How old were you when you got into Dragon Ball?

[Chaos Saiyajin]

I think the title explains everything here.

I was around 9 or 10 when I got into Dragon Ball, starting off with Z on Toonami. The first episode I ever remember viewing was Goku's death via the Makankansappo. As soon as that hit, my eyes never left the screen. I remember waiting for it to come on Toonami every afternoon...

That was back in '99.

[Thanos6]

Late 2000, early 2001? During the last cycle of reruns before Trunks arrived on CN for the first time...I was about 18.

[DevilsAlwaysCry]

I was 8 years old if I recall when I first started to watch Dragon Ball Z (I am now 17). I first saw the U.S. dub, then looked for the Japanese versions so i could watch the rest of the series. From that point on, I prefered the Japanese versions over the U.S. dub.

[veshira]

Well, that depends on what you mean by "getting into Dragonball." I first saw Movie 3 (PIKKORO-SAN~!) when I was, at oldest 8, though I don't remember how old I was, I know it was before I moved and that I watched it in the living room of my old house. I also remember my father commenting, "So are we going to the Disney Store, or are we going to watch Mr. Piccolo all day?" I believe I watched the movie off of WB11, because I didn't have CN at the time, and WB11's the only channel I recall that's ever aired DBZ besides CN, though I could be wrong.

I assume I'd also seen the other movies on Toonami later on, and when I was about 10 I got into the Raditz Saga by catching it on WB11 at 6am or 6:30am, I don't remember which. I know they later replaced it with reruns of The Cosby Show. (DAMN YOU, BILL COSBY! ) I liked Piccolo from the start, but then I started noticing how much I cared for the characters as I watched. I was sad when Piccolo died, and later I was worried that Vegeta had been killed by Zarbon. I thought it was weird.

I didn't really realize how much I had gotten into the series until Goku went Super Saiyan, and I flipped out! At that time, it was 2001, and they had the Burger King toys out with the TCG cards. Even today, I'm such a dubbie at heart.

[MisterFlashdude]

I first was interested in 5th grade... so, I was about 10 (I'm 17 now). I remember the first I heard about it...

My friends were talking about it and I'm like 'What show are you guys talking about?' and they're like 'Dragonball Z' and I'm like '...that's a... show? Is it about a dragon's.. balls.. or something?!'

So, I went home with my friend and he showed me some dub tapes... I was pretty much hooked instantly. It was the first anime I'd ever seen anime.

Oh, the good ol' days...

[Jerseymilk]

Oh man, I'm sooooo gonna "date" myself answering this.XD First exposure to anything Dragonball was in 1995 with YTV's brief showing of the first 13 episodes. I just remember thinking what a crazy and amusing little Japanese cartoon it was. Then I forgot about it since nothing else was shown until 1998 and I recognized DBZ right away as being from the same series. I mean, Goku's hair is a dead giveaway after all.XD I recognized Buruma and Yamucha too.That's when my fandom really kicked in. I was 20 back in '95' so you do the math people.

[MisterFlashdude]

Oh man, I'm sooooo gonna "date" myself answering this.XD First exposure to anything Dragonball was in 1995 with YTV's brief showing of the first 13 episodes. I just remember thinking what a crazy and amusing little Japanese cartoon it was. Then I forgot about it since nothing else was shown until 1998 and I recognized DBZ right away as being from the same series. I mean, Goku's hair is a dead giveaway after all.XD I recognized Buruma and Yamucha too.That's when my fandom really kicked in. I was 20 back in '95' so you do the math people.

Hm... 2006 minus 1995... that's 11... plus... Oh, my goodness!

Don't worry, we won't tell anyone.

[DevilsAlwaysCry]

Oh man, I'm sooooo gonna "date" myself answering this.XD First exposure to anything Dragonball was in 1995 with YTV's brief showing of the first 13 episodes. I just remember thinking what a crazy and amusing little Japanese cartoon it was. Then I forgot about it since nothing else was shown until 1998 and I recognized DBZ right away as being from the same series. I mean, Goku's hair is a dead giveaway after all.XD I recognized Buruma and Yamucha too.That's when my fandom really kicked in. I was 20 back in '95' so you do the math people.

I know I will love DBZ no matter my age. It appeals to all ages due to the epic story, untouchable/breath taking fights, and characters with great depth.

[Jerseymilk]

Oh man, I'm sooooo gonna "date" myself answering this.XD First exposure to anything Dragonball was in 1995 with YTV's brief showing of the first 13 episodes. I just remember thinking what a crazy and amusing little Japanese cartoon it was. Then I forgot about it since nothing else was shown until 1998 and I recognized DBZ right away as being from the same series. I mean, Goku's hair is a dead giveaway after all.XD I recognized Buruma and Yamucha too.That's when my fandom really kicked in. I was 20 back in '95' so you do the math people.

Hm... 2006 minus 1995... that's 11... plus... Oh, my goodness!

Don't worry, we won't tell anyone.

Actually there is one member of this board that's older than me, but I'm not telling.

[Grandmaster J]

Let's see....I was born in 1982, first heard of Dragonball Z in 1995, and saw my first episode on Toonami in 1996, which got me hooked instantly. So I was about 14 or 15 at the time.

[KameHouse]

When I was in 7th or 8th grade is when I got into DBZ, I was watching it on Cartoon network and my friends were passing around movie fansubs bought off ebay... good times.

[theoriginalbilis]

I too discovered the old Ocean DB dub at like 6am, back in 1995-96. It was by accident. I woke up early one Sat. morning because my mom wanted us to do chores or something before we went out. I was eating cereal and waiting for Fox Kids to come on, then I see this pointed-haired Goku kid fighting Yamcha or whatever, and I watched a few more eps. (up to 13 I think) for a few weeks before it got cancelled from our station.

Then we got cable and CN in 1997-1998. I was watched old school Toonami w/ Sailor Moon on it and saw a commercial for DBZ. I recognized the pointy-haired Goku kid all grown up. I watched ep. 1 and the rest is history. It's been my favorite anime since 1997 (I'm 20 now) and still find time to watch/listen/play DB stuff every day.

Funny story though.... Unlike most people my age who got into Japanese DBZ through the fansubs, I discovered Japanese DBZ through a legal release. I got both DBZ Movies 1 & 2 on VHS for Christmas in 1998-1999. They were both subbed. I guess no one read that on the box when they bought it for me. I was amazed by the "feel" the original version and voices gave off.

I later bought fansubs of the late Cell-Buu sagas and the later movies thanks to a comic store I used to go to. Of course, I now buy legal HQ releases, but those old tapes were farking' awesome back in the day.

[SonGokuGT]

I was born in 1985 in Spain. I first learned of Dragonball at the age of 4 in 1989. It's been a long-running fandom since then! Dragonball is something I hold really dear, like all those people that still feel great love for TMNT or Transformers.

[Leotaku]

Oh man, I'm sooooo gonna "date" myself answering this.XD First exposure to anything Dragonball was in 1995 with YTV's brief showing of the first 13 episodes. I just remember thinking what a crazy and amusing little Japanese cartoon it was. Then I forgot about it since nothing else was shown until 1998 and I recognized DBZ right away as being from the same series. I mean, Goku's hair is a dead giveaway after all.XD I recognized Buruma and Yamucha too.That's when my fandom really kicked in. I was 20 back in '95' so you do the math people.

Aye, that's the same case for me! My first exposure was the original 13 episodes of DragonBall in like 1994 or 1995. I don't rememeber if it was on YTV or not though. That's when a few anime started popping up on TV (I remember watching Sailor Moon ), and I remember getting into them because my older brother was watching them.

I remember the first thing I saw of DragonBall; it was the end of the episode where Yamcha first sees Bulma, and gets totally distracted from his fight with Goku. I only saw the end because it was on really early, at like 6:30 AM. I didn't wake up early enough to watch it all.

I liked the 13 episodes, and years later, when DBZ came on, I started watching that right away.

I'm 18 now, so I guess I was around 8 or 9. Unless my math is off. Which it probably is.

[Ash]

Pffft, I have a notoriously bad memory, but I imagine it was around when I was five (I'm 20 now). I think... I got to know Dragon Ball through taped VHS of the Cantonese dub (I live in the Netherlands). My cousin got them from his uncle and I watched them at my cousin's place.

I at least remember how I tried to use Zanzouken when playing tag at primary school. Strange enough it never worked and nobody at school understood it

[HP]

I got into DB when I saw my first Dragon Ball episode ever. The series was in the begining back then, 1995 and I was 11.
I don't think I will ever drop my afection towards Dragon Ball, no matter the age.

Remember, probably the fathers of some of you still like the Spiderman comics and stuff!

[t0ffe3m4n]

It was 14/15 I believe.. when DBZ first started airing in the UK.

[Duo]

The year was 1995. I was 8 years old and had just recieved a little black&white television I kept next to my bed. One morning I woke up a bit too early for school, so I flipped it to some random channel (Fox, maybe?) and watched a couple minutes of what I now know is "DragonBall". All I really remember is a dialogue between a spikey haired kid on a cloud and some girl and a pig.

I thought it was gay.

A few months or perhaps a full year later, I woke up early again. I flipped on my little television and came upon a long haired adult in armor climbing from a round space pod and killing some farmer. I watched the entire episode.

I thought it was amazing.

However, I didn't bother getting up early to catch it beyond that day.

Moving forward, it was the fall of 1997. I was 10 years old and had just moved, leaving me without any friends. I quickly resorted to using our newly-purchased satelite television channel selection. I stumbled upon Cartoon Network and saw a black-haired kid fighting a guy with spikey hair and black hair, wearing white/yellow armor over blue tights.

Instantly, I watched this show everyday. I eventually made the connection that it was that one show I saw a year or so before then early in the morning. Even though it was just re-runs a lot of the time, I pretty much never stopped tuning in at 5:00pm everyday to watch whatever episode came on.

So then, as the new episodes finally came some time later and things went from there, I never stopped watching until the series' ended with Chibi Boo's defeat in the spring of 03'. I didn't discover the insurpassable greatness of the Japanese version and the Manga until late 04' (I was 17)...which is when my fate was sealed to be a fan forever.

Note - I did watch most of GT just so I could understand why it sucked so much. It was torture until the bitter end (it was Dub, obviously, so the ending sucked).

I turn 19 this sunday - and like everyone else here, my love for DragonBall only strengthens with time. I can't even go a full day without reading a chapter or watching an episode.

[HP]

I turn 19 this sunday

off:

my birthday on Sunday too! 22 in my case.
Congrats, btw.

[Duo]

I turn 19 this sunday

off:

my birthday on Sunday too! 22 in my case.
Congrats, btw.

Haha, fricken awesome. June 11 is the best day to have a birthday on. Ever.

Congrats to you too

[/off topic-ness]