Which dialogue changes do you think hurt the dub the most?

[roidrage]

I'm not a "dub vs. sub" person in terms of voice acting quality; that seems subjective. An indisputable fact, though, is that the dub changed dialogue so that characters' motivations or explanations oftentimes weren't even close to the original version or English manga. Here are two examples I can think of;

The thing I really dislike about dubbed Piccolo is that he's made out to be much more just and honorable than he actually is. In the Japanese version, when offered the chance to kill Dr. Gero, Piccolo readily accepts, saying he's still Kami's evil half, and isn't reluctant about killing the way Goku is. In the dub, though, he says "I know if the tables were turned, this guy wouldn't hesitate." Piccolo doesn't need to justify his actions; he's changed, but not quite as much as the dub would have us believe.

Before his fight with Goku, Vegeta explains how Saiyans are tested for power at birth and how Goku is inferior and weak for being sent to Earth. Goku replies that with hard work, a low-class fighter can indeed beat an elite. The dub, bizarrely enough, actually has Vegeta make Goku an offer to join him, which Goku declines. The problem I have with this is that that's not what Vegeta and Nappa went to Earth for; Goku had his chance to join them when Raditz showed up, and he blew it. From that point on, he was an enemy to be shown no mercy.

What bugs me more than anything else is how these lines are so different from the original that they actually end up changing the character's personality. Any thoughts?

[KuriboShoe]

"That's it buckeroo, ride 'em cowboy!" - Freeza while torturing Krillin

[roidrage]

"That's it buckeroo, ride 'em cowboy!" - Freeza while torturing Krillin

Oh dear god, I completely forgot about that one. The subbed episode was disturbing, but there's no way in hell I'm watching the dubbed episode after that line.

[jpdbzrulz4sure]

The following Freeza lines:

"Pop goes the weasel!"
"What's the matter? Is your (little?) phone call over? Good thing they reached you before I disconnected your number."

...and more that I can't quite think of at the moment.

[kei17]

How goku induces Vegeta to use the potara. I felt like "WTF?" when I saw the scene first.

[Codarik]

The dub said Dr. Gero was the leader of the RRA. That annoys the heck out of me.

[Makaioshin]

The jokes that were added.

[Savage68]

Dub Vegeta had some thing going on where he was made out to be this unfortunate SOB that only committed evil deeds because Freeza left him with no other options, wasn't he? I think Bardock and the Saiyan race in general were also tailored to seem as though they were honorable and worthy of praise, although in fact they were just bad dudes.

[Fionordequester]

Most of all that was in the 3rd Season though. Well, besides Gero's leadership position, Piccolo's justification for killing Gero, and the jokes (though I think even that last part was toned down after about Season 3 or 4).

[Puto]

Each and every line in the dub of the Bardock special.

[Kaboom]

Ones that actually affected the characters' personalities. Such as...

Original Goku: An uncultured, simple-minded guy who loves getting stronger and being challenged above all else, but will always use his power to protect his home and loved ones.
Dub-Goku: A verbose and intelligent champion of right who fights for truth, justice, and the Amer- Oh wait, that's that other guy. Easy mistake.

Original Vegeta: A proud and noble prince and a genocidal scumbag who hates his boss but loves his job.
Dub-Vegeta: Was taken away from his daddy and forced to do those awful things by Freeza. But he's not really a bad guy, honest! He's just misunderstood.

Original Freeza: A menacing tyrant who's deceptively non-threatening at first appearance. He'll speak elegantly and treat you like a gentleman... right before he shoots you through the heart.
(Old) Dub-Freeza: Decided to become a galactic conqueror after his/her careers as a prostitute and a stand-up comedian failed.

Original Reacoom: An excitable muscle-head who treats his victims like playthings and chats with them as he beats them to death.
Dub-Reacoom: HERP-A-DERP


That's in general where characters are concerned. But just as bad is when the actual plot progression suffers because of the dialogue being dumbed-down or outright changed. Such as the incident I've mentioned before. Kuririn asks Goku during the Androids/Cell arc if he's scared or excited that they're now up against people even stronger than Freeza, to which Goku replies, "both." It was a really nice glimpse into Goku's character, and served within the plot to build up hope among the cast.

In the dub? It was something like, "you can do it, Goku! Go get 'em!" and Goku responds, "yeah, you bet!" and then, "if anyone can do it, it's him!"

[roidrage]

Ones that actually affected the characters' personalities. Such as...

Original Goku: An uncultured, simple-minded guy who loves getting stronger and being challenged above all else, but will always use his power to protect his home and loved ones.
Dub-Goku: A verbose and intelligent champion of right who fights for truth, justice, and the Amer- Oh wait, that's that other guy. Easy mistake.

Original Vegeta: A proud and noble prince and a genocidal scumbag who hates his boss but loves his job.
Dub-Vegeta: Was taken away from his daddy and forced to do those awful things by Freeza. But he's not really a bad guy, honest! He's just misunderstood.

Original Freeza: A menacing tyrant who's deceptively non-threatening at first appearance. He'll speak elegantly and treat you like a gentleman... right before he shoots you through the heart.
(Old) Dub-Freeza: Decided to become a galactic conqueror after his/her careers as a prostitute and a stand-up comedian failed.

Original Reacoom: An excitable muscle-head who treats his victims like playthings and chats with them as he beats them to death.
Dub-Reacoom: HERP-A-DERP


That's in general where characters are concerned. But just as bad is when the actual plot progression suffers because of the dialogue being dumbed-down or outright changed. Such as the incident I've mentioned before. Kuririn asks Goku during the Androids/Cell arc if he's scared or excited that they're now up against people even stronger than Freeza, to which Goku replies, "both." It was a really nice glimpse into Goku's character, and served within the plot to build up hope among the cast.

In the dub? It was something like, "you can do it, Goku! Go get 'em!" and Goku responds, "yeah, you bet!" and then, "if anyone can do it, it's him!"

Thank you. That's the kind of thing I'm talking about.

Original North Kaio: A wise, insightful, god who nonetheless has a keen sense of humor.
Dub North Kaio: I'm sorry, what? Could you repeat that? I really can't understand you.

I also hate how in the dub Raditz tells Goku and Piccolo "I'm just warming up," whereas in the sub, he tells them something much more dramatic and crucial to the plot; two Saiyans more powerful than him are on their way. The tension's way off, not where it should be.

What's even more confounding is how Kuririn's last words in the anime dub before Freeza kills him are "Help me!" as opposed to "Goku!". Not only is it ineffective, but they somehow manage to get it right in Budokai 1 and Budokai Tenkaichi 2 as opposed to the dub of DBZ. The dialogue in the video games is on the whole more accurate than the dub of the show!

[Fionordequester]

Original Goku: An uncultured, simple-minded guy who loves getting stronger and being challenged above all else, but will always use his power to protect his home and loved ones.
Dub-Goku: A verbose and intelligent champion of right who fights for truth, justice, and the Amer- Oh wait, that's that other guy. Easy mistake.

Original Vegeta: A proud and noble prince and a genocidal scumbag who hates his boss but loves his job.
Dub-Vegeta: Was taken away from his daddy and forced to do those awful things by Freeza. But he's not really a bad guy, honest! He's just misunderstood.

Original Freeza: A menacing tyrant who's deceptively non-threatening at first appearance. He'll speak elegantly and treat you like a gentleman... right before he shoots you through the heart.
(Old) Dub-Freeza: Decided to become a galactic conqueror after his/her careers as a prostitute and a stand-up comedian failed.

Original Reacoom: An excitable muscle-head who treats his victims like playthings and chats with them as he beats them to death.
Dub-Reacoom: HERP-A-DERP

Again, a lot of that was Season 3, although Goku still spoke more intelligently in the Dub than he ever did in the Original, and they still toned Vegeta's villainy down a bit in the dub. For example, the scene where Vegeta responded to Krillin's exclamation that he thought one's heart had to be pure to become a Super Saiyan...

Original Vegeta: "But don't you see? I am pure.....PURE EVIL!!"
Dub Vegeta: "Well, I'm afraid there's more than one way....yes, to each his own, as they say."

Although, I actually thought that above line change was an improvement. I never thought Vegeta being PURE evil made any sense, both because you need at least some amount of good in your heart to reform the way Vegeta did, and because Bulma seemed awfully happy for someone who was supposedly married to someone who was pure evil. I'm not saying that Vegeta was a great husband, but if he were really that evil, I'd think Bulma would be in a padded room somewhere, broken from whatever torture and trauma Vegeta would've undoubtedly put her through. You see what I'm getting at?

And to be honest, I usually explain Vegeta's behavior after transforming and before getting his butt kicked by 18 as him being influenced by the unbridled rage and restlesness Super Saiyan induces in you, at least if we're going with the assumption that Vegeta wasn't, in fact, the Devil incarnate.

Of course, if we're talking about decisions that really hurt the dub, I'd say that one bit where Bardock was telling "his men" (which were actually FRIEZA'S MEN!!) not be afraid of Frieza as he was confronting him, and that infamous line about Kid Buu supposedly being the strongest of them all. Even as a kid, I was scratching my head at that second one.

[TheBlackPaladin]

Oh God...too many to name. Most of them belong to Season 3, though. I'll fire them off as I remember them. I admit that my memory is shakey on a few lines here and there, but I still remember the general gist of things. Any line that I'm not sure of the exact wording, though, I'll highlight in blue.

GOKU: My name is Goku, and I'm a Saiyan...from Earth.
BURTER:WHAT, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!I'VE FOUGHT HUNDREDS OF SAIYANS, AND NONE OF THEM WERE AS FAST AS YOU!
GOKU: It must be my diet. I eat really wholesome foods!

GINYU: Just imagine, working as the enforcer of the most powerful fighter in the universe.....HAHAHA, how's THAT for a 401K!?

GOKU (to Ginyu): Ya know, you don't have to hurt other people for amusement, helping people can be fun too! You should try it some time!

KING KAI: I gotta admit, Goku, your son's one DOOZY of a fighter!
(NOTE: This one's particularly disappointing to me, because if it weren't for this one line, it would have been a perfect translation for that episode. Seriously, this is probably one of the best episodes of the DBZ dub, if not the best. The acting was great, the translation was great ((this line aside)), and even Faulconer's music was reasonably good here. Finally, as icing on the cake, if you listen to the English-voices-with-Japanese-music audio track, the music is nice and loud here. The Japanese music is very inconsistently mixed from one episode to the next on the Season Sets and Dragon Boxes. Some times it's so soft that it's barely audible, but it was mixed perfectly for this episode.....I'm sorry, am I rambling? I love this episode, and I love the dub for this episode. That's why this one bad line sticks out to me so much. Anyway, back to your regularly-scheduled programming).

FREEZA: Anything she said. She just never struck me as a particularly engaging villain........w............THAT THING'S A GUY!?

KRILLIN (after hearing Vegeta's explanation of the healing chamber he placed Goku into): Wow...MONDO COOL!
(NOTE: Ugh, that's easily one of my least favorite ones...even when I was 12, and I had no clue about the translation problems, I cringed at that line. That would have been bad enough, but...)
VEGETA (inner monologue): Pfft, that's right boys, "mondo cool."

PICCOLO: Wow...unreal....my gosh........this is AMAZING! I feel INCREDIBLE! YES! YES! YES! YES! ICANWINIFEELGREATICANDOOOTHIS. UGH.
(NOTE: Somebody posted this on Chris Sabat's facebook page, and he responded, "Umm.....yeah, we kinda.......sucked.....back then.....lol")

NARRATOR: Oh, and one more thing.......KRILLIN'S in DA HOUSE!


In the end, though, I'm glad I can look back and laugh at this. Now that we have the Kai dub, these mistakes are no longer infuriating...they're just funny. To me, anyway. I'm sure there will still be those who disagree, but the Kai dub has allowed me to move on from all this and even look back on Season 3 fondly as a sort of high-budget DBZ Abridged approach to the series.

[SylentEcho]

Freeza - "Wh Wh Why can't I hit you?"
Goku - "You forgot to say please"

Jheece - "AHH AHH AHH I'm bad, but I'm not that bad. Sometimes a man's gotta know when ta go go go"

[Piccolo Daimao]

Original Freeza: A menacing tyrant who's deceptively non-threatening at first appearance. He'll speak elegantly and treat you like a gentleman... right before he shoots you through the heart.
(Old) Dub-Freeza: Decided to become a galactic conqueror after his/her careers as a prostitute and a stand-up comedian failed.

"Maybe you can use it as a backscratcher! Ha ha ha! A backscratcher! Where do I come up with this stuff?"

Original Vegeta: "But don't you see? I am pure.....PURE EVIL!!"
Dub Vegeta: "Well, I'm afraid there's more than one way....yes, to each his own, as they say."

Although, I actually thought that above line change was an improvement. I never thought Vegeta being PURE evil made any sense, both because you need at least some amount of good in your heart to reform the way Vegeta did, and because Bulma seemed awfully happy for someone who was supposedly married to someone who was pure evil. I'm not saying that Vegeta was a great husband, but if he were really that evil, I'd think Bulma would be in a padded room somewhere, broken from whatever torture and trauma Vegeta would've undoubtedly put her through. You see what I'm getting at?

And to be honest, I usually explain Vegeta's behavior after transforming and before getting his butt kicked by 18 as him being influenced by the unbridled rage and restlesness Super Saiyan induces in you, at least if we're going with the assumption that Vegeta wasn't, in fact, the Devil incarnate.

I actually disagree. Vegeta only showed signs of reforming until later, when he snapped and attacked Cell when Trunks had died. That's sometime after Vegeta was first shown to have the ability to transform into a SSj, when he didn't even move a muscle to save Bulma and Trunks from Dr. Gero.

And I'm not sure whether Vegeta was married at Bulma, at least at that point. Trunks told Goku that they'd never married, and even though there's the whole thing about the future being changed and whatnot, it doesn't seem like therre was any kind of relationship between them, let alone enough to get married. Perhaps under some strange set of circumstances in the Boo arc, but certainly not in the Cell arc where it seemed like it was just a one-night stand. And yeah, while Trunks confronted Vegeta about not saving Bulma and Trunks, he said, "They're your wife and child!" and Vegeta didn't deny it, Trunks dhimself said that they didn't get married, wouldn't know whether or not they had married in this timeline, was probably just saying it for impact (I can't imagine "They're the mother of your child and your child!" rolls of fthe tongue quite as well) and Vegeta probably didn't care what Trunks said and his priority was killing Dr. Gero.

[Michsi]

I've recently seen the 23rd tournament and there are some changes that I feel should be pointed out :

Example : During Ten vs. Goku rematch Goku comments on having found Ten's weak spot and then Piccolo who was observing the match says : "It's Goku win!" obviously an appraisel of Goku's abbilities and was probably meant to show that Piccolo does repect him and consider him a worthy opponent.

Examle 2: During the match between Piccolo and Goku, Piccolo manages to blast Goku into the ground. While everybody thought that Goku was uncouncious, Piccolo was the only one who realized that he was pretending. Again a scene meant to show that he doesn't underestimate Goku and that he isn't easily fooled. In the dub they make Piccolo believe he had actually defeated him then.
Original: Don't bother counting, he is just pretending!
Dubbed : Don't bother counting, he won't be getting up!
And it seems so unnatural because when Goku gets up, Piccolo's surprise happens off screen in the dub (something that makes no sense execution wise ) and when the scene switches back to Piccolo, he stands there calm and smirking, as if he hadn't just been taken aback by something - because he hadn't!!!!!!!
I see no reason to do that aside from down playing Piccolo as character or trying to make Goku look more awesome or something.

They also made Piccolo seem like cackling maniac, he would start laughing or chuckeling at the drop of a hat. He seemed to disregard Goku as a fighter or potential threat to him almost completely whereas in the original he is arrogant and sure of himself but does not underestimate him.

And there are other similar examples but these came up because I've recently seen these episodes. There are others during the Ten vs. Goku fight.

I mean, it's one thing when you change dialog to add humour or try to hide something because you think the audience might not respond to well to it, but change it just because....??????

And I feel I have to add that I thought that the acting in DB was fairly decent.

[SylentEcho]

I know! Stuff like that just changes your outlook on the whole fight.

More epic quotes:
Freeza - "well big boy, would you like to fight on the ground or sky?"
Goku - "Ground's fine. Yeah..heheh. I'm a ground kinda guy."

what in the HFIL does that even mean? ?

[kemuri07]

Because I figured it'd be much more cringe inducing/hilarious if I just posted the damn scene.

Freeza wants a countdown

Also, DAT MUSIC!!!


I'm really considering spending a day watching my season 3 orange brick, and just jotting down all of the hilarious quotes from it.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Goku - "Ground's fine. Yeah..heheh. I'm a ground kinda guy."

what in the HFIL does that even mean? ?

It sounds like FUNi trying to make some weird innuendo that's intended to be funny but actually not.