Using the word "saga" to describe story divisions

[ABED]

The DBoxes weren't divided up into an arbitrary number of episodes per box. It had to do with the maximum number of episodes per disc and the price point.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

Story arcs, not sagas. If I were to call saga to anything (DB related), it would be Dragon Ball itself (and I still would think franchise is the proper term).

This is really the end of it, "Saga" as the long story is the proper definition of the term, on the same grounds that "Season" is long. Only real reason for it I can ponder is that Funi thinks DBZ is that long.

[Dbzfan94]

For DB, I don't use "sagas" or "arcs" I don't use anything really. used to use sagas but just doesn't fit right for me.

For Z and GT I use sagas though. I've used that for like 14-15 years.
I only use the four main sagas though Saiyan, Freeza, Cell, and Buu for Z

And for GT there's 3,maybe 4. It changes for me honestly, because Baby shows up in the middle of the DB hunt, and Super 17 is so short i barely consider it a full saga. (The whole Super 17 idea in general is just dumb in my opinion.
( two 17's = stronger than SSJ4 but can get beat by 18 and base Goku)

[B]

Nobody calls anything else in regards to anything else a "saga". I think FUNimation just wanted a "cool" sounding word to describe the various storylines.

[Valerius Dover]

The "seasons" have to do with FUNi's sagas. For instance, season 5 contains the Imperfect and Perfect Cell sagas. The weirdest thing is that they consider episodes 36-39 to be part of the Vegeta arc.

Most of the Z ones, yes. But the DB and DBGT sets don't seem to line up with anything in particular.

[Thouser]

Funimation's use (or overuse) of the term "saga" has no sway over my decision. If they had been correct in their use, I would use it too. However, as has been pointed out previously, they were incorrect, as Dragon Ball as a whole would be considered a saga. As for how I divide up the saga of Dragon Ball into story arcs:

1) The search for the Dragon Balls
2) 21st Tenkaichi Budoukai
3) Red Ribbon Army
4) Uranai Baba
5) 22nd Tenkaichi Budoukai
6) Piccolo Daimaou
7) 23rd Tenkaichi Budoukai
8 ) Saiyans
9) Planet Namek/Freeza
10) Androids/Cell
11) Great Saiyaman/Tenkaichi Budoukai
12) Majin Boo

[ABED]

Nobody calls anything else in regards to anything else a "saga". I think FUNimation just wanted a "cool" sounding word to describe the various storylines.

The Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Saga from the X-Men.

[90sDBZ]

Nobody calls anything else in regards to anything else a "saga". I think FUNimation just wanted a "cool" sounding word to describe the various storylines.

The Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Saga from the X-Men.

The Clone Saga in Spiderman to add to that.

[Gokuden]

When I first watched Dragon Ball, I would use literary terms from English class. I used 'arc', then when the announcer would say 'Saga' in a cool voice, I'd say that.

But, across the land of the internets, on anime forums, most people used the term 'arc'.

The funny thing is, I only use the word saga with DragonBall. Strange, yes?

[B]

Nobody calls anything else in regards to anything else a "saga". I think FUNimation just wanted a "cool" sounding word to describe the various storylines.

The Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Saga from the X-Men.

The Clone Saga in Spiderman to add to that.

Right, for big events like those. But FUNi just threw the term out for everything. Nobody says they love the Air Conditioning Repair School Saga of Community.

[ricecake]

The DBoxes weren't divided up into an arbitrary number of episodes per box. It had to do with the maximum number of episodes per disc and the price point.

While this is true, the Dragon Books included with the Funimation Dragon Box Z divide it as:

Vegeta Saga - Episodes 1-35
Namek Saga - Episodes 36-74
Freeza Saga - Episodes 75-107
Garlic Junior Saga - Episodes 108-117
Artificial Humans Saga - Episodes 118-147
Cell Saga - Episodes 148-194
Anoyoichi Saga - Episodes 195-199
High School Saga - Episodes 200-209
Majin Boo Saga - Episodes 210-291

[ABED]

Right, for big events like those. But FUNi just threw the term out for everything. Nobody says they love the Air Conditioning Repair School Saga of Community.

That was one storyline for one character. There's already a natural delineation anyway, they're called "seasons".

[VegettoEX]

There's already a natural delineation anyway, they're called "seasons".

Not in Japan, and FUNimation has conflicting "seasons" for DBZ: the actual "seasons" that aired on TV, and the "season" home release sets.

[ABED]

The "seasons" have to do with FUNi's sagas. For instance, season 5 contains the Imperfect and Perfect Cell sagas. The weirdest thing is that they consider episodes 36-39 to be part of the Vegeta arc.

Most of the Z ones, yes. But the DB and DBGT sets don't seem to line up with anything in particular.

THat is correct, but you'll notice that the DB seasons are broken up evenly.

Not in Japan, and FUNimation has conflicting "seasons" for DBZ: the actual "seasons" that aired on TV, and the "season" home release sets.

I was referring specifically to his community example.

[Valerius Dover]

Most of the Z ones, yes. But the DB and DBGT sets don't seem to line up with anything in particular.

THat is correct, but you'll notice that the DB seasons are broken up evenly.

[/quote]

Now that I think about it, they are. Well, in terms of sets anyway. Anybody remember that disc that had 2 episodes on it?
GT is fairly even, too, I suppose. Uninformed people watching these must be thinking "what a lousy way to end a season" half the time, though.

[Herms]

The DBoxes weren't divided up into an arbitrary number of episodes per box. It had to do with the maximum number of episodes per disc and the price point.

I suppose "arbitrary" was the wrong word; I know they don't just spin a wheel to decide how many episodes go on each set. What I mean is that they're dividing episodes up with little if any regard to natural story divisions or production history. Admittedly, doing it by production history is basically impossible since they simply popped out one new episode a week every week for 10+ years, and doing it by story lines is hard without having unevenly long sets. But Funi at least took a stab at doing it by story line back in the day, and I think it worked fairly well. Though I'm probably biased since most of my DB/Z/GT DVD collection dates from this era. Of course, this was also the era where one Z DVD had 3-4 episodes, but you can't really blame the "saga" subdivisions for that...

[Cold Skin]

As far as I'm concerned, I just use "saga" or "arc" for the same thing: sometimes, I will say "the Majin Boo saga" and sometimes I will say "the Majin Boo arc", but it's the same in my mind. To me, there are only three sagas in Z/Kai.

"Seasons" is the popular term I use for subdivisions I make myself for my friends and family, fitting with the kind of familiar division you see in classic TV shows: less than 20 episodes (or 20-something if it ever happens) and a mission being completed, with the next mission likely announced. That helps them "digest" the progression in the story without being discouraged by the fact that there's 100 episodes left! They feel like they have many "checkpoints" along the road to take a break if necessary, and also have an increased perception of when the overall setting and mood might have changed and when a milestone has been reached in the story.
Since I make them myself for my own circle of people, I never speak in "seasons" around here since it's my own invention and would therefore be pointless in discussions.

To me, a "season" I make fits with one new objective.
A "saga" or "arc" ends when there is a period of peace and when the story could have ended once and for all, with no further threat/mission announced while the characters get back to a normal life, maybe forever. This leaves only FREEZER - CELL - BOO (the epilogue is too short for me to consider it its own saga). A "saga" will be composed of several seasons/checkpoints along the way (three of them) when the main mission has changed.
All of this gives three arcs/sagas (that I will mention in forums) and nine seasons (that I keep for me and the people watching Kai with me, never mentionning them in forum discussions).

[ABED]

I still don't get the idea of lumping in the Saiyan or Vegeta arc with the Freeza arc. As we learn, Vegeta isn't working for Freeza at this point, and even then I don't think it should matter as that battle is the climax of its own story. For any Angel fans, I wouldn't consider seasons 3, 4, and 5 to be one big story. Yes, they're connected, and the lead into the next one, but each has a specific story with its own climax and resolution. The same with Arrow. Season 1 leads to season 2, but I would still consider them distinct.

[Gaffer Tape]

I agree with you, ABED. It personally drives me crazy to see those two lumped together. I think I understand why, though. As Cold Skin said, there isn't too much finality with the Saiyan arc. It leads right into the Freeza arc, and there are loose plot threads to be resolved. But then again, you could say that for nearly every arc of DB. Hell, the Freeza arc's last chapter ends with Freeza arriving to earth! There's certainly no finality there. The 22nd Budoukai ends with Kuririn's death. The 21st and Hunt for the DBs both end with Goku setting off on a new adventure. If finality is the criteria to define an arc, then these are the only arcs the series has:

Arc 1: Beginning through Ma Junior
Arc 2: Raditz through Cell
Arc 3: Boo, although even that doesn't end on a note to tie everything up.

Another reason I can think of, and I have nothing to back this up, is that Vegeta fans like to do this in order to help whitewash his character. Just like the dub did, pawn off his terrible behavior on to Freeza. Vegeta's not the villain. He's just a sub-villain of Freeza. But that just takes so much away from Vegeta, because he's written best as a villain, and as a hero, he just plain sucks.

But, yeah, I feel the Saiyan arc tells a largely complete story on its own, and the Freeza arc as I know it is such a strong shift in goals, setting, central characters, and everything else, which also tells its own complete story, that I feel it's impossible to try and combine the two. Think Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III. Both of those pairs of movies are narratively connected, but each tells its own story.

[ABED]

I agree with you, ABED. It personally drives me crazy to see those two lumped together. I think I understand why, though. As Cold Skin said, there isn't too much finality with the Saiyan arc. It leads right into the Freeza arc, and there are loose plot threads to be resolved. But then again, you could say that for nearly every arc of DB. Hell, the Freeza arc's last chapter ends with Freeza arriving to earth! There's certainly no finality there. The 22nd Budoukai ends with Kuririn's death. The 21st and Hunt for the DBs both end with Goku setting off on a new adventure. If finality is the criteria to define an arc, then these are the only arcs the series has:

Arc 1: Beginning through Ma Junior
Arc 2: Raditz through Cell
Arc 3: Boo, although even that doesn't end on a note to tie everything up.

Another reason I can think of, and I have nothing to back this up, is that Vegeta fans like to do this in order to help whitewash his character. Just like the dub did, pawn off his terrible behavior on to Freeza. Vegeta's not the villain. He's just a sub-villain of Freeza. But that just takes so much away from Vegeta, because he's written best as a villain, and as a hero, he just plain sucks.

But, yeah, I feel the Saiyan arc tells a largely complete story on its own, and the Freeza arc as I know it is such a strong shift in goals, setting, central characters, and everything else, which also tells its own complete story, that I feel it's impossible to try and combine the two. Think Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III. Both of those pairs of movies are narratively connected, but each tells its own story.

Absolutely agree, but if people insist on lumping them together, that's their prerogative, as vehemently as I might not share their opinion.