"DBZ has no story." HOW?

[TripleRach]

Anyone have anything else to add?

Well, apparently I never did add my own thoughts, but I remember wanting to.

If Dragon Ball had no story, I wouldn't have been able to write thousands and thousands of words to describe its plot. And it's not just me being verbose, because summaries for pure action chapters were always shorter than the ones for more eventful chapters. As much as people try to say otherwise, it's absolutely not "punch, kick, explode, stare" all the time, or even the majority of the time. Many things happen.

I also think it's amazing that Toriyama was willing to do so many time skips to advance the plot. Gokuu could have just kept wandering around Earth as a kid, bumping into new villains in new areas, but instead we have a changing world with distinct story arcs.

[CaBrPi]

Sure, you can boil down Dragon Ball's plot to something like, "An idiot gets into fights and saves the world."

You can also boil down just about every plot ever to something similar.

Naruto: "An idiot tries to get approval."
One Piece: "An idiot sails around on the sea."
Transformers: "Robots fight."
Godzilla: "Monsters fight."

Even critically acclaimed movies can be over-simplified in a similar way.

Gran Torino: "An old guy doesn't like Asians."
The King's Speech: "The king stutters a lot."

What I'm trying to say is that, no matter what, when people want to hate something for "being stupid", they'll find a way to make it stupid. They'll find some sort of justification for their opinions, even if it's flat-out wrong.

Dragon Ball may not have the most engaging plot for some, but for me, the biggest attraction is how the characters grow and develop over time, how they effect each other, etc. The effects people can have on others has always been something I've found interesting, so, obviously, Dragon Ball is very appealing to me in that manner.

So, yeah. While Dragon Ball may not be as deep as something like, say, Angel Beats!, it's fun. It's fun to get to know the characters and watch them grow up. And, sometimes, it's fun to just turn of my thoughts and watch.

[matt0044]

What I'm trying to say is that, no matter what, when people want to hate something for "being stupid", they'll find a way to make it stupid. They'll find some sort of justification for their opinions, even if it's flat-out wrong.

You make a very good point. Took the words right out of my mouth actually.