Has TFS damaged the reputation of the franchise in the U.S.?

[Gyt Kaliba]

That's just it though - FUNimation's old dub didn't damage the series, because it clearly still has a huge fanbase here and makes tons of money; more money than most anime get to make in the US.

Now, did it damage the fanbase? Ohhhhhhhh yeaaaahhhh. Did it damage it's reputation? That's...still slightly debatable, as opinions on DB in general already vary wildly between anime fan to anime fan.

We can't point a parallel universe and see what would have been had we gotten a dub the quality of Kai or DBZ movies 1-3 from the beginning. I think had that been the case, the casual fans would've still been there, and there probably would've been more hardcore original fans.

That's exactly what I'm saying though - chances are things wouldn't have changed a lot, in the grand scale of things. There would still be fans who would dislike the dub for one reason or another, considering there are people that dislike dubs in general even if they're considered very well done by a lot of other fans; and the show would still have been extremely profitable for everyone involved. So while a more accurate dub from the get go would have been great for fans in general, it likely wouldn't really have changed much in regards to it's overall profitability nor it's 'reputation' in the US.

[voltlunok]

Not to beat a dead horse and all but...No I don't think they damaged the show's rep. I think overall they have grown the fanbase by a considerable amount and for that kudos. However I do think they have damaged the rep some characters had. While yeah he wasn't super effective in the show, I still weep for what has become of Yamcha. He is pretty much treated like garbage these days. Heck I'm really sure that 'play dead' super attack in Xenoverse is in someway due to how TFS treats the poor guy. Which sucks cause back in the day Yamcha was the coolest thing since sliced bread to some! (Seriously I'm a Yamcha fan.) I also think they might have done some damage to how many perceive Goku, he is seen less as a uneducated and naive person and just...pardon the use of this word. A full blown retard.

While I fully understand that this is parody and a lot people do as well. For every person that understands it's a joke, there will be 3 people who take the portrayal seriously.

[ABED]

I think overall they have grown the fanbase by a considerable amount and for that kudos.

I have no numbers, but my guess is they haven't grown the fanbase by much, if any.

[voltlunok]

I think overall they have grown the fanbase by a considerable amount and for that kudos.

I have no numbers, but my guess is they haven't grown the fanbase by much, if any.

I have no numbers myself. I'm just going off casual observations of the fandom at large and the fact I've had friends who have never seen DBZ ask to borrow my orange brick boxsets after watching Abridged. Though I will reword my statement a bit and say that they have grown perhaps the casual fanbase some.