Homages to Dragonball....in Dragonball

[Metalwario64]

I don't think I noticed it back when I saw it on Toonami, but I definitely did when I saw it when I rewatched the series via the orange bricks a few years ago. I wasn't too familiar with the Japanese opening at the time, so I may have missed it. Of course, I thought it was hilarious when I realized it years later, due to the Japanese opening being on the orange bricks.

[dprez]

Wow. So Cool. Reading recent Bleach ( Isshin saving Masaki, Ichigo saving Rukia ) got me thinking about this. I never noticed any of these besides the simultaneous punches to the face.

And I swear, Vegeta's elongated arm, I noticed that the first time I saw it on Toonami. Me and my step brother laughed about it. It's so obvious, lol.

[InfernalVegito]

I thought that was interesting too, although not as self-referencing as all the others.

[Insertclevername]

But can that really count since it was those panels were back to back?

[Cold Skin]

^ That picture reminds me how sad it is that title pages are not included in the full color version. Many pictures used in title pages would look great with colors.

Well, as far as hommages go, it might be considered like "cheating" a bit since it's supposed to be an update so of course it's supposed to have elements carried over, but the new Cha-La Head-Cha-La opening for the 2008 special has lots of scenes that partly mimic the original Cha-La Head-Cha-La opening scenes!

[VegettoEX]

There are the couple that I pointed out in my "Episode of Bardock" review:

[Cold Skin]

^ It was quite clever, that way both ancestors of the main characters Goku and Freezer give hommage to their descendance.
Helps create the link with the usual hero and villain we know so much.

But I don't know if they were meant to be something readers would notice as being an hommage or more like something they would feel subconsciously familiar with.
Perhaps the second option, cause if the objective had been to have all readers say "woooh, that's exactly like that shot of Goku/Freezer", there were more popular shots to choose.
So I think it was more something that would not be clearly defined but somehow familiar with most readers just thinking "he really reminds me of Goku/Freezer in that shot" rather than being able to pinpoint the exact original moment.

Perhaps the author didn't mean it as an hommage but simply used those shots as reference to be sure to be in the Dragon Ball spirit we've all known for years.
But many examples through this thread could be the same: something that could be an hommage could also be a simple "safe ground" reference the artist has more or less reproduced to be sure to be in line with the style fans remember or would expect.
Although some of them are clearly and undoubtedly meant as an hommage with nothing really subtle about it, others are subtle enough so that you can wonder "was it really meant for fans to be aware that it's an hommage or was it more intended to be a subtle trick to surely stay in the spirit of past productions in the franchise?"

[Kamiccolo9]

Either way, it's really cool. I'd never noticed a lot of these.

[TheMightyOzaru]

There are the couple that I pointed out in my "Episode of Bardock" review:

Spoiler:

Win

[Tanooki Kuribo]

This might be a bit of a stretch but, I always thought this shot...



...was a homage to this...

[Insertclevername]

I wouldn't call that a stretch at all; that's an homage if I've ever seen one! Trunks is replicating his mother. Pan is replicating her father. And Gokuu is doing the same stance just without his arms folded.

[Cold Skin]

Plus the boat is strikingly similar in position and composition. Definately a nice catch.

[Insertclevername]

Speaking of GT homages, there is episode #7 of GT, Beloved Honey?! Trunks is Betrothed, which has a strikingly similar plot to Oolong's debut chapter/episode.

[AJRR]

In Dragon Ball when Goku knocks out Mummy Man it reminded me a lot of when he elbowed Recoom in Dragon Ball Z

[Kamiccolo9]

Nice! I never would have noticed that one.
I love this thread

[Gaffer Tape]

That old man ages backwards. o_o

Actually, I'd say it's quite the opposite. Aside from his hair getting darker, he looks older every time. In the first image, he looks rather fit and full of vigor. In the next appearance he's very thin and wrinkled, and in the GT one he's more wrinkled and his neck and cheeks more hollow.

[dodonpa]

That first GT ending pic reminded me that the second and third ones have a lot of homages. The third one even has some Toriyama illustrations with "anime colours"!



Also, i love this. Its crearly an homage to the original spine art of the manga volumes. http://www.kanzenshuu.com/manga/spine-art/

[DBZGTKOSDH]

The whole Zunama incident in GT was very similar with th Oolong incident in Dragon Ball.

[mister yummy]

ho is that following 18 in the animated GIF above?

[DBZGTKOSDH]

ho is that following 18 in the animated GIF above?

Yamcha.