Would you ever want an as-yet-unwritten arc to end with the Dragon Team ganging up on the main villain?

[johnboy1]

Just about every major threat in the series has ultimately been felled by a single person, or by two people working in tandem. This, in a series where the number of competent fighters on Goku's side sits at over a dozen. They flirted with this during the Saiyan arc, but it wasn't so much that they fought Vegeta together as it was Vegeta getting worn down by a succession of independent assaults. Probably the real closest example is the filler segments of the Kamehameha duel with Cell, where everyone present did chip damage to distract him from Gohan. I thought we were finally going to get the real deal with Gomah, but as soon as their childhood state was undone, we went back to "Okay, now it's your turn to fight".

[WittyUsername]

I wouldn’t be against it, but I assume the overall consensus would be “that’s not how Dragon Ball works.”

[Grimlock]

If it hasn't happened yet, then maybe it's time. Unless we still want more of Goku and Vegeta at all times on our screen.

[Kenji]

That already exists, it's the Saiyan Saga lol
But yes, I would like to see it happening again.

[Koitsukai]

Didn't Jiren fight Goku, Freeza and 17 at the same time? I mean, he did, but why doesn't that count?
And not just once, Goku, Vegeta and 17 were also fighitng Jiren together before the main course.

Saganbo took on every character available at the time, but I understand he wasn't the major threat.

[Alruneia]

I'm guessing the qualifier would be that it's a team battle the whole time and there's no segment where the fight turns into a one-on-one? Like, Jiren doesn't count because of the big UI Goku vs Jiren part, and Vegeta doesn't count because of the big Goku vs Vegeta part?

I mean, now (after chapter 104 of the DBS manga) is the best time for it, isn't it? Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo and Broly are all roughly on the same level, so they'd all be able to pull their weight in a team battle. The "too many cooks" concept probably kicks in pretty fast, though, I feel like an extended mass brawl like that would be really messy. The heroes would get tangled up in each other (except Goku because of UI I guess lol) and it'd also be visually very busy and hard to read/watch. So I don't think a "let's all jump him at once" approach is gonna make for good content, it'd be better executed on page/screen with a small and coordinated team. Two people would probably be the best team size for a long battle, maybe three people at most. The easiest example is that they could absolutely have Goku and Vegeta fight a main antagonist side-by-side the whole time. No fusion, no taking turns, only teamwork. Honestly it's kinda what I'd hope to see in a hypothetical final battle with Black Frieza, just UI Goku and UE Vegeta side by side battling him simultaneously without it ever becoming a one-on-one.

So from me, no to a big pile-on, but yes to a two-on-one fight and probably yes to a three-on-one fight.

[JulieYBM]

I mean, that's basically just the Tournament of Power arc with Jiren's defeat at the hands of Gokuu, Freeza and #17. I'd like more of that, but I want it to be part of a character arc for those characters. Gokuu's relationships with Freeza and #17 being a pretty big part of the Tournament of Power made their final combination strike really impactful.

[BernardoCairo]

I mean, that's basically just the Tournament of Power arc with Jiren's defeat at the hands of Gokuu, Freeza and #17. I'd like more of that, but I want it to be part of a character arc for those characters. Gokuu's relationships with Freeza and #17 being a pretty big part of the Tournament of Power made their final combination strike really impactful.

I agree. In fact, I'd say Freeza was probably the best character in the Tournament of Power. Him and Goku working together was the perfect ending to the story.

[goku the krump dancer]

Hatchiyack was defeated by a multiman team attack.

Broly in Movie 10 was defeat by the Son Family trio.

Clone Broly was defeated by Goten, Trunks and Krillin in movie 11.

Technically everyone chipped in to beat Boo and Shenron for that matter in GT as well. I guess Moro would count for that as well.

Cell Max was sorta ganged up on too.

Not to shift topics but if anything as mostly crap as the Granolah arc was, the final fight ending in basically a no contest is not only different but sorta interesting.

[Kid Buu]

The Lord Slug battle was basically a team up, and I thought that battle was awesome.

[PhantomSaiyan]

I also love teamups like everyone else in this thread. What's there not to love? Of course I'd like to see more of them.

The fact that the Z Fighters don't often team up makes the situation seem all the more desperate whenever they do, and helps to be extra invested in whatever threat is currently going on. Bonus points if it's an unlikely teamup, but that's not necessary for me.

I love the Saiyan arc final fight of everyone (the ones who were left anyway) vs Vegeta fight, probably my favorite part of the entire franchise. Gives you that feeling that the characters really are throwing everything they have at the enemy

[MCDaveG]

There is one team-up and I loved it as a kid, in both versions of Plan To Destroy Saiyans.

[Vhanos]

Hatchiyack was defeated by a multiman team attack.

Broly in Movie 10 was defeat by the Son Family trio.

Clone Broly was defeated by Goten, Trunks and Krillin in movie 11.

Technically everyone chipped in to beat Boo and Shenron for that matter in GT as well. I guess Moro would count for that as well.

Cell Max was sorta ganged up on too.

Not to shift topics but if anything as mostly crap as the Granolah arc was, the final fight ending in basically a no contest is not only different but sorta interesting.

In the manga it was just Gohan and Vegeta who engaged in the attack against Cell. The anime adding the other characters to join in made the battle seem bigger.

The Lord Slug battle was basically a team up, and I thought that battle was awesome.

Turles in DBZ movie 3 was teamed up on. But he clobbered everyone until Goku hit him with the spirit bomb.

[Yuli Ban]

I wouldn’t be against it, but I assume the overall consensus would be “that’s not how Dragon Ball works.”

It'd be a neat ending to an arc and certainly a breath of fresh air that might liven up an arc final boss, but this is essentially the case on a genre-normative level. But if you mean "an entire ensemble vs one villain," that's more Western superhero/action media in spirit, and Dragon Ball has yet to go that route.

And yes I'm bringing up cultivation fantasy again because it's better me than Kunzait who'll start carpet bombing gifs to correct fools who forget: the standard of the genre is a one-on-one duel, but occasionally you can get a two-on-one or even team-vs-team. Westerners will suffer yet again to understand "superhero/Western action/fantasy" is not the end-all-be-all supreme arbiter of how fights ought to go, and Dragon Ball is largely not written with that mentality in mind, no matter the number of DBZ x DC/Marvel crossovers fans create

The closest it might ever go is super sentai-style, in which case MAYBE we'll one day get a "Great Saiya-Force" vs Not!Ginyu Force multi-duel

[TheBigBoy]

They've flirted with it at times but I'd absolutely be game for a story where the actual B-teamers have to defeat the villain on their own. And none of this "we need to hold them off until Goku arrives!" type stuff but I want all the Saiyans and Piccolo INCAPACITATED somehow. Not "oh they're off training" or "oh they're off fighting the actual threat" but I want their asses kicked by the villain and Yamcha actually has to do something about it.

[Yellow Flower King]

They've flirted with it at times but I'd absolutely be game for a story where the actual B-teamers have to defeat the villain on their own. And none of this "we need to hold them off until Goku arrives!" type stuff but I want all the Saiyans and Piccolo INCAPACITATED somehow. Not "oh they're off training" or "oh they're off fighting the actual threat" but I want their asses kicked by the villain and Yamcha actually has to do something about it.

I think a gas covering the earth that is toxic to aliens and their diaspora so Goku and all other aliens/descendants being put in a healing chamber and then having Yamcha, Krillin and Videl save the day would be a nice way of doing it. I dont EVER see anyone making Goku and Vegete or Alien Diaspora go "Oh Yamcha where are you Yamcha"

[funrush]

Absolutely and now that we have Goku/Vegeta/Piccolo/Gohan at roughly equal strength as well as the secret weapon Broly, the stage is set for it better than ever. Buu through most of Super it's usually Goku and Vegeta doing everything and that's fine, and it makes sense in-universe because Goku and Vegeta were way stronger than everyone else, but now we have an opportunity to do a different thing and I think they should try it.

[TheBigBoy]

They've flirted with it at times but I'd absolutely be game for a story where the actual B-teamers have to defeat the villain on their own. And none of this "we need to hold them off until Goku arrives!" type stuff but I want all the Saiyans and Piccolo INCAPACITATED somehow. Not "oh they're off training" or "oh they're off fighting the actual threat" but I want their asses kicked by the villain and Yamcha actually has to do something about it.

I think a gas covering the earth that is toxic to aliens and their diaspora so Goku and all other aliens/descendants being put in a healing chamber and then having Yamcha, Krillin and Videl save the day would be a nice way of doing it. I dont EVER see anyone making Goku and Vegete or Alien Diaspora go "Oh Yamcha where are you Yamcha"

I mean it's such a simple "it's right THERE guys!" idea that I'm surprised they've never went through with it though I'm sure it's been the topic of a zillion fanfictions. It would have made a great mini filler arc in Super.

[Yellow Flower King]

They've flirted with it at times but I'd absolutely be game for a story where the actual B-teamers have to defeat the villain on their own. And none of this "we need to hold them off until Goku arrives!" type stuff but I want all the Saiyans and Piccolo INCAPACITATED somehow. Not "oh they're off training" or "oh they're off fighting the actual threat" but I want their asses kicked by the villain and Yamcha actually has to do something about it.

I think a gas covering the earth that is toxic to aliens and their diaspora so Goku and all other aliens/descendants being put in a healing chamber and then having Yamcha, Krillin and Videl save the day would be a nice way of doing it. I dont EVER see anyone making Goku and Vegete or Alien Diaspora go "Oh Yamcha where are you Yamcha"

I mean it's such a simple "it's right THERE guys!" idea that I'm surprised they've never went through with it though I'm sure it's been the topic of a zillion fanfictions. It would have made a great mini filler arc in Super.

It wasnt that simple. I had to think about 5 minutes to think of a way to pull it off and before I did I say "There is simply no way to remove the Goku and the aliens" I had to think REALLY HARD and only then did I put "Ok, maybe its NOT impossible..."

[Zephyr]

Plenty of examples have been pointed out where DB characters do gang up on opponents, and my favorite one is definitely the Tournament of Power's finale. That Goku-Freeza team attack moment at the very end is probably my favorite thing out of the entire revival era of DB. So fucking good.

Absolutely open to other fun combinations of characters teaming up to take out the final antagonist of an arc. I may think it's rad when characters duel to prove some shit even in dire circumstances, but that doesn't mean I don't also think it's rad when those tests come up negative and their backs are to the wall and they gotta win at any cost, even if it ain't fair.

And yes I'm bringing up cultivation fantasy again because it's better me than Kunzait who'll start carpet bombing gifs to correct fools who forget: the standard of the genre is a one-on-one duel, but occasionally you can get a two-on-one or even team-vs-team. Westerners will suffer yet again to understand "superhero/Western action/fantasy" is not the end-all-be-all supreme arbiter of how fights ought to go, and Dragon Ball is largely not written with that mentality in mind, no matter the number of DBZ x DC/Marvel crossovers fans create

Honestly this shouldn't really be lost on us Westerners. East Asian martial arts stories don't exactly have a monopoly on chivalric heroes who prefer single combat. Our fantasy stories have knights. The intermingling of pride, ego, and combat is practically a human universal constant, because those are all elements of human psychology and society, regardless of geographical and cultural specifics.