What's the best Dragon Ball has ever looked?

[Tzigi]

In manga: Buu saga.
In anime: the episode when Trunks arrives is the single best one. As a whole GT is wonderfully drawn (I love this kind of animation - especialy the stark contrast in the shading).

You like the way GT Cell was drawn?

Why do you ask about Cell? His role in GT is minimal so he surely isn't somebody about whom I'd ask first. But I'll answer anyway: it depends on the episode. But for example the Cell at the very end of episode 42 (left side of the comparison) looks for me much better then the Cell drawn by Toriyama himself.

[Cursed Lemon]

Gonna go with...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck97cK9pHdA

[jjgp1112]

A lot of the King Piccolo-Namek saga stuff from Studio Junio is absolutely spectacular. Top-Notch artwork, interesting animation for fighting sequences, just the best you could ask for when it comes to Dragon Ball. Episodes 34 and 64 especially stand out. They kinda slipped during the Android saga, and while Shindo under Yamamuro Tadayoshi was excellent and picked up the slack, it wasn't quite as stylish and ambitious as Studio Junio's best work. That's just the Android saga, though. The Buu saga is a different story, as Shindo along with Studio Cockpit was the cream of the crop. Case in point.

Don't forget their work on the fight between Goku and Cell.

The clip I posted was Yamamuro Tadayoshi. His studio didn't do anything for that fight.

[ErikB]

In manga: Buu saga.
In anime: the episode when Trunks arrives is the single best one. As a whole GT is wonderfully drawn (I love this kind of animation - especialy the stark contrast in the shading).

You like the way GT Cell was drawn?

Assuming you're referring to the infamously wonky appearance he has in that one episode, note that that was Doga Kobo who were only responsible for, I think, 2 or 3 episodes in the whole franchise. Nobody ever seems to point out that Cell appears in both the previous and following episodes and looks perfectly fine.
EDIT: Beaten to the punch.

[Marco Polo]

Goku vs Majin Vegeta episode.

Or Trunks' first appearance episode.

[soulnova]

Saiyan Arc + Freeza Arc
Movie 12 + 13

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

The episode that stood out for me I remember was Episode 80 of Z where I thought the character bodies had a lot of rounded edged not too plumpy like most styles while not too angler where its pointy. I liked the detailed lining over them was what made it look gritty to me and rough which I thought balanced it out that gave them detail from the layers of shadowing. The artstyles similar to Shimanuki Masahiro and Kazuya Hisada did were always my favourites.

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[Black_Anime_Fan]

Without a shadow of a doubt has to be any episode working with Masahiro Shimanuki's animation. Not only is it detailed, but it just has that "intensity factor" added to the fights that just makes it really stand out. Tadayoshi Yamamuro's animation is also great, but his animation tends to be a kinda "slow" during his fights, so overall, Shimanuki's animation the winner here for me.

Here's an AMV on his animation style, and S/O to kei17 for making this video.

http://youtu.be/qDsIAnB-LEI

[TheGreatness25]

I really like the way these faces look:




Sorry for the cruddy pictures. I just wanted to quickly demonstrate what I like. I like these kinds of noses and just the overall look of the faces.

[shinmaru]

I like the art of Plan To Destroy the Saiya-jins, but i think 10th anniversary movie is best for me.

[PhoenixEX]

Fusion Reborn, Wrath of the Dragon, The Path to Power, and Yo! Son Goku...
Battle of Gods wasn't half bad, but it really reminds me of how lazy animation has gotten these last couple of years.

[qjz123]

The opening from the Level sets looked absolutely fantastic.

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[Son-Kun!!]

I take it back, besides the first two movies, THIS is the best the show has ever looked!!!



Dynamic ANGLES






The force of the punch is displayed immaculately when Piccolos feet lift off the ground





Pictures don't do this scene justice, this is how all DBZ fights should feel, and I think only Goku vs Cell does it again.

[thomas1up]

The opening from the Level sets looked absolutely fantastic.

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All this does is make me sad knowing we'll likely never see the series look like this


But yeah those shots look fantastic

[Big Momma]

The last three movies before BOG:

Had a real cinematic quality to them, as they should. Fantastic stuff..

I'm with you here. Path to Power is my favorite DB/Z film, especially when it comes to the art/animation.

[Son_Gohan]

That episode where Vegeta fought Recoome. Looked great from start to finish.

I agree. It is the only episode where Masaki Satō took the reins as the Animation Supervisor and he must’ve worked his fingers to the bone to make sure it left a lasting impression. I remember watching the episode back when it first aired in North America and even my sensibilities as a kid were able to pick up the pronounced contrast to other episodes. I was never really critical of the art back then, but it was the consistently great visuals all the way through that made this stand out, and had me wonder, “Why the hell do they not make every episode like that?”

What made episode 64 great is all characters are kept on-model whether from shots up close or farther away and there's no striking inconsistency in the art. The detail put in is rendered beautifully with varying line weights and roughness that give an organic touch which today’s digital methods cannot replicate:

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The special effects make excellent use of lighting and frame movement which really intensifies the feeling of the scene through the screen. EPILEPTICS BEWARE:

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The action scenes are emphasized by many colorful backgrounds, perspective lines, action bubbles, and other effects befitting a fighting anime. During combat scenes animators sometimes sacrifice the art for the sake of movement, but here the proper design of the characters are retained even with its fast-paced action. The animation is superbly done with it transitioning fluidly to different points of view, cutting to reaction shots, panning shots, and effective use of timing:

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