Do you consider Uranai Baba's Tournament part of the Red Ribbon Army arc?

[goku the krump dancer]

Then again, if you told me a year or two ago that there's a whole segment of the fandom that thinks when Goku acts serious or bloodthirsty "that's Kakarot taking over" I wouldn't believe you and yet...

wut?

It was like a whole thing on tiktok and instagram reels. Someone will show Goku being serious business and kicking ass and the comments will be something to the effect of "that's not Goku, that's Kakarot"

It’s just social media slang, not to be taken seriously… No one genuinely believes Goku has split personalities.

[BernardoCairo]

As for Namek/Freeza, I definitely lean more towards calling it the "Namek arc" these days over the "Freeza arc".

Again, I agree with you on this.
The name Namek Arc makes a lot of sense, as the planet and its people serve as the common ground for the three main parties we follo (Vegeta, the heroes, and Freeza’s army). However, Freeza Arc also fits well, as he remains a looming presence throughout the narrative and the ultimate challenge of the arc. Even when the Z Fighters battle Zarbon or the Ginyu Force, they’re ultimately facing his subordinates. More importantly, Freeza plays a crucial role in Goku coming to terms with his heritage, a key development in his character arc that began in the Saiyajin Saga.

I still call the first arc the Pilaf arc. My main way into the story was the anime and I think it's superior to the manga.

Really? That arc is absolutely bonkers in the anime. That pinball episode is so funny

[OhHiRenan]

Structurally, the Red Ribbon Army arc is also about Goku seeing news places and dealing with new challenges. Uranai Baba just happens to be the final set piece. Muscle Tower is an action gauntlet, West City is liking Goku visiting a town in an RPG, the Pirate's Cove is basically a dungeon, the Sacred Land of Karin sparks Goku's second training arc, the Red Ribbon Army HQ is another action gauntlet, and Uranai Baba is a pseudo-tournament. It's all part of the arc's rising action and escalation – likewise, it's a way of showing how much Goku is growing stronger and fighting smarter throughout the story.

For my money, I think the Red Ribbon Army arc should be called the 4-Star Dragon Ball or Grandpa Gohan arc.

[WittyUsername]

If you want to be extremely literal with the name “Red Ribbon Army arc” then sure, they’re already defeated by the time we get to the Baba stuff. Again though, the RRA are not the main focus of the story. They’re simply an obstacle that Goku has to overcome in his quest for the four star ball. His journey doesn’t officially end until he uses the Dragon Balls to bring back Bora.

[Zephyr]

However, Freeza Arc also fits well, as he remains a looming presence throughout the narrative and the ultimate challenge of the arc. Even when the Z Fighters battle Zarbon or the Ginyu Force, they’re ultimately facing his subordinates.

No argument there from me. I do not understand Koitsukai's view that it's odd to call it the Freeza arc just because they're fighting Freeza's subordinates rather than him for much of it. They're fighting his subordinates, who are fighting on his behalf for his goals. They're fighting Freeza by proxy. Same way that fighting Tambourine doesn't make it any less of a Piccolo Daimao arc, or fighting Saibaimen any less of a Saiyan arc.

In terms of looming threats, it's also fun to remember that, while Kuririn is moving to kill Vegeta who is attempting to flee, Kaio muses to himself that doing so won't get rid of the roots of evil. So Freeza was teased before the Saiyan arc even concluded.

[Cipher]

1) There's no resolution to the story until the end of the Uranai Baba tournament, so where else would it break if not there?

2) The arc starts with Goku searching for the four-star ball, and ends with him reuniting with the grandfather that gave it to him and deciding to let it go as part of a selfless wish. It's bookended by an event that happens at the end of the tournament.

It's all one big Dragon Ball hunt arc. The Uranai Baba portion is simply the last mini-arc/adventure within it, just as the ones that accompanied the various Red Ribbon army officers prior.

This is different from something like the Twenty-Third Tenkaichi Budokai, as the prior Piccolo arc has its own setup, climax, and resolution, albeit one that immediately sets up the next arc. Ditto for the Saiyan arc. But really truly the main goals, themes, and story as an actual arc-shaped arc aren't done in in the third arc until the end of the Uranai Baba portion. It's just the one example of the series of a storyline continuing past the defeat of its main antagonist for a bit.