If Dragon Ball was rated by the MPAA

[Hellspawn28]

So let's pretend that the sagas in the Dragon Ball anime was a series of movies instead of a TV series. If every saga uncut was rated by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) then what rating do you think DB, DBZ, GT and Kai would be? I would say DB, DBZ and Kai would be PG-13 while GT would be PG. GT has some brutal moments, but nothing violent enough to push it to be PG-13. Fusion Reborn was rated PG, so I think the DBZ Movies 1-13 would be rated PG as well. Movie 9 is the most violent DBZ movie in my opinion. I don't remember it being violent enough at a PG-13 level.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Well if stuff like Batman:Under the hood and The Dark Knight returns gets away with pg-13 (U.K and Aus rated 15 and Mature respectively) DBZ will be PG-13.

Speaking of UK ratings they jumped from PG to 12. For Z and GT

[Valerius Dover]

DB Movies 1 and 2 could also pass for PG. NOT Movies 3-4, though. General Tao's kills are a bit brutal. And DB Movie 4 had too much "risque" content.

[Hellspawn28]

Movie 12 has a demon from Hell causing havoc in Other World and Earth. It got away with a PG rating.

[SuicidalZerg]

The first couple sagas of DB would be rated R.

Then the rest PG/PG-13

[Hellspawn28]

Nothing in DB is close to being R rated. Titanic got away with showing breast and it was PG-13. There's PG-13 comedy films that came out in theaters in recent years that got away with brief nudity and crude humor. Even Viz's manga of pre-DBZ manga is 13+.

[TheBlackPaladin]

The only issue I could see that would bring it close to an R rating is the instances of nudity. And I'm not sure if the rules would be the same considering that it's animated...

The MPAA has pretty weird rules to begin with. My favorite example is that you can get away with a PG-13 rating and use the f-word, but only if you use it once. Two or more uses of the f-word, and it's an automatic R.

[BluezaBladeNZ]

Funny enough, Australia gave Fusion Reborn a "G" rating (only film to receive it) while New Zealand gave it a "M" rating. Not sure what was up with that.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

Funimation's DVDs are TV-PG, which I think is an appropriate broad choice, and likewise, though they are not equivalents, I could not see Dragon Ball movies breaking PG outside of questions of nudity. The violence is just too fantastic and hardly bloody enough for me to considering any of it PG-13. Anyone have any PG-rated animation to compare?

[Hellspawn28]

Watership Down was PG and it was pretty brutal from what I can remember.

[Valerius Dover]

Funimation's DVDs are TV-PG, which I think is an appropriate broad choice, and likewise, though they are not equivalents, I could not see Dragon Ball movies breaking PG outside of questions of nudity. The violence is just too fantastic and hardly bloody enough for me to considering any of it PG-13. Anyone have any PG-rated animation to compare?

For Z and GT, yes. The Dragon Ball DVDs are TV-14, however, likely due to excessive risque humor.

[ricecake]

I watched This Film Is Not Yet Rated and learned that the MPAA rating guidelines are pretty inconsistent and politically motivated. It's a good documentary for anyone interested in the movie industry.

That being said, I personally would rate DBZ as PG-13.

[Insertclevername]

It depends on the era we're talking about. Nowadays, I'd say Dragon Ball would probably get a PG-13 due to some minor instances of nudity and blood or whatever. I actually think the Z era would get a lower rating than the "Dragon Ball" portion due to nudity alone.

If it was up to me, I'd give it a PG. It's really no worse than something like Star Wars or Indiana Jones where people get horrible fucking murdered all the time and they were given PG ratings (though, most were released before the inception of PG-13 but you get the point).

[Kid Buu]

It depends on the era we're talking about. Nowadays, I'd say Dragon Ball would probably get a PG-13 due to some minor instances of nudity and blood or whatever. I actually think the Z era would get a lower rating than the "Dragon Ball" portion due to nudity alone.

If it was up to me, I'd give it a PG. It's really no worse than something like Star Wars or Indiana Jones where people get horrible fucking murdered all the time and they were given PG ratings (though, most were released before the inception of PG-13 but you get the point).

Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Doom is the movie that actually led to PG-13 being made.

[Insertclevername]

Yeah, I thought about adding that but decided not too since I felt like I was rambling enough.

Come to think of it, I'd say Dragon Ball's violence is more tame than anything from Temple of Doom.

[Hellspawn28]

Some of the Hammer Dracula films were PG and had some violent moments. In the 80's, DB and DBZ could get away with a PG rating. I think now they would be both PG-13.

[Ringworm128]

Funny enough, Australia gave Fusion Reborn a "G" rating (only film to receive it) while New Zealand gave it a "M" rating. Not sure what was up with that.

Everything else got an M rating in Australia, but IIRC our M rating is on par with America's PG-13 rating while the US's M is more similar to our MA.

[Hellspawn28]

Was Wizard market as a family picture and it got away with some pretty dark images. Fusion Reborn is more tamer then that movie was.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

Funimation's DVDs are TV-PG, which I think is an appropriate broad choice, and likewise, though they are not equivalents, I could not see Dragon Ball movies breaking PG outside of questions of nudity. The violence is just too fantastic and hardly bloody enough for me to considering any of it PG-13. Anyone have any PG-rated animation to compare?

For Z and GT, yes. The Dragon Ball DVDs are TV-14, however, likely due to excessive risque humor.

I had forgotten!

Funny enough, Australia gave Fusion Reborn a "G" rating (only film to receive it) while New Zealand gave it a "M" rating. Not sure what was up with that.

Everything else got an M rating in Australia, but IIRC our M rating is on par with America's PG-13 rating while the US's M is more similar to our MA.

I'm aware, thanks to Dragon Ball How do the letter's scale? I could see "Mature" and "Mature Audiences", but then I don't know.