Semantics of Story Arc Names

[Zephyr]

Pilaf arc or Hunt for the Dragon Balls arc? Saiyan arc or Vegeta arc? Namek arc or Freeza arc? Androids/Cyborgs/Artificial Humans arc or Cell arc?

Which do people prefer for each one, and why? Could a case be made for certain ones being more appropriate/fitting/logical names than others?

[Gaffer Tape]

I preferred the term Pilaf arc until I actually got into the manga and realized that, in the original version, Pilaf was an end boss, not an overarching or connected threat, so that's when I decided to go with Hunt for the Dragon Balls arc.

I use Saiyan arc over Vegeta arc for a couple of reasons. Raditz's section of the story makes him feel like an independent villain. Sure, he is said to be with Nappa and Vegeta, but they get no screentime together. While Raditz is working in service of his comrades, going after Goku seems to be his idea and one he takes control of. Beyond that, while Vegeta is eventually by himself, I consider the "final battle" to start as soon as Nappa and Vegeta land on earth. So it's not just Vegeta. It's two Saiyans. And then there was another, somewhat independent Saiyan earlier. So it's the Saiyan arc.

That might seem to come into conflict with the fact that I call the last arc in question the Cell arc instead of the Artificial Human arc when a lot of those same traits above seem to apply here. But when the final fight starts, it's just Cell. He's the only antagonist left. He makes a few Cell Jrs, but they're like Saibaimen: lackeys, not major villains. With the exception of #19, all the other Artificial Humans' roles end up in service to Cell in some way. #16, #17, and #18 oppose him from the very beginning. #17 and #18 end up existing only to power Cell up. And #20 created him and, while they also don't have any screen time together, there is a two-way relationship implied that's very important. So, ultimately, Cell is the only villain of any real consequence, so it's the Cell arc.

[B]

Well, officially, the Cell arc is called "The Artificial Humans and Cell arc", so there's that.

[Herms]

Obviously it's all more personal preference than anything else, since the series itself doesn't divide itself up or label things like this, and different official products and sources use difference conventions. Still, for the record I think "Pilaf arc/saga" is only ever used by fans. From what I've seen, DVDs, guides, and whatnot either use "Search for the Dragon Balls arc", "the Saga of Goku" or similar variations.

Well, officially, the Cell arc is called "The Artificial Humans and Cell arc", so there's that.

It varies. That's what the Full Color Comics release used, but the daizenshuu and Landmark/Forever guides divided it up into separate "Android" and "Cell" story chapters.

I preferred the term Pilaf arc until I actually got into the manga and realized that, in the original version, Pilaf was an end boss, not an overarching or connected threat, so that's when I decided to go with Hunt for the Dragon Balls arc.

Pretty much my thoughts. To be lazy, here's what I wrote back in my Herms Watches the Show thread:

--Obviously the big manga/anime difference here is that we get to see Pilaf and co. right from the start, rather than having to wait until almost the end of the story arc. I have mixed feelings about this. It does make Pilaf a proper running villain, rather than just some guy who turns up at the end, but on the other hand it places the entire “Dragon Ball Hunt” story arc into a standard Big Bad structure. At this point the series isn’t really about huge struggles against major villains, so the anime’s handling of Pilaf somewhat diminishes what makes this era unique compared to what comes later. Sometimes you even see this story arc labelled as the “Pilaf arc” (or “Pilaf saga”), just as we get the “Freeza arc” or “Cell arc” in DBZ. It halfway makes sense for the anime version, but the idea of anyone labeling the manga version of this storyline the “Pilaf arc” is ridiculous.

[Zephyr]

Cell is the only villain of any real consequence, so it's the Cell arc.

Are we defining being of "any real consequence" as having killed a main cast member off? Because I feel the Androids themselves serve purposes outside simply fueling Cell. Defeating Vegeta and co. pushed for a need to get stronger, which would have transpired regardless of Cell. Piccolo and the Saiyans' drive to improve further, culminating in use of the RoSaT, Kami fusing with Piccolo, and the graded Super Saiyan forms wouldn't have happened without that initial beat down from #17 and #18. I know Cell egged all of that on to the point where we saw it go, but #17 and #18 still got that ball rolling, which would have had some consequences regardless of if Cell showed up or not.

This quote from the Dramatic Structure thread raises a good point though:

Cell arriving presents a huge shift in tone and focus for the story but, yeah, I suppose he is an Artificial Human too - albeit a very different kind.

And I feel that's a very key point to be made. Even if you view Cell as the true ultimate focal point of the arc, he's still an artificial human like the rest of them, just as Vegeta is a Saiyan like the rest of the major antagonists of the Saiyan arc. That said, couldn't Freeza fall under this category as well, making the name even more all-encompassing?

[Saiga]

And that's exactly why I use Android arc instead of Cell arc, because Cell himself is another Android.

[Gaffer Tape]

Are we defining being of "any real consequence" as having killed a main cast member off?

Not necessarily.

Because I feel the Androids themselves serve purposes outside simply fueling Cell. Defeating Vegeta and co. pushed for a need to get stronger, which would have transpired regardless of Cell. Piccolo and the Saiyans' drive to improve further, culminating in use of the RoSaT, Kami fusing with Piccolo, and the graded Super Saiyan forms wouldn't have happened without that initial beat down from #17 and #18. I know Cell egged all of that on to the point where we saw it go, but #17 and #18 still got that ball rolling, which would have had some consequences regardless of if Cell showed up or not.

Yeah, but all of that training ended up being strictly for Cell. Yeah, Piccolo fought #17 briefly, but, again, that was really of no consequence, other than the fact that it tipped Cell off to where they were. So, yes, while #17, etc. are integral parts of the arc (as any part of any arc should be), it ultimately only matters because of Cell.

This quote from the Dramatic Structure thread raises a good point though:

Cell arriving presents a huge shift in tone and focus for the story but, yeah, I suppose he is an Artificial Human too - albeit a very different kind.

And I feel that's a very key point to be made. Even if you view Cell as the true ultimate focal point of the arc, he's still an artificial human like the rest of them, just as Vegeta is a Saiyan like the rest of the major antagonists of the Saiyan arc.

I feel it's a key point to be made too... just not here. In its original context, that's made to defend the idea of not splitting up the Artificial Humans and Cell into two arcs, which I vehemently agree with. And Cell is indeed an Artificial Human. That's not at all in question. His nature is of the same as the other villains in this arc, but his function and motives end up being completely unrelated to those of his brethren. Cell stands alone, in my opinion, much more so than Vegeta does in the arc where he is main antagonist.

Allow me to flip it back to you then. I don't use this and have never seen it used before, but, if similar logic is applied, and we're naming arcs based on the nature of all of the villains appearing in it, why The Piccolo Daimao Arc instead of The Mazoku Arc?

That said, couldn't Freeza fall under this category as well, making the name even more all-encompassing?

Yeah, Freeza is certainly an artificial human as well, and his cameo reinforces that theme. Very cool thought. But as for it being further justification for using that as the name of the arc... well, as I said, he's a cameo and is far too irrelevant to this story to have any bearing on the naming. It would be like calling the second Christopher Nolan Batman film The Joker and the Return of Scarecrow.

[Zephyr]

Yeah, but all of that training ended up being strictly for Cell. Yeah, Piccolo fought #17 briefly, but, again, that was really of no consequence, other than the fact that it tipped Cell off to where they were. So, yes, while #17, etc. are integral parts of the arc (as any part of any arc should be), it ultimately only matters because of Cell.

That's fair I suppose.

And Cell is indeed an Artificial Human. That's not at all in question. His nature is of the same as the other villains in this arc, but his function and motives end up being completely unrelated to those of his brethren. Cell stands alone, in my opinion, much more so than Vegeta does in the arc where he is main antagonist.

I feel function and motives are irrelevant here relative to how his nature matches up with the premise and focus of the arc. The focal point of the story is to prepare for and fight the Artificial Humans. Even when the story shifts to Cell, it's shifting to another Artificial Human they have to prepare for and fight. Although an arguable major difference between the two halves' focus would be "Artificial Humans that Trunks warned about" versus "Artificial Human who Trunks had no idea existed", and I could see why some would consider that a significant enough of a distinction to warrant a more narrow name for the arc.

Trunks' devastated future plays a big part in this as well. It is on both sides of the two halves. It is that which causes the arc to unfold and it is where the arc ends. #17 and #18 are the cause of the conflict that surrounds the arc, and that conflict is not resolved until they are defeated. Sure, another Cell is defeated after them, but that's not the Cell that was a major focal point. Sure you could say the same about that #17 and #18, but they had a major impact on everything, unlike that Cell. While in the present, Cell was the largest crux of the problems, in the future, where the problem of the arc begins and is resolved, #17 and #18 are the major crux of the problem. Though I suppose since the fate of present timeline is the major focal point of the arc rather than that of the future timeline, this may seem like an irrelevant point in the discussion.

Allow me to flip it back to you then. I don't use this and have never seen it used before, but, if similar logic is applied, and we're naming arcs based on the nature of all of the villains appearing in it, why The Piccolo Daimao Arc instead of The Mazoku Arc?

That's a fair point, but wasn't Piccolo shown and established as the main guy to beat early on in the arc? A big reason I'm hesitant to call it the "Cell arc" is due to Cell not even showing up until half way through. He's not even alluded to, foreshadowed, or anything before that. Even Buu had threads directly leading back to him appearing near the start of the Tenkaichi Budokai.

[trick007z]

I usually just go Saiyan, Freeza, Cell, and Buu. Mainly just because I consider them the main villains of the arcs.

But if you want to get technical I guess you could swap Cell for Androids because 1, he is an Android, 2, the entire conflict is about the threat of the Androids (much like the Saiyan arc isn't just about the threat of Vegeta).

For the entire manga I just go

Dragonball arc (the arcs really about the Dragonball quest, Pilaf just happens to be the antagonist at the end)
21st Tenkaichi Budokai arc
Red Ribbon Army arc (unlike the last Dragonball Hunt, the Red Ribbon army is the omnipresent antagonist)
22nd Tenkaichi Budokai arc (tournaments just have their own unique feel, even though Tenshinhan is the clear antagonist here)
King Piccolo arc
23rd Tenkaichi Budokai arc (I don't call this the Piccolo Jr arc for the same reason I don't call the 22nd tournament the Tenshinhan arc)
Saiyan arc (the arc is about the threat of the Saiyans, not merely Vegeta)
Freeza arc (I don't call this the Namek arc because the entire conflict is with Freeza, unlike the how Pilaf only is relevant at the end of the first arc)
Android arc (as stated before the Androids are the constant threat and Cell is one, so it works)
Majin Buu arc

[B]

The Full Color comics combine the Pilaf arc and the 21st Tenkaichi Budoukai and call it "The Son Goku Training arc", which I don't mind. You get into the semantics of whether or not the Dragon Ball search can be called "training," but it works. Things get a little wonkier when the 22nd TB is combined into the Piccolo Daimao arc, though. Certainly it leads directly into it, but that's after a completely different story with its own beginning, middle, and end, is told. You may as well say the Saiyan and Freeza arcs are one big arc.

[VenomSymbiote]

Because of the fact that Legendary Super Warriors on the Game Boy Color had only 30 fights, with every ten fights a new saga, I generally tend to divide up Dragon Ball Z itself in the same fashion, into three arcs: the Frieza Saga, the Cell Saga, and the Buu Saga. I understand that clearly the series could be divided into smaller arcs (the Namek Saga, the Androids Saga, etc.), but I've never felt the need to. It may be worth noting that I don't count the "Saiyan/Vegeta Saga" as it's own arc because everything that happens in it directly leads into the Frieza Saga, so I consider it just one giant arc.

On the other hand, when it comes to Dragon Ball GT, I divide it up into four arcs: the Black Star Dragon Ball Saga, the Baby Saga, the Super 17 Saga, and the Shadow Dragons Saga. I divide the Black Star and Baby sagas apart because I feel that those first 16 episodes or so are just so completely different in tone that it warrants being divided. Otherwise, I feel simplicity is best when it comes to arc division. Unfortunately, I'm not as familiar with the original Dragon Ball story, so I'm not sure how I divide it myself, although I presume I would follow a similar pattern.

As to the names themselves, I generally just use FUNimation's naming conventions (i.e., Buu, the Shadow Dragons, etc.), since as a dub fan, those are the terms I'm most familiar with and that come the most naturally to me.