Your Perfect Dragon Ball Z Ending

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.
User avatar
Piccolo Daimao
Kicks it Old-School
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:23 am

Your Perfect Dragon Ball Z Ending

Post by Piccolo Daimao » Mon May 04, 2009 10:43 am

So, I've heard from many Dragon Ball fans that they disliked the ending for Dragon Ball Z. The argument (or one of them) being Son Goku leaving his family once again to train a 10-year-old kid who is basically another Gohan.

So, if you were to choose, what would be the perfect ending to Dragon Ball Z? You can choose the ending to any of the sagas or just one that you've made up.

I personally feel that the conclusion of the Cell Games was the perfect ending to Dragon Ball Z. I like the idea of Goku bringing up his son Gohan to surpass him in power and Gohan taking over the mantel of protector of Earth. I heard that Toriyama (and from other fans) didn't like this ending because he thought Gohan was unsuitable for that role. I just like this ending because Gohan, once a weak little boy who was totally against fighting (and probably still is) and always relied on his father, grew up to be the strongest fighter on Earth and defeated the greatest threat to the planet.
Holden Caulfield in [b][i]The Catcher in the Rye[/i][/b] wrote:I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody.

User avatar
NeptuneKai
I Live Here
Posts: 3576
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:51 pm

Post by NeptuneKai » Mon May 04, 2009 10:50 am

Man this is brought up often, but I enjoy reading everybody’s opinions time after time anyway.

Personally the end of the Freeza saga would be my favorite conclusion (Goku dying on Namek).The end of the Cell games wrap things up nicely as well and you could very well just stop reading there and call it an ending seeing as how the Buu saga is pretty much just tacked on to the story anyway.
Aro started to laugh. “Ha, ha, ha,” he chuckled.- Actual quote from Twilight

User avatar
VenomSymbiote
Patreon Supporter
Posts: 584
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:35 am
Location: United States of America
Contact:

Post by VenomSymbiote » Mon May 04, 2009 10:54 am

Umm...

I wish Goku didn't leave, and Uub was non-existent.

User avatar
Rory
I Live Here
Posts: 2777
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 5:15 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Post by Rory » Mon May 04, 2009 10:54 am

Same as Neptune's, Goku dies on Namek, the legendary power of the Super Saiyan is destroyed, as is the power hungry tyrant Freeza, the Saiyan race is avenged, and Gohan is left as the last Saiyan the universe (I think to perfect this ending Vegeta would not be brought back). Everybody moarns for not only the strongest Martial Artist in the world, but now also the strongest being in the universe. Gohan continues to train, to defend the earth, as his father would've wanted (after being a"great scholar" of course).

A nice homage would've made a good panel, perhaps Gohan placing the 4-Star ball back in Goku's old house, where we first saw it.

User avatar
Super Ghost Kamikaze
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1809
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:10 pm

Post by Super Ghost Kamikaze » Mon May 04, 2009 10:59 am

There is no logical cut-off point that doesn't eradicate Gotenks and Saiyaman. For that reason, I really can't say I'd change much. Maybe the specific ending of the Buu saga, but I can't really think off a solution I'd find more palatable. Probably a change sometime between Goku and Vegeta in the innards of Buu and Kid Buu coming into existence, because I hate that little plot hole.

User avatar
NeptuneKai
I Live Here
Posts: 3576
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:51 pm

Post by NeptuneKai » Mon May 04, 2009 11:11 am

Super Ghost Kamikaze wrote:There is no logical cut-off point that doesn't eradicate Gotenks and Saiyaman. For that reason, I really can't say I'd change much. Maybe the specific ending of the Buu saga, but I can't really think off a solution I'd find more palatable. Probably a change sometime between Goku and Vegeta in the innards of Buu and Kid Buu coming into existence, because I hate that little plot hole.
Perhaps Vegerrot could have just eradicated Super Boo and then one year later they could have asked Shenlong to unfuse them.
Aro started to laugh. “Ha, ha, ha,” he chuckled.- Actual quote from Twilight

User avatar
omegacwa
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1924
Joined: Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:01 pm

Post by omegacwa » Mon May 04, 2009 11:11 am

I would have liked it better if there was no SSJ3. Have Goku and Vegeta be completely even and fight Kid Buu together full tilt, with the ending being about the same. I like the use of the Genki Dama, but maybe Vegeta could have done more.

As for the very end, hmm. Maybe have Goku and Vegeta fight, as friendly rivals at the tournament, but leave the victory open ended for the fans to decide who was finally the strongest.

User avatar
SHINOBI-03
I Live Here
Posts: 2653
Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:47 am
Location: United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Contact:

Post by SHINOBI-03 » Mon May 04, 2009 11:28 am

For me, I would've pick the end of the 23rd TenkaIchi Budokai for some reasons:

1- Goku won the championship and saved the world at the same time.
2- He got his lover.
3- He got himself an arch rival.
4- He have grown up to a "fine" adult.
5- It was still going with the "Mystical" theme.

But if we were to go with the Z, I'll go for the Cell Saga, because:

1- Gohan surpassed his father.
2- Goku passed the duty of protecting the Earth to the next generation.
My Dragon Ball Story (500th post)
My Anime List
My Manga List
Big Momma wrote:This is Daizex. There's gonna be complaints and groaning no matter what. ;)
Anime Insider magazine wrote:If police officers in the future dress like prostitutes, then what do prostitutes in the future wear?

User avatar
ssjcj
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 134
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:19 am

Post by ssjcj » Mon May 04, 2009 12:52 pm

My favourite ending was the GT one. Although fitting that into the series would be strange, I'm sure if you changed the way the Boo fight ended to in some way incorporate Shen-Long and other small details you would get a nice ending to Z.

User avatar
B
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 5563
Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:15 am
Contact:

Post by B » Mon May 04, 2009 2:51 pm

Absolutely nothing, after looking at it. The ending is *so* Dragon Ball. Goku continues training, passes the torch onto Uub, Vegeta realizes Goku's real goal is to have a worthy opponent, and the best part is, the series doesn't actually *end*.
Keen Observation of Dragon Ball Z Movie 4's Climax wrote:Slug shits to see the genki

User avatar
Chuquita
Namekian Warrior
Posts: 15273
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2004 2:16 am
Location: Somewhere

Post by Chuquita » Mon May 04, 2009 3:37 pm

The only thing that bothers me about the Z ending is the whole "Goku runs off to train Uub right in the middle of it" stuff. I'd rather them finish it off with that particular Tenkaichi Budoukai (final round with Goku vs Vegeta; none of that "Oh let's LET Mark win to save face" crap) and then have everyone go off to eat a celebratory dinner at a restaurant ala the 21st budoukai.
On hiatus.

User avatar
Rod
Regular
Posts: 714
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:56 pm
Location: Mexico
Contact:

Post by Rod » Mon May 04, 2009 3:44 pm

Chuquita wrote:The only thing that bothers me about the Z ending is the whole "Goku runs off to train Uub right in the middle of it" stuff. I'd rather them finish it off with that particular Tenkaichi Budoukai (final round with Goku vs Vegeta; none of that "Oh let's LET Mark win to save face" crap) and then have everyone go off to eat a celebratory dinner at a restaurant ala the 21st budoukai.
I like this ending, and if Toriyama was going to go with th Uub ending, then he should have made him stay with the Son family, instead of having Goku leave

Senzu_Bean
I Live Here
Posts: 2262
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:31 am

Post by Senzu_Bean » Mon May 04, 2009 4:25 pm

B wrote:Absolutely nothing, after looking at it. The ending is *so* Dragon Ball. Goku continues training, passes the torch onto Uub, Vegeta realizes Goku's real goal is to have a worthy opponent, and the best part is, the series doesn't actually *end*.
Same thought in here.

Dr. Casey
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 940
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:05 pm

Post by Dr. Casey » Mon May 04, 2009 5:30 pm

The Pilaf ending is nice because it's the only one that would have let the story of Dragon Ball remain completely coherent. Such a thing is impossible from the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai onwards because there's no single theme or plot element uniting the whole story.

The potential Freeza Saga ending that Kunzait posted some time ago would have sat quite well with me. I'd have loved the shift in tone between 'Bulma and Son Goku' and the morbid aftermath of the Namek quest, especially since it would be a logical conclusion thanks to the much darker atmosphere of that portion of the series. However, ending the Freeza Saga as it stands wouldn't do much for me. Freeza is often cited as an enemy relevant to the whole series, a logical choice for the main enemy, but I'm not sure I completely agree. If curiosity about Goku's origins had been a constant focus throughout the series, then sure, but it was hardly ever mentioned between that early conversation with Goku and Bulma and the arrival of Radditz. You just grew to accept that he was a monkey kid with a tail. Can't use thematic relevance by drawing upon something that was never a theme. And the whole dying on Namek thing... eh, I just never found it that touching or compelling.

Don't care much for the Cell ending. Vegeta's character development in particular would have been very premature and badly defined, and frankly, I'd have been irritated if I didn't get to see what kind of person Gohan had grown up to become. I'm glad the Buu Saga followed up on that.

The Buu Saga's ending would have been fine if Goku mentioned something about using Shunkan-Idou to teleport back home every day when his training with Uub was done. Sorry, Toriyama, but I don't think "I'll make sure to visit every few years!" is childlike, naive, or charming. He's just a dick.

Ultimately, I don't care for any ending that much because Dragon Ball lacks so much focus that it's virtually impossible to create an ending that has meaning for the series as a whole (Dragon Ball GT came close, ironically enough, with the negative energy built up in the Dragon Balls over the years). The story has been jerked along in far too many directions to be tied up in a coherent fashion. Still, my favorite ending is Buu, simply because with the inclusion of the Buu Saga, Dragon Ball feels much more complete. There's the completion of several character arcs (Vegeta is the obvious one, but there's also Gohan, Chichi, and Kuririn), for one thing. I dunno, the Cell Saga as a whole is in some kind of awkward phase. The human characters are a regular presence, which gives it more of a Dragon Ball feel, but their role is very diminished (Which kinda negates the whole thing). At least the Buu Saga's identity was more clearly established, with much of the old cast being plainly shifted out of focus. Several of the characters arcs, as I mentioned before, are incomplete; beginning with Gohan as a very young child and ending as a grown man makes more sense to me than ending him as an older child. Likewise, beginning Vegeta as a heartless villain and ending him as a decent person constitutes better development than beginning as a heartless villain and ending as some sort of awkwardly defined jackass that has a couple of moments of not being annoying or showing deeper elements that are left completely unexplored. The Cell Saga as a whole would need some revisions to be a solid ending to the series, because as it stands, that whole portion of the series is in an awkward transitional, tweener phase (Which is okay since it's not the end, but it would've sucked if it were).

User avatar
JAPPO
I Live Here
Posts: 2149
Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:03 am

Post by JAPPO » Mon May 04, 2009 5:52 pm

End of the Freeza saga with Goku dying on Namek would be perfect. Everything after just felt sloppy.
If challenge had a taste, you'd be quite delicious.

User avatar
Dayspring
Kicks it Old-School
Posts: 7753
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2004 6:00 pm
Location: Quebec, Canada

Post by Dayspring » Mon May 04, 2009 6:59 pm

I simply would have tweaked the ending so that we got a full budokai saga. Give Uub a weak opponent in the first round, so a single punch knocks him out of the ring. This lets us know who's the strong guy that Goku's looking for, but not why, as his ki would still read as significantly weaker than Freeza (or even Raditz). In the second round however, he'd face off against someone strong who'd underestimate him (Trunks or Goten). In this fight, we'd learn that Uub can fight on equal terms with anybody "somehow" as long they're weaker than Kid Boo. Meanwhile we have fun matches like Pan vs Boo or Vegeta, or someone else strong who'd be worried about hurting her, Vegeta vs Goku in the semi-final, etc. In the final, Goku and Uub would have a serious fight, ending more or less in the same manner as it did in the manga, with him taking off to train Uub. Rather than have everyone promise to forfeit against Satan, we'd see him shitting bricks throughout the tournament over who he'd have to go up against. Since Goku and Uub left, they'd be disqualified, so he then does his typical Satan "BWAHAHAHA!!! They got scared of fighting me and ran away! (THANK GOD!)" moment.
Captain Christopher Pike wrote:The away team will consist of myself, Cadet Kirk, Mr. Sulu, and Ensign Olsen.
Freeza Heika wrote: for the land of the cool, and the home of the Appule
The Geeky Gentleman: For all your comics, movies, TV and other geeky needs.

RoarkVegeta
Patreon Supporter
Posts: 1635
Joined: Thu May 29, 2008 8:21 pm
Location: TX

Post by RoarkVegeta » Mon May 04, 2009 7:11 pm

Kinda shocking, but the end of the Freeza arc for me.

It does leave a cliffhanger, but the ending would just be everyone okay and Goku dead. Then its over.

I thought it was the end, then goddamn Toei came back and gave us...brrrr. :-P

jordand
Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:37 pm

Re: Your Perfect Dragon Ball Z Ending

Post by jordand » Mon May 04, 2009 9:28 pm

Piccolo Daimao wrote:
I heard that Toriyama (and from other fans) didn't like this ending because he thought Gohan was unsuitable for that role. I just like this ending because Gohan, once a weak little boy who was totally against fighting (and probably still is) and always relied on his father, grew up to be the strongest fighter on Earth and defeated the greatest threat to the planet.

I actually read somewhere ( not sure where), that Toriyama wanted to actually shift the main focus to Gohan. But received to many complaints and had to put Goku back in. haha

User avatar
ulisa
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:43 am

Post by ulisa » Tue May 05, 2009 3:36 am

I personally never liked the ending to Dragonball Z as it was, mainly because I see Uub as another Gohan. I do like the thought of another Tournament but we never really got a "full" tournament, not since Dragonball really.

But as for my ideal ending? Two come to mind:

1) Cell Games ending. To me, this is simply the best ending. Goku dies and stays dead, his teachings have been passed onto his son, his son finally surpasses him and the mantle of protector moves from Father to Son. To me, the passing of the torch to the next generation is my favorite resolution.

2) I do like several things in the Buu saga: Buu himself, Videl, Gotenks, and I think some of the battles were simply awesome. But I don't like the ending that went with it. I would have prefered to see Ultimate Gohan destroy Majin Buu. Yes, I do have some Gohan-bias, I admit it but to me, when they spent so much time talking about the power up that Gohan was going to get and then Buu just absorbs every one...that was kinda...well, a major let down to me. Ultimate Gohan started out kicking Buu's ass. I just wish they would have kept that direction. Goku wouldn't have had to be revived and the second generation would have shown they were capable of defending the Earth on their own, which was something Goku wanted anyway.

Just my two cents

Ulisa
We truly begin to live when we find something we're willing to die for

User avatar
jda95
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1360
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:51 am
Location: 神様の神殿
Contact:

Post by jda95 » Tue May 05, 2009 4:03 am

Two letters:

GT.

Post Reply