Does Gotenks have SSJ2?

[VegettoEX]

We're getting into slightly off-topic territory, but I'm willing to entertain it for now.

I think the sheer amount of "power debates" that pop up is a testament to how popular, and thus how interesting, they really are.

It's all relative. The amount of *non* in-universe posts here are more than double it, and that doesn't even include the other sub-topics such as video games, music, etc. It doesn't even come close.

To say there absolutely is something more interesting than a strength debate in a series based on fighting is presumptuous.

Well, yes -- I presume this based on the actual figures that I just stated . Here, on this particular forum, the overwhelming vast majority of members can't care any less about those discussions, have not posted in them, and will continue to not post in them. And hey, Final Fantasy IV is also based on fighting (friend versus friend, brother versus brother, group versus empire, etc.), but I'd wager a good amount of people are interested in talking about the characters and their development rather than the fights... so does that mean it's "wrong" to have those conversations? It's like you're so focused on your one particular area that you're blind to everything else.

If they weren't interesting to the millions of DB fans out there, then we wouldn't be talking about them.

As Gaffer Tape just said, no-one's squashing any discussions -- it's just that the vast majority of the audience here on this particular forum... well... doesn't care. They've made it clear time and time again by not participating. Do some people? Sure. Can they go ahead and do so? Sure. They have, they do, and they will. Just don't expect a gazillion posts about it, since it's clearly not a priority for our global audience, here. Maybe it's a North American thing? An English-language thing? I'm not sure. Most of the Europeans here don't care. Most of the Japanese fans here don't care. Most of the South Americans here don't care.

Maybe the more relevant and interesting discussion to have (here I go focusing on the meta instead of Gotenks versus XXX! ^_~) is why English-speaking fans seem to have this obsession with pitting characters against each other and examining the minutia of dialogue to "confirm" the "winner" of theoretical fights...?

[petewentz]

We're getting into slightly off-topic territory, but I'm willing to entertain it for now.

Well thanks for your time!

It's all relative. The amount of *non* in-universe posts here are more than double it, and that doesn't even include the other sub-topics such as video games, music, etc. It doesn't even come close.

Well, I think that's great that you have your forum listed in subdivisions and categories. I just feel that in general, most of the users here have a general dislike towards the general idea of these types of debates. I've seen it on 3 occasions, just in passing, recently. I feel like there's an air of "elitism", if I'm so bold to say so.

Well, yes -- I presume this based on the actual figures that I just stated . Here, on this particular forum, the overwhelming vast majority of members can't care any less about those discussions, have not posted in them, and will continue to not post in them. And hey, Final Fantasy IV is also based on fighting (friend versus friend, brother versus brother, group versus empire, etc.), but I'd wager a good amount of people are interested in talking about the characters and their development rather than the fights... so does that mean it's "wrong" to have those conversations? It's like you're so focused on your one particular area that you're blind to everything else.

Your analogy almost had me, but the difference between Final Fantasy(IV) and Dragonball are numerous. Final Fantasy has a deep storyline and it's character development rivals that of many novels, while Dragonball is more or less bland in that regard. Dragonball is almost solely based on fighting while Final Fantasy is based on character insights and plot revelations. It's also a video game, which leaves a lot more in terms of actual discussion than a story based solely on fighting. While there are fighting elements in the game, the main focus has always been the storyline, a staple of "J-RPGS". My main point is they are two different mediums and one leaves more in terms of actual discussion than the other.

As Gaffer Tape just said, no-one's squashing any discussions -- it's just that the vast majority of the audience here on this particular forum... well... doesn't care. They've made it clear time and time again by not participating. Do some people? Sure. Can they go ahead and do so? Sure. They have, they do, and they will. Just don't expect a gazillion posts about it, since it's clearly not a priority for our global audience, here. Maybe it's a North American thing? An English-language thing? I'm not sure. Most of the Europeans here don't care. Most of the Japanese fans here don't care. Most of the South Americans here don't care.

I think I may be missing the point here. Are you trying to say that cultural differences lead to the power level debates that you state openly, if I may be allowed to paraphrase the rules, "leave little in the way of actual conversation"? I can't help but wonder why the US market is getting bashed constantly in this forum. Most posts are "that's dub" or "that's Viz". It seems counter intuitive to me that an American based website is so anti-English. I understand the whole "source material" idea, and getting as close to it as possible, but translation teams aren't incompetent and I don't understand the continuing discredit they receive from a particular sect of the fandom. Maybe you can illuminate it for me, because I may just be simply *ignorant*, I am from the U.S after all

Maybe the more relevant and interesting discussion to have (here I go focusing on the meta instead of Gotenks versus XXX! ^_~) is why English-speaking fans seem to have this obsession with pitting characters against each other and examining the minutia of dialogue to "confirm" the "winner" of theoretical fights...?

Again, you're getting into some quasi-debate about the relevance of character strengths in a fighting based series. Maybe you can elaborate a little bit for me because I seem to be missing the point. Thank you.

And thank you for your insightful reply :3

[Gaffer Tape]

I think I may be missing the point here. Are you trying to say that cultural differences lead to the power level debates that you state openly, if I may be allowed to paraphrase the rules, "leave little in the way of actual conversation"? I can't help but wonder why the US market is getting bashed constantly in this forum. Most posts are "that's dub" or "that's Viz". It seems counter intuitive to me that an American based website is so anti-English. I understand the whole "source material" idea, and getting as close to it as possible, but translation teams aren't incompetent and I don't understand the continuing discredit they receive from a particular sect of the fandom. Maybe you can illuminate it for me, because I may just be simply *ignorant*, I am from the U.S after all

I don't see anyone "bashing" anyone or anything. It was just an observation: "Isn't it odd that it seems only the Americans here are extremely interested in debating battle powers? I wonder why that is?"

As for the rest of that paragraph, I'd wager you answered your own question. Posts that dismiss things by saying "that's dub" or "that's Viz" also aren't "bashing" things or being "anti-English." To avoid the dreaded c-word that often gets the fandom to crossing their arms and digging in their heels, I'll just say it's like what you said: "source material." If something deviates from that, then, of course it doesn't need to be taken seriously. Of course it needs to be "discredited." Of course accurate information needs to get out there. And of course misinformation needs to be identified, treated as such, and stamped out. It's just common sense. You'll see the same kind of dismissive attitude accompanied with the phrase, "That's filler," and obviously that has nothing to do with the American localization or American fandom. I mean, mistranslations have had plenty of effect on battle power debates, so I would think you'd be quite eager to make sure your argument isn't based in a mistranslation. Again, it isn't any kind of "anti-American" "anti-English" "bashing." It's just trying to stamp out misinformation, no matter what part of the world it originated.

[roidrage]

I think I may be missing the point here. Are you trying to say that cultural differences lead to the power level debates that you state openly, if I may be allowed to paraphrase the rules, "leave little in the way of actual conversation"? I can't help but wonder why the US market is getting bashed constantly in this forum. Most posts are "that's dub" or "that's Viz". It seems counter intuitive to me that an American based website is so anti-English. I understand the whole "source material" idea, and getting as close to it as possible, but translation teams aren't incompetent and I don't understand the continuing discredit they receive from a particular sect of the fandom. Maybe you can illuminate it for me, because I may just be simply *ignorant*, I am from the U.S after all

I don't see anyone "bashing" anyone or anything. It was just an observation: "Isn't it odd that it seems only the Americans here are extremely interested in debating battle powers? I wonder why that is?"

As for the rest of that paragraph, I'd wager you answered your own question. Posts that dismiss things by saying "that's dub" or "that's Viz" also aren't "bashing" things or being "anti-English." To avoid the dreaded c-word that often gets the fandom to crossing their arms and digging in their heels, I'll just say it's like what you said: "source material." If something deviates from that, then, of course it doesn't need to be taken seriously. Of course it needs to be "discredited." Of course accurate information needs to get out there. And of course misinformation needs to be identified, treated as such, and stamped out. It's just common sense. You'll see the same kind of dismissive attitude accompanied with the phrase, "That's filler," and obviously that has nothing to do with the American localization or American fandom. I mean, mistranslations have had plenty of effect on battle power debates, so I would think you'd be quite eager to make sure your argument isn't based in a mistranslation. Again, it isn't any kind of "anti-American" "anti-English" "bashing." It's just trying to stamp out misinformation, no matter what part of the world it originated.

I would agree with that, but I also think a few of the members on here (not necessarily you) not only discredit it or point out inaccuracies, but also bash the people involved in it or fans of it. Dubbies do this too of course, but the attitude sometimes seems to be "You can prefer the dub over the Japanese version, but it's still inferior and inaccurate, and we know better than you." Again, that only comes from some people, but this is a website, and I don't know if the professionals are getting respectful disagreement or just bashing.

[Eddie]

@VegettoEX I think the "Character A VS Character B" thing is global, but it's kinda the typical nerdy teenage boy thing to do. That's not to say most of us on the forum aren't nerds (we are), and I'm not saying only teenage boys like "A versus B" discussions (just generalizing because I honestly see most of it from teenage boys). Hell, "Who'd win in a fight, Batman or Spiderman?" is a staple of comic book nerd conversation. I think this type of thing IS a worldwide nerd phenomenon, though. It certainly explains all of the crossover games that Japan puts out. I like to think that an internal debate at Nintendo headquarters about whether or not Pikachu could kick Yoshi's ass led to the development of Super Smash Bros. I think that the reason your forum members tend to have little interest in strength debates is more indicative of the type of site you have. I doubt it's due to the site having a global audience. I think it's just that the type of people attracted to this site tend to be interested in more of a fun, informative conversation.

Oh and bringing up Final Fantasy IV made me feel something resembling joy.

And Rydia could totally whoop Yang in a fight. Just sayin'.

Also, @petewentz You spend the majority of damn near every Final Fantasy fighting some dudes/chicks/monsters/monstersthatlooklikechickswithtentacles. Are the games deep? Absolutely. That's why I love them. Does that make Mike's argument invalid? Not at all. The games are still mostly about fights. Also, if the Bardock special isn't as deep as the original Final Fantasy, I will eat my shorts. As for any issues you have with people being negative about the dub, sorry. Those people have valid criticisms. Viz did some screwy things, too. There's nothing wrong wrong with talking about the Japanese aspect of a Japanese series.

[roidrage]

@VegettoEX I think the "Character A VS Character B" thing is global, but it's kinda the typical nerdy teenage boy thing to do. That's not to say most of us on the forum aren't nerds (we are), and I'm not saying only teenage boys like "A versus B" discussions (just generalizing because I honestly see most of it from teenage boys). Hell, "Who'd win in a fight, Batman or Spiderman?" is a staple of comic book nerd conversation. I think this type of thing IS a worldwide nerd phenomenon, though. It certainly explains all of the crossover games that Japan puts out. I like to think that an internal debate at Nintendo headquarters about whether or not Pikachu could kick Yoshi's ass led to the development of Super Smash Bros. I think that the reason your forum members tend to have little interest in strength debates is more indicative of the type of site you have. I doubt it's due to the site having a global audience. I think it's just that the type of people attracted to this site tend to be interested in more of a fun, informative conversation.

Oh and bringing up Final Fantasy IV made me feel something resembling joy.

And Rydia could totally whoop Yang in a fight. Just sayin'.

Also, @petewentz You spend the majority of damn near every Final Fantasy fighting some dudes/chicks/monsters/monstersthatlooklikechickswithtentacles. Are the games deep? Absolutely. That's why I love them. Does that make Mike's argument invalid? Not at all. The games are still mostly about fights. Also, if the Bardock special isn't as deep as the original Final Fantasy, I will eat my shorts. As for any issues you have with people being negative about the dub, sorry. Those people have valid criticisms. Viz did some screwy things, too. There's nothing wrong wrong with talking about the Japanese aspect of a Japanese series.

It's not that the criticism isn't valid, but it should be expressed with respect. You can't just tear down someone's version of it with no concern for how they'd feel about it and say "sorry".

[Eddie]

^It's not like I kicked your puppy, said sorry, and walked off flipping the bird. The thing is, dub DBZ is inaccurate. People are going to say that here. I'm not a dub hater at all. Heck, I like a decent amount of the casting (particulary after Season 3), and I often play the games in English. Expecting the dub to be treated with "respect" may be unrealistic, though. I certainly won't treat YOU with disrespect (unless you start linking to illegal episode downloads), and I don't disrespect anyone at Funimation. I'm never respecting blue Popo or the majority of Freeza's season 2/3 lines, though.

[roidrage]

^It's not like I kicked your puppy, said sorry, and walked off flipping the bird. The thing is, dub DBZ is inaccurate. People are going to say that here. I'm not a dub hater at all. Heck, I like a decent amount of the casting (particulary after Season 3), and I often play the games in English. Expecting the dub to be treated with "respect" may be unrealistic, though. I certainly won't treat YOU with disrespect (unless you start linking to illegal episode downloads), and I don't disrespect anyone at Funimation. I'm never respecting blue Popo or the majority of Freeza's season 2/3 lines, though.

You seem all right. I'm talking about posts like this;

Oh, so he's untalented all on his own.

Snarky, sarcastic, remarks like that are nothing more than insults.

[TripleRach]

It's not that the criticism isn't valid, but it should be expressed with respect. You can't just tear down someone's version of it with no concern for how they'd feel about it and say "sorry".

Everyone is encouraged to have respectful attitudes while arguing, but that doesn't mean we need to baby each other. If someone doesn't like an aspect of the series, they're welcome to express their feelings on it. If people are getting personally offended when something they like (the FUNimation dub, Masako Nozawa, GT, strength debates, etc) is criticized, then, frankly, that's their problem. They need to learn to accept the fact that people aren't always going to agree with them. That's the adult world.

[roidrage]

It's not that the criticism isn't valid, but it should be expressed with respect. You can't just tear down someone's version of it with no concern for how they'd feel about it and say "sorry".

Everyone is encouraged to have respectful attitudes while arguing, but that doesn't mean we need to baby each other. If someone doesn't like an aspect of the series, they're welcome to express their feelings on it. If people are getting personally offended when something they like (the FUNimation dub, Masako Nozawa, GT, strength debates, etc) is criticized, then, frankly, that's their problem. They need to learn to accept the fact that people aren't always going to agree with them. That's the adult world.

It's not their problem if they're being disrespected. Disagreement I find pretty engaging, but disrespect I take personally.

[Chibi Mystic Gohan]

How can you take it personally if it isn't aimed at you?

[roidrage]

How can you take it personally if it isn't aimed at you?

Well, if I'm debating with somebody, and they actually devalue me or my opinion, then I'm going to be upset. In the same vein, when others' opinions are devalued, I'm offended, because there's no call for that. Disagreement and chewing somebody out, automatically assuming they're stupid and ignorant, should not go hand in hand,

[Herms]

You do realize that strength debates are the formation of the story. If there were no "battles", if there were no "battle powers" then the story would be entirely different, and perhaps not as popular. It's because of strength debates that the fandom has continued on to this day. I feel that by limiting discussion, you are also limiting interest in what makes DB special, and that's the fights.

No, strength debates aren't about the actual battles of the series. By their nature, they are essentially fan fiction discussions where it is imagined and debated how things would play out if battles which didn't occur in the series did, or fans try and invent their own solutions to the various things the series leaves contradictory or unclear. Anything that is explicitly laid out in the series isn't subject to strength debates; you don't see people debate whether Nappa was stronger than Vegeta. I have nothing against such fan fiction and speculation in and of itself, but the way in which these discussions are typically conducted is often pointlessly hostile and overly serious. After all the legitimate discussion has been exhausted (which takes at most 3 pages, in my experience), the whole thing quickly devolves into people sneering at each other. It's not that we do anything to limit those kinds of discussions here, it's that those discussions are inherently self-limiting, and we don't like to tolerate the mess that happens when they inevitably self-destruct.

That's just my take on how to view the series, and I know you disagree. I just feel like the series is still popular because of "power level" debates, not in spite of. Talking about dubbing and voice acting would only last so long, Dragonball however, has stood the test of time.

The thread for the Funi Kai dub is 274 pages long. The thread for discussing merely the new voice of Freeza in the Kai dub is 47 pages. Meanwhile this thread, which is relatively long and drawn out compared to most strength debates around here, has barely reached its 8th page. I think it's clear where the main fan interest is. If you like strength debates and only hang out in strength debate threads then it probably does seem like that's the main focus of the fandom, but there really is more out there.

I can't help but wonder why the US market is getting bashed constantly in this forum. Most posts are "that's dub" or "that's Viz". It seems counter intuitive to me that an American based website is so anti-English. I understand the whole "source material" idea, and getting as close to it as possible, but translation teams aren't incompetent and I don't understand the continuing discredit they receive from a particular sect of the fandom.

The thing is, Funimation employees have admitted that the reason the early dub is so inaccurate is because they in fact didn't have any competent translations at the time: the only English translations they had to go off of were often incomprehensible, so they just had to make stuff up. And the legacy of those early mistakes (and the attitude that they could just make up their own dialogue if they wanted) persisted throughout the rest of the dub until more or less the Kai era. I don't see anything wrong with pointing out when certain dialogue (especially if it's being used in a debate) was not actually part of the original series but instead made up by a Texas voice actor years later. I find the idea that wanting accurate English translations is somehow "anti-English" to be incomprehensible.

Meanwhile, Viz had competent translators from the start, but they did change things, sometimes for censorship reasons, sometimes due to cultural differences, sometimes simply to make things sound better in English, and sometimes just because of their own strange sense of humor. While I think they did a good job on the whole, I also think that the things they changed are worth pointing out. They're not always bad, but they usually are interesting.

[petewentz]

I love you, petewentz

Great points, Herms. I really respect you, and if I have given you any hostility it's not directed AT but merely the principle of translation gripes with some of the fans. I hope you understand my point. I am no linguistic, and you are. I am not informed to make a decision about what dub is more accurate and what isn't. My whole point is that the Viz isn't so terrible inaccurate that it drastically changes the story. I haven't seen any examples, from you or others, that would construe that point. Therefore, the Viz is an accurate translation for me to place my faith in, so to speak. I understand most of it is syntax, and it has to be "americanized" to make "sense"...I may be wrong, but if you translate something literally from Japanese into English, isn't it going to be full of contextual errors? I don't know enough about Japanese, but in English everything is very context sensitive, such as homonyms like sweet/suite. I'm not doubting your abilities, just trying to convey that the slight differences between translations would only exist in those context sensitive situations.

I mean this in no disrespect, by the way, but isn't hypocritical to disallow the use of "scanlations" but allow you to provide us translations? Isn't it essentially the same thing? Forgive my ignorance.

And as for what's more "popular"...Kai is going to be the focal point of activity right now because it's still running, it's still "active". Three years ago, during your stay at MFG, where most of the threads in the DB section not power related? As far as I can remember from my stay, they were. When Kai ends, are you all going to still be talking about dubbing and Mr Yamanoto's rip off or whatever? Probably not...power level discussions will continue to exist while those type of conversations will inevitably cease.

Lastly, I do agree it is a level of fanfiction, but we are using evidence from the series to place characters in a hierarchy based on the actual series itself. Saying Gotenks is stronger than Goku isn't necessarily fanfiction when the series itself makes that assumption for us.

I hope you understand my stance. I am nowhere near as respected in the community as you, and I do hope you realize some of my statements weren't intentionally directed at you, and I merely, albeit wrongly, scapegoated you for a gripe I've had with the fandom for a while. I'm sorry.

[Fox666]

I mean this in no disrespect, by the way, but isn't hypocritical to disallow the use of "scanlations" but allow you to provide us translations? Isn't it essentially the same thing? Forgive my ignorance.

You mean the use of scans from other websites?

Maybe it is hypocritical, but this website is not absent of the laws. It's not like the administrators of this site are in a quest to stop piracy, they are obligated to not allow links from scanlation websites.

[petewentz]

You mean the use of scans from other websites?

Maybe it is hypocritical, but this website is not absent of the laws. It's not like the administrators of this site are in a quest to stop piracy, they are obligated to not allow links from scanlation websites.

Oh, oh thanks for that then. I was simply wrong...at least I stated my ignorance But, then again, don't we have scans from other guidebooks and what not on here? Isn't that piracy in itself? So it's still hypocritical, right?

[Herms]

My whole point is that the Viz isn't so terrible inaccurate that it drastically changes the story.

That's what I've always said. I've frequently assigned their translation a somewhat arbitrary rating of 7/10 (with a 10/10 being an essentially impossible "perfect" translation), to signify that while there's room for improvement, it's pretty good overall.

I haven't seen any examples, from you or others, that would construe that point. Therefore, the Viz is an accurate translation for me to place my faith in, so to speak. I understand most of it is syntax, and it has to be "americanized" to make "sense"...I may be wrong, but if you translate something literally from Japanese into English, isn't it going to be full of contextual errors? I don't know enough about Japanese, but in English everything is very context sensitive, such as homonyms like sweet/suite. I'm not doubting your abilities, just trying to convey that the slight differences between translations would only exist in those context sensitive situations.

Some things are like that. For instance, in the first chapter Bulma when Bulma is talking about how she found the 5-star ball, she mentions that she found it ten days ago. However, the entire sentence comes out somewhat convoluted in English when translated directly from Japanese, so Viz chose to cut the "10 days ago" part out to make the line sound better as a whole. There's nothing wrong with this, but I think it's worth noting when a detail like that drops out, especially since I'm interested in the series timeline.

On the other hand, some things are changed for censorship reasons. The Elder Kaioshin's lines about wanting to feel Bulma's butt and boobs was changed to him wanting to take her out on a date (or something like that). Or at the 21st Tenkaichi Budoukai when Goku reveals that he's actually 12 rather than 14, Bulma says that she knew he couldn't have been 14 because he "didn't have any hair", presumably meaning pubic hair. Viz changes this to her noting that she knew Goku couldn't have been that old because he didn't notice what a babe she was.

Then there are things changed for cultural reasons. When Goku first goes to West City to reunite with Bulma, he waits at her house for a little bit before she returns to school (she mentions that she cut class). Not too long later, Bulma mentions that it's Saturday, so she's free tomorrow. This comes from how the Japanese school system usually has classes or club activities on Saturdays. Since most US readers would be baffled at Bulma having school on Saturday, they change her line so that she says today is Friday. Again, nothing really wrong with this, but it's worth noting.

And finally there's "weird sense of humor". One example is that when Giran has Goku all tied up with his gum technique, he originally notes that Goku is now as immobile as a doll. In Viz he says that now the fight will be like "punching Punch", a punning reference to Punch and Judy puppet plays. Or how the panties that Kuririn pulls out to distract Jacky Chun during their fight were originally labeled "gal's panties", but Viz changed this to "if found, please return to Bulma". Then there's the Boy George references, but the less said about that the better.

So some changes in Viz are just a natural result of translating from Japanese into English, but many others result from Viz just being, well, Viz, both for good or bad (or just strange).

I mean this in no disrespect, by the way, but isn't hypocritical to disallow the use of "scanlations" but allow you to provide us translations? Isn't it essentially the same thing? Forgive my ignorance.

For one, it's not that I'm "allowed" to provide translations. Anyone is free to translate things, and even scanslate things, so long as they do not distribute or link to scanslations of material that already has a licensed English translation. People like SaiyaJedi, TripleRach, kenisu3000, neoKING, Aramanth_Sparrow, jpdbzrulz4sur, Ashley-kun, and others all post their own translations of various things too. There's an entire sticky thread for it, and there are even threads devoted to scanslating fan manga. It's just linking to pirate scanslations of the actual DB manga that's a no-no.

And as for what's more "popular"...Kai is going to be the focal point of activity right now because it's still running, it's still "active". Three years ago, during your stay at MFG, where most of the threads in the DB section not power related? As far as I can remember from my stay, they were. When Kai ends, are you all going to still be talking about dubbing and Mr Yamanoto's rip off or whatever? Probably not...power level discussions will continue to exist while those type of conversations will inevitably cease.

MFG was particularly infamous for being entirely focused on strength debates. Yes, Kai gets a boost because it's new, but the forums here were running years before it came along without strength debates ever becoming the main focus. I see no reason why this should suddenly stop now that Kai is wrapping up.

[Gaffer Tape]

And if I may clarify something (if you don't mind, Herms) in regards to something petewentz said earlier in regards to the supposed attitude towards the English translations: let's say, for some reason, that it comes up in a thread, someone asking what day of the week Goku and Bulma left West City to search for the Dragon Balls, and the first response is someone saying that it was a Friday. And then someone else chimes in and says, "No, that was Viz. It was Saturday." The person doing the correcting isn't saying, "That was Viz," because he feels the need to dismiss anything of English origin. It's just that, for whatever reason, be it justified or not, Viz's stating of the day is incorrect. There's no malice or elitism involved. It's just that there's a fact present in the story. In one case, it's presented properly. In another it's not. It's a simple as that.

(Oh, and thank you, Herms, for pointing that out. I don't think I ever even noticed that had been changed. )

[Fox666]

Oh, oh thanks for that then. I was simply wrong...at least I stated my ignorance But, then again, don't we have scans from other guidebooks and what not on here? Isn't that piracy in itself? So it's still hypocritical, right?

Not necessarily. The "fair use" laws allow that kind of stuff. (Of couse this kind of law is confusing and might not be clear about you can or not do, but this doesn't matter now)

At least this allow what Kanzentai site does. I.e. providing a very low quality scan of the guides, with a few important pages in high quality.

Or at the 21st Tenkaichi Budoukai when Goku reveals that he's actually 12 rather than 14, Bulma says that she knew he couldn't have been 14 because he "didn't have any hair", presumably meaning pubic hair. Viz changes this to her noting that she knew Goku couldn't have been that old because he didn't notice what a babe she was.

Here in Brazil they left that stuff.

And Bulma's statement actually makes pretty much sense (however I suppose that kids outside of Japan are not allowed to know that they will have hair grown on their bodies when they get old). Still this wouldn't be really the case, since later in the series Toriyama estabilished that the saiyans rate of growth is different from that of normal humans. Kuririn and Oolong turned out to be merely little people.

[TripleRach]

I mean this in no disrespect, by the way, but isn't hypocritical to disallow the use of "scanlations" but allow you to provide us translations? Isn't it essentially the same thing? Forgive my ignorance.

Others have already touched on this, but to further clarify...

It isn't specifically scanslations that are disallowed. The problem is with linking to scan sites that host the entire series. People can and do post individual pages from the old scanslations, but it's not exactly encouraged. Those translations are usually far less accurate than Viz anyway.