How Would You Introduce Someone to Dragon Ball ?

[Salt-sensei]

Recently I've introduced a friend to DB, I suggested reading the kanzenban and said that he could watch certain movies after certain sagas if he felt like it. He's already at RoF (he chose to go with BoG/Jaco/RoF > Super > Daima > GT), so I think he liked what he read.

[Saiya6Cit]

The problem with Daima as an introduction to the series is that it assumes you are familiar with the Boo arc, it also builds intrigue to hear about things like Dabura being the Demon King and knowing the Namekians as more than just "the green characters" before diving into Daima as they have development in the Freeza arc.

As for Netflix? Perhaps putting all the Dragon Ball series on it? That way fans have the choice of both old and new content and more freedom to watch what they want in whatever order. Apparently The Simpsons has seen a resurgence on Disney+, so major streaming services can help give classic shows a boost, particularly really iconic ones.

that is why there is a summary of the Majin Buu saga at the begining, for the ones who are unfamiliar. After 40 years of still being around I consider Goku a pop culture idol, as much as mario from mario bros or the very own Mickey Mouse, so people are familiar with the character, the point of an anime is to entertain and show beloved characters in memorable adventures, which Daima delivers and does it well.

There was already a Dragon Ball remake, it was Kai.

I think Daima captures the escence of dragon ball, with the benefit of being modern, therefore whoever is truly interested is going to dig into the old stuff on their own. It worked for Star Wars, it should work for us.

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

Well I'd only recommend introducing your friends to something if they're interested in checking it out for themselves. That said, If they want animated content start with Dragon Ball Recut by fan editor "whereisthemilkman", who's a member of this forum. If not start with the manga at the very beginning, or the start of Z. There's nothing wrong with skipping to the more popular part and checking out the earlier stuff later if you think that they're more likely to enjoy the latter half of Dragon Ball. Most of the U.S. started with Z, and if you want another example most international JoJo fans early on started with part 3 in some form (OVA, arcade game, ect).

[Vegeta th3 4th]

There's nothing wrong with skipping to the more popular part and checking out the earlier stuff later if you think that they're more likely to enjoy the latter half of Dragon Ball.

The biggest issue I have with starting with Z is that so many moments lose their impact as a result of not being familiar with prior material.

[MasenkoHA]

There's nothing wrong with skipping to the more popular part and checking out the earlier stuff later if you think that they're more likely to enjoy the latter half of Dragon Ball.

The biggest issue I have with starting with Z is that so many moments lose their impact as a result of not being familiar with prior material.

At the very least for those not wanting to watch all 153 episodes of original Dragon Ball before Z I would suggest watching the 10th anniversary film to get a truncated version of the first arc and Red Ribbon and then skipping ahead to the Tenshinhan arc (and probably just drop the the wedding dress arc at the end) that would only be 65 episodes and one movie.

Not a perfect alternative since you skip on introductions to Kuririn, Lunch, Karin, Gyumao, and Chichi but an option

[Vegeta th3 4th]

At the very least for those not wanting to watch all 153 episodes of original Dragon Ball before Z I would suggest watching the 10th anniversary film to get a truncated version of the first arc and Red Ribbon and then skipping ahead to the Tenshinhan arc.

I think the 10th anniversary movie can be used to introduce someone to the franchise, but I wouldn't use it as an alternative to the actual two arcs it condenses. In a world where One Piece is well on its way to reaching 1500 episodes, I don't see why watching Dragon Ball seems to be too much for some people. If you cut out the filler episodes you end up with 132 episodes, or 128 if you skip the boss rabbit and Arale episodes. The original Naruto anime without the filler is roughly the same length, yet no one ever suggests skipping it in favor of starting with Shippuden, so why is DB the anime everyone seems to have a problem with ?

[JulieYBM]

At the very least for those not wanting to watch all 153 episodes of original Dragon Ball before Z I would suggest watching the 10th anniversary film to get a truncated version of the first arc and Red Ribbon and then skipping ahead to the Tenshinhan arc.

I think the 10th anniversary movie can be used to introduce someone to the franchise, but I wouldn't use it as an alternative to the actual two arcs it condenses. In a world where One Piece is well on its way to reaching 1500 episodes, I don't see why watching Dragon Ball seems to be too much for some people. If you cut out the filler episodes you end up with 132 episodes, or 128 if you skip the boss rabbit and Arale episodes. The original Naruto anime without the filler is roughly the same length, yet no one ever suggests skipping it in favor of starting with Shippuden, so why is DB the anime everyone seems to have a problem with ?

People have lives and the 1986 Dragon Ball anime is way longer than its plot can sustain. Furthermore, the One Piece anime is also way longer than its plot can sustain.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

At the very least for those not wanting to watch all 153 episodes of original Dragon Ball before Z I would suggest watching the 10th anniversary film to get a truncated version of the first arc and Red Ribbon and then skipping ahead to the Tenshinhan arc.

I think the 10th anniversary movie can be used to introduce someone to the franchise, but I wouldn't use it as an alternative to the actual two arcs it condenses. In a world where One Piece is well on its way to reaching 1500 episodes, I don't see why watching Dragon Ball seems to be too much for some people. If you cut out the filler episodes you end up with 132 episodes, or 128 if you skip the boss rabbit and Arale episodes. The original Naruto anime without the filler is roughly the same length, yet no one ever suggests skipping it in favor of starting with Shippuden, so why is DB the anime everyone seems to have a problem with ?

Having never seen more than like an episode or two of Naruto I can't speak to the perceived differences between the original and Shippuden, but that is what I think it comes down to for Dragon Ball.

Not that I agree with them, but in my experience people want the big flashy attacks, power-ups and transformations, which aside from a few ki blasts, the Zanzōken and Kamehameha original Dragon Ball doesn't provide. The battles do get more intense later on, but it's not the scale people are used to in Dragon Ball Z with planets being on the verge of annihilation. Of course I like the spectacle as much as anyone, but that is only one aspect of Dragon Ball I enjoy, it's not the whole package.

There is also this narrative that original Dragon Ball is the "comedic prequel" (and obviously its not a prequel at all) and that the humour wouldn't be to some fans tastes. Of course once you delve into Toriyama you realize that's the kind of writer he is at heart so every fan should at least give that side of the series a chance.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

Not that I agree with them, but in my experience people want the big flashy attacks, power-ups and transformations, which aside from a few ki blasts, the Zanzōken and Kamehameha original Dragon Ball doesn't provide.

What gets me is that these same people will turn around and say Dragon Ball is all style without substance.

People have lives...

This is just a cop out, as it avoids the points I brought up and can be used to excuse why anything isn't popular without really explaining why.

[MasenkoHA]

At the very least for those not wanting to watch all 153 episodes of original Dragon Ball before Z I would suggest watching the 10th anniversary film to get a truncated version of the first arc and Red Ribbon and then skipping ahead to the Tenshinhan arc.

I think the 10th anniversary movie can be used to introduce someone to the franchise, but I wouldn't use it as an alternative to the actual two arcs it condenses. In a world where One Piece is well on its way to reaching 1500 episodes, I don't see why watching Dragon Ball seems to be too much for some people. If you cut out the filler episodes you end up with 132 episodes, or 128 if you skip the boss rabbit and Arale episodes. The original Naruto anime without the filler is roughly the same length, yet no one ever suggests skipping it in favor of starting with Shippuden, so why is DB the anime everyone seems to have a problem with ?

Tbf I don’t think One Piece fans and people who think original Dragon Ball is too long for mandatory viewing before Z sit at the same table.


One Piece fans will dead ass tell you “you need to get through the first TWO HUNDRED episodes and then it gets really good” You’re not allowed to have an opinion on One Piece until you watched 200+ episodes

Dragon Ball Z fans will tell you to just skip ahead to Z or watch Kai instead (the latter being a pretty common opinion of gen z fans I noticed)

I would rather fans just watch og Dragon Ball or read the manga before starting Z but 10th anniversary retelling movie and the portion of the 86 anime that most resembles Z in style and tone is a compromise

[Yuji]

Episode 1/Chapter 1.

Short attention spans shouldn't be coddled. Either you like the show from the start, you don't and drop it, or you don't but carry on and eventually like it.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

Short attention spans shouldn't be coddled.

Truer words have never been written. People are unwilling to let an author take the time needed to organically tell a story, instead expecting it to hit the ground running. Stories need time to build certain things up in order for future developments to have an impact. Dragon Ball is unfortunately a story that wouldn't have been told in this day and age due to how impatient audiences have become.

[JulieYBM]

Not that I agree with them, but in my experience people want the big flashy attacks, power-ups and transformations, which aside from a few ki blasts, the Zanzōken and Kamehameha original Dragon Ball doesn't provide.

What gets me is that these same people will turn around and say Dragon Ball is all style without substance.

People have lives...

This is just a cop out, as it avoids the points I brought up and can be used to excuse why anything isn't popular without really explaining why.

It isn't very difficult to arrive at the very simply answer of, "Oh, NARUTO (2002) is more engaging than Dragon Ball (1984)" and "Perhaps the reason that Oda and Shueisha allowed a second animated adaption of One Piece while the first is still running is because the greater accessibility will draw in new audiences."

You can complain all you want about not wanting to coddle audiences, but, like, honey...this shit isn't mandatory. You gotta meet the audiences where they are at.

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

Short attention spans shouldn't be coddled.

Truer words have never been written. People are unwilling to let an author take the time needed to organically tell a story, instead expecting it to hit the ground running. Stories need time to build certain things up in order for future developments to have an impact. Dragon Ball is unfortunately a story that wouldn't have been told in this day and age due to how impatient audiences have become.

The only reason the original anime got told the way it did was due to filler. I mentioned watching Dragon Ball Recut first as an alternative to that because it removes approximately 23 hours of content that was all filler in some way. I'd recommend starting with the original first, but if someone wants to start with Kai and work their way backwards then that's fine too. It's not uncommon in media consumption of long running series.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

It isn't very difficult to arrive at the very simply answer of, "Oh, NARUTO (2002) is more engaging than Dragon Ball (1984)"

I think it had more to do with the fact that Shippuden didn't exist at the time, while both DB & Z were long finished, giving fans the option to skip one for the other. There's also the fact that the companies involve with the franchise actually acknowledge the original Naruto, unlike Dragon Ball where everyone involved pretends that only Z & Super exist (and sometimes GT if they're being generous).

and "Perhaps the reason that Oda and Shueisha allowed a second animated adaption of One Piece while the first is still running is because the greater accessibility will draw in new audiences."

This is true, however, the reason these two shows could be considered inaccessible are very different. One Piece at this point is too long, even for a show that many (including myself) consider to still be good despite its length. Dragon Ball however is just physically inaccessible, as in it's hard to watch in good quality legally. In the West all that's available are those terrible blue set masters, while in Japan I don't even think you can watch it legally, in any quality. There's also the fact that Toei and other companies involved with the franchise pretend that it doesn't exist; doing the bare minimum to bring people's attention to it.

You gotta meet the audiences where they are at.

You do have a point here, but it would be nice if the audience would tell me where to meet them instead of expecting me to guess.

I mentioned watching Dragon Ball Recut first as an alternative to that because it removes approximately 23 hours of content that was all filler in some way.

The biggest issue I have with fan cuts, and even certain parts of Kai, is that they remove good filler as well. Not every piece of animation not adapted from the manga is automatically bad, as there are countless filler scenes in both DB & Z that add and flesh out things that were rushed or overlooked in the manga. Both of these shows can definitely lose some episodes, but the purpose should be to improve the pacing, rather than to remove everything not found in the manga. With that said, I've never seen this recut you're talking about, so maybe it's the ideal version that I have in mind.

[TechExpert2021]

In the West all that's available are those terrible blue set masters

There’s also the DB "Saga" DVD singles (released in North America by FUNimation, in Australia and New Zealand by Madman, and in the UK and Ireland by Manga UK), and they look better than FUNimation’s DB Blue Brick DVDs (although the "Saga" DVD singles of first 13 episodes of DB weren’t released in North America due to the Trimark/Kidmark sublicense; therefore, only the SeaGull/FUNimation/BLT dub of those episodes were available on home video releases of DB in North America until the release of the DB Blue Brick DVDs). They also include the original Japanese episode title cards and credits if watching DB in Japanese with English subs.

Regarding the DB Blue Brick DVDs, the footage is slightly cropped (but at the same aspect ratio) and had DNR. At least it doesn’t look as terrible as the DBZ Orange Brick DVD footage, but the DB Blue Brick DVDs still isn’t a good release.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

There’s also the DB "Saga" DVD singles, and they look better than FUNimation’s DB Blue Brick DVDs. They also include the original Japanese episode title cards and credits if watching DB in Japanese with English subs.

The problem is that these have been out of print for nearly two decades. The idea that both DB & Z, adaptions of the most popular manga in the world, still can't be viewed in good quality (legally) shows just how mishandled this franchise truly is.

[MasenkoHA]

You do have a point here, but it would be nice if the audience would tell me where to meet them instead of expecting me to guess.

Indeed. The problem with threads like these is there no one size fits all for suggesting content too. Who is the person I’m trying to introduce the franchise too? Someone who already watches long ass “battle shonen “anime like One Piece and Naruto but has never seen Dragon Ball? Someone who has seen Z or Kai but has never watched original Dragon Ball? Someone who prefers their tv series concise and bingable and doesn’t have time for 400+ episodes but has expressed interest in Dragon Ball? Is it someone who hates “old shows”?

Also how bothered are they gonna be by the problematic material. I’m not going to recommend Dragon Ball to someone I know is going to feel uncomfortable with the early stuff.

[goku the krump dancer]

People are fascinating sure, but how can someone say they can binge watch Game of Thrones, Suits and The Office but some how claim watching at the very least 154 episodes of Goku’s early adventures is too high a commitment outside just not being interested in cartoons? I think the story gets going pretty early on, Goku is a bumpkin that knows literally nothing but karate and helps the prissy but smart city girl find these magic orbs that can grant any wish and there’s plenty of wacky, raunchy and dangerous misadventures along the way.

[JulieYBM]

The pacing and structuring styles of the Game of Thrones makes it more digestable and binge-able than a slowly-paced cartoon from the 1980s. These are dialogue and story-heavy series that are meant to keep the audience engaged at all times. Dragon Ball has to drag its feet because not only does it need to remain behind the comic that it is adapting, but it doesn't have the creative freedom or the resources to make their episodes more densely packed with character, story and action. Even Suits and The Office can mitigate their non-action genres by having explosive emotional scenes or fast-paced comedy going on.

And, again, Dragon Ball isn't exactly watercooler TV like even the relatively old Game of Thrones or Suits or The Office. That also plays a factor into what someone's going to chose to binge.