Least favorite episode in the whole anime franchise?

[Cipher]

When Beerus played rock, paper, and scissors with Oolong. I thought that was a waste of an episode.

I tried hard to think of an answer, but this might actually do it for me. There's a single funny beat near the end in which Puar berates Oolong for choosing the same option three times, and it does benefit from having some tension beforehand -- but that gag could be accomplished in a few minutes max.

Really frustrating case of taking something that was a genuinely funny, quick joke in the movie and dragging it into utter tedium. They even nixed the original punchline in the process.

I'll have to rewatch episode 4 of Super again as well. It's gorgeous looking, but I can't recall anything particularly funny or interesting happening in it. With the knowledge that the Pilaf gang has absolutely no bearing on that plot in the TV adaptation -- which is insane -- I wonder how a largely dedicated introduction to them, which doesn't actually explain their situation in the way movie does, holds up. (I find the Pilaf gang quite funny in the movie as well, which makes their use in the TV adaptation particularly infuriating and baffling.)

That all said, Super's "Copy" arc is my least favorite short, self-contained storyline in the franchise.

[omaro34]

When Beerus played rock, paper, and scissors with Oolong. I thought that was a waste of an episode.

I tried hard to think of an answer, but this might actually do it for me. There's a single funny beat near the end in which Puar berates Oolong for choosing the same option three times, and it does benefit from having some tension beforehand -- but that gag could be accomplished in a few minutes max.

Really frustrating case of taking something that was a genuinely funny, quick joke in the movie and dragging it into utter tedium. They even nixed the original punchline in the process.

I'll have to rewatch episode 4 of Super again as well. It's gorgeous looking, but I can't recall anything particularly funny or interesting happening in it. With the knowledge that the Pilaf gang has absolutely no bearing on that plot in the TV adaptation -- which is insane -- I wonder how a largely dedicated introduction to them, which doesn't actually explain their situation in the way movie does, holds up. (I find the Pilaf gang quite funny in the movie as well, which makes their use in the TV adaptation particularly infuriating and baffling.)

That all said, Super's "Copy" arc is my least favorite short, self-contained storyline in the franchise.

I agree with everything you said and then some. After watching that Oolong rock, paper, scissors episode, I remember just being disappointed that I waited an entire week just for a gag that could have been done in a couple minutes max.

That "Copy" arc was horrible too. It had a promising start with Goten and Trunks having adventures and potentially saving the day, but they built up the whole thing just for another Goku & Vegeta showdown. Gotenks was comic relief in that arc as well. It was just something we have seen so many times before with the same old generic villains, another evil Vegeta, etc. Perhaps the "Copy" arc wasn't in the Manga for a reason.....

[Marco Polo]

Dragon Ball Super episode 52.

[floofychan333]

I know I'll get hate here but I was bored to tears during the fight with Frieza. Any episode in the fight where nobody dies, gets revived, transforms, or none of the Dragon Ball plan with King Kai and Kami-sama was a waste of my time. Also, the wedding dress saga at the end of DB lasted too long and I wanted it to get to the point already, but since DB is by far my favourite out of all the series it gets a free pass.

[omaro34]

I know I'll get hate here but I was bored to tears during the fight with Frieza. Any episode in the fight where nobody dies, gets revived, transforms, or none of the Dragon Ball plan with King Kai and Kami-sama was a waste of my time. Also, the wedding dress saga at the end of DB lasted too long and I wanted it to get to the point already, but since DB is by far my favourite out of all the series it gets a free pass.

Why do you think you would get hate for this? An opinion is an opinion. You're entitled to it.

[ABED]

Any episode in the fight where nobody dies, gets revived, transforms, or none of the Dragon Ball plan with King Kai and Kami-sama was a waste of my time.

I know we're supposed to say it's all a matter of opinion, but in the episode where Freeza is cut in half, no one was revived, was killed, transformed, and Kami's plan was finished. Is that a waste of time?

I'm not sure which is worse, the wedding dress arc, the fake Namek arc, or the two episode with Bulma and the crab. Gun to my head, I'd have to go with the wedding dress episodes, but they are all incredibly boring episodes.

[floofychan333]

Any episode in the fight where nobody dies, gets revived, transforms, or none of the Dragon Ball plan with King Kai and Kami-sama was a waste of my time.

I know we're supposed to say it's all a matter of opinion, but in the episode where Freeza is cut in half, no one was revived, was killed, transformed, and Kami's plan was finished. Is that a waste of time?

I forgot this but since it's the climax and basically the end of the fight it's no waste of time.

[gaberparadiso]

Tough choice. I'm going to list those episodes I just didn't like.
DB episodes 17-18: I'm going to get a lot of hates for this, but was that necessary to watch Goku and Krillin delivering milk?
DB episode 152: a bit pointless, and a Studio Live episode. Which is not a good thing.
DBZ episode 9: the robot episode... I don't like it, despite Freelance animation being cool.
DBZ episode 14: Princess Snake... we didn't need it.
DBZ episode 16: Gohan dealing with unnamed orphans. Just boring.
Anything related to fake Namek (saving only Bulma's underwear and Vegeta going to Namek. It was canon)
DBZ episode 59: Bulma dealing with Frieza's weakest henchmen. Back then I was annoyed for not being able to follow the real plot.
DBZ episode 170: the only good part was Piccolo's training in the ROSAT, animated by Takeuchi Tomekichi.
DBGT episode 14: Pan getting lost in an ample desert.
Those involving Omega Shenron. He's really a bland character.
DBS episode 1: it was mere filler. It had nothing to do with the plot.
DBS episode 17: Goku is so childish, just like Spongebob, and Chichi is annoying.
DBS episode 24: the animation was atrocious.

[OmegaRockman]

While the Pan in the desert episode is certainly close to the worst for me (I don't mind Pan too much but that episode was insufferable), my answer would have to be the Dolltaki (sp?) episodes of GT. That character made me feel plain unclean watching him try and strip Pan down. That was the most uncomfortable I've ever felt watching something DB. Other than that stuff, I don't really hate GT. It's certainly flawed, but has fun bits to it. As for other bad episodes in the franchise, they just kinda bore me more than invoke hate, except for maybe some of the retelling stuff in Super. But even then I can't bring myself to care that much since I have the movies right there on my shelf as alternatives. So yeah, those GT episodes are my most hated in the franchise.

[ABED]

I forgot this but since it's the climax and basically the end of the fight it's no waste of time.

I can think of several episodes during that whole fight that are better than some of the ones you deem "not a waste of time." For instance, the episode AFTER Goku turns Super Saiyan and beats the crap out of Freeza. While I don't dislike it as much as some, Freeza changing into his second form is most certainly a waste of time. The fight is certainly too long, but your view of what isn't a waste of time is any time there's a big reversal.

DB episodes 17-18: I'm going to get a lot of hates for this, but was that necessary to watch Goku and Krillin delivering milk?

Yes! It shows the quirkiness of Muten Roshi's training methods. Of ALL the episodes, that's amongst your least favorite? I can even understand the argument that it's overrated (I don't agree), but to put it amongst the worst?

[Dbzfan94]

DB
-the episode where Goku is training with Popo and he fights the doll version of himself made my Popo.
Don't hate it, just really boring. I happen to like the wedding dress arc but it does drag.

DBZ
-Fake Namek
-The one filler where Gohan transforms into an Oozaru from a projection of the moon being sent from Goku's spaceship. Piccolo destroys it and its just a huge plot hole.
-Bulma the crab and Freeza's weak ass henchmen

DBGT
-Agreeing with OmegaRockman when I say the parts with Dolltaki. He was legit a creep. Glad Rildo blew his head off lol

DBS
-Copy Vegeta. It was passable up until Goku came, and when he couldn't even tell who as the real Vegeta, I was done.
There's a lot of super-moron Goku moment that I hate but this one is the first that comes to mind.

[ABED]

Not an episode, but my least favorite of all of GT is the TV special. It's too mundane and un-Dragon Ball and just really boring.

I say the parts with Dolltaki. He was legit a creep. Glad Rildo blew his head off lol

He's a bad guy, so what's the issue?

[Krillin1994]

Any episode in the fight where nobody dies, gets revived, transforms, or none of the Dragon Ball plan with King Kai and Kami-sama was a waste of my time.

I know we're supposed to say it's all a matter of opinion, but in the episode where Freeza is cut in half, no one was revived, was killed, transformed, and Kami's plan was finished. Is that a waste of time?

I'm not sure which is worse, the wedding dress arc, the fake Namek arc, or the two episode with Bulma and the crab. Gun to my head, I'd have to go with the wedding dress episodes, but they are all incredibly boring episodes.

Ultimately Freeza being cut in half didn't amount to much since Goku still went on to give Frieza energy then 'finished' him with a Kamehameha. We could have avoided Frieza being cut in half and just have the Kamehameha be what required Freeza to become mecha.

I kind of find Frieza cutting himself in two to be anticlimactic. It kind of defeats the purpose of Goku transforming into SS.

[ABED]

Any episode in the fight where nobody dies, gets revived, transforms, or none of the Dragon Ball plan with King Kai and Kami-sama was a waste of my time.

I know we're supposed to say it's all a matter of opinion, but in the episode where Freeza is cut in half, no one was revived, was killed, transformed, and Kami's plan was finished. Is that a waste of time?

I'm not sure which is worse, the wedding dress arc, the fake Namek arc, or the two episode with Bulma and the crab. Gun to my head, I'd have to go with the wedding dress episodes, but they are all incredibly boring episodes.

Ultimately Freeza being cut in half didn't amount to much since Goku still went on to give Frieza energy then 'finished' him with a Kamehameha. We could have avoided Frieza being cut in half and just have the Kamehameha be what required Freeza to become mecha.

I kind of find Frieza cutting himself in two to be anticlimactic. It kind of defeats the purpose of Goku transforming into SS.

I disagree. Cutting himself in half was absolutely neccessary. It showed Freeza's desperation and how blinded by his own rage he was. It makes it a more interesting conflict than Goku just overpowering him, and you don't get to that point without Goku having turned Super Saiyan.

[Anime Kitten]

I kind of find Frieza cutting himself in two to be anticlimactic. It kind of defeats the purpose of Goku transforming into SS.

It's a good twist. You thought Goku was going to kill him on his own, but by the end, it was Frieza himself. And, you know, what ABED said.

[Nejishiki]

The ending of the Goku and Freeza battle is anti-climatic, in general. Goku quits right before the end and only opts to finish the job when Freeza rejects his mercy. Given all that we've went through, his ungrateful nature is weaker without being mutilated. That said, it was executed well so I don't think events closing without dramatic effect is poor. As for the purpose of Super Saiyan, was it not already fulfilled by then? Goku paradoxically achieved it, yet simultaneously made the legend into his own. It wasn't for the purpose Vegeta made it out to be, it was repurposed into what Goku wanted it to be. As vengeful and wild as he had become, he never completely lost his reason to the adrenaline. All of his decisions were sound so long as Kuririn wasn't mentioned.

[ABED]

It's not an anti-climax. It's not physically the highest point of action, but it is dramatically satisfying because it's based in character.

[Krillin1994]

I'm just playing devils advocate for the sake of discussion, but I find the getting cut in half far from the best part of the fight.

[Cipher]

I love the ending of the Goku vs. Freeza fight. Others have covered it, but after flirting all arc with what it means to obtain this legendary power rooted in the rage of a warrior race Goku can only halfway accept, Goku manages to retain enough of his personality and reason to be better than the form he's obtained -- he has all the pride and strength Vegeta touted, but has come out on top of the anger enough to show Freeza mercy and feel horrible when he has to be killed. (Not that Super Saiyan doesn't continue to wind up having repercussions for Goku's character, as his seeking strong opponents bears increasingly dangerous results due to his incredible strength, but that comes later.)

I like it as a general setpiece as well -- with both characters either exhausted or disinterested as the planet crumbles. It's much more satisfying than simply going out with the normal full-power clash. I also enjoy Freeza's comeuppance at the hands of his own attack, which manages to avoid being completely cliche as he immediately realizes what Goku's trying to do (direct the discs back at him), but winds up falling for it several pages later anyway (after Goku spots the discs and tells him to stay down, which is a great touch).

[Krillin1994]

I think it happens too fast, but then again I get that it kind of has to happen fast I.e there's no reaction time.

I just think I'd prefer it to happen a bit more slowly to let it sink in for the viewer I fee like its underplayed but I get what they were going for.