Was the original Dragonball the best dub FUNI ever did?

[ABED]

I don't really understand why GT gets lumped in the same category as Z in terms of its accuracy. Yes, the dub score was awful, but the scripts were on par with DB's.

It's better than Z, but episodes still varies wildly between "mostly accurate" and "character-defining changes" depending on who's writing the script. Goku goes into full-on superhero mode against Baby a few times during their fight with lines that are nowhere in the original, and that's just off the top of my head.

Dragon Ball's probably the most faithful of the original three series' dubs, and I think the acting is the best, but ... that's not saying much.

Sure, but 1 - the number of scripts that were mostly accurate probably outnumbered Z's.

Give a few examples of character defining changes in GT.

And yes, that's saying a lot. I don't know if you honestly remember how bad Z was. DB was FAR better. It's not a great dub, but it's at least a C, whereas Z was a D-. Having watched all of the dub with JPN subtitles on, I honestly believe that GT and DB were generally good. Sure, there are more than a few moments where liberties are taken, but nowhere near the extent of DBZ.

[MagicBox]

Give a few examples of character defining changes in GT.

Here's a highlight reel of pointless script changes from the first fourth of Dragon Ball GT. Every single episode contains significant differences.

Episode 01 (Written By Eric Vale)

Spoiler:

After Goku and Uub finish their fight, Dende originally asks if that battle was Uub’s graduation ceremony. Goku says no, and states that he just wanted to fight all-out against Uub at least once. In the dub, the fight is treated as if it were some kind of "final test," with Goku stating that Uub “passed with flying colors.” It's the exact opposite of what was said in the original.

Goku also doesn’t mention Freeza in the original version.

Seconds later, when Goku and Uub fall down in the dub, Dende tells Mr. Popo to "grab the first-aid kit." So, um... what? Dende is the first-aid kit. In the original version, Dende simply tells Mr. Popo that they need to tend to Goku and Uub's injuries. Now, you could make the argument that Dende doesn't immediately heal them in the original version, too, but c'mon. "The first-aid kit?" At least write "senzu beans" or something. This shows just how little FUNi's scriptwriters know about this series.

In the original version, Muten Roshi recognizes Goku because he can sense Goku’s ki. In the dub, Roshi recognizes Goku based on his looks.

Also...

Goku: “So, uh, do I have to go back to school now?”

That speaks for itself.

Episode 02 (Written By Eric Vale and Brian Thomas)

Spoiler:

When Trunks escapes from work, he comments on how much he loves the Bukujutsu technique when it comes to flying (as opposed to capsule machines, I guess). In the dub, Trunks just comments on how glad he is to be away from work. Completely different dialogue.

When Goku tries to avoid traveling through space, he originally proposes that they could just get all of the Earth Dragon Balls together and relocate to another planet, a request that Videl says they can "save for a last resort" (ho ho ho, foreshadowing…). In the dub, Goku’s excuse is that he’s "tired." Again, completely different.

Later, when Gohan proposes that he go into space as well, ChiChi originally gets excited because it means "she won’t have to worry as much about Goku." In the dub, she gets excited because it "will give Goku and Gohan a chance to bond."

Pan’s habit of referring to herself in the third person is not carried over to the dub.

Also, when Pan states that she isn’t afraid of the monsters that ChiChi describes, Videl originally counters this by telling Pan "not to be selfish" for insisting that she go into space with Goku and Gohan. In the dub, Videl counters this by saying that Pan is afraid because "she sleeps with a nightlight." So basically, Videl’s a good parent in the original version for disciplining her daughter, and a bad parent in the dub for revealing one of her daughter’s insecurities in front of a group of people. Lovely.

The two kidnappers originally speculate that Goku could be either A.) Bulma’s grandson, or B.) an illegitimate love child of the family. I think it goes without saying that the “love child” talk is excluded from the dub.

Although, in the dub's defense...

Bulma: “He hung up.”
Gohan: “Who hung up?”
Bulma: “Some guy complaining about your father for some reason.”
Gohan: “Was it someone from a restaurant? We get those calls a lot…”

To be honest, that line actually makes me smile. Of course, it implies that restaurants (or Goku himself) actually knows the Son family’s phone number. It also ignores the fact that Goku hasn't seen his family in years. Okay, so it’s not very well thought-out, but it still makes me smile.

Episode 03 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

The robots in the hotel are more talkative in the dub. Like, a lot more talkative. They keep going on and on about what their functions are and what the hotel’s rooms are like, and they seem to think that Trunks and Pan are on their honeymoon (which I guess is sorta funny, but the point is that it's not in the original script). And the added dialogue is annoying. For example...

Desk Clerk: “Fitting a room is like fitting a shoe.”

If I were DBZ Uncensored, I’d throw one of those “stupid dialogue” alerts up there.

When Trunks, Pan, and Goku are walking towards the ship, Goku’s conversation with Trunks is rewritten.

Goku: “I hope those nice people can find a way to get their problems sorted out.”
Trunks: “Yeah, I do, too.”

Originally, Goku asked Trunks if they would be leaving the planet as soon as they get their spaceship fixed, to which Trunks replies by saying "that’s the goal." It's a completely different conversation giving the viewer less information.

Episode 04 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

Many fans state that Pan is a jerk in GT. I think it's debatable in the original version (She's mean in the first 14 episodes, then has a whole episode dedicated to character development, and then she's perfectly fine for the rest of the series). Whatever your opinion, the dub made this problem so much worse. Let’s just take a look at some of the things she says in this episode.

“We’re in the same spot as before, you knucklehead!”
“Grandpa, if I live, please remind me to kill you!”
“Thanks a lot, Grandpa! You could have told us, you know! What a jerk!”
“This is a stealth operation, you numbskull!

Holy crap, dude. You want "character defining" changes? Here you go. Dub Pan seems to think that Goku is the stupidest, most useless person she’s ever met, and she seems to do nothing but ridicule her grandfather for almost the entire episode. It's not just dialogue; it’s rare that you’ll hear her without a sarcastic tone of voice in this whole episode’s dub. The character doesn't do this in the Japanese version. She’s almost unwatchable in the dub, really.

At this point in the dub, we start getting entirely rewritten conversations. Here are a few examples.

Original Japanese Version
Gel: “We’ve recovered a spaceship that the security team discovered in the wastelands to the East last night, Don Kia-sama.”
*Silence*
Sheila: “It’s a ship whose type we’ve never seen before, so we think it may have come from an unknown planet.”
Don Kia: “That doesn’t matter! Value! Does it have any value!?”
Sheila: “N-no, not in particular…”
Don Kia: “What about the crew? Were there any cute girls among the crew on board, who could pass off as dancers, or as idols, to any talent producers?”
Gel: “I-I’ve received information that there wasn’t anyone on board. What’s worse, upon further inspection, the ship will not hold up as merchandise.
Don Kia: “In that case, scrap it immediately. It will bring at least some money as scrap iron, right?”

English Dub
Gale: “Aye Lord, that spaceship that was found in the desert, we got it. It’s all yours now, finders keepers!
Don Kee: “Show me. Sheila, what’s your evaluation?”
Sheila: “Lord, whoever designed it had function in mind, but not fashion. It may work well, but as you can see, it’s an eyesore. It’s not going to fetch anywhere near what the sleeker models are getting in the marketplace. In a word, it’s ugly.”
Don Kee: “Well then, what good is it? There’s no rare treasure inside, no crew members for slaves, so why have you brought me this ridiculous ship?
Gale: “Sire, you’re the one with the good taste; I’m just a grunt. Only a refined person like you could truly know if a thing has any value or not.”
Don Kee: “You’re not as stupid as you look, Gale. Now tear that ship apart and sell it as scrap. That’s my word. Make it happen.”

Here's another one.

Original Japanese Version
Pan: “Then again, it’s a good thing we’ll be able to fix it just by swapping parts.”
Goku: “Especially considering how bad it got messed up, huh?
Pan: “Well, excuse me!”
Trunks: “Sorry, sorry. Okay, let’s go.”
Pan: “Are you coming with us, Grandpa? Stay with the ship and keep an eye on it.”
Goku: “No way. I’m hungry.”
Pan: “That’s all you ever say.”
Trunks: “It’s all right. Out here, we don’t have to worry about it getting stolen again.”

English Dub
Pan: “Hey, if I’m that good of a driver now, just wait ‘til I’m actually old enough!”
Goku: “With a positive attitude like that, things will sure go quicker.”
Pan (Ignoring Goku, like a jerk): “Sorry, did I hear something?”
Trunks: “That was the voice of wisdom from your ten-year-old grandfather.”
Pan: “Ten? You think he’s ten? That’s ridiculous!”
Goku: “Well, how old do I look?”
Pan: “I dunno, three or four?”
Trunks: “I hate to interrupt, but I’m ready to go to town to get our parts.”

Mr. Neel was paid to take the original script, ignore it, and make up something completely different.

Also, the amount of money the random Imeggan charges for the fruit is changed from 500 gamets to 400 gamets in the dub. Because 500 would be too faithful.

Episode 05 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

Trunks states that they have to go north according to the Dragon Radar’s compass to find the Dragon Ball that Giru is detecting. Trunks doesn’t specify which direction the radar is telling them to go in the dub, though I guess it isn’t a big deal since the audience is able to see the compass in the animation. Admittedly, this episode had very few changes (probably because of all the fighting). Sometimes they get lucky.

As a side note, how the hell did they calculate magnetic north for outer space? You can’t just say “oh, that planet’s to the north of here.” It doesn’t work like that.

Episode 06 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

Gill’s production number is shortened from DB4649T2006RS to just T2006 in the dub.

Also...

Trunks: “Well, she’s a little shaken up, but she’ll “bee” just fine.”

Ugh. Originally, Trunks just said that the bee he rescued was a queen bee.

More rewritten conversations...

Original Japanese Version
Trunks: “Now then, after this wild detour, shall we go look for the Dragon Ball?
Pan: “Huh? You haven’t found it yet?”
Trunks: “No. We found it once, but it got taken away by a giant.”
Pan: “G-giant? You don’t mean?”

English Dub
Trunks: “I dunno, having a countless number of personal attendants does have its advantages, Pan.”
Pan: “Bleh, I’ll never eat honey again.”
Trunks: “But Pan, to them, honey is worth more than diamonds and gold!”
Pan: “I guess you’re right. How sweet.”

Keep in mind that scriptwriting is all about conveying information to the audience. This conversation serves a purpose, and the dub ignores it.

When Goku’s looking at the Dragon Radar, he originally commented on how the signal was disappearing. In the dub, Goku comments on the fact that the radar is picking up five readings.

Episode 07 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

Christopher Neel LOVES "Superhero Goku." For example...

Goku: “He sure does! But what he’s doing is wrong, and that gives us the advantage!”

Mr. Neel wrote some of the "Super Saiyan Goku VS Baby" episodes, and he's directly responsible for all of Goku's "power of right" speeches during that battle. Seriously, go watch them. You have to hear that dialogue to really see how unfitting it is for somebody like Goku.

The “potion” that Trunks is supposed to feed Zoonama was originally very strong saké.

Episode 08 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

The female name Trunks gives himself is changed from “Tolerance” (“Toreransu”) to “Trunksette.”

When telling Doma that he shouldn’t worry about Trunks, Goku’s original reason is that "Trunks is really strong, so he should be fine." In the dub, Goku tells Doma not to worry because "I can keep track of anyone, anywhere."

Um... what?

When the volcano is about to erupt, Zunama tells our heroes that the reason he’s been taking so many things from the village lately is because the mountain’s magma activity has been rising. Zoonama doesn’t say this in the dub; he just states that the eruption is the biggest disaster he’s predicted yet. That's a pretty big change.

Goku is given some added dialogue when he’s about to attack the volcano. He states that "now that the volcano’s let some pressure out, it will be easier to stop the magma." Of course, that’s something that Goku would really never say, so it’s out-of-character.

A very important piece of information is left out of the episode’s conclusion in the dub. The villagers originally said that they will allow Zunama to live in the village as long as Zunama promises to let everyone know when an earthquake is coming whenever he predicts one. This is left out of the dub for seemingly no reason.

Episode 09 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

The Parapara Brothers’ speech quirk of saying “para” in their sentences is, of course, removed. The same thing happened to Zunama in the previous episodes. Such is the fate of quirky characters in FUNimation’s dub. Everybody’s gotta be written exactly the same, with normal speech, to avoid originality.

The computer on the Parapara Brothers’ ship states that Goku and company are five kilometers behind them in the dub. No distance is established in the original version.

This next conversation is always fun to point out.

Original Japanese Version
Trunks: “It (the Parapara Bros.’ ship) must have been built by someone with a great deal of intelligence.”
Pan: “You mean, they’re going to get away from us?”
Trunks: “It’s all right. I can manage to cover our difference in performance with technique.”
Pan: “Technique? Trunks, you said this was the first spaceship you’ve ever piloted!
Trunks: “D-don’t bring that up right now.”
Pan: “There’s just no counting on you.”

English Dub
Trunks: “… And they’re basically reaching speeds that my engineers said couldn’t be reached.”
Pan: “How much are you paying those guys, Trunks?”
Trunks: “My engineers? They’re all making about eight figures, plus benefits.”
Pan: “That’s a lot of money… Well, I’d cut their pay in half with no benefits until they do better than second best!”
Trunks: “Man, I’m glad you’re not my boss.”
Pan: “Hello? Yes I am.”

There are some things about the dub that you can tell have been rewritten without even having to reference the original version; this is one of those times. The difference here is that in the original version, Trunks and Pan are actually talking about something relevant to the situation at hand and not some random-ass business jargon that has zero basis in the original script.

Episode 10 (Written By Christopher Neel)

Spoiler:

I'm actually really proud of this episode. Aside from the altered lyrics in the Parapara Brothers’ dancing scene, one other change occurs when Goku sees everyone dancing.

Goku: “It’s like Roshi’s aerobics tapes.”

Goku didn’t reference Muten Roshi at all originally, though I do applaud the dub for actually making an accurate callback to a previous moment in the series.

Like I said, some episodes get lucky.

Episode 11 (Written By Eric Vale and Andrew Rye)

Spoiler:

Mutchy-Mutchy seems to know that Pan, Goku, and Trunks are Saiyans in the dub, even though he has absolutely no reason to believe so.

As annoying as this dub error is, I’m having a hard time faulting FUNi for it. The Japanese version has characters acknowledge the fact that Goku and the others are Saiyans without any evidence (remember Redict?), so to say this is a big deal would be blowing the whole thing out of proportion, I think.

Episode 12 (Written By Eric Vale and Andrew Rye)

Spoiler:

In the original version, it’s stated that Dolltacki last appeared 20 years prior to the events in the episode. In the dub, that has been changed to 25 years. Again, change for the sake of change.

Episode 13 (Written By Eric Vale and Andrew Rye)

Spoiler:

The first line of the episode contains a change.

Pan: “I don’t know what’s going on, but it looks bad.”

Originally, Pan commented on how she could feel an incredible Ki. I always wonder why only about half of the “Ki” comments go adapted in the dub. They’ve proven that it’s incredibly easy to just call it “energy.” These small rewrites don’t need to happen.

Episode 14 (Written By Brian Thomas and Andrew Rye)

Spoiler:

When Pan and the others are formulating a plan to get out of Lood’s body, the dub messes up a tiny scene between Pan and Dolltacki. In the original version, Pan was so excited about getting out of Lood’s body that she raised her hands up to the sky and accidentally hit Dolltacki in the face. In the dub, though, the hit seems to have been intentional, a result of Dolltacki annoying Pan. This change takes a bit of humor out of the scene, which is strange because FUNi usually changes dialogue to insert humor, not remove it.

The words that Goku and Pan use as their “ready, set, go” for firing at Lood are changed from “pork bowl, tempura bowl, chicken & egg bowl” to “pepper pot, pickle pot, purple pot” in the dub.

Episode 15 (Written By Charles Davis)

Spoiler:

In the original version, the "fuel tank" was damaged from the sand monster’s attack (which seems to imply that their ship runs on water?). In the dub, the "cooling system" was damaged.

In the dub, Pan seems to have run away so that she can find the Dragon Ball by herself. In the original, though, she’s just running away; it isn’t specified whether or not she’s looking for the Dragon Ball. I would guess not, since I suspect she would have taken Giru if she was really looking for it.

Giru states that the temperature on the planet is 112 degrees. Gill doesn’t say the temperature in the original version.

Episode 16 (Written By Matt Chaney)

Spoiler:

Goku’s food orders are much more specific in the dub. In the original version, Goku doesn’t ask for any fruit pie, cheeseburgers, or anything like that.

The dub creates yet another “people know Goku’s a Saiyan even though it’s never stated” error. This time, it’s Nezi who states it. As I’ve stated previously, I can’t fault the dub too much for this because the original version does it on occasion too, but it’s still a shame when it happens.

Again, this list isn't complete. These are just some select examples from within those episodes. It's easy to make the argument that some of these aren't "big" changes, but all of this stuff adds up pretty quickly, to the point where I question why anyone would want to defend all of this shoddy work. "Better than Z" really doesn't mean anything. Yes, they did a better job with DB and GT. Pokémon's dub has a better script than most of Z. That doesn't make any of them good.

Considering my memory is hazy, what are these "major changes" FUNI made to the Dragonball dub that people don't like? Keep in mind I'm talking about the uncut dub, not the one broadcast on Cartoon Network back in the day. So the "tomato soup" edit isn't in the uncut ones. What major dialogue changes were there?

Sorry, I planned on doing Dragon Ball, too, but the rest of my post drained me. Actually, I should apologize. I should have done Dragon Ball first, not GT. The first series is the subject of this thread, after all. I'll try to post some differences later. But for what it's worth (and for the sake of staying on-topic), everything I listed above is essentially the exact same problem the first show's dub has. Random script changes, out-of-character dialogue, completely different conversations, and a ton of added dialogue. They were really afraid of background silence back then. Actually, go check the dub of Dragon Ball episode 65. There's a LONG speech from the narrator near the end of the episode that wasn't anywhere in the Japanese version.

[Kid Buu]

Actually, I would argue that outside of Kai, their DB dubs are among their worst.

[Herms]

Considering my memory is hazy, what are these "major changes" FUNI made to the Dragonball dub that people don't like? Keep in mind I'm talking about the uncut dub, not the one broadcast on Cartoon Network back in the day. So the "tomato soup" edit isn't in the uncut ones.

What major dialogue changes were there?

Off the top of my head here, and from the Piccolo era since that's what I'm most familiar with, but:

Goku actually says romantic stuff to Chi-Chi when proposing, instead of in the original with its "hey, wanna get hitched?" "yep!"

Piccolo talks about having fought "all over the universe", and Shen/Hero (see below) admits to Yamcha that he's an alien. Apparently Funi forgot that these characters don't learn their extraterrestrial origins until DBZ.

The King of Earth is introduced as if he were just a local king, rather than king of the entire planet like in the original. Eventually they go back on this and start talking about him as the king of the entire world midway through without explanation. Also, he's renamed "King Furry".

The Crane Hermit is called "Master Shen", for seemingly no reason. I think they probably just got him mixed up with Shen from the 23rd tournament. And on that note, the proper Shen himself ends up getting renamed "Hero", presumably because they had already used "Shen" for the Crane Hermit (but even so, why go with "Hero"? What's the connection there?). As a result, the big moment where Goku figures out Shen's true identity by spotting the connection between "Shen" and "Shenlong" has to be completely rewritten. I can't remember what they changed it to, though.

During Goku's heavenly training, in Japanese he goes around telling people he's training under God and usually gets laughed at. The dub has the whole "Guardian of Earth" thing going on, so instead Goku goes around telling people he's training under Popo...which is all halfway reasonable, until the episode with the Mousse family, where the mention of the name "Popo" prompts an incredibly long conversation about a squirrel the Mousse kids know. It's strange.

Karin's explanation of the difference between the Super Holy Water and Super Divine Water is botched so that you really can't tell what the difference is (in the original version, the former is perfectly ordinary water that's presented as a magic power-up, while the latter is an actual magical power-up and also a deadly poison).

[Kakacarrottop]

I honestly prefer the edited, Ocean voiced DB dub they did in 1995, better acting & music imo. Although i'll still gladly take FUNi's in-house DB dub over Blue Water's crappy dub.

[ABED]

Saying 25 years instead of 20 is NOT what I would call a significant difference, and no those aren't the srt of things that add up to being god awful or no par with the Z dub.

Goku’s food orders are much more specific in the dub. In the original version, Goku doesn’t ask for any fruit pie, cheeseburgers, or anything like that.

In the original version, the "fuel tank" was damaged from the sand monster’s attack (which seems to imply that their ship runs on water?). In the dub, the "cooling system" was damaged.

Giru states that the temperature on the planet is 112 degrees. Gill doesn’t say the temperature in the original version.

When the volcano is about to erupt, Zunama tells our heroes that the reason he’s been taking so many things from the village lately is because the mountain’s magma activity has been rising. Zoonama doesn’t say this in the dub; he just states that the eruption is the biggest disaster he’s predicted yet. That's a pretty big change.

None of these are big changes, nor are they terrible. They aren't anything on par with the god awful changes in Z. At their worst, they are minor blemishes, if that.

[Ree]

Didnt like it that much but i thought King Piccolo sounded good

[Lord Beerus]

FUNi's DB dub was certainly vastly superior to their Z dub, but there was still many liberties taken and some weak performances.

[MagicBox]

Saying 25 years instead of 20 is NOT what I would call a significant difference.

I actually beg to differ on that one. We have an entire sub-forum for members who discuss in-universe timeline stuff. It's needless confusion for the sake of nothing.

None of these are big changes, nor are they terrible. At their worst, they are minor blemishes, if that.

With due respect, I feel like you're cherry-picking the most minor of my examples and ignoring everything else I posted. I posted quite a lot. Disregarding all of that seems to go against what you asked for in the first place. You wanted a list of changes, I provided a quick list of major and minor changes (Which, as I said earlier, is nowhere near complete. There are many more.), and then you just kind of... ignore it.

What about the completely rewritten conversations? The out-of-character dialogue for Goku? The instances where the dub states the exact opposite as the original version? The instances where FUNimation's writers display little knowledge of this franchise they supposedly love? I posted plenty of all those. Herms posted plenty of examples from DB, too. None of that warrants acknowledgement?

They aren't anything on par with the god awful changes in Z.

But... it's the exact same stuff. The exact same problems.

I mean, it's not as frequent as something like "season three" of DBZ, but think about what you're defending here. You already stated you think DB and GT's dubs are roughly "C"-grade, quality-wise. It sounds like we're already on the same page. I already said Z, at its worst, is far worse. But it doesn't make the other two praiseworthy. They're still riddled with problems.

[Gonstead]

In terms of DB products? Definitely not. Kai and the recent movies are vastly superior, both in terms of acting and scripts.

In general? Hell no. If I really had to rank it based on their entire company catalog of dubbed shows, it would be pretty low. Not garbage like the Z dub but certainly not high profile like Steins;Gate, Panty & Stocking and Fullmetal Alchemist (Both series). Hell, it's really not that good of a dub in the general view of dubbing in general.

I give the DB dub points for being uncut, keeping the original music and at least being watchable. Can't really say much else.

[DBZAOTA482]

Much better and more faithful to the original than their Z dub for sure, but still obviously a product of it's time.

Most definitely not the best FUNI can do.

[ABED]

But... it's the exact same stuff. The exact same problems.
But not to the same degree, and the actors having more experience and talent mitigates those issues to a degree.

But it doesn't make the other two praiseworthy. They're still riddled with problems.
But not to the same degree and a C grade means "average". That's a passing grade.

With due respect, I feel like you're cherry-picking the most minor of my examples and ignoring everything else I posted.

That's fair, but my point was that amongst the problems you mentioned, these were so minor that they aren't even worth mentioning. What is the issue with being specific about the type of food Goku wants or exactly how hot it is in the desert? Some of them aren't even issues. I'm certainly aware of the big changes, but they aren't as frequent, and I honestly don't believe they are as bad as they were in Z. I don't want to go line by line to discuss each and everyone, I don't think it's worth either of our time. To save us time, just tell me how many scripts were written by Christopher Neel, I will get your meaning.

I actually beg to differ on that one. We have an entire sub-forum for members who discuss in-universe timeline stuff. It's needless confusion for the sake of nothing.

I wouldn't call a 5 year difference confusing. It doesn't conflict with any events in previous episodes as far as I can tell.

[LuckyCat]

The Crane Hermit is called "Master Shen", for seemingly no reason. I think they probably just got him mixed up with Shen from the 23rd tournament. And on that note, the proper Shen himself ends up getting renamed "Hero", presumably because they had already used "Shen" for the Crane Hermit (but even so, why go with "Hero"? What's the connection there?). As a result, the big moment where Goku figures out Shen's true identity by spotting the connection between "Shen" and "Shenlong" has to be completely rewritten.

Oh that's a shame! Goku figuring out God had entered the 23rd tournament through his connection to Shenlong was a big deal in the original. I wonder if it was because they liked to call Shenlong "The Eternal Dragon" instead in the earlier dubs.

[ABED]

The Crane Hermit is called "Master Shen", for seemingly no reason. I think they probably just got him mixed up with Shen from the 23rd tournament. And on that note, the proper Shen himself ends up getting renamed "Hero", presumably because they had already used "Shen" for the Crane Hermit (but even so, why go with "Hero"? What's the connection there?). As a result, the big moment where Goku figures out Shen's true identity by spotting the connection between "Shen" and "Shenlong" has to be completely rewritten.

Oh that's a shame! Goku figuring out God had entered the 23rd tournament through his connection to Shenlong was a big deal in the original. I wonder if it was because they liked to call Shenlong "The Eternal Dragon" instead in the earlier dubs.

Even by then, they had included the Shenron.

[DBGod]

I honestly prefer the edited, Ocean voiced DB dub they did in 1995, better acting & music imo. Although i'll still gladly take FUNi's in-house DB dub over Blue Water's crappy dub.

I disagree with you, although Blue Water's GT dub was not quite as good, their Dragonball dub was pretty good. It's difficult for a lot of these people to properly judge that dub due its scarcity and whats been available in the past. If you had a Hi-Fi source as opposed to the trash muffled mono recordings, that would compliment the voices more in addition to the original score, terminology and so on. It's an unfair comparison that results in people relying more on memory which in itself is very unreliable.

[Singh is King]

The original Dragonball especially uncut is the best dub FUNI ever did. Not only did they keep the original music, but all the voice actors were very well suited to their roles in this series having been doing their roles on DBZ for a few years before this dub began. Goku, Bulma, Roshi, Krillin, Oolong, etc. all have great voices and performances. Chris Sabat's Yamcha is also very well done here.

The dialogue was also kept much closer to the original although there were still some changes here and there. I honestly prefer watching the dub of Dragonball over the original.

Hey, Cybercubed (I know him from the Pokemon fandom): I agree with you on this one, actually. It's the one I enjoy the most as well. Kai's voice acting is pretty overrated in my book (someone look at me with a straight face and tell me a major character in FUNi's DB dub has a voice like King Kai or Recoome's, guys), and even though it takes many liberties with the script writing, the DB dub's dialogue came off as fairly natural and easy to understand. Kai's script takes some liberties, too, particularly with that scene where Vegeta and Zarbon face off: Tatum likes to make battles sound pretty Shakespearean at times, IMO.

Also Brice Armstrong is hands down the best dub Narrator we've gotten...

[ParkerAL]

It's funny. Funimation's Yu Yu Hakusho dub also takes a fair number of liberties with the source material, but for some reason I tend to look past those flaws more so than I do with the Dragon Ball dubs.

[ABED]

Reacoom isn't a major character. He's memorable, but hardly a major one. Ox King might have more screen time.

someone look at me with a straight face and tell me a major character in FUNi's DB dub has a voice like King Kai or Recoome's, guys

While I like McFarland as funny Roshi, he can't pull off serious Roshi, which is a significant problem in DB. I'm also not a fan of Sabat's Piccolo Daimao. His deep gravelly voice goes into overdrive.

DB dub's dialogue came off as fairly natural and easy to understand. Kai's script takes some liberties, too, particularly with that scene where Vegeta and Zarbon face off: Tatum likes to make battles sound pretty Shakespearean at times, IMO

But that was never difficult to understand. DB's dialog was easy to understand, but also ridiculous at times. For instance, Goku compliments the tournament announcer's suit. That's completely out of character for Goku.

[Singh is King]

While I like McFarland as funny Roshi, he can't pull off serious Roshi, which is a significant problem in DB. I'm also not a fan of Sabat's Piccolo Daimao. His deep gravelly voice goes into overdrive.

But that was never difficult to understand. DB's dialog was easy to understand, but also ridiculous at times. For instance, Goku compliments the tournament announcer's suit. That's completely out of character for Goku.

He could definitely pull off serious Roshi, though: watch the episode where Roshi dies against King Piccolo again, for example.
I think his Piccolo Daimao is a lot better than his regular Piccolo, tbh, but to each their own. It's McFarland's current take I doubt can pull off the serious side of the character in Roshi's case.

I get your point there, but I still like the DB dub despite its script issues at times.

It's funny. Funimation's Yu Yu Hakusho dub also takes a fair number of liberties with the source material, but for some reason I tend to look past those flaws more so than I do with the Dragon Ball dubs.

It doesn't take away from the show, so that's probably why.

[ABED]

I've seen the dub several times over the years, he doesn't pull it off.

It's McFarland's current take

It's pretty much the same exact performance.