Emperor Pilaf Saga or Saga Of Goku?

[Namek'jin Ryu]

I've heard, the Kidmark version that was released awhile back is called the "Saga of Goku", however; FUNimation stated somewhere along the lines that when they were to get the license, they were going to call it the "Emperor Pilaf Saga".

Either way it doesn't matter to me what people call it, just figured I'd try to help.

[Tsukento]

The whole series is about finding the Dragon Balls.

The Tenkaichi Budokai training wasn't about finding the Dragon Balls. The Red Ribbon Army arc was somewhat about it, but the main focus was also to stop the Red Ribbon Army. Goku spent more time fighting them off than he did acquiring the Dragon Balls. The next Tenkaichi Budokai had nothing to do with the Dragon Balls. Piccolo Daimao involved the Dragon Balls, but they weren't a primary focus. The main focus was that someone was going around killing martial artists and was trying to take over the world. Next Tenkaichi Budokai has nothing to do with the Dragon Balls. Also involves Goku having to defeat Ma Jr. (Piccolo).

So you can see, the entire series isn't about finding the Dragon Balls alone.

What about the entire Red Ribbon arc? Son Goku spends the entire time searching for his grandfather's Dragon Ball with the Red Ribbon Army just an annouance in his way. That's about searching for the Dragon Balls. They also spend time searching for the Balls after Roshi and friends are killed by Piccolo. It’s what stands in our heroes’ ways that warrant the saga’s title, what they are struggling against.

Note how Goku spent more time trying to stop the RR army from what they were doing.

"They also spend time searching for the Balls after Roshi and friends are killed by Piccolo?"

Uh..Roshi died from using the Mafuba. Chaozu was the only one killed by Piccolo. And Kuririn was killed by Tambourine. Let us not forget, the main focus was having Goku find Kuririn's murderer and then stopping Piccolo. He didn't even think of the Dragon Balls until after defeating Piccolo. Everyone else doing their own thing to get the Dragon Balls wasn't exactly focused much on.

As for the struggle warranting the title, you've proven my point. The first thirteen episodes focus more on collecting the Dragon Balls, which result in different situations per episode. Pilaf was absolutely no struggle of any kind until the final episodes of that batch.

I don't consider Jackie Chun a villian, more of an adversary. The Tournament saga is not about him, it's about Goku learning how to improve his skills. It's a way for Goku and Kuririn to show what they have learned from Roshi.

Right.

[Ricochet0082]

Calling the first 13 episodes the Dragon Ball saga can make it confusing to new and casual fans. If I'm talking with someone and I say I liked the Dragon Ball saga, would they know that I'm talking about the first 13 episodes, the first series, or all 508 episodes of the three series? Giving it a different name helps prevent the confusion.

I'm going to use another saga for an example. Back in 1977, a film simply called Star Wars came out. It was followed by two more films. When someone said they enjoyed Star Wars, you could be sure they were talking about the '77 film and not the other two. Once the prequels were made, saying you liked Star Wars could mean you like the genre, the films, or just the '77 film. That's why it has become necessary to call '77 film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, so that fans would not get confused of what you are talking about.

I know Roshi and friends were not all killed by Piccolo directly but due to his actions one way or another. Piccolo is still the primary cause for the deaths. That's what I was referring to when I made the statement.