I've been thinking and honestly One Piece seems superior to Dragon Ball?

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Funimation was actually in talks to dub the show at first, but for whatever reason Toei decided to go with 4Kids instead. I've heard different reasons for this, from Toei not wanting to risk Funimation doing to One Piece what they did to DBZ and from 4Kids being cheaper to use.

It's really an ironic thing that FUNi was passed for acquiring the show at first then ended up getting it later after 4Kids dropped the license.

Yes it is, Couldn't have put it better myself, it really is a shame that for so long 4Kids took all the blame from angry OP fans for something that wasn't even their fault really. What makes it even worse is apparently 4Kids did want to be more faithful to the original(to the point where they recorded an English verision of We Are:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrHO6DtFJ-Y and that was actually shown off at conventions) but Toei were the ones that were insisting they go in a different direction for the dub.

Still though, while 4Kids had some dubs that i really liked as a child a la the Indigo League episodes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh they just simply weren't the right cast for One Piece as their dub clearly showed and while there were some standout performances from them i thought were quite good like Marc Diarson's Zoro (Zolo) and Lisa Ortiz's Chopper most of the others were miscast with quite a few having needless exaggerated accents which sounded awful especially Sanji with that deep over the top Sylvester Stallone-esque Brooklyn voice which simply didn't fit the character at all. In the end, i feel FUNi's cast has definitely fit the characters much more even if they don't always nail every scene.

Wow, if only they had been able to go that route because then the 4Kids dub wouldn't have become the embarrassing footnote stain on the franchise here that it ended up as.

[Planetnamek]

It's really an ironic thing that FUNi was passed for acquiring the show at first then ended up getting it later after 4Kids dropped the license.

Yes it is, Couldn't have put it better myself, it really is a shame that for so long 4Kids took all the blame from angry OP fans for something that wasn't even their fault really. What makes it even worse is apparently 4Kids did want to be more faithful to the original(to the point where they recorded an English verision of We Are:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrHO6DtFJ-Y and that was actually shown off at conventions) but Toei were the ones that were insisting they go in a different direction for the dub.

Still though, while 4Kids had some dubs that i really liked as a child a la the Indigo League episodes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh they just simply weren't the right cast for One Piece as their dub clearly showed and while there were some standout performances from them i thought were quite good like Marc Diarson's Zoro (Zolo) and Lisa Ortiz's Chopper most of the others were miscast with quite a few having needless exaggerated accents which sounded awful especially Sanji with that deep over the top Sylvester Stallone-esque Brooklyn voice which simply didn't fit the character at all. In the end, i feel FUNi's cast has definitely fit the characters much more even if they don't always nail every scene.

Wow, if only they had been able to go that route because then the 4Kids dub wouldn't have become the embarrassing footnote stain on the franchise here that it ended up as.

David Moo admitted he wasn't fond of the voice direction for Sanji he was given for One Piece and ended up retiring from voice acting shortly afterwards.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Yes it is, Couldn't have put it better myself, it really is a shame that for so long 4Kids took all the blame from angry OP fans for something that wasn't even their fault really. What makes it even worse is apparently 4Kids did want to be more faithful to the original(to the point where they recorded an English verision of We Are:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrHO6DtFJ-Y and that was actually shown off at conventions) but Toei were the ones that were insisting they go in a different direction for the dub.

Still though, while 4Kids had some dubs that i really liked as a child a la the Indigo League episodes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh they just simply weren't the right cast for One Piece as their dub clearly showed and while there were some standout performances from them i thought were quite good like Marc Diarson's Zoro (Zolo) and Lisa Ortiz's Chopper most of the others were miscast with quite a few having needless exaggerated accents which sounded awful especially Sanji with that deep over the top Sylvester Stallone-esque Brooklyn voice which simply didn't fit the character at all. In the end, i feel FUNi's cast has definitely fit the characters much more even if they don't always nail every scene.

Wow, if only they had been able to go that route because then the 4Kids dub wouldn't have become the embarrassing footnote stain on the franchise here that it ended up as.

David Moo admitted he wasn't fond of the voice direction for Sanji he was given for One Piece and ended up retiring from voice acting shortly afterwards.

I can certainly see why he did, because they definitely pushed the thing with giving too many of the characters unfitting over the top accents heck with Sanji in the flashbacks to his younger years they literally had Veronica Taylor doing her Ash Ketchum voice only with a Brooklyn/Jersey accent on top. They also for some reason gave Robin a southern belle accent even when that doesn't at all fit her character as a sexy sultry mysterious type.

[Lord Beerus]

Comparing One Piece to Dragon Ball is like apples and oranges. The only real similarity between them is that they're stories aimed at young Japanese boys. But if we're looking in a more specific lens and are taking into consideration narrative aspects such as character development, pacing, central themes... it really come down to matter of taste.

Dragon Ball takes a far more earnest, direct and nuanced approach to moving the story forward and as well providing progression for the characters it wants the focus the story on. The combination of Toriyama's wonderfully compact storytelling and fantastically succinct and punchy dialogue allows for the plot not feel like it's dragging its heels, while also managing to weave in the necessary exposition and character development in a far more natural fashion.

Arguably the greatest aspect of Dragon Ball is its spontaneous nature in shifting the narrative. There are some occasions where it seems as though Toriyama has written himself into a corner, only for Toriyama to write himself out of making it seem as thought he was never writing by the seat of his pants to begin with.

Probably the biggest issue with Dragon Ball is how the world feels so barren after the Saiyan arc. More specifically, the world really does feel like it revolves around what Goku does and says, and everything else feels not as important and worth the time to be explored. And that's not a bad thing, as it can prevent the story from becoming unnecessarily bloated. But it's bit of double edged sword as there can interesting side-stories than could have been be told, while also tying into the main plot. It certainly can feel at times as though Dragon Ball unintentionally limits the scope of its narrative more times out of convenience. Toriyama also seem content to play it safe, rather than potentially bring more diversity to the narrative. The close I feel Toriyama cam from telling the story from a unique POV was when Gohan was the main character in the early stages of the Majin Boo arc. It's such a shame Toriyama out of a lack of personal interest.

Another personal issue I've had with Dragon Ball how the amount of characters that actually matter to the plot shrinks down to a handful far too quickly. Yeah, Dragon Ball is the story of Son Goku, but it could have been more than that at times.

One Piece, on the other hand, dials up the melodrama to 11 and never settles for anything less. But what makes it work and not come across as unbearable tripe, is Oda knows from the get-go how over-the-top he has made the world of One Piece, and he simply reviles in it. And it pays off way better than it has any right to. It make moments where the characters are dramatically crying tears of oceans or screaming at the top their lungs over certain tragedy's still carry the same emotional weight as character expressing grief in a more grounded and subtle approach.

The world building is also fantastic, for two major reasons:
1. It doesn't feel window dressing. As even the most minute of information passed from one character to another, even in a off-handed fashion, can snowball into having huge ramifications for the world the characters live in.
2. It opens the door to so many different stories that can be told. This also allow the world of One Piece to not feel shackled in a narrative sense as whether Luffy becomes Pirate King or not.

I think One Piece's greatest attribute is it's forward thinking. In contrast to Toriyama making it up as went along, you can tell Oda has been planning the story out for years. There is so much wonderfully subtle (and not-so-subtle) foreshadowing to major future events. And it immensely increases the re-watch vale of the manga. And it also works in greatly rewarding the reader for paying attention to the minor details of the story.

One Piece's main flaw comes from its visual storytelling in the manga and anime. The panelling in the manga is awful. It's way cluttered and it gets to the point where it can be impossible to tell how the story is progressing because of how incomprehensible the flow of the manga can be. It's certainly quite clear Oda wants to utilise every page as much as he can to tell his story, but he needs to understand that less is more sometimes. And some of the designs of the characters just hideous. Which is quite sad and ironic given how over-to-top the world of One Piece is. But, yeah, Oda can go way of the scale in trying to make a character unique. The anime is completely different story. It's disgustingly dragged out. Yes, there are many episode that are A+ material from start to finish, but holy God, can it be an absolute marathon before you reach that point.

There's also a major is problem with how static in characterisation the Straw Hat Pirates are. All character development the Straw Hat Pirates has practically ground to halt for what has felt like years. I mean, the cast are fun to watch, but one of Dragon Ball's greatest strengths in its storytelling was seeing the cast grown alongside with you. It feels as though Oda has found what makes the cast the most charming in personality and decided the keep them at that stage. Which is a shame, because I really value character growth in any given narrative as it can provide potentially very unique avenues for the narrative go down, rather than going through same character and plot beats over and over again.

Both Dragon Ball and One Piece are high in fantasy, charm and whimsy. It's just of matter whether you prefer storytelling execution of a gang of pirates going from island to another for the hell of it, or a martial artist stumbling through the world and happenstance allowing him to grow in power and character.

[Matches Malone]

It's really an ironic thing that FUNi was passed for acquiring the show at first then ended up getting it later after 4Kids dropped the license.

Had they just payed slightly more money to Funimation at the start, they would've made millions more. Instead, all they can do is think of what could've been.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

It's really an ironic thing that FUNi was passed for acquiring the show at first then ended up getting it later after 4Kids dropped the license.

Had they just payed slightly more money to Funimation at the start, they would've made millions more. Instead, all they can do is think of what could've been.

Indeed, going with 4Kids to dub the series was the big downfall because of Toei's desperation and the fiasco they tied the show into licensing to them along the ridiculous censoring and other things approved by them. If they'd have just given it to FUNi to start with then it would be more than just moderately popular here with a decent at best fan following because as we have seen their dub has proven to be far more faithful and respectful to the source in all the ways that 4Kids butchered to hell version wasn't at all. Even still, the latter product wasn't what they had initially intended it to be but Toei requested all of these ridiculous things including the terrible rap intro. If only they had been able to do it that way from the start, then maybe the dub wouldn't be the embarrassing butt of jokes that it has become over the last decade plus since ending it's television run.

[10gigtriforce]

I've heard different reasons for this, from Toei not wanting to risk Funimation doing to One Piece what they did to DBZ and from 4Kids being cheaper to use.

it better be the cheaper reason, or toei are even more hypocrites than i thought. what funi did to dbz is nothing compared to 4kids onepiece

[Planetnamek]

Still though, while 4Kids had some dubs that i really liked as a child a la the Indigo League episodes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh they just simply weren't the right cast for One Piece as their dub clearly showed and while there were some standout performances from them i thought were quite good like Marc Diarson's Zoro (Zolo) and Lisa Ortiz's Chopper most of the others were miscast with quite a few having needless exaggerated accents which sounded awful especially Sanji with that deep over the top Sylvester Stallone-esque Brooklyn voice which simply didn't fit the character at all. In the end, i feel FUNi's cast has definitely fit the characters much more even if they don't always nail every scene.

Wow, if only they had been able to go that route because then the 4Kids dub wouldn't have become the embarrassing footnote stain on the franchise here that it ended up as.

David Moo admitted he wasn't fond of the voice direction for Sanji he was given for One Piece and ended up retiring from voice acting shortly afterwards.

I can certainly see why he did, because they definitely pushed the thing with giving too many of the characters unfitting over the top accents heck with Sanji in the flashbacks to his younger years they literally had Veronica Taylor doing her Ash Ketchum voice only with a Brooklyn/Jersey accent on top. They also for some reason gave Robin a southern belle accent even when that doesn't at all fit her character as a sexy sultry mysterious type.

I kind of felt the same way about the Viz cast for the new dub of Sailor Moon(Which Taylor was also in) nothing against the VAs but their voices just didn't sound quite right for the characters.

I found a Mega.nz page with all of the 4Kids episodes of One Piece, I checked out the first episode out of morbid curiosity and it sure was something all right. It was fascinatingly bad much like the Big Green dub, though that's nothing compared to the other English dub of One Piece by Odex that was even more infamously bad and was thought to be lost for the longest time. It's basically One Pieces's equivalent to the Speedy dub, here it is in all of it's glory:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1544bVxEGo

I've heard different reasons for this, from Toei not wanting to risk Funimation doing to One Piece what they did to DBZ and from 4Kids being cheaper to use.

it better be the cheaper reason, or toei are even more hypocrites than i thought. what funi did to dbz is nothing compared to 4kids onepiece

That does seem more logical, I think some people spread that rumor because that one former Toei employee that GreatSaiyaman interviewed for DBZU2 expressed concern when he was asked about the possibility of Funimation dubbing One Piece.

[MasenkoHA]

. It's much better at being an ensemble show than Dragon Ball is.

Dragon Ball isn’t an ensemble show. So there’s that.

[Kinokima]

I largely agree with Lord Beerus both series have their strengths and weaknesses

I personally think One Piece is totally worth it but I understand it’s length can be daunting. But if you are interested you can take it one arc at a time. You don’t have to read/watch it all at once.

I am actually very behind myself at this point. I recently read some more of One Piece after not reading any of it for some time and it was just as fun and moving as I remembered.

[funrush]

. It's much better at being an ensemble show than Dragon Ball is.

Dragon Ball isn’t an ensemble show. So there’s that.

Goku's the clear main character but there's multiple arcs where he's not even really a participant until the very end. Toriyama tries to show off the supporting cast often and even tries to make Gohan the main character, but he just doesn't pull off the balancing act as flawlessly as Oda does. In One Piece Luffy is the clear main character but all the members of the Strawhats are given opportunities to show their worth and have cool moments often. Even during Impel Down and Paramount War Luffy's accomplices all get their moments.

In DB those moments for the supporting cast are fewer and far between. Especially once you hit Super and it just becomes "the Goku and Vegeta show" and everyone else is cannon fodder, whereas Z at least made an attempt to juggle like 5 characters at once per arc. Some spots during the ToP and Trunks getting the jump on Zamazu are obvious exceptions but that's only a couple moments in a whole 130 episode series.

[Matches Malone]

I personally think One Piece is totally worth it but I understand it’s length can be daunting. But if you are interested you can take it one arc at a time. You don’t have to read/watch it all at once.

This is the best way to go as thinking about all those episodes is a major excitement killer. I'm 400+ episodes behind but all I think about is the 60 episode arc of Fishmen Island that I stopped at, I'll get to the rest when I get there.

[JulieYBM]

Goodness g*sh, I have trouble finishing single cour series now how do you people handle nine hundred episodes?!

[Planetnamek]

Goodness g*sh, I have trouble finishing single cour series now how do you people handle nine hundred episodes?!

Try asking Pokemon fans that , it's up to over 1000 episodes at this point. The only reason i've not stopped with that show is because I grew up watching it from day one and unlike One Piece it's got a relatively small cast of main characters so it's a lot easier to follow. With One Piece I took one look at the list of characters on TVTropes and my brain nearly went into overload when I saw how damn many there were.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Goodness g*sh, I have trouble finishing single cour series now how do you people handle nine hundred episodes?!

Simple. I just dont. See, I just watch whatever old episode catch my fancy ATM or watch some of the cooler scenes of the new episodes. Nobody is forcing anyone to WATCH EVERY SINGLE EPISODE OR ELSE LOL.

I am watching most of Wano so far though. The anime REALLY improved.

[Matches Malone]

Goodness g*sh, I have trouble finishing single cour series now how do you people handle nine hundred episodes?!

Try asking Pokemon fans that , it's up to over 1000 episodes at this point.

I think the best way to watch shows like Pokemon and One Piece is to take them one arc at a time instead of looking at the final number. Going into a show with 20 or so episodes in mind is a lot easier than thinking about 900+.

[Cure Dragon 255]

That's swell but Dressrosa is over 50 episodes. And this is from a One Piece fan.

[ABED]

The Pokémon anime is different. It's not a story as much as a promotional tool. OP and DB are stories first and foremost.

[Matches Malone]

That's swell but Dressrosa is over 50 episodes. And this is from a One Piece fan.

It's actually over 100 episodes, 118 to be exact. It's best not to think about that one arc when thinking about getting into One Piece.

[Kinokima]

Dressrosa was literally the arc I just finished reading in the manga. It’s not my favorite arc by any means and it’s a bit too long in my opinion but it does have a lot of great and memorable moments.

I was going to go onto the next arc but then I got distracted by other things. Hopefully I will be able to read another long arc this year.