Do you think Dragon Ball will be remembered in 60 years?

[LoganForkHands73]

I think Dragon Ball has made a large enough cultural impact that it will at least be remembered, but whether it has a relevant, active fandom is a very different proposition. I personally doubt it will still have the latter. Most big IPs come back in waves to both recapture a nostalgic audience and entice new viewers, who will in turn become the next nostalgic audience in another 10 or 20 years. The whole revival era has been about preying on older generations that already grew up with Dragon Ball and then targeting their kids. Iyoku has outright confirmed that this is his approach to managing the brand. Daima had more GT fanservice because the generation that grew up with that show would now be old enough to introduce this updated reimagining to their kids. The western fandom that grew up with Toonami are also undoubtedly a huge part of the target demographic.

The upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Beerus remake will air approximately 13 years after the Battle of Gods movie. We're rapidly approaching a point in time where people are starting to get nostalgic about the nostalgia-baiting revival era.

There's only so many times that the serpent can eat its own tail, though. Sooner or later, there will be a much more noticeable quality drop (more than there already has been, some might say) and there will be fewer old fans to entice back, and new audiences will have their attentions drawn away to other, trendier things.

Another issue is that Dragon Ball has already cannibalised itself so much with unoriginal, repetitive stories that there are going to be fewer ways for the corporate hacks to reiterate them later down the line. There are like... three or four genuinely cool and original ideas from the Super era that audiences like enough to stick around for, but what happens after that? As much as new transformations sell and people eat that shit up, they can't keep making new hair colours for the rest of time. Eventually, people will tune out. The likes of Ultra Ego, Orange Piccolo and Beast Gohan are already pushing it to the point of parody.

The lack of Toriyama's creative voice is a big problem. So far, nobody seems willing to fill his shoes and drive the train to a new destination. The biggest post-Toriyama announcement has been a remake of a story that's already been told three times, and a long-overdue animated adaptation of a manga-exclusive arc which will probably get delayed for another two years. I'm not even against all of it, but be real, it's basically more of the same shit.

[JulieYBM]

The lack of Toriyama's creative voice is a big problem. So far, nobody seems willing to fill his shoes and drive the train to a new destination. The biggest post-Toriyama announcement has been a remake of a story that's already been told three times, and a long-overdue animated adaptation of a manga-exclusive arc which will probably get delayed for another two years. I'm not even against all of it, but be real, it's basically more of the same shit.

I think that it's important to keep in mind that these things are all philosophically self-imposed restrictions. Dragon Ball's lack of ambition has had two root causes: Toriyama's own approach to storytelling and the generally restrained intentions of Toei Animation staff so as to not work outside of Toriyama's approach. The latter approach even went through the trouble of having Toriyama write four film scripts and micro-manage the scripts for Daima.

All this is really to just say: future Dragon Ball projects can be good, they just need to intend to be.

I'd argue that the Tournament of Power and Broly both proved that this was possible thanks to Nagamine's leadership, although even then those projects are still no less restrained that arcs from the original comic.

[ma0u]

Well, fast forward 10 years after CC Tokyo has re-released all of DBS, I feel that Z/Kai, the upcoming DBS release, and Bandai video games will be what fans picture when someone says "Dragon Ball". Meanwhile OG Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super (2015) and Dragon Ball Daima material will likely be seen as secondary.

The original Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z material will be remembered and continue to inspire future work for ages to come. I mean, yes, this is primarily just material we have all previously watched/read (in the case of DBS Beerus, this will be the 4th time we see this after BoG movie, and the original DBS manga and anime), but I feel that seeing the new and improved release of DBS Beerus and DBS Galactic Patrol series by CC Tokyo could give Dragon Ball fans, as well as anime fans of today and tomorrow, plenty to look forward to.

This is just my guess in the event the new DBS releases are well received. Now if CC Tokyo completely face plants and these releases are terrible, then in terms of new material, games will be the only thing left to appreciate. Otherwise these upcoming CC Tokyo DBS re-releases should hold off on that ultimatum for another decade, give or take.

[Mr Baggins]

Is this even a question?

Dragon Ball established so many of the tropes and devices associated with modern battle shonen that you could argue it's the ur-example of one, made by an author that remained more creative than arguably any of his spiritual successors at WSJ to this day. Nothing in its genre has topped the original series.

60 years is rookie numbers. It will be remembered for well over a hundred.

[Yellow Flower King]

There are two questions here. Will Dragon Ball be remembered in its 60th anniversary? Very likely. Will it be remembered 60 years from now? that's a way trickier question.

[super michael]

There are many Disney, Marvel and DC cartoon and comics that has been out for many years, yet people remembers them. Mickey Mouse is almost going to be 100 years since it came out.

[nineko]

Indeed, but they're still actively publishing new stuff, the MCU is a multibillion dollar franchise by this point, and DC just rebooted their universe thanks to James Gunn, it's not like they're letting people forget that they exist, we know that Benjamin Parker is going to die. By comparison, Dragon Ball is publishing a lot less material than them. Even Pokémon is way more active if you want a comparison in the anime world. Even if people would want to forget, chances are that you have a friend who plays Pokémon Go. And Disney is even more omnipresent than all of them combined.

A fairer question to ask ourselves would be: are there any franchises from 60 years ago that we still remember even if they're not being constantly pushed down our throats? I was about to name the Happy Days TV show, but I looked it up and it's only in its 40s as of today (50s if you consider its beginning, but I'm considering its ending), time sure goes by in weird ways.

Star Trek? Doctor Who? All of them got reboots or continuations of some kind, it's rare for a franchise to sit untouched for 60 years and still be popular. I sure hope they'll find a way to have new stories to tell, I already said this once: only two of the James Bond movies have been released before Ian Fleming's death, it's not impossible for Dragon Ball to outlive Toriyama, though it's hard to be optimistic at this point, since all we have on the plate as of now are yet more retellings.

[LoganForkHands73]

Indeed, but they're still actively publishing new stuff, the MCU is a multibillion dollar franchise by this point, and DC just rebooted their universe thanks to James Gunn, it's not like they're letting people forget that they exist, we know that Benjamin Parker is going to die. By comparison, Dragon Ball is publishing a lot less material than them. Even Pokémon is way more active if you want a comparison in the anime world. Even if people would want to forget, chances are that you have a friend who plays Pokémon Go. And Disney is even more omnipresent than all of them combined.

A fairer question to ask ourselves would be: are there any franchises from 60 years ago that we still remember even if they're not being constantly pushed down our throats? I was about to name the Happy Days TV show, but I looked it up and it's only in its 40s as of today (50s if you consider its beginning, but I'm considering its ending), time sure goes by in weird ways.

Star Trek? Doctor Who? All of them got reboots or continuations of some kind, it's rare for a franchise to sit untouched for 60 years and still be popular. I sure hope they'll find a way to have new stories to tell, I already said this once: only two of the James Bond movies have been released before Ian Fleming's death, it's not impossible for Dragon Ball to outlive Toriyama, though it's hard to be optimistic at this point, since all we have on the plate as of now are yet more retellings.

I share your view. Some IPs only stay relevant by constantly producing content and reminding people they exist. Others take breaks and make comebacks when the time feels right. Dragon Ball feels rudderless without Toriyama and we seem to just be getting the dregs that he didn’t live long enough to see completed.

I was actually going to mention Star Trek. That’s an example of a trailblazing franchise that more or less dominated TV sci-fi for the best half of the last century, but from my perspective as a more casual fan, it seems like one of those franchises that is reaaaally struggling to stay culturally relevant now. Part of that is due to a perceived quality drop or audience shift with the latest shows, but something about the whole brand feels dated now. Doesn’t help that it’s all locked behind a Paramount+ subscription. There are other media phenomena that were big once but completely fell off the radar.

I would never assume that Dragon Ball is immune to being dated. It’s already happening to some extent as people are growing increasingly aware of how badly the sexual humour from the early comics has aged. I personally like that Dragon Ball is aesthetically dated in other ways, e.g. the old technology and whimsical tone which you don’t see quite as often in modern manga, but that may not fly with younger generations either. By my estimation, there’s probably one more generation that Toei can squeeze before they run out of steam.

We may be drifting away from the original premise of the thread, which was simply about whether DB will be remembered. I definitely think it will be, at least. But its popularity will certainly decline. I like to imagine that even if humanity is obliterated, there will be pockets of people recreating half-remembered scenes from the anime, like that play about a post-apocalyptic clan doing the same for old Simpsons episodes which faded into myth.

[Koitsukai]

I have no doubt it will be remembered, but thinking so far ahead, what I'm afraid of is that it'll become a fuckfest like American comics, with too many writers doing their own thing, constantly rebooting the story, introducing “Prime” versions and alternate timelines, until it all turns into a mess where nothing really feels definitive anymore. Like with Supes, Batman or Spider Man, where there are so many different interpretations that the original continuity barely even matters.

Of course, right now they are too afraid of even deviating from Akira's take, but it's bound to happen.

[JulieYBM]

I have no doubt it will be remembered, but thinking so far ahead, what I'm afraid of is that it'll become a fuckfest like American comics, with too many writers doing their own thing, constantly rebooting the story, introducing “Prime” versions and alternate timelines, until it all turns into a mess where nothing really feels definitive anymore. Like with Supes, Batman or Spider Man, where there are so many different interpretations that the original continuity barely even matters.

Of course, right now they are too afraid of even deviating from Akira's take, but it's bound to happen.

Dragon Ball is already like this, though. There's spin-off galore and while one might be able to point to the 1984-1995 comic as the only 'true' Dragon Ball, it's ultimately just a silly conversation to have because the quality of a story doesn't hinge on where it's got some super special validity, it's dependent on whether or not it's a good work that means someone to the individual.

Even that being said, I think getting away from all that IP nonsense is good for people. Will Dragon Ball be remembered in sixty years? Even if it is or is not remembered, you should be off reading other shit, too.

[super michael]

I have no doubt it will be remembered, but thinking so far ahead, what I'm afraid of is that it'll become a fuckfest like American comics, with too many writers doing their own thing, constantly rebooting the story, introducing “Prime” versions and alternate timelines, until it all turns into a mess where nothing really feels definitive anymore. Like with Supes, Batman or Spider Man, where there are so many different interpretations that the original continuity barely even matters.

Of course, right now they are too afraid of even deviating from Akira's take, but it's bound to happen.

Dragon Ball is already like this, though. There's spin-off galore and while one might be able to point to the 1984-1995 comic as the only 'true' Dragon Ball, it's ultimately just a silly conversation to have because the quality of a story doesn't hinge on where it's got some super special validity, it's dependent on whether or not it's a good work that means someone to the individual.

Even that being said, I think getting away from all that IP nonsense is good for people. Will Dragon Ball be remembered in sixty years? Even if it is or is not remembered, you should be off reading other shit, too.

I rather read other manga and watch other anime than think about if Dragon Ball will be remembered many years from now.

There are anime that reference Dragon Ball, like they use the Kamehameha in their anime or use similar techniques and transformation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS3S2tGf3RQ
Veldora uses the Kamehameha

[Adamant]

A franchise as big as Dragonball will obvious be remembered even after it turns 100. Look at the comics that turn 100 around these times - they include Nancy, Little Orphan Annie and POPEYE. Sure neither of them are in their prime, but they're definitely remembered and will very likely continue to be for many more years.

[MasenkoHA]

A franchise as big as Dragonball will obvious be remembered even after it turns 100. Look at the comics that turn 100 around these times - they include Nancy, Little Orphan Annie and POPEYE. Sure neither of them are in their prime, but they're definitely remembered and will very likely continue to be for many more years.

I get what you’re saying but I also literally had to google what Nancy was and only guessed it was a comic strip from context clues

[ma0u]

Dragon Ball has left such a unmistakable footprint on the history of anime that it will never be forgotten, but in terms of how tomorrow's generation will perceive the series is almost impossible.

Take Mickey Mouse, he comes with so many different interpretations of him—from his days as Steamboat Willie and Fantasia of the early 20th century, to the 60s-90s the Mickey Mouse Club, or The Prince and Pauper and video games like Mickey Mania and Castle of Illusion of the 90s video games, and then onto 21st century CGI interpretations of him on toddler shows and as the almost century long staple front for Disney.

When someone mentions Spider-Man, Superman and Batman—all of which originate from Marvel or DC comics, but each have so many different comic, movie and series continuities that it's the characters themselves (and in the live movie/TV series adaptations, their actors) who help immortalize them.

Star Wars was a bit different, as it was a space opera turned media franchise almost immediately after the release of the original movie in 1977 movie—then the sequels, prequels, spin-offs, animated series, more sequels and more spin-offs have continued on for almost 50 years with a franchise that revolutionized merchandising in toys and collectibles.

Now Dragon Ball isn't a Marvel or DC comics series or military science fiction franchise like Star Wars and Gundam, but it's still one of the best manga and anime series of all time; however, aside from games and web series like Heroes, the series never really expanded outside the life of Son Goku in the manga and anime series.

If it turns out that Dragon Ball isn't something that kids, grand kids and great-grand kids of the future don't recognize because the series was never rebooted and/or churned out into something like Evolution, that would be fine with me. In truth, the only absolute I would bet on for the future of Dragon Ball really lies on Bandai—with the video games, toys, cards and collectibles being the time immortal variable for the upcoming century in terms of what pops up when someone brings up or searches for Dragon Ball. It's a style of memorabilia that carries a unique retro aesthetic which will continue to draw people in.

My own hopeful scenario would be seeing CC Tokyo producing and releasing new non-Dragon Ball related material while using the same art style as Dragon Ball, Sand Land and Dr. Slump. Perhaps sharing the same comedic name based rules and Japan world aesthetics, and even allowing for different Toriyama characters in the background from time to time. Like Dr. Slump and the 16 DB/Z movies, I imagine these to carry no real canon timeline or continuity in age or events with Dragon Ball necessarily, instead just fun, memorable cameos.

In terms of the possibility of the actual Dragon Ball timeline expanding into the future, I would also have no problem with seeing Goku Jr., Vegeta Jr., along with their human friends, and maybe some futuristic Capsule Corp tier mech and/or super suits being something in one these future continuations in the future. I think It would be interesting if they let us watch Goku Jr. and Vegeta Jr. grow up from child to adult, making a series with some time jumps of its own, allowing for a more expansive timeline (like DB Online had).

[Adamant]

Youngsters these days haven't heard of Nancy? Now I feel old.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Yeah, millennial myself and never heard of Nancy, Little Orphan Annie. Popeye, yes.

[JulieYBM]

Y'all gotta get on tgirl Twitter, Nancy is cool as hell

[Gaffer Tape]

It breaks my heart how many people in this thread don't know about Nancy! Holy crap!

But I think that goes to show that whether or not something is "remembered" is entirely dependent on an individual's perspective and experiences. Will Dragon Ball be remembered? Eh. It depends. By whom? Dragon Ball is a big part of my job, but for most of my real-world friends and connections? They couldn't care less about Dragon Ball! I completely agree with Julie that its popularity doesn't really matter to me one way or the other. I'm almost never engaging in something when it's popular. My latest current obsession is Degrassi, and nobody gives a crap about that right now!

[PowerPhantom245]

Consider the fact, Looney Tunes (1930) is almost 100 years old and still making new contents, with "The Day the Earth Blew Up" and upcoming "Coyote vs. Acme", Dragon Ball would definitely remembered for long, LONG, time.

[Thanos]

I’m sure the average person will be familiar with the franchise in 60 years. Whether that’s as an old-fashioned thing that old people like or an active IP with ongoing content and merchandise, that’s another matter. My feeling is that it has an irreplaceable place in anime history, so as long as anime is relevant Dragon Ball’s shadow will loom over it and it will be referenced and cited for its influence as the template for the shonen archetype.

I’m sure a time where you simply cannot find Dragon Ball merchandise of any kind anywhere won’t happen this century. There’s a number of subfandoms in Dragon Ball—anime, manga, video games, card games, toys/merch, etc.—many of which are evergreen, and it’s hard to imagine all of them completely running out of steam and becoming irrelevant for decades. There has been a near-yearly release of video games since 2002. XV2 is over a decade old, still receiving content and its sequel is on the horizon. Let’s say for whatever reason all that stuff stops and nothing new is made. That won’t happen for many years. At that point, who knows how long all that stuff will keep the fandom engaged with existing content like it was able to for those 16 years. Power level debates from 35 years ago continue to rage on.

I don’t know about 60 years but I wouldn’t bet against it.