Rank your favorite composer

[Valerius Dover]

I'm only familiar with three: Faulconer Productions, Kikuchi, and Yamamoto. From best to worst, imo:

If you're only familiar with these, then what did you do for the parts of Z Faulconer didn't score? And GT if you've seen it?

I mean, I'm only familiar with those composers. I don't know who makes those other themes. xD

Oh, well that would be Nathan Johnson for episodes 1-67 of Z, or Shuki Levy for the old Ocean Dub. Peter Berring for the short lived BLT Dub of the first series. Akihito Tokunaga and Mark Menza do the respective versions of GT. The former also did DB Movie 4 and the latter also did DBZ Movies 1, 6-9, and 11. And then we have Norihito Sumitomo for Movie 14 and The Final Chapters.

[Kakacarrottop]

1. Shuki Levy/Ron Wasserman/Kussa Mahehi
This score is underrated in my opinion. You hear people praising the Faulconer score all the time yet no one hardly ever talks about this one. It's still not quite clear who actually composed the majority of stuff for the Saban dub, although judging by recent interviews apparently Ron Wasserman did, yet Shuki Levy took all the credit (just like Bruce Faulconer). I'm a big fan of the original Saban/Ocean english dub, and the BGM is one of the main reasons why. Out of all the DB scores i've heard this one has the most variety in terms of mood, it knows when to be playful and fun, and it knows when to be dark and edgy. I mean it can feel somewhat out of place at times but when it works it works very well, like in the first Goku vs Vegeta fight for example. Ocean's take on that battle blew me away and i still think it's the best adaption of the original manga fight. That dark chanting sound that comes in when Goku starts pounding Vegeta still gives me goosebumps everytime.

2. Team Faulconer
As a baby of the 90s growing up in Australia i was mainly exposed to the original Funi dub, and therefore this score (although i saw a little bit of the Saban dub when i was very, very young). Team Faulconer's industrial/new age score is really inconsistent for me, when it doesn't work it just drones on and on and is boring/bland but when it's good it's incredible, like in the Babidi saga for example. For me they definitely produced some of their best work during that period, not just as DB composers but as musicians.

3. Nathan Johnson
I haven't really heard much of this score, although from what i did hear it sounded like music better suited for a horror film. I like it but it's nothing amazing or innovative. Johnson's score is sort of like the Levy score except without all the light-hearted moments.

4. Mark Menza
First and only score i watched GT with, so perhaps i'm a bit blinded by nostalgia, but the futuristic industrial/metal sound of the score just really suited GT. At times it got a bit repetitive but for the most part it worked.

5. All the Japanese composers
They worked for Dragon Ball and the movies but not so much for Z, Kai or GT. An ultra violent action show like DBZ should have an action score, not an outdated, old timey score that sounds like it's from the 50s. The fact they had to give Kai such an outdated score (when Kai was meant to be a modern take on Z) is just embarrassing.

6. The nu metal bands
All those nu metal bands Funi put in the soundtrack for their dubs of the movies do not work at all as BGM. I mean i like that sort of music but it's terrible in a DB score context.

[Naruto6583]

1. Shuki Levy/Ron Wasserman/Kussa Mahehi
This score is underrated in my opinion. You hear people praising the Faulconer score all the time yet no one hardly ever talks about this one. It's still not quite clear who actually composed the majority of stuff for the Saban dub, although judging by recent interviews apparently Ron Wasserman did, yet Shuki Levy took all the credit (just like Bruce Faulconer). I'm a big fan of the original Saban/Ocean english dub, and the BGM is one of the main reasons why. Out of all the DB scores i've heard this one has the most variety in terms of mood, it knows when to be playful and fun, and it knows when to be dark and edgy. I mean it can feel somewhat out of place at times but when it works it works very well, like in the first Goku vs Vegeta fight for example. Ocean's take on that battle blew me away and i still think it's the best adaption of the original manga fight. That dark chanting sound that comes in when Goku starts pounding Vegeta still gives me goosebumps everytime.

2. Team Faulconer
As a baby of the 90s growing up in Australia i was mainly exposed to the original Funi dub, and therefore this score (although i saw a little bit of the Saban dub when i was very, very young). Team Faulconer's industrial/new age score is really inconsistent for me, when it doesn't work it just drones on and on and is boring/bland but when it's good it's incredible, like in the Babidi saga for example. For me they definitely produced some of their best work during that period, not just as DB composers but as musicians.

3. Nathan Johnson
I haven't really heard much of this score, although from what i did hear it sounded like music better suited for a horror film. I like it but it's nothing amazing or innovative. Johnson's score is sort of like the Levy score except without all the light-hearted moments.

4. Mark Menza
First and only score i watched GT with, so perhaps i'm a bit blinded by nostalgia, but the futuristic industrial/metal sound of the score just really suited GT. At times it got a bit repetitive but for the most part it worked.

5. All the Japanese composers
They worked for Dragon Ball and the movies but not so much for Z, Kai or GT. An ultra violent action show like DBZ should have an action score, not an outdated, old timey score that sounds like it's from the 50s. The fact they had to give Kai such an outdated score (when Kai was meant to be a modern take on Z) is just embarrassing.

6. The nu metal bands
All those nu metal bands Funi put in the soundtrack for their dubs of the movies do not work at all as BGM. I mean i like that sort of music but it's terrible in a DB score context.

Um kai did have a modern score until they found out yamamoto infringed then it was replaced with kikuchi's ost

[TheKingOfKamehamehas]

I wouldn't really call Dragon Ball Z and GT ultra violent. There are so many other violent anime that are there like Fist of The North Star. I don't get the idea that Dragon Ball isn't also just as violent as Z and GT. Maybe the Pilaf saga, but that's it.

[theoriginalbilis]

An ultra violent action show like DBZ should have an action score, not an outdated, old timey score that sounds like it's from the 50s.

DBZ is ultra-violent? Anime titles such as Hellsing, Akira, or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure beg to differ.

By American children's animation standards? Perhaps.

[Fionordequester]

DBZ is ultra-violent? Anime titles such as Hellsing, Akira, or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure beg to differ.

By American children's animation standards? Perhaps.

See, but the difference is that the violence in Dragon Ball Z, for the most part, is fairly grounded. I don't know about the other examples you brought up, but Fist of the North Star, at least from what I've seen of it, is REALLY exaggerated in it's violence, to the point where watching it is a little like watching an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon. So I would still count Dragon Ball Z as a show that can occasionally be pretty dark and violent (especially with Spopovitch, Cell, Frieza, etc.).

Therefore, I think Kakkarattotop's point still stands, and I agree. Shunsuke Kikuchi's music is generally too light-hearted for a lot of the more violent moments. Heck, just rewatch Dragon Ball Z Movie 9, rewatch that scene where that sumo wrestler's neck is snapped, and TELL me that the music is actually as dark as it should be. The music should be violent, explosive, maybe a little like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGIoMc9FG0g&t=7m50s

Or maybe this, if you feel like making it even more violent.

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

But instead, the music is relatively relaxed. It's like "welp, here's our bad guys, guess they're up to some mischief now. I wonder when the heroes are gonna beat them up?".

EDIT: Oh yes, and here's the scene in question for comparison.

Dragon Ball Z Movie 9 Part 2