How do you divide up the series into arcs/sagas?

PiccoloFan7289 · Post by **PiccoloFan7289** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:13 pm

List your personal division of how you divide up the series into arcs/sagas. I consider Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z to be one series so I start off the first episode of Z as Episode 154. Here is how I divide up things.

Dragon Ball Search (001-013)
21st Tenkaichi Budoukai Arc (014-028)
Red Ribbon Army Arc (029-068)
Uranai Baba Arc (069-078)
22nd Tenkaichi Budoukai Arc (079-101)
Piccolo Daimao Arc (102-122)
23rd Tenkaichi Budoukai Arc (123-148)
Wedding Dress Arc (149-153)
Saiyan Arc (154-188)
Namek Arc (189-260)
Garlic Jr. Arc (261-270)
Artificial Human Arc (271-347)
Ano Yo-ichi Budoukai Arc (348-352)
Majin Buu Arc (353-444)

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:19 pm

Goku / Pilaf / Dragon Balls (pick one!)
21st Tenkaichi Budokai
Red Ribbon Army
22nd Tenkaichi Budokai
King Piccolo
23rd Tenkaichi Budokai

Saiyans
Freeza
Androids / Cell
Majin Boo

Grand Tour
Baby
Super 17
Evil Dragons

There's no real method or strict system to it... just divided up by how I perceive "major events" or big timeskips.

For the most part, it has to do with how seamlessly or otherwise the parts of the story "flow" into each other. The story shifts its focus rather sharply after each arc during Dragon Ball, as it does between the Saiyan and "Namek" arcs of Z. But everything within Majin Boo, all the way from Gohan's short-lived escapades as the Great Saiyaman until the defeat of Pure Boo... all these events flow pretty naturally into one another, despite how all over the place the story actually was.

Same with Trunks' appearance all the way through the Cell Games. There's no one big jarring point at which things are resolved, but THEN something new comes up. Super 17 barely counts as its own "saga" because although it served as a short prologue of sorts for the Evil Dragons, it was still self-contained enough to stand as its own little story (humongous plot-holes aside).

Pokewhiz7 · Post by **Pokewhiz7** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:23 pm

Exactly what Kaboom said.

PiccoloFan7289 · Post by **PiccoloFan7289** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:29 pm

Kaboom wrote:Goku / Pilaf / Dragon Balls (pick one!)
21st Tenkaichi Budokai
Red Ribbon Army
22nd Tenkaichi Budokai
King Piccolo
23rd Tenkaichi Budokai

Saiyans
Freeza
Cell
Majin Boo

Grand Tour
Baby
Super 17
Evil Dragons

There's no real method or strict system to it... just divided up by how I perceive "major events" or big timeskips.

yes I agree there are many ways you can divide it up. Now that I think about it you could even divide up the series into Five Big Sagas based on the time skips.

Son Goku Saga (Takes place in the years 749-750. Goes from Episode 001 to Episode 078)
Piccolo Saga (Takes place in the year 753 and 756. Goes from Episode 079 to Episode 153)
Freeza Saga (Takes place in the year 761,762, and 763. Goes from Episode 154 to 270)
Cell Saga (Takes place in the year 764 and 767. Goes from Episode 271 to Episode 352)
Majin Buu Saga (Takes place in the year 774. Goes from Episode 353 to Episode 444)

jjgp1112 · Post by **jjgp1112** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:33 pm

I just go by the Funimation system.

PiccoloFan7289 · Post by **PiccoloFan7289** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:35 pm

jjgp1112 wrote:I just go by the Funimation system.

Nothing wrong with that. A lot of people do.

Cipher · Post by **Cipher** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:49 pm

Kaboom wrote:Same with Trunks' appearance all the way through the Cell Games. There's no one big jarring point at which things are resolved, but THEN something new comes up. Super 17 barely counts as its own "saga" because although it served as a short prologue of sorts for the Evil Dragons, it was still self-contained enough to stand as its own little story (humongous plot-holes aside).

So why separate the "Grand Tour" from the Baby arc? This is one of those generally accepted fandom things I've never understood. Sure, episode 22 serves as something of a mini-climax, but it's very much the same storyline, plot-wise. Especially when you have the entire second search for the Dragon Balls as one storyline, despite the separate climaxes of the actual Red Ribbon material and the Uranai Baba material.

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:57 pm

Cipher wrote:So why separate the "Grand Tour" from the Baby arc?

Eh, kind of for the same reason why the original DB hunt is separated from the 21st Budokai. The first half is like a collection of a whole bunch of smaller subsequent stories. They just so happen to introduce someone who becomes important in the next major story. Baby is introduced out in space and later becomes a big villain back on Earth, much in the same way Muten Roshi was introduced during the Dragon Ball hunt and then becomes a major part of the 21st Budokai (as Goku's final opponent).

funrush · Post by **funrush** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:24 pm

jjgp1112 wrote:I just go by the Funimation system.

Same. Except I do like to change some parts of it, such as the Anoyichi Budokai part not being part of the Great Saiyaman arc, or including the Captain Ginyu arc into the Namek arc.

Gaffer Tape · Post by **Gaffer Tape** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 6:37 pm

Aside from the GT stuff, which I don't really know enough of to comment on, my list is exactly the same as Kaboom's, and for exactly the same reasons he listed: there are clear, narrative divisions in between each of those ten arcs. Each one is its own clearly separated story. Divide them up any farther than that, and you suddenly have "arcs" coming to an end where the storyline has not been resolved.

Fox666 · Post by **Fox666** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:19 pm

Kaboom wrote:Goku / Pilaf / Dragon Balls (pick one!)
21st Tenkaichi Budokai
Red Ribbon Army
22nd Tenkaichi Budokai
King Piccolo
23rd Tenkaichi Budokai

Saiyans
Freeza
Androids / Cell
Majin Boo

That's pretty much it. The only thing missing is Uranai Baba.

Edit: nevermind, official sources seems to separate arcs based on episode numbers.

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:28 pm

PiccoloFan7289 wrote:
jjgp1112 wrote:I just go by the Funimation system.
Nothing wrong with that. A lot of people do.

This reminds me of an old joke a friend told me back in the day: "FUNi's gonna make sagas for all of Buu's forms."

Cipher · Post by **Cipher** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:32 pm

Kaboom wrote:Eh, kind of for the same reason why the original DB hunt is separated from the 21st Budokai. The first half is like a collection of a whole bunch of smaller subsequent stories. They just so happen to introduce someone who becomes important in the next major story. Baby is introduced out in space and later becomes a big villain back on Earth, much in the same way Muten Roshi was introduced during the Dragon Ball hunt and then becomes a major part of the 21st Budokai (as Goku's final opponent).

But the plot of the ultimate Dragon Balls, the one that begins the series, doesn't actually resolve until episode 40 with the Earth exploding. And the plot starts building toward the threat of Baby as early as episode 8, since the Luud cult is connected to him as well. Your analogy would work if the first Dragon Ball hunt didn't end until Pilaf showed up at the finals of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, holding the one-star ball.

I just don't see it. I mean, I'd get it if you were dividing the story by each actual climax, but then you'd have to separate the Uranai Baba stuff and the wedding dress stuff, etc. And even then, while episode 22 is definitely the climax of the seven-episode mini-arc on M2, it's only kind of/sort of a proper climax to all the space-adventuring before it. The format of the show plugs right along for the next fews episode. The focus doesn't even shift to Earth until episode 25.

Then again, this sort of thing doesn't matter anyway.

Here's how I mentally label the series:

First Dragon Ball hunt
21st Tenkaichi Budokai (includes training with Kame-Sennin)
Second Dragon Ball hunt (Red Ribbon Army and Uranai Baba)
22nd Tenkaichi Budokai (includes Goku's solo-training in the anime)
Piccolo Daimao
23rd Tenkaichi Budokai (includes Goku training with God)

Saiyans
Namek (can include the Saiyan arc)
(Garlic Jr.)
Androids
(Anoyoichi Budokai)
Majin Buu

Baby
Super 17
Evil Dragons (can include Super 17)

LeprikanGT · Post by **LeprikanGT** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:35 pm

Z=

Saiyan
Namek
Ginyu
Frieza
Garlic Jr.
Trunks
Android
Imperfect Cell
Perfect Cell
Cell Games
Great Saiyaman
Tournament
Babidi
Majin Buu
Fusion
Kid Buu

spaceace998 · Post by **spaceace998** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:02 pm

I break Z down a little further; I go:

Saiyan (1-36)
Namek (37-75)
Freeza (76-107)
Garlic Jr (108-117)
Artificial Humans (118-137)
Cell (138-193)
Future / Afterlife Tournament (194-199)
Saiyaman / Tournament (200-219)
Boo (220-276)
Final Battle (277-291)

It's almost the same as everyone else in the end, give or take a few episodes. The plot can be broken down only so many ways.

Vegeta Jr · Post by **Vegeta Jr** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:43 pm

Same as Kaboom, it's just easier to remember it by the main villain/event.

Post by **Herms** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:29 pm

Fox666 wrote:It seems that the "official" sources doesn't know very well what a story arc is and we have things like "Vegetto arc" (yek!).

Where's that from?

Zephyr · Post by **Zephyr** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 1:36 am

I divide them this way due to certain conflicts merely being a small part of a bigger one, or due to certain conflicts/events leading straight into others without a timeskip between them. May be a bit odd, but here goes:

I. Prologue
First Dragonball hunt
Training with Kame Sennin

II. Red Ribbon Army
21st Tenkaichi Budokai
Red Ribbon Army conflict
Goku's solo training

III. Piccolo Daimao
22nd Tenkaichi Budokai
Piccolo Daimao
23rd Tenkaichi Budokai

IV. Namek
Saiyan
Namek
Freeza

V. Androids
Trunks
Androids
Cell

VI. Buu
25th Tenkaichi Budokai
Buu

VII. Baby
Grand Tour
Baby

VIII. Evil Dragons
Super 17
Evil Dragons

Also, I leave the Garlic Jr. arc and the Afterlife Budokai arc out, due to certain things I choose not to apply to my personal canon due to plotholes and such. The only reason I keep the Super 17 arc in despite this motive is due to how it leads directly into the Evil Dragons arc.

Tanooki Kuribo · Post by **Tanooki Kuribo** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 1:40 am

Man, people really put some thought into this, huh. I just say the main villain or event that's happening and that's it. Done.

The Time Traveller · Post by **The Time Traveller** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 12:42 pm

Son Goku (the Start to losing the Tenkaichi Budokai to Jackie Chun)
Red Ribbon (End of the Tenkaichi Budokai and up to Goku losing to Tenshinhan)
Piccolo (Losing to Tenshinhan to marrying Chichi)
Vegeta (Start of Z to Everyone in hospital)
Freeza (Hospital to Trunks killing Freeza)
Cell (Trunks to Cell dying)
Boo (High school Gohan to the end of Z!)
Baby (Start of GT to Baby getting killed)
Super 17 (Blah)
Yi Jing Long (Blah Blah)

Kanzenshuu

How do you divide up the series into arcs/sagas?

How do you divide up the series into arcs/sagas?

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