Countries that start with DBZ really missed a lot

[sintzu]

When I decided to start watching it I began with Dragon Ball but thought it was childish crap so I skipped to Dragon Ball Z.

You and others are great examples of fans who wouldn't be part of this fan base if you didn't skip to Z which proves that starting with Z (or Kai) is the best option for newcomers.

Has your opinion on DB changed after watching Z ? and were you a fan of other Shonen like Naruto before getting into dragon ball ?

[nite_jay]

When I decided to start watching it I began with Dragon Ball but thought it was childish crap so I skipped to Dragon Ball Z.

I think for a lot of people starting with DBZ was for the best.

I know all of Dragonball is aimed at children, but neither is necessarily "childish". The overall tone in Dragonball is a lot more wacky than DBZ, but that should never take away from it. Also, how exactly would you consider Dragonball childish; especially from episode 1?

[ABED]

When I decided to start watching it I began with Dragon Ball but thought it was childish crap so I skipped to Dragon Ball Z.

You and others are great examples of fans who wouldn't be part of this fan base if you didn't skip to Z which proves that starting with Z (or Kai) is the best option for newcomers.

Has your opinion on DB changed after watching Z ? and were you a fan of other Shonen like Naruto before getting into dragon ball ?

It doesn't prove a thing. It's anecdotal at best. And why DBZ? If you don't want something "childish", you're telling me you can't find something more "adult" in Dragon Ball?

Bullza, how many childish shows end with one of the main characters pissing themself?

[Soppa Saia People]

When I decided to start watching it I began with Dragon Ball but thought it was childish crap so I skipped to Dragon Ball Z.

I think for a lot of people starting with DBZ was for the best.

Do you mean immature ? Because I can't really see how DB is "childish crap".

[Bullza]

When I decided to start watching it I began with Dragon Ball but thought it was childish crap so I skipped to Dragon Ball Z.

You and others are great examples of fans who wouldn't be part of this fan base if you didn't skip to Z which proves that starting with Z (or Kai) is the best option for newcomers.

Has your opinion on DB changed after watching Z ? and were you a fan of other Shonen like Naruto before getting into dragon ball ?

Oh yeah drastically, I think I watched the first 4 episodes and up to the part where they try to catch Oolong with some panties before deciding "no I don't think so" and skipped it and went to DBZ but I ended up liking DBZ so much that after I watched the Cell arc I went back to Dragon Ball and watched it through its entirety.

Now I really like the show. I still think the Pilaf arc is weakest of the lot but it did improve from there.

For anyone getting into the show I'd personally say starting with the Piccolo Jr arc would probably be best.

[FortuneSSJ]

Of course they did. It's never a good choice when you start watching a story from the middle.

[ABED]

When I decided to start watching it I began with Dragon Ball but thought it was childish crap so I skipped to Dragon Ball Z.

You and others are great examples of fans who wouldn't be part of this fan base if you didn't skip to Z which proves that starting with Z (or Kai) is the best option for newcomers.

Has your opinion on DB changed after watching Z ? and were you a fan of other Shonen like Naruto before getting into dragon ball ?

Oh yeah drastically, I think I watched the first 4 episodes and up to the part where they try to catch Oolong with some panties before deciding "no I don't think so" and skipped it and went to DBZ but I ended up liking DBZ so much that after I watched the Cell arc I went back to Dragon Ball and watched it through its entirety.

Now I really like the show. I still think the Pilaf arc is weakest of the lot but it did improve from there.

For anyone getting into the show I'd personally say starting with the Piccolo Jr arc would probably be best.

Why start from the 23rd Budokai? If you aren't beginning at the beginning, why not the 21st or even the 22nd?

[nite_jay]

Oh yeah drastically, I think I watched the first 4 episodes and up to the part where they try to catch Oolong with some panties before deciding "no I don't think so" and skipped it and went to DBZ but I ended up liking DBZ so much that after I watched the Cell arc I went back to Dragon Ball and watched it through its entirety.

Now I really like the show. I still think the Pilaf arc is weakest of the lot but it did improve from there.

For anyone getting into the show I'd personally say starting with the Piccolo Jr arc would probably be best.

Starting from the beginning would still make more sense though. Just because there aren't fights to save the world every year doesn't make the story less important. If you are unfamiliar with Dragonball completely then starting from the beginning would give the best understanding of the series, especially with the manga.

[ABED]

Oh yeah drastically, I think I watched the first 4 episodes and up to the part where they try to catch Oolong with some panties before deciding "no I don't think so" and skipped it and went to DBZ but I ended up liking DBZ so much that after I watched the Cell arc I went back to Dragon Ball and watched it through its entirety.

Now I really like the show. I still think the Pilaf arc is weakest of the lot but it did improve from there.

For anyone getting into the show I'd personally say starting with the Piccolo Jr arc would probably be best.

Starting from the beginning would still make more sense though. Just because there aren't fights to save the world every year doesn't make the story less important. If you are unfamiliar with Dragonball completely then starting from the beginning would give the best understanding of the series, especially with the manga.

I will give the argument this much credence. Some series don't start off really strong, like Buffy, but become great. Still, I wouldn't suggest starting anywhere except for the beginning.

[Bullza]

Why start from the 23rd Budokai? If you aren't beginning at the beginning, why not the 21st or even the 22nd?

Well that's the starting point from when they all became adults. I started with DBZ and I was able to follow the series just fine except I didn't understand the relationship between Goku and Piccolo so if I'd have known I would have started one arc beforehand and then I'd also know about the link between Piccolo and Kami and Goku and most of the main cast like Tien and Yamcha who he didn't even see in DBZ until Trunks showed up.

So yeah I'd recommend to start with them in their adult years and where Goku became he strongest on Earth and where the more DBZ style fights started to come into it and if they liked that then to go back and watch the kid years.

[sintzu]

If you are unfamiliar with Dragonball completely then starting from the beginning would give the best understanding of the series.

Starting from the beginning fro someone new would give them the impression that the whole story is like that which could cause them to completely drop it.

Some series don't start off really strong, like Buffy, but become great.

Which is what I like about DB, it gets bigger and better with every arc but in today's world that might not be the best thing cause a lot of viewers don't have patience and expect a story to start off strong from the beginning.

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

If you are unfamiliar with Dragonball completely then starting from the beginning would give the best understanding of the series.

Starting from the beginning fro someone new would give them the impression that the whole story is like that which could cause them to completely drop it.

Some series don't start off really strong, like Buffy, but become great.

Which is what I like about DB, it gets bigger and better with every arc but in today's world that might not be the best thing cause a lot of viewers don't have patience and expect a story to start off strong from the beginning.

That´s only under the assumption that they might not like the beginning of Dragon Ball.

[Jaetinh]

Yeah, I've never understand why some people say original Dragon Ball can be skipped. Stuff like Gokuu dying in the first 5 episodes, it has a lot more impact if you have that back story.

Because 90% of us started with DBZ first and were able to get into it just fine. All I knew at the time was Piccolo was evil, I learned about all the other characters from watching through the filler in the Saiyan saga.

You know, I have to say all the filler in the Saiyan arc worked for this reason. We got to learn Goku's character during his adventures on Snake way, we learned about Gohan in the wild, we saw Piccolo training, we saw some of Krillin, Yamcha, etc. with Kami. Us Americans are glad for the filler.

90% of us, what the fuck are you talking about?

[ABED]

Why start from the 23rd Budokai? If you aren't beginning at the beginning, why not the 21st or even the 22nd?

Well that's the starting point from when they all became adults. I started with DBZ and I was able to follow the series just fine except I didn't understand the relationship between Goku and Piccolo so if I'd have known I would have started one arc beforehand and then I'd also know about the link between Piccolo and Kami and Goku and most of the main cast like Tien and Yamcha who he didn't even see in DBZ until Trunks showed up.

So yeah I'd recommend to start with them in their adult years and where Goku became he strongest on Earth and where the more DBZ style fights started to come into it and if they liked that then to go back and watch the kid years.

They don't have to be adults for it to be good. Goku is adult in age only. He's still the same character when he was younger. Knowing the link isn't the same as experiencing it. The fights in DB are just as good and you are missing out seeing how Goku became the strongest.

Which is what I like about DB, it gets bigger and better with every arc

Not necessarily true. I don't think the Freeza arc or the Cell or Buu arcs are as good as the Saiyan arc of the Piccolo Daimao arc, and the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai is one of the best parts of the entire story.

[TheGreatness25]

I think that a lot of things go into it. There are many people that are not interested in children's adventures. I'm like that, personally. I'm not interested in child protagonists. However, Dragon Ball transcends that notion for me because it's freakin' Dragon Ball. But I can see it. The beginning of Dragon Ball is vastly different from Z. I'd argue that Dragon Ball starts resembling the Saiyan arc of Z around the time of Piccolo Daimao. A person who was raised on Z first might have a certain expectation of the show that the early Dragon Ball episodes simply wouldn't live up to. If you're watching a show and in season 4, it takes a drastic change in tone, you might sour on it. Think of it the same in reverse. Z took the series into a sharp turn and if someone was brought up on that, they might not appreciate earlier Dragon Ball because it's like watching a totally different series.


With that said, I really believe that Dragon Ball is a great story and it should be given a chance. The first 13 episodes are so-so, but once Goku meets Kuririn and the Tenkaichi Budokai stuff starts up, I think the series is awesome. A lot of Red Ribbon Army stuff could be cut out and the filler could get annoying, but it's definitely a very unique and delightful show. The manga doesn't suffer from these problems, so if you're on the fence about whether to give early Dragon Ball a shot, perhaps you can read the manga and see if you get into it.

[sintzu]

Not necessarily true.

I didn't mean it as a fact but as a personal opinion.

I definitely see why someone would think the Saiyan arc is the best one or the Cell arc.

There are many people that are not interested in children's adventures.

I'm not interested in them as well but DB is the exception cause I had already seen Goku's adventures as an adult so I knew who he and everyone else were which made getting into DB very easy.

[Bullza]

They don't have to be adults for it to be good. Goku is adult in age only. He's still the same character when he was younger. Knowing the link isn't the same as experiencing it. The fights in DB are just as good and you are missing out seeing how Goku became the strongest.

But a lot of fans generally don't care as much for Dragon Ball as it lacks the things that made Dragon Ball Z so popular.

The Piccolo Jr saga though did have those things which is why it's a good starting point being as it's also the start of their adult hood and nothing that vital happened prior that causes you to miss out on too much moving forward.

[ABED]

There are many people that are not interested in children's adventures.

I'm not interested in them as well but DB is the exception cause I had already seen Goku's adventures as an adult so I knew who he and everyone else were which made getting into DB very easy.

What's wrong with children's adventures?

But a lot of fans generally don't care as much for Dragon Ball as it lacks the things that made Dragon Ball Z so popular.

It has great fights, interesting characters, lots of humor.

The Piccolo Jr saga though did have those things which is why it's a good starting point being as it's also the start of their adult hood and nothing that vital happened prior that causes you to miss out on too much moving forward.

A number of arcs have the those things. Nothing vital?! Kuririn died, Goku met every character except Gohan and Raditz at the start of the Saiyan arc. Even if you think DBZ was better, it's grossly unfair to say nothing important happened before or that everything else wasn't good except for the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. The characters are chronologically adults at the start of DBZ, but they aren't that different from when they were younger. And how often must someone say "IT'S ALL DRAGON BALL"?

[TheGreatness25]

For you, nothing is wrong with children's adventures. Some people aren't into it. For the same reason some people don't like superhero movies or sci-fi or some people don't like reading about tales of strange men tying up women. It's all personal preference. That's the point. Because half of Dragon Ball is so different from Z, it is possible that someone is interested in Z (a lot of sci-fi, aliens, explosions, transformations, battle for the Earth and for the universe) and not be interested in DB (story about a kid who's trying to grow strong, fighting in tournaments and basic self-exploration).


When you ask "what's wrong with children's adventures," I don't think you realize that nothing has to be wrong with it, but not everyone who enjoyed Z is obligated to like it.

[nite_jay]

The events in Dragonball were irrelevant to the fact that they were kids. The only event that I can recall with them being kids being relevant was their reveals after the 23rd Budokai timeskip, but even then the shock factor of them growing up could have easily been replaced with something else.