Favorite Aspect of DragonBall?

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Sun May 28, 2006 5:31 pm

Okay, it's monsieur Kaboom's time to start a poll-like question thing.

What would you say, is your favorite aspect of Dragonball? I'm talking about the themes, character qualities, things about the series on a wider or deeper scale.

For me, it'd be the justice; the fight between right and wrong. Personally, I see way too much of the latter winning day to day, so it's very refreshing for me to see some big, arrogant baddie finally get his head handed to him. Just about every major villain (Piccolo Daimao, Freeza, Cell, Buu, etc...) has been on top at some point in their respective storylines, and has gloated and been a joik about it, until finally, after a long and arduous struggle, each has had their heinies decisively kicked by one of the "good guys."

So know that you've got an idea as to what I'm talking about, what's your $.02?

HP · Post by HP » Sun May 28, 2006 6:41 pm

My €0.02 is the whole thing. Drawings/animation, characters, stories, music, humour,...

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Sun May 28, 2006 6:43 pm

HP wrote:My €0.02 is the whole thing. Drawings/animation, characters, stories, music, humour,...

Erm... not really what I was hoping to get out of this...

...Euros? Is that a default keyboard button in Europe now?

Mr. Announcer · Post by **Mr. Announcer** » Sun May 28, 2006 7:02 pm

Basically what I like about dragonball is I can just watch it and enjoy myself without having to think much about it. It just has a good plot that rolls along and it's a very rewarding experience in the long term. I don't have the same level attachment to any other anime characters outside of Dragonball Z because we basically know their life story and they've gone through a lot of development. Everytime they have a flashback it's like, yeah, I was there. Awesomeness. I also like the fact that this show has a main character who doesn't angst all the effing time and at the same time isn't so happy go lucky that it makes you sick.

I'd also say that Mr. Toriyama's unique style is an important factor. He can create such a wide variety of characters and creatures from huge bone crushing monsters to cute little babies. You can tell everyone apart with ease and the style has a very comical charm that you don't get with a lot of other serious action anime because DB started out as a gag comic. I prefer styles that make me happy to styles that are simply pretty or badass technical.

Okay, I know we were supposed to explain our favorite aspect singular but fior me it's a combination of factors.

Li'l Lemmy · Post by **Li'l Lemmy** » Sun May 28, 2006 7:18 pm

The consistant faith that the story places in its young characters has always appealed to me. Goku in Dragonball, Gohan throughout most of DBZ and even Goten and Trunks (and by extention, Gotenks) in the Buu saga are all recognized by the adults as as having an explosive potential that at one time or another ends up being the only thing keeping the earth in one piece.

The idea that the youngest among us can contribute and make an impact certainly isn't the worst message a cartoon can convey.

EDIT: I would have loved to have seen more of Buu-saga Goten for that reason. I thought his fight with Trunks in the tournament was great fun. If only he could have done more non-fused fighting . . . ah, well.

Sebastian (SB) · Post by **Sebastian (SB)** » Sun May 28, 2006 7:43 pm

Mr. Announcer wrote:Basically what I like about dragonball is I can just watch it and enjoy myself without having to think much about it. It just has a good plot that rolls along and it's a very rewarding experience in the long term. I don't have the same level attachment to any other anime characters outside of Dragonball Z because we basically know their life story and they've gone through a lot of development. Everytime they have a flashback it's like, yeah, I was there. Awesomeness. I also like the fact that this show has a main character who doesn't angst all the effing time and at the same time isn't so happy go lucky that it makes you sick.

I'd also say that Mr. Toriyama's unique style is an important factor. He can create such a wide variety of characters and creatures from huge bone crushing monsters to cute little babies. You can tell everyone apart with ease and the style has a very comical charm that you don't get with a lot of other serious action anime because DB started out as a gag comic. I prefer styles that make me happy to styles that are simply pretty or badass technical.

Okay, I know we were supposed to explain our favorite aspect singular but fior me it's a combination of factors.

Most of what he said (Except for that last sentence in the first paragraph).

Kula · Post by **Kula** » Sun May 28, 2006 8:29 pm

I like the fact that most of the enemies in Dragonball eventually turned to the good side. It's rather refreshing to see, rather than the cliched toppling of the arch villan. A wise person once said...
"The only true way to defeat an enemy is to make them your friend"

Brad Redfield · Post by **Brad Redfield** » Sun May 28, 2006 8:39 pm

Hmmm...there quite a few things I personally love about the series, but I'll just mention one of the main ones to keep it short:

The action.

Toriyama is fantastic with the way he panels his fights. It gives you a great sense of strength and speed, the reactions from the participants are well-drawn and you actually feel the pain the characters go through. (Something some recent shonen titles try too hard to convey.)

Steven Perry · Post by **Steven Perry** » Mon May 29, 2006 6:58 am

There's so many reasons... Initially, it was because the show was so darn different. I mean, you get used to watching the Looney Tunes all the time... Then BOOM! Dragonball Z's here! I was like, "Holy crap!" The heroes actually die (as opposed to the hero winning all of the time), and they beat the crap outta each other. Limbs get chopped off too. And grow back.

Wow... That's so much better than Looney Tunes.

Then, we've got the most memorable characters ever to exist. There's Goku's trademark orange "gi" (as you call it), and Krillin's bald head, and Tien's three eyes, and Yamcha's scar, and Piccolo's green skin, and Vegeta's Saiyan armour, and Trunks' purple hair, and... You know what I mean.

Okay, so let's not forget the story. It has the most... Err... Gripping story ever!

At the end of Dragonball Z, the commentator's like, "... Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode of DRAGON BALL Z! You won't want to miss the next exciting episode of DRAGON BALL Z! *Bad-ass music kicks in*"

So, there isn't ONE best aspect, but a combination of loads (like Mrs Announcer Guy

).

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:11 am

I have to pick one?!.

...the Characters.

Dragon Ball has some of the most memorable, unique, awesome characters from any Manga / Anime or Cartoon or story ever. No one is the same - everyone has a story and a contribution. A tale to tell.

And they change. There is no definite "bad guy" throughout all of Dragon Ball, because it isn't so linear like that. The progress...change...are influenced. You can see in some characters how another character has changed them. The pinnacle moment of this aspect is Piccolo's sacrifice to save Gohan from Nappa.

Xyex · Post by **Xyex** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:35 am

I'm with Duo, it's hard to pick one but if I had to it would have to be the characters. I mean, they're the reason I stayed with the series and the reason I love writing my Fanfictions. Maybe it's because of how much time passes in the series, but you get to see everyone grow and change from how they were when you first met them. For some it's a far more obvious change than for others, but they all changed. You just... get to know them rather well.

HP · Post by HP » Mon May 29, 2006 10:10 am

OK, if it's one - the characters too.

SSj Kaboom wrote:...Euros? Is that a default keyboard button in Europe now?

This is a 1999 portuguese Compaq keyboard and the "€" character is the Alt Gr for the "E" key.

veshira · Post by **veshira** » Mon May 29, 2006 12:51 pm

I'd have to say the characters, above all other reasons, is my reason for watching the show. Just seeing the characters in Dragonball make me happy. And whenever a character does something that's just so "typical" of them, I grin from ear to ear.

And even when you think a character isn't able to aid the other characters anymore, there's always a way they end up helping, whether it be fighting or anyother way. Also, it's always fun to see old characters appear that aren't usually around anymore. You think they're really gone, but then they just pop up when you least except them to. (Of course, a lot of time that's filler in the anime, though the manga has it too, sometimes.)

Chaos Saiyajin · Post by **Chaos Saiyajin** » Mon May 29, 2006 1:57 pm

Mine favorite thing about DB? The violence and action. ^_^

Son Goku · Post by **Son Goku** » Mon May 29, 2006 2:51 pm

I'm going with characters as well.

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Mon May 29, 2006 5:11 pm

OoOh... so many responses in so little time... I feel loved, now...

Anyhoo, great input, everyone.

BTW, I didn't mean to put any emphasis on having just one, single favorite aspect... sorry 'bout that...

Again, thanks for the input... I'd have to say the wide, "colorful" range of characters is one of my favorite things, too. That, and the "redemption" theme Kula pointed out, as well as Lil'Lemmy's kid-friendly thesis. And even Chaos got a (relatively) good point in, too. (Violence is the 1337-ness!)

Keep 'em coming!

Conan the SSJ · Post by **Conan the SSJ** » Mon May 29, 2006 10:25 pm

Definitely my favorite aspect of the series; it'd be the character development. It makes the series so much interesting and bottom line with over 500 episodes; almost gives it a soap opera feeling (especially in those very early days on cartoon network). Words alone can't describe how I feel about the progress of Gohan, Vegeta, and Piccolo. The character development is what hooked me to the series, it was seeing how these characters literally grew right before our eyes. Seeing their trauma, joy, love, etc. is what kept my eyes glued. If I were watching for violence and mayhem, I doubt I would've shed tears during Piccolo Daimao's battles with Roshi and Chaozu, when Trunks found Gohan's dead body in the future, Goku's sacrifice against Cell, not to mention Buu destroying all of mankind (that meant EVERYONE we ever knew in original DB and DBZ below the lookout, with a few onscreen exceptions, were obliterated in painful impaling deaths).

I watch the DragonBall anime, and its successors, for the character development. I want my children to see what I couldn't see in a proper chronilogical order; the entire series from Kakarrot's departure from planet Vegeta to his leave in GT episode 64 (once they reach a proper age). Where else can you see such a lengthy telling that goes from the story of a man's Father all the way to the start of his descendant's destiny. My theory for the anime is that DragonBall is Goku's series, DragonBall Z is Gohan's series, and DragonBall GT may be Pan's (though it's very obvious Toei were overly fanboy-ish with Goku, so it's debatable).

Watching the family evolution of 3 generations is a daunting task, one that the DragonBall anime trilogy does in a near perfect fashion. The violence and fighting were merely delectable appetizers, the character depth is where it's at for me. Props to Akira Toriyama for thinking up the perfect fusion between Son Wukong and Superman, as well as Toei for bringing it to an animated adaptation where we can watch a world over a 150 years in the making (from Bardock's death to Goku's GT-64 Budokai departure).

* Conan passes out on a magic forum member due to the extreme 86 degree temperature.

Grandmaster J · Post by **Grandmaster J** » Tue May 30, 2006 2:16 pm

I love the martial arts aspect of the series. The training, different styles & techniques, the way the battles take place (in and outside of the tournaments).....it all reminds me of martial arts movies, which I love.

Panda · Post by **Panda** » Tue May 30, 2006 2:32 pm

My favorite thing about Dragonball/Z/GT is how memorable it is.

On any anime forum anywhere, or even in real life for that matter, everyone knows what Dragonball is. They either love it or hate it and almost everyone is an extreme case of either. If Dragonball wasn't the way it is than it would deplete into a pile of nothing and perish.

LONG LIVE DRAGONBALL!

LegendarySSJ7 · Post by **LegendarySSJ7** » Tue May 30, 2006 7:04 pm

For me, the most scrumptious aspect of Dragonball is undoubtedly how seamlessly well the mingling of characters, martial arts, choreography, aesthetics, and how it all manages to enthrall me at the same time, in short... if that really counts.

As for the characters, yes, I can't help but cherish them, but not surprisingly enough, most folks I've talk to regarding Dragonball's characters (who may or may not neccessarily be fans) find them "cliched" and "morons and retarded." What I love the most is the relationship between the characters and how well they're defined and progress as the series moves on.... and how they change, and how they all affect or portend what might be the key to defeating the next villian, or just pure character development alone, on that note.