone justifies this. Brilliant movie that i think outpaces anything we’ve gotten from the revival era. It embraced DB as an actual story that’s moving in a particular direction, it allowed the space for a new adventure to take place without being so deeply entrenched in what is familiar. Outside of Goku Jr becoming a SSJ(which i felt was bad) it was a heartfelt story where the characters came first.

That special is great. At first it takes a bit getting used to Goku Jr. not being well... Goku but the special did a great job of telling Dragon Ball like-story telling with mostly-new characters. I would have loved to see more of Goku Jr. but I can see how that wasn't an option at that time.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

GT is definitely the most ambitious of the four stories, and as has been said it carries on Dragon Ball's tradition of things always moving forward. Super did the reverse by retaining the status quo.

Goku was more goofy in Super, but in GT in his adult form at least he came across as a wise seasoned warrior. Similarly Vegeta still trains in GT but is at peace with knowing he will never surpass Goku, which shows character development.

It's too early into Daima to make a definitive judgement, but as it stands Goku hasn't developed much, if anything he's acted even more entitled and juvenile than he did in original Dragon Ball. That could all change in the coming episodes however, and I hope it does.

Dragon Ball Online sounds interesting, but sadly it was never going to have the exposure it needed. I may consider playing it if I ever get the chance to visit Korea.

[WittyUsername]

As far as I’m aware, Daima wasn’t written with the intention of overriding Super. It just happens to take place earlier in the post-Boo timeline, which I assume was done to avoid having to address or contradict the manga exclusive material.

Anyway, I want to say that GT is my favorite of the bunch since I love Super Saiyan 4 and I like the series actually moves the story forward instead of being stagnant like modern Dragon Ball, but as everyone and their mother has pointed out over the years, the show’s execution is far from ideal. I wouldn’t consider Super to be well written either, but for whatever reason, its flaws are easier to overlook.

It doesn’t help that GT also does some really gross stuff with Pan that makes you question the people who made the show.

[Jord]

I think people in general would be wise to not search for "clues" that series A wants to overwrite series B or how a statement in a different series makes series C "not canon" anymore. That way, people could just focus on the show itself. I doubt the storytellers of the shows themselves are that vigilant on relationships to the other series as the online fans.

Besides, even when not comparing, most of these sequel shows have inconsistencies between them and the show they supposedly follow.

[SupremeKai25]

I think people in general would be wise to not search for "clues" that series A wants to overwrite series B or how a statement in a different series makes series C "not canon" anymore. That way, people could just focus on the show itself. I doubt the storytellers of the shows themselves are that vigilant on relationships to the other series as the online fans.

Besides, even when not comparing, most of these sequel shows have inconsistencies between them and the show they supposedly follow.

Like DBZ didn't have glaring inconsistencies between its different arcs or within the arcs themselves.

[Majin Buu]

I don't want to say much about Daima in this context right now since its ongoing, but I'm enjoying it so far.

DBO was barely a thing so "those sound like some interesting ideas" is all it registers as for me.

With GT and Super, those being actual completed stories (Super in TV form at least since the manga is still ongoing)- it's a wash for me. They both fall short as continuations of Toriyama's story, but if I had to pick one, it's gonna be GT.

GT, despite its flaws, at least feels somewhat in-sync with the anime version of Dragon Ball due to being a direct follow up to Z and not being over a decade removed from the franchise's original run.

Super on the other hand, feels like it's trying to be the "pop culture osmosis" version of Dragon Ball that exists in people's heads more so than either the original manga or its anime adaptation, resulting in a series that doesn't feel in-sync with either.

[GreatSaiyaJeff]

Can't have a full opinion on Daima just yet since it's still in the begining stages but I think it's def has a stronger start then Super and GT.

I enjoy Super but I think it's biggest issue is the disconnect between the manga and anime, so it feels a bit uneven.

GT despite all it's faults has probably the strongest ending of the entire franchise in my opinion. I still tear up with Goku's walk to Dan Dan. owever even with that ending, still probably the weakest between these three.

Don't have much opinion of DBO but I do like the revelation that Goku and Vegeta had one final confrontation on a planet. I kind of hope that gets adapted in Super's return.

[taikufuru]

I think people in general would be wise to not search for "clues" that series A wants to overwrite series B or how a statement in a different series makes series C "not canon" anymore. That way, people could just focus on the show itself. I doubt the storytellers of the shows themselves are that vigilant on relationships to the other series as the online fans.

Besides, even when not comparing, most of these sequel shows have inconsistencies between them and the show they supposedly follow.

Yes. While I would have preferred new stories beyond Year 784 (epilogue), I like that we have different paths that Akira Toriyama's work can take after the grand battle against Majin Boo. That's how I see modern Dragon Ball (and GT): parallel stories/alternate futures.

[Mr Baggins]

It's hard to talk about any of these without specifically talking about the execution. There's plenty I could say about GT and Super on that front, but I'll wait for Daima to finish airing first before I compare.

For the time being, I will say I don't consider Online to be a "post-Boo sequel" at all; at least not a direct one. It's a video game set hundreds of years after the end of the original story, with the characters we're familiar with being relegated to backstory timeline tidbits. It's not too far removed from Xenoverse or the core game stories of Heroes, which were essentially the same thing.

So as far as I'm personally concerned, there are 3 post-Boo sequels. I'll revisit this topic in 2025.

[Zephyr]

My default answer is the secret fifth option of Neko Majin Z. With Toriyama's unfortunate passing, it now ultimately stands as the only work that takes place in the Dragon World, takes place after Dragon Ball's ending, and was created by the same guy who made Dragon Ball, in the same medium that he made Dragon Ball. It is the closest thing to an authentic "sequel" we will ever get. It being just a short little series of gag stories is honestly extremely fitting, helping to bookend Dragon Ball with zany silliness even more than the Boo arc did. It also confirms the obvious: that Goku (a man who can teleport) leaving with Oob doesn't entail him "abandoning his family", for those who were seriously concerned about that.

That said, I find plenty to like in the other sorts of sequels we got, despite each of them having some serious problems (in terms of both concept and execution). Notably, I think turning Freeza into a martial arts rival and reluctant ally is one of the most inspired ideas that Dragon Ball has flirted with since it ended in 1995, up there with having the Dragon Balls manifest as a final opponent. Though, unlike the latter, I think the former was also actually executed in a very satisfying way, particularly in the anime.

So, Neko Majin Z, Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball GT are my picks, in that order.

Daima is fine, but outside of its visuals and many additions to the lore, it's not really adding anything to Dragon Ball's story that I find interesting (so far at least, as of Episode 8 ).

The DBO backstory has some neat little details about what might have happened to the characters in the future, but those are not a story, and so many of them (though not all of them) are transparently more there to help justify MMORPG video game mechanics than anything else. I used to think Goku and Vegeta leaving to fight to the death because they were getting too old was cool, but the more I think about it the more lame it sounds. Tao Pai Pai was almost 300 years old and still perfectly in his prime, presumably through sheer martial prowess like any self-respecting sennin; I'm expected to believe that Vegeta and (especially) Goku aren't even better than that? To quote David Lynch: "Get real". I know people try to headcanon Goku being alive in GT's epilogue as being due to the Elder Kaioshin's life force, or whatever, but that's not even necessary!

Meanwhile, the Heroes/XV/etc ecosystem of lore, characters, and plots that have emanated out of DBO is also kinda neat, but the most that does for me is offer neat little what-ifs; absolutely zero interesting story or lore content in my opinion.