Do you think you will always enjoy Dragon Ball?

[Benjamin-Simons-91]

I haven't enjoyed all of Dragon Ball's content to be frank (I hate the Androids and Cell Sagas) and didn't find the revival of the franchise enjoyable since Battle of Gods (the movie), so it's a positive in my case.
I honestly feel like that was the last time they were really trying to do world building and did not focus on cheesy nostalgia baits and needless over-the-top "transformations".
Say whatever about GT, but it felt like they were at least trying to wrap the story of Goku and his generation.
Daima was even shittier than Dragon Ball Super. That's not an accomplishment to brag about.

[Thanos]

At this point I imagine it quite like the pre-BoG era, but permanent at some point. We thought Dragon Ball was done, and no particularly interesting media was happening (specifically in 2011-2013, a dark period for the Dragon Ball games in particular!)... but always having a fondness for it. I have a hard time believing that at some point I will close the door on it, since it's been part of my reality for well over two-thirds of my life so far, much of that time being actively engaged in the franchise in one form or another.

[Zephyr]

I've been a fan of Dragon Ball since I was 6 or 7 years old.

I joined this community when I was 18. Since then the locus of my interest has gradually shifted from Funimation's dub(s) of the anime, to the original Japanese version of the anime, to the manga (via the Viz translation of the Tankobon, unfortunately; if I knew Japanese and had access to the original WSJ serialization, that's where my attention would be centralized by now). I've also come to understand the series as both a work of comedy and as one piece in a rich tapestry of fantasy kung fu media from the late 20th century.

Now I'm 33, and random debates on here still motivate me to re-read chunks of the comic, which very often leads me to noticing and appreciating new details and patterns. I'm currently planning an insane re-read/re-watch of Dragon Ball that includes Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies, Dr. Slump, Toriyama's many one-shots, Fist of the North Star, and Yu Yu Hakusho, all slotted in chronologically in release order. I want to more deeply appreciate Dragon Ball as a fantasy kung fu pastiche distilled through Toriyama's sense of humor.

I think if I was going to stop enjoying this stuff, it would have happened a long time ago. Instead, I'm only digging ever deeper down the rabbit hole and finding new ways to enjoy it. It's been a pretty fun ride so far.

[VegettoEX]

I'm currently planning an insane re-read/re-watch of Dragon Ball that includes Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies, Dr. Slump, Toriyama's many one-shots, Fist of the North Star, and Yu Yu Hakusho, all slotted in chronologically in release order. I want to more deeply appreciate Dragon Ball as a fantasy kung fu pastiche distilled through Toriyama's sense of humor.

This is where I've been at for the last several years -- it's the surrounding stuff that's made my appreciation of the original series all the more deep.

In particular, a viewing (and ongoing reading; we're almost done!) of Fist of the North Star filled in a missing link for me in REALLY seeing what the landscape and production at the time was like, in terms of a barely-preceding-it series from the same magazine.

But then for me continuing to collect materials from the contemporary serialization has also been huge for my appreciation and understanding. Whether it's actual issues of Weekly Jump, or thinks like Animedia issues... just great stuff. For example, I've been able to track the full promotion of GT from original announcement to final external promotion (which was still early/mid-series); that kind of hard research really helps put things in perspective, and while it doesn't necessarily CONFIRM a lot of what we've historically thought, it certainly backs it up more so than "well I think this happened".

None of that makes me "like" Goku's Super Saiyan transformation scene any more, or anything like that... but it kinda does? Ya' know?

[Hellspawn28]

I've been a fan for almost 25 years and yet I'm still here

[Cursed Lemon]

DB will always have the capacity to put out a banger.

Super Broly was absolutely amazing.

[Koitsukai]

I did, once, move away from it but when I thought I was out they pulled me back in... So, no, I don't I'll ever drop it completely. Who knows, maybe when the revival is over, I'll stop going to back to it as often. Probably in 5-10 years I won't be such an active fan, but that won't mean I won't like it anymore.

Even if I'm not completely sold with the latest things the franchise has been offering, I'll always enjoy the old and the not-that-old stuff. Damn, I'm pretty sure if I take a 10-year break, when I come back to it, I'll like it even more.

No piece of entertainment is factually better than another, it's subjective. This is art, not science.

There are certain standards that are expected of an anime that Daima reached while Super didn't. For example, Super had 3 or so months worth of pre-production time, while Daima had around two years. That's going to make a difference in the shows' overall quality. You can't say that Daima's 20th episode looks worse than Super's 5th for example, that's just factually not true. Art is indeed subjective, but only to a certain degree. There are aspects of a piece of art (in this case, anime) that are not subjective. Production quality is one of these aspects. Consistency in writing is another. A show that regularly contradicts itself is factually worse than a show that puts in the effort to keep everything in line with pre-established lore.

Shows, and art in general, are more than the sum of their parts. South Park looked awful for over a decade and still outclassed 21st-century Simpsons and Family Guy, which looked far better technically. Shit, we don't even need to jump franchises, we have SDBH as an example, it arguably looks better than much of DBZ (it was 1 great episode, 1 mediocre episode and 1 awful-looking episode consistently from the Android arc to the end of GT), and yet it's nowhere near as impactful or memorable.

You can prefer one art style over another, of course. But to say that one series is factually better than another based solely on production quality or consistency in writing is missing the bigger picture. Once you go beyond objective metrics like frame rate or line consistency, you're stepping into subjective territory, whether you like it or not.

Also, clearly those standards are yours, those are not some universal benchmarks carved in stone. They’re just your personal expectations, shaped by taste, nostalgia, or hype. Calling them 'standards' doesn’t make them objective, it just makes your opinion sound more authoritative than it actually is, no offfense.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

You can prefer one art style over another, of course. But to say that one series is factually better than another based solely on production quality or consistency in writing is missing the bigger picture. Once you go beyond objective metrics like frame rate or line consistency, you're stepping into subjective territory, whether you like it or not. Also, clearly those standards are yours, those are not some universal benchmarks carved in stone. They’re just your personal expectations, shaped by taste, nostalgia, or hype. Calling them 'standards' doesn’t make them objective, it just makes your opinion sound more authoritative than it actually is, no offfense.

My intention was never to come off as authoritarian; I just wanted to point out that there is objectivity in a piece of art (anime, games, movies, books, etc...). Where that objectivity is can be debated of course, but I do think that there are certain standards that can and should be expected of things. When I say you can like something that's bad, I don't mean it in a derogatory way. I overall like GT and Z's old movies, but can anyone really say they're good products ? They don't really have much going for them beyond nostalgia, but I still really enjoy them. How many people here will die on the hill of Lord Slug being a good movie ? Despite it clearly not being a good movie, I still like it.

[taikufuru]

I've been a Dragon Ball fan since I was four years old, that is, I've been a fan for twenty years.

I find it hard to just stop liking the series, but it's natural to take a break from time to time and consume other things. It's good.

For example, when Dragon Ball Daima was released I was completely rested from the franchise after a period of inactivity. This makes the new productions seem really new. For everything, we need to take a break and rest.

[YamiGoku]

I been a fan for almost 3 decades and probably will be until i die.


If Daima didn't make me quit, then nothing will

[Jack Bz]

I will always be a "fan" but it's hard to say if I'll always keep checking out the new content, even though I do enjoy modern Dragon Ball and overall see it as more good than bad. But without Toriyama's involvement, it's really up in the air what kind of stories Dragon Ball will do next. I am decidedly not a fan of any Dragon Ball content made without his oversight on the story with very few exceptions.

But hell, thinking about it, even if a new series was Dragon Ball Heroes level of trash in the writing but had the production of Daima, I'd still probably be having a good time. I'd be lying if I said that the visuals of Dragon Ball isn't one of its most appealing aspects to me.

[LoganForkHands73]

My interests in things always wax and wane, and I think I'm firmly in a "wane". The revelation that Toriyama's Dragon Ball is pretty much over (unless there's a Franz Kafka moment of someone recovering a bunch of lost manuscripts or other material) has finally settled in. The top geezer's truly gone and it doesn't seem like anyone has a solid plan for what to do next.

Daima came and went without much fanfare, and yeah I largely enjoyed it, but it wasn't really anything mindblowing. It didn't leave as much as a pleasant aftertaste as Super, as flawed as that project also was.

The legal Gordian knot preventing the franchise from moving forward has also put a big dampener on things, as it just seems like Dragon Ball is gonna be another one of those mismanaged franchises that's steadily torn apart by different corporate interests all working against each other. Now, I'm not the kind of person who needs a constant stream of content or activity to be interested in something, and I try not to habitually cling to old interests and hobbies for the sake of it, but a lack of new content definitely makes it easier to fall off and move onto the next thing.

More broadly, I think Dragon Ball will always be an entrenched part of what I call my Good Stuff Matrix. The Good Stuff Matrix is basically an acceptance that nothing is perfect (and also that not everything has to specifically appeal to my sensibilities to be "good" in its own right), but anything in this category has something deeply valuable. On an artistic level, Dragon Ball is what many would call a shamelessly churned-out piece of commercial slop with no educational value, tonnes of problematic elements, and a lackadaisical author more interested in poop and boobs than drama, but the positives still vastly outweigh the negatives, in my view. At its best, Dragon Ball is fucking sick and I can't get enough of it.

[Majin Buu]

I'll always cherish Dragon Ball's original manga and anime runs, that will always be my sweet spot when it comes to this franchise. As I've said before, I've never needed more Dragon Ball beyond that.

For me, it's more a question of "Can I continue to enjoy Dragon Ball beyond its original run?"

And on balance, I can't say that I have. I loved Super Hero and Daima, but when I finally got around to watching TV Super, I found it to be a mixed bag much like GT (GT gets some leeway from me due to at least being part of the original anime run so it doesn't feel so removed from the story it's following up unlike Super). I have yet to read the manga, but my expectations aren't any higher despite it having its share of fans who swear by it being better than the TV series.

I'll be keeping an eye on what comes next, but do I have any expectations for it? No. Do I have anything I particularly want to see at this point? No. I'll always love the original run, and it's still possible for me to like whatever comes next- Daima happened after all, but I'd be fine if Dragon Ball went away again and didn't come back this time

[Zephyr]

If we're talking about new Dragon Ball content made after Toriyama's passing, and without any posthumous contributions from him, then I can say that I have no plans on dropping the series. I won't be surprised if I do eventually lose interest in keeping up with the new stuff, but it's unclear what exactly that will take. I guess we'll find out.

I'm currently planning an insane re-read/re-watch of Dragon Ball that includes Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies, Dr. Slump, Toriyama's many one-shots, Fist of the North Star, and Yu Yu Hakusho, all slotted in chronologically in release order. I want to more deeply appreciate Dragon Ball as a fantasy kung fu pastiche distilled through Toriyama's sense of humor.

This is where I've been at for the last several years -- it's the surrounding stuff that's made my appreciation of the original series all the more deep.

In particular, a viewing (and ongoing reading; we're almost done!) of Fist of the North Star filled in a missing link for me in REALLY seeing what the landscape and production at the time was like, in terms of a barely-preceding-it series from the same magazine.

I've been constructing a production/publication spreadsheet for the purpose of this (which is why I was so desperate to find the exact release date of Akira Toriyama: The World last week, since it's where Toriyama's Wolf one-shot debuted), and the most wild revelation to me by far, regarding the landscape at the time of DB's original run, has been the consistent presence of KochiKame. I recognized the main character's design, but knew nothing about the manga.

I was checking WSJ issues on Comicvine to add dates for Dr. Slump, Fist of the North Star, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Toriyama one-shots, and noticed that Kochikame was already over 100 chapters in when Dr. Skump started, and over 400 chapters in by the time DB did. Naturally, I figured I'd be seeing its final chapter soon enough. Yet, as I moved forward through the years I noticed that it just kept going. Eventually I had to look it up, and it didn't end until 2016! I'm so accustomed to thinking of Dragon Ball as Jump's big thing for a long time, and I've no doubt that it was, but it's insane knowing that it only lived in the pages of Jump for a fraction of the time that KochiKame did.

Granted, that doesn't really add to or subtract from my enjoyment of Dragon Ball, but it is something interesting that I did not expect to learn.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

For me, it's more a question of "Can I continue to enjoy Dragon Ball beyond its original run?"

This is a good way to put it. Outside the 2008 OVA, Battle of Gods, and Daima, this revival has honestly done nothing for me.

GT gets some leeway from me due to at least being part of the original anime run so it doesn't feel so removed from the story it's following up unlike Super.

It also helps that GT is half of Super's length.

I'll be keeping an eye on what comes next, but do I have any expectations for it? No. Do I have anything I particularly want to see at this point? No.

The original run, as well as the three projects from the revival I mentioned above have given me everything I could want from DB.

[Trouser]

Depends. I will always love the original manga and anime (DB, DBZ, DBGT) runs. I do like movies, some of them more, some of them less. The original Dragon Ball will always have a special place in my heart.

I was openminded, I've tried to enjoy the "new and modern" Dragon Ball. Battle of Gods movie was a great start, it was really nice. But everything after that went downhill in my opinion, even Broly's movie (it was beautifuly animated and scored but it's a part of the "Super" franchise and I just can't be on good terms with it).

Super (and later Daima) was almost the biggest disappointment of the Dragon Ball franchise to me. The biggest one was that poor live action movie.

I'm still here but not because I want some new stories under "Super" logotype. I'm here because I'm used to being here.

That's it... I guess.

[nineko]

I'll always like to watch or read new Dragon Ball content, so I'd like if Dragon Ball could continue, but I can keep on living anyway even if they pull the plug on it. What other people already mentioned is true, it is possible to lose interest. For me, it mainly happened with Sonic, I used to be a fan and I played all the classic games almost on a daily basis, but I didn't even touch any of the modern ones. I enjoyed the movies, though.

[super michael]

I enjoy Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, that won't change no matter what new Dragon Ball anime they make or remake.
I still read Dragon Ball manga from time to time and rewatch those animes.

I enjoyed watching Dragon Ball Daima and reading Dragon Ball Super manga. As for Dragon Ball Super anime, my view of it won't change, it can be enjoyable, but the bad writing spoils it. They ruined some characters, due to their bad writing.

[Goe]

Al least I guess I'll partially enjoy, but for me, after DBSB, the franchise died for me. Despite of that I watched Daima but I feel that modern DB is dissapointing to me in general terms but I like the past century DB and I'll always enjoy.

But I currently enjoy DB in a meta-sense more. I love to know the making of Dragon Ball products, it's influence in pop culture and that kind of things more than DB itself.

However, I probably beat PS2 Tenkaichi 2 again soon. I love this game and I completed until Boo saga every year until 2021, while I was living with my parents. I don't live with them since a few years ago and my Ps2 is there but I am thinking about replay now.

[Saiya6Cit]

I guess you can retire from a fandom when they screw up big time, such as I did in 2015 when the new SW came out.

One can get away from a fandom. I might get out of the DB fandom one day, but something as staying "out of dragon ball"... I find it difficult.

I could get out of the SW fandom cause I had no close friends (even if online friends) that were into that as well. I never really connected with anyone... being honest DB fans are way more friendly than SW ones (I guess that is the difference on knowing and following Goku and not doing it..). For that simple reason if I were to leave the DB fandom that would also mean leaving my DB friends and I would never do that.

Dragon Ball is going down the right path, the way I see it, with Daima. With the cardgames and videogames and the neverending merchandise from all sagas.


Also it would be extremely hard for me ceasing to enjoy DB music. Not only the openings and endings but many songs from Hironobu Kageyama that were recorded in the 90s but the background music, the orchestra songs. So... yes, I believe I will always enjoy Dragon Ball, at least until the day I die.