Discussion, generally of an in-universe nature, regarding any aspect of the franchise (including movies, spin-offs, etc.) such as: techniques, character relationships, internal back-history, its universe, and more.
Let's show a little Earthling appreciation. Which one is your favorite, and what was their best moment in the series?
Mine's Krillin. He's the most down to Earth character for a good portion of the show, and is probably the best source of comedic relief. But he's capable of switching from funny to serious while still staying in character.
My favorite Krillin moment is probably either his avenging Yamcha, or the whole Namek arc. For the first, I watched Dragonball Z long before reading the manga or watching Dragonball, so this was really the moment when I felt that there really was a bond between these characters. For the second, this is really his moment to shine as the leader of the group while Goku is away. Even while knowing how outclassed he is by all of Freeza's elites, he manages to take advantage of unforeseen events, and succeed in getting the dragonballs. What happens next isn't really his fault...
Howzabout you all?
Are we going with DBZ only? Because the Earthlings had a lot of great moments throughout DB due to the fact that 99.9% of the cast were Earthlings.
Hm... I guess we have to give some respect to Mr. Satan fro convincing Buu to stop his evil ways. I'll be honest - I HATED that asshole in the Cell Games. He was an annoying, obnoxious braggart who took credit for a bunch of things he didn't do. All I could think after watching Dragon Ball was "why in God's name are the people of Earth so retarded? Goku saved you all! MULTIPLE TIMES!" And wheh Hercule was mouthing off to the heroes about being the World Champion, I longed for Goku or Tenshinhand to tell him to stick it.
...but, in spite of my irritation, he won me over. He proved to be an essentially good-natured man and he helped put an end to Buu where all the other heroes had failed.
It really is one of Toriyama's finest pieces o character development. It might even be [the finest example of character development in Dragon Ball.
dbgtFO wrote:
Please elaborate as I do not know what you mean by "pushing Vegeta's destruction"
He's probably referring to the Bardock special. Zarbon was the one who first recommended destroying Planet Vegeta because the saiyans were rapidly growing in strength.
It was actually Beerus disguised as Zarbon #StayWoke
Herms wrote:The fact that the ridiculous power inflation is presented so earnestly makes me just roll my eyes and snicker. Like with Freeza, where he starts off over 10 times stronger than all his henchmen except Ginyu (because...well, just because), then we find out he can transform and get even more powerful, and then he reveals he can transform two more times, before finally coming out with the fact that he hasn't even been using anywhere near 50% of his power. Oh, and he can survive in the vacuum of space. All this stuff is just presented as the way Freeza is, without even an attempt at rationalizing it, yet the tone dictates we're supposed to take all this silly grasping at straws as thrilling danger. So I guess I don't really take the power inflation in the Boo arc seriously, but I don't take the power inflation in earlier arcs seriously either, so there's no net loss of seriousness. I think a silly story presented as serious is harder to accept than a silly story presented as silly.
Nikkolas wrote:Are we going with DBZ only? Because the Earthlings had a lot of great moments throughout DB due to the fact that 99.9% of the cast were Earthlings.
Nope. Everything is fair game. Mine just happened to be from DBZ.
Aside from Mr. Satan's moment, I'd probably say it was Tien distracting Semi-Perfect Cell. In addition to pushing him back, it actually gave the godlike being actual pain, if his pissed off face and bruises were any indication. Pretty awesome for a guy weaker than first form Freeza. Too bad Android 18 was a fucking idiot...
I have to give some recognition to the others though. By character:
Mr. Satan- Mentioned in the last post.
Krillin- Beating up Ginyu-Goku.
Yajirobe- Cutting off Vegeta's tail.
Mutaito- Sealing Piccolo away
Roshi- Beating Goku
Tao- Kicking the CRAP out of Goku.
Yamcha- Saving everyone from Oozaru Goku.
Chaozu- Ummm... I honestly don't know. He never did anything useful; even Oolong was more useful than him.
The Monkey King wrote:
RandomGuy96 wrote:
dbgtFO wrote:
Please elaborate as I do not know what you mean by "pushing Vegeta's destruction"
He's probably referring to the Bardock special. Zarbon was the one who first recommended destroying Planet Vegeta because the saiyans were rapidly growing in strength.
It was actually Beerus disguised as Zarbon #StayWoke
Herms wrote:The fact that the ridiculous power inflation is presented so earnestly makes me just roll my eyes and snicker. Like with Freeza, where he starts off over 10 times stronger than all his henchmen except Ginyu (because...well, just because), then we find out he can transform and get even more powerful, and then he reveals he can transform two more times, before finally coming out with the fact that he hasn't even been using anywhere near 50% of his power. Oh, and he can survive in the vacuum of space. All this stuff is just presented as the way Freeza is, without even an attempt at rationalizing it, yet the tone dictates we're supposed to take all this silly grasping at straws as thrilling danger. So I guess I don't really take the power inflation in the Boo arc seriously, but I don't take the power inflation in earlier arcs seriously either, so there's no net loss of seriousness. I think a silly story presented as serious is harder to accept than a silly story presented as silly.
Tao: Killing General Blue with his tongue. No Z Villain had that level of style.
Yamcha: His fight with Tien at the 22nd Budokai. It was a great match.
Launch: Beating up a Red Ribbon soldier and trying to shoot the Crane Hermit.
Crane Hermit: Easily catching all of bad Launch's bullets. (I believe it's filler but I don't care)
Roshi: Beating Goku. He would have won a lot more easily too if not for Oozaru. Goku had luck on his side. (as he often did)
Chi Chi: Throwing out Mr. Shu, the greatest Dragonball villain ever.
Hey guys, I got a question. What would Bulma's most awesome moment be? I'm really, really trying tot hink of something badass or really useful that she did and not much is coming to me. I guess making the Dragon Radar has been one of the most consistently amazing and helpful feats in the series but it's just not very flashy.
She did make a time machine. And in GT, a machine that could create Super Saiyan 4s.
The Monkey King wrote:
RandomGuy96 wrote:
dbgtFO wrote:
Please elaborate as I do not know what you mean by "pushing Vegeta's destruction"
He's probably referring to the Bardock special. Zarbon was the one who first recommended destroying Planet Vegeta because the saiyans were rapidly growing in strength.
It was actually Beerus disguised as Zarbon #StayWoke
Herms wrote:The fact that the ridiculous power inflation is presented so earnestly makes me just roll my eyes and snicker. Like with Freeza, where he starts off over 10 times stronger than all his henchmen except Ginyu (because...well, just because), then we find out he can transform and get even more powerful, and then he reveals he can transform two more times, before finally coming out with the fact that he hasn't even been using anywhere near 50% of his power. Oh, and he can survive in the vacuum of space. All this stuff is just presented as the way Freeza is, without even an attempt at rationalizing it, yet the tone dictates we're supposed to take all this silly grasping at straws as thrilling danger. So I guess I don't really take the power inflation in the Boo arc seriously, but I don't take the power inflation in earlier arcs seriously either, so there's no net loss of seriousness. I think a silly story presented as serious is harder to accept than a silly story presented as silly.
Ya know I was thinking of saying how she helped make Vegeta SSJ4 but then I thought "she was a main character in all of DB and a good chunk of DBZ and her only awesome moment is in GT?" I didn't want to count that. I was hoping there was something more.
The time machine is a good one.
EDIT:
Wait, I've got it. I've got Bulma's greatest moment.
So there are these androids, right? Gonna wreck shit and destroy the future.
Everyone: Let's train for three years and fight them!
Bulma: Let's gather the Dragon Balls, ask Shenron where Dr. Gero is, and then kill him before he can complete Androids.
Unfortunately Bulma is in the wrong series.
Dragon Ball is here <------------
Logic and Common Sense is here ----------->
Yamcha getting hit in the balls multiple times by Kami. Krillin actually getting a good hit on Piccolo the same tournament. Chiaotzu getting killed by Piccolo. Tien losing an arm.
Yajirobe getting beat up by Vegeta. Mr. Satan getting punched by Trunks.
I don't see him being mean to the Saiyans anywhere in that.
Anyway, favourites moments:
Kuririn - His fight with Piccolo Junior, and taking out the Saibaimen. Both were pretty darn awesome.
Satan - Befriending Boo, and making the humans donate to Goku's Spirit Bomb. He really did come a long way, and it made his previous obnoxiousness worth it.
Yajirobe - Everything he does. Such a badass motherfucker.
Aaand that's all.
I'm re-watching Dragon Ball GT in full on my blog. Check it out if you're interested in my thoughts on the series as I watch through it!
I'm going to go with jointly: Tien standing up against Cell and Majin Buu
Sure, he's totally out-classed, especially in the latter, but that's why it's awesome. He knows he doesn't have a chance at winning and is likely to be killed but his actions are still vitally important in both instances.
I think the Buu-arc aside, Kuririn gets a rather large share of the limelight throughout Z. He's integral to the Saiyan and Freeza arcs whilst his supporting role in the Android arc provides him with plenty of screen-time. His decision to attack Perfect Cell was pretty cool but didn't really have much narrative value other than to demonstrate Cell's great power.
'Multiculturalism means nothing in Japan, for every outside culture must pass first through the Japanese filter, rendering it entirely Japanese in the process.' - Julian Cope.
Master Roshi's antics are my favorite human moments .
Vegeta: "Funny... I seem to recall Kakarot being fed the same information right before he transformed; the distinct look on your faces when he went Super Saiyan didn't exactly inspire confidence. One does not predict or calculate power like ours." Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePrinceOfSaiyajins My 3DS Friend Code:
2707-1669-7946
Nikkolas wrote:Hey guys, I got a question. What would Bulma's most awesome moment be? I'm really, really trying to think of something badass or really useful that she did and not much is coming to me. I guess making the Dragon Radar has been one of the most consistently amazing and helpful feats in the series but it's just not very flashy.
Well, she played a role in Yamcha's defeat of the Invisible Man. That one was flashy.
For Kurilin I'd say his fights with Piccolo and Goku in the 23rd and 22nd tournaments were both great. Always awesome to see him put up an excellent fight when he's completely outclassed.
Yajirobe slashing Vegeta almost to death after he's lost his tail. The bit where he actually cuts off Vegeta's tail is a close second, but I just love the reaction shot of Vegeta when he suddenly sees this fat samurai jumping towards him with sword drawn.
My favourite Bulma moment isn't really from the canon, but I love the cover of one of the Freeza arc chapters that shows her holding a massive laser rifle. I always thought it was a shame that she didn't get to do anything on Namek, and that image represents to me a massive missed opportunity.
Let's also give some kudos to Dr. Gero for making things stronger than a galactic alien overlord and Super Saiyans. Hell, I love the guy just for the fact he made Cell, my favorite Z villain.
And how about Anime Colonel Violet. "Gee, it looks like that kid who's maybe 3 feet nothing is plowing through our entire army with ease. Maybe I'll take my retirement bonus early."
Muten Roshi beating Goku.
Muten Roshi making Daimao run like a little bitch.
Tenshinhan Kikoho on Cell.
Everything Mr. Satan does.
Why Dragon Ball Consistency in something such as power levels matter!
Spoiler:
Doctor. wrote:I've explained before, I'll just paraphrase myself.
Power levels establish tension and drama. People who care about them (well, people who care about them in a narrative) don't care about the big numbers or the fancy explosions. If you have character A who's so much above character B, who's the main character, you're gonna be left wondering how in the hell character B, the character we're supposed to care and root for, is going to escape the situation or overcome the odds. It makes us emotionally invested.
If character B doesn't escape the situation in a believable way that's consistent with previous events, then that emotional investment is gone. It was pointless tension, pointless drama made just to suck in the viewer. It has no critical value whatsoever. The audience is left believing that the author can just create whatever scenarios he wants and what happens to the characters is decided by whatever the author wants to happen, regardless of the events that happened in the story. Which, in fairness, is what happens, but the audience wants to be fooled. The audience wants to know that the world they're following has rules. That the world they're invested in isn't going to bend to external factors that are irrelevant to them.
An author can do whatever he wants with the characters, that's not false. But the author should also have the responsibility to make sure it fits in cohesively with the other events in the narrative he has created.
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