The Main Character(s)

[ABED]

I'm of the mind that the series' main character is Goku and should always stay that way. Other characters can get focus but he's been there from the beginning, and after a few years in the driver seat, there's no good reason to change it. For me, DB is at its best when Goku is the central character. I certainly enjoy it when other characters are given plenty to do like in the Saiyan arc and the Freeza arc, but switching main characters after years with the same character is a bad idea. I've never seen it done well, and the only counter example anyone has ever given me that might have merit is Naruto, but I've never seen the show and can't give an opinion.

[ekrolo2]

I wouldn't mind if Goku stayed the main guy forever if he got anything interesting to do besides spin his post-Namek wheel of "I'm gonna be selfish for my own amusement!" over and over and over again. Even the newest arc which is the only time Super has approached anything interesting to say with him can be boiled down to Goku doing selfish things for his own enjoyment which he'll have to clean up once shit inevitably goes south.

We're not getting any new insight into what makes him tick, we're not seeing him get put in situations where he has to do something different physically or intellectually to overcome an obstacle, he's literally been on nothing but autopilot since Namek. Even Battle of Gods the movie has him go through the same arc he already accomplished back when he was a kid.

[sintzu]

Naruto doesn't even change the main character, what it does is let characters like Sasuke go on their adventures and fight their fights while the main character Naruto does his own thing. This is what I'd like Dragon Ball to do every once in awhile.

Boruto is going to change the main character for his son and the next generation so we'll see how that turns out.

[omaro34]

Yes Goku suits the role of a main character, and should stay that way.

[sintzu]

I think Z had a really good balance between Goku and the other characters. no one was in the spotlight too long and everyone got their fair share of shining moments.

This might be why fans want the main character changed, it's not that we don't like Goku, we're just used to his screen time being limited in Z while in Super he's in everything like the original and GT.

[ABED]

Naruto doesn't even change the main character, what it does is let characters like Sasuke go on their adventures and fight their fights while the main character Naruto does his own thing. This is what I'd like Dragon Ball to do every once in awhile.

Boruto is going to change the main character for his son and the next generation so we'll see how that turns out.

I don't care about the next generation. Goku's generation was the next one. I'd much rather watch the aging gunfighter on his last ride than watch the hero's son take his place. It might work as a coda, but I don't have any desire to see that as a series.

This might be why fans want the main character changed, it's not that we don't like Goku, we're just used to his screen time being limited in Z while in Super he's in everything like the original and GT.

Great point, but it's a matter of execution. In DB it worked really well, and in GT it didn't. However, in GT, I think that was more of an effect than a cause of bad writing.

I feel as though people like the idea of someone else taking over than when they actually do. Fonzie was the fan favorite character in Happy Days, but the series sucked when he became the lead. The emotional core of the show was gone when Richie left.

[ekrolo2]

If Dragon Ball is to continue, it can only go in 3 directions. Reboot everything and work out a new interpretation of the universe, actually get someone willing to inject new ideas into the series so you're justified in the continued use of the same characters or replace the cast who clearly either can't or won't do anything worthwhile anymore.

[sintzu]

I don't care about the next generation. Goku's generation was the next one. I'd much rather watch the aging gunfighter on his last ride than watch the hero's son take his place. It might work as a coda, but I don't have any desire to see that as a series.

Great point, but it's a matter of execution. In DB it worked really well, and in GT it didn't. However, in GT, I think that was more of an effect than a cause of bad writing.

I feel as though people like the idea of someone else taking over than when they actually do.

I don't know how well it can work so I'll wait till Boruto gets an arc or 2 before judging the idea. if they decide to do that (they won't) then Goku and Vegeta will still have to be main characters cause no matter how good the characters are, they won't be able to hold the franchise without those 2.

DB was the 1st story so we had nothing to compare it to. GT and Super are coming off of Z which had an ensemble cast so going back to just one character is a step back for a lot of fans.

I think it depends on how it's done. Z managed to let others take over all the time and everyone loves it for that.

Super does have Vegeta (and Trunks for an arc) in the spotlight but you can still feel Goku's presence everywhere while in Z when a character was in the spotlight it was their moment and presence only.

[ABED]

DB was the 1st story so we had nothing to compare it to. GT and Super are coming off of Z which had an ensemble cast so going back to just one character is a step back for a lot of fans.

It wouldn't be just Goku. Goku would be the main character, but others would get plenty of focus as well. I don't see that as a step back at all.

I think it depends on how it's done. Z managed to let others take over all the time and everyone loves it for that.

But they didn't take over. Goku was still the focal point. The story was always building to his confrontation with the bad guy. It's not as though DB didn't give other characters plenty of time to shine even though the story revolved around Goku.

it was their moment and presence only.

I've never interpreted it that way. It's no different than any TV show where the main character is still the main character, but other storylines get more focus for a while.

[sintzu]

Reboot everything and work out a new interpretation of the universe, actually get someone willing to inject new ideas into the series so you're justified in the continued use of the same characters.

I think this is a good idea but there are 2 things that will prevent it from hapenning.

1- It's going to be very hard for the companies involved to get rid of all the arcs we have, DB has 6, Z has 4, GT has 4 & Super is on its 5th. telling fans to forget about all that is going to be very hard financially.

2- Finding someone who's willing to not only rewrite Toriyama's story but try to make it better is going to be even harder than the above. That'd be like someone saying they're going to reboot the original star wars trilogy and make it better than the original.

It wouldn't be just Goku. Goku would be the main character, but others would get plenty of focus as well. I don't see that as a step back at all.

But they didn't take over. Goku was still the focal point. The story was always building to his confrontation with the bad guy.

It's not as though DB didn't give other characters plenty of time to shine even though the story revolved around Goku.

I've never interpreted it that way. It's no different than any TV show where the main character is still the main character, but other storylines get more focus for a while.

I'm not saying it's factually a step back but to some like me, going from multiple characters to one is a step back.

They didn't fully take over but at the start of Namek for example the whole focus was on Vegeta, Gohan and krillin. if that arc was written now I think they would've sent Goku there with them from the start.

It did but the story never revolved around them like it did in Z.

Regardless of what it is, in Z he wasn't in our face 24/7 like he is in the other 3 shows.

[SansrivaaL]

Basically for me Goku is Dragon Ball's soul itself, without him, its not Dragon Ball, when I hear someone talk about DB the first thing that comes to mind is "oh fck, yeah I know Goku".
Tho I still prefer Gohan over Goku as a character but not to the point of giving the main role to Gohan.

[ekrolo2]

Reboot everything and work out a new interpretation of the universe, actually get someone willing to inject new ideas into the series so you're justified in the continued use of the same characters.

I think this is a good idea but there are 2 things that will prevent it from hapenning.

1- It's going to be very hard for the companies involved to get rid of all the arcs we have, DB has 6, Z has 4, GT has 4 & Super is on its 5th. telling fans to forget about all that is going to be very hard financially.

2- Finding someone who's willing to not only rewrite Toriyama's story but try to make it better is going to be even harder than the above. That'd be like someone saying they're going to reboot the original star wars trilogy and make it better than the original.

Its not like the arcs are going away and won't get pimped out by video games and merchandise if anything, creating a whole new continuity of Dragon Ball would just create even more possibilities for them to milk the shit out of it.

I'd also say Dragon Ball isn't so good that it can't get rewritten and executed better. It may be highly influential and important to the manga industry but it isn't really that well written that someone else couldn't come in and reimagine it with far better success. Most of the DB stuff is entirely average at best with the last two arcs of the "z-portion" being total farces quality wise.

Hell, Dragon Ball should get rebooted just on the grounds for its butt fucking stupid decision to plow through multiple arcs worth of content on Namek by annihilating Freeza's entire empire and setting the man itself up as the be all, end all antagonist when he didn't need to be. That'd be if One Piece had Luffy beat Crocodile then in the next arc he beats Black Beard.

[sintzu]

Its not like the arcs are going away and won't get pimped out by video games and merchandise if anything, creating a whole new continuity of Dragon Ball would just create even more possibilities for them to milk the shit out of it.

It may be highly influential and important to the manga industry but it isn't really that well written that someone else couldn't come in and reimagine it with far better success.

I know they won't go anywhere but I just think it'll be hard for them to say this is the "main" content now while everything else is irrelevant story wise. they won't do that with GT so the chances of them doing that with Z and Super are below 0.

It can be done better but its importance and influence will prevent people from trying.

Again, star wars and even the marvel movies are good examples of things being too big for someone new to try to change.

[ekrolo2]

Its not like the arcs are going away and won't get pimped out by video games and merchandise if anything, creating a whole new continuity of Dragon Ball would just create even more possibilities for them to milk the shit out of it.

It may be highly influential and important to the manga industry but it isn't really that well written that someone else couldn't come in and reimagine it with far better success.

I know they won't go anywhere but I just think it'll be hard for them to say this is the "main" content now while everything else is irrelevant story wise. they won't do that with GT so the chances of them doing that with Z and Super are below 0.

It can be done better but its importance and influence will prevent people from trying.

Again, star wars and even the marvel movies are good examples of things being too big for someone new to try to change.

Then make the new continuity a spin-off if the fanboys piss and moan about "canon" again.

Star Wars and the Marvel movies are good examples of vacuous cunts destroying creativity I agree, it doesn't mean that should be the standard for Dragon Ball, that shouldn't be the standard for anything but Super is a clear indication that this is precisely what it'll be going forward, good storytelling be damned.

[DragonBallFoodie]

Well, yes, Akira Toriyama tried to pass on the main character focus to Gohan many times and it just didn't work out because Gohan is more serious, less laidback and not as badass as Goku is.

Goku is a pretty revolutionary character, he's an idiot hero and a combat savant. He can't be replaced.

[SansrivaaL]

Well, yes, Akira Toriyama tried to pass on the main character focus to Gohan many times and it just didn't work out because Gohan is more serious, less laidback and not as badass as Goku is.

Goku is a pretty revolutionary character, he's an idiot hero and a combat savant. He can't be replaced.

Yes, he truly is a lovable main character compared to other cringey shonen main characters Gohan is your typical shonen main character.

[ABED]

I'm not saying it's factually a step back but to some like me, going from multiple characters to one is a step back.

Just telling a good story regardless of the number of characters is what's important and it's not even the number of minutes, it's quality of those minutes that matter. I feel DB did the best overall job of making use of its cast, and in that case, Goku was clearly in the lead role and did so without sacrificing interesting characters or their development.

They didn't fully take over but at the start of Namek for example the whole focus was on Vegeta, Gohan and krillin. if that arc was written now I think they would've sent Goku there with them from the start.

It probably would've if written today, but what I liked is that it didn't come off as an experiment with putting other characters in the driver seat. It made effective use of those characters while delaying the final confrontation between Goku and Freeza. It did so largely because it involved the Dragon Balls instead of a simple clash of powerful fighters. All sides were after the same goal and as long as one of them had at least one dragon ball, no one could achieve their goal. It's a setup that lends itself to using even weaker characters like Kuririn. That's not a pejorative, but Kuririn is clearly out of his league against Vegeta, Freeza and his henchmen. However, once Goku is on the battlefield, he's very much in the driver's seat.

It did but the story never revolved around them like it did in Z.

And that's not a negative. Muten Roshi, Kuririn, Tenshinhan, Bulma, and even Yajirobe all got developed and were used well.

Regardless of what it is, in Z he wasn't in our face 24/7 like he is in the other 3 shows.

That' more of a symptom than the underlying cause. It just seems odd that anyone complains that the hero is getting the focus in their own story.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

Agreed entirely. Dragon Ball is not some ensemble cast drama with multiple main characters. Son Gokuu whether people like him or not has always been the icon, the heart and soul of the franchise.

I wouldn't mind if other characters got something important to do but even if they don't I don't care. Not every cartoon needs to be a huge cast with a huge focus on everybody to be called "good". Toriyama is doing just fine. Yeah, Gokuu needs to be a little more smartly handled at times but would replacing him work? Nope. Never.

Naruto is Naruto's story. People equate relevance to main character status which is incorrect. Sasuke gets a lot of importance, sure. But the story is about Naruto achieving his dreams and Sasuke is a part of his journey. An essential part, but still a part. Naruto's goals are saving Sasuke from darkness and become Hokage. I think that is enough to qualify Naruto as the main character.

Now, they're changing things with Boruto, Naruto's son becoming the protagonist, but the series is called Boruto so it makes sense. If the brand Dragon Ball is dropped and something new is created then I'd be cool with the new generation becoming the main character, but as long as it is Dragon Ball Gokuu should be and I think I'm pretty sure will be the poster boy.

[sintzu]

Once Goku is on the battlefield, he's very much in the driver's seat.

Muten Roshi, Kuririn, Tenshinhan, Bulma, and even Yajirobe all got developed and were used well.

It just seems odd that anyone complains that the hero is getting the focus in their own story.

Then he got taken out again while Piccolo and Vegeta took over for awhile.

They never got anything like what Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, Gotenks and Future Trunks got.

It's because Z didn't fully focus on him. had Z been like DB then no one would be complaining.

[ABED]

Once Goku is on the battlefield, he's very much in the driver's seat.

Muten Roshi, Kuririn, Tenshinhan, Bulma, and even Yajirobe all got developed and were used well.

It just seems odd that anyone complains that the hero is getting the focus in their own story.

Then he got taken out again while Piccolo and Vegeta took over for awhile.

They never got anything like what Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, Gotenks and Future Trunks got.

It's because Z didn't fully focus on him. had Z been like DB then no one would be complaining.

Yes, and they did piss all against Freeza. They were buying time at best. That's not exactly what I would call the most constructive use of its cast. There are better ways to put the spotlight on characters than simply having them take up time against the bad guy until the hero arrives.

They did get plenty to do. Tenshinhan's arc was compelling. So what if he wasn't as instrumental in taking down the bad guy? Bulma actually had more to do than most characters by virtue of her instigating the story.

While I like the Saiyan arc and the Freeza arc, Z got repetitive with its formula of getting Goku out of the way and the audience playing the waiting game until he showed up.