I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.
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Xeogran
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I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by Xeogran » Wed Oct 08, 2025 6:18 am

Canon vs Non-canon, Sub vs Dub, This Game vs That Game.

It's just so overdone.

People are keen on constantly doing this, year after year after year. I know it's in humanity's nature to just compare things with each other, but in DB's case it's long since outlived it's need. It feels like with the "lack of content" there's just not much new to discuss and it always defaults to the easiest topics - X vs Y. But at this point, I feel that energy would better be spent elsewhere, writing fanfics or making fanarts, creating mods for games (which I'm pleased to acknowledge that some people do).

DB also still has it pretty good, that even with no new anime, regularly get new video game content, so new content is always there.

I love and accept all DB series because every of them brought something new to the table, new material to discuss, new stories, music, voice actor talent (Hiroshi Kamiya started with GT and acknowledged that in his Super Hero live announcement stage.) Super got us Mamoru Miyano and Charles Martinet into the series.

What I want to say is that, I would love to see more acceptance and niceness in this fanbase rather than constant, admittedly needless wars :angel:

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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by Dragon Ball Ireland » Wed Oct 08, 2025 7:05 am

Agreed, a healthy fandom needs not only fans from all walks of life, but also fans that respect one another's opinions however different they may be.

I am in the minority that prefers the Westwood dub to the Funimation Z dub, but I don't denigrate anyone for preferring the latter. I also think it doesn't matter whether any material is "canon" or not, because there is both good and bad Dragon Ball material with and without Toriyama, if GT or any of the old movies bring you joy, more power to you, don't care what others think. Same goes for any of the video games if one in particular gives you excitement, even if others don't like it.

Another thing worth considering is it does fans no good in the long run to belittle others over things like their dub/sub preference, and as you say that energy would be better spent creating fan projects or engaging with the community in a civil manner.
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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by JulieYBM » Wed Oct 08, 2025 9:12 am

This is how every fandom is. It sucks, but it’s an inherent issue when a bunch of malnurtured people—mostly men—get to post whatever they like from behind the safety of a keyboard and screen. There are plenty of threads I just won't click on. Eventually, you realize that there's little benefit in trying to turn every part of your fandom into a competition or debate. It's exhausting, wouldn’t you say? That's why I think it is so important to look inward. What do you have to express that is about something you love? Does something that you have criticism for require you to endlessly and passionately repeatedly bring up?

Fan spaces on the internet are pure, unmitigated Hell. Don't be afraid to just not engage. You'll find yourself with less stress and more clarity about what brings you joy.
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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by Jord » Wed Oct 08, 2025 10:55 am

Some people really stick to their Dragon Ball opinions and act like their life depends on it, taking criticism of a certain show or character very personal. Or they use the show as a way to defend their opinions on a variety of subjects, some related to the show or its production, and some outside of it.
Choose not to engage with those people and you'll get healthier discourse.

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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by GhostEmperorX » Wed Oct 08, 2025 1:15 pm

It sort of tends to happen when you have what's effectively an empire of a series on your hands.
And of course, most of its fans aren't anywhere near close to graduating from this low level of discourse, as there are blind spots aplenty.

It also happens that when you want to find a new angle to discuss something from (or information), no one else out there is really all that interested and the gravity of all the low hanging fruit topics inevitably pulls them all back in.

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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by BernardoCairo » Wed Oct 08, 2025 2:28 pm

To be honest, this is something I see mostly around here.
People who like Dragon Ball in real life don't really care about these things. I think we care a lot about the franchise, and that leads to this kind of discussion. Everyone already has their ideal version of Dragon Ball engraved in their head.
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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by SupremeKai25 » Wed Oct 08, 2025 3:14 pm

The fandom was very vitriolic and volatile back when Daima was airing. Endless talks of canon vs. non canon, Super vs. Daima vs. GT, people being unable to evaluate a product as stand-alone and feeling a craving urge to compare it to something else...

... and, of course, as per usual with modern Dragon Ball, people dooming and jumping to conclusions based on a bunch of leak screenshots.

I'd say the fandom has calmed down now, with no news or new product in sight. It remains to be seen if this is just a "calm before the storm" and the fandom will blow up again when/if the legal dispute gets resolved and they start making new stories, either original ones or building from notes Toriyama left behind.

But, right now, the fandom seems quiet enough to me. I quite enjoy this period, actually.

EDIT - Also, I just want to say that, even though the fandom as vitriolic back then, I still enjoyed Daima and have a lot of nostalgia from that period. It wasn't all doom and gloom. I enjoyed the show and found a lot of well-intentioned people who wanted to discuss Daima for what it was, not what it represented for Super, GT, or who knows what else. Ultimately, I am happy that I was able to enjoy a product even though the fandom was having a war about who was the best Super Saiyan 4.
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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by Dr. Casey » Wed Oct 08, 2025 6:57 pm

There's constant bickering in every group of people both large and small. Friends, family, fandoms. No getting away from it. People are just inherently toxic.
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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by Yellow Flower King » Wed Oct 08, 2025 8:15 pm

Flame wars and cruelty are awful and pointless. I do love proper discussion though.

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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by 90sDBZ » Wed Oct 08, 2025 8:19 pm

I agree it becomes very tiresome seeing the same petty arguments come up endlessly, with discussions going in circles and nobody reconsidering their opinions.

Some of the most common are; Dub vs Sub, Z vs Kai, GT vs Super, and Funimation vs Ocean (although this one seems less common these days).

There's nothing wrong with liking or disliking any specific version or show. The problem arises when people act like their personal taste is objective fact, and any alternative way of enjoying the franchise is wrong or invalid.

I've seen people go to absurd lengths to rationalise why their way of watching should be the only way, while at the end of the day it just boils down to personal taste. These people generally refuse to acknowledge any nuance, and can never get past an "I'm right and you're wrong" mindset.

I'll just echo what others have said and agree that disengaging is often the best option for your own sanity.

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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by ABED » Thu Oct 09, 2025 5:38 pm

I don't mind disagreement or even vehement disagreement. It's when people become dicks, especially over something so dopey (I say that with all the love in my heart).
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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by coola » Thu Oct 09, 2025 8:06 pm

It's ok to argue and debate, but remember, it's ok to not like things but don't be a d.ck about it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0la5DBtOVNI
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Re: I'm genuinely tired of the endless wars in the DB fandom.

Post by super michael » Fri Oct 10, 2025 8:31 am

Canon and non canon doesn't mean anything to me, those doesn't determine the quality of the anime. One can prefer a language version without getting intense, I know a member that resort to insults and taking it too far just for preferring the dub an example.
There is nothing wrong with a person preferring a game over another game, as along as they are respectful.


As for me I will always enjoy Dragon Ball (anime/manga), Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Daima and Dragon Ball Super (manga version).
Dragon Ball Super anime while it has good moment, it has too many bad moments to make it enjoyable. The biggest flaw that it has is its writing.

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