It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

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It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by PanSimpson » Sat May 01, 2021 2:02 pm

Pigtail Videl was AWESOME. She might have been the most fun character for Toriyama because she was incredibly nosy and all she did was have mean looks on her face and get all up in Gohan’s business and sneer at him.

But that’s what I LOVED about Videl. She was a tomboy with ATTITUDE and while she would have never been able to keep up with the rest of the Z fighters, she could have kept training and not been reduced to a boring housewife who does literally NOTHING.

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by JulieYBM » Sat May 01, 2021 2:44 pm

I don't see why one couldn't just write "she was just as strong as the Saiyans" for the heck of it. I'd rather see a story about Videl being both a cute mama and a cool fighter.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by It_Is_Ayna_You_Flips » Sat May 01, 2021 4:30 pm

When Goku returned as the main character there really wasn't anything you could do with Videl. Xenoverse treating her as Gohan's hanger on that doesn't get just how huge the power gap is is about as close to a worthwhile combat role as she was ever gonna get.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by Trouser » Sat May 01, 2021 4:44 pm

Shame, lame, wasted... You could say that about every character that is not Goku or Vegeta. But I agree. I didn't like her at first (at my first ever encounter with her as a kid) but she did grow on me. What Super did was even worse than what GT did. But it was bad here and there (except design, GT Videl is awesome, S Videl is... meh).
Well, she's wasted. She is no longer a character. She's just a background for Gohan and Pan (and they are background for other characters, so...).
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by BWri » Sat May 01, 2021 4:47 pm

Sucks that she just became a house wife with no personality outside of what the anime filler writers have given her. There's nothing wrong with being a house wife, but it doesn't even remotely fit the character that was established during the early parts of the Buu arc. I'd have loved it if she continued being a street level hero all while being the reigning champion of the Tenkaichi Budokai, taking over from her dad while keeping the riches and the title in the family, only legitimately.

Does anyone remember that Videl was fighting crime as a teenager? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by DragonBallFoodie » Sat May 01, 2021 5:01 pm

You could say the same thing for Chi-Chi.

But I think DBS gave her an awesome moment facing down Barry Kahn. She didn't need combat there.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by Yuji » Sat May 01, 2021 5:04 pm

I don't mind the role Videl ended up having. It would seem unrealistic if she kept up the enthusiastic fighter persona after witnessing how outmatched she is in the greater scheme of things. She falls in line with the rest of the Earthlings who chose to retire after coming to the same realization.

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by mute_proxy » Sat May 01, 2021 5:14 pm

Yeah, Chi-Chi too, everybody should've kept kung fu fighting, those kids used to be fast as lightning.

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by PurestEvil » Sat May 01, 2021 6:06 pm

I honestly think that Videl's situation is MUCH worse than Chi-Chi's.
At least Chi-Chi had character qualities that made her stand out, for better or worse, and it seemed like a natural progression for her to settle down.
In Videl's case, it almost seems like her torture session with Spopovitch set her back in the line of female gender roles, from the way she's presented in DBS.
I know she was pretty much just an annex of Gohan's character and that she was unnecessary to much of the plot of DBS, but it was disappointing to see her sass be eroded.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by JewyB » Sat May 01, 2021 6:11 pm

mute_proxy wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 5:14 pm Yeah, Chi-Chi too, everybody should've kept kung fu fighting, those kids used to be fast as lightning.
Did you not find it to be just a little bit frightening?

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by MasenkoHA » Sat May 01, 2021 7:12 pm

Videl felt like Toriyama said “Gohan is going to marry his mom” and then remembered Chi Chi wasn’t well liked and took out the nagging wife/tiger mom but forgot to put a replacement personality in its place.

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by SuperSaiyaManZ94 » Sat May 01, 2021 7:35 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 7:12 pm Videl felt like Toriyama said “Gohan is going to marry his mom” and then remembered Chi Chi wasn’t well liked and took out the nagging wife/tiger mom but forgot to put a replacement personality in its place.
I liked Videl better in the Saiyaman/early Buu arc before she got sidelined, she definitely got the shaft after that fiery intenseness and kickass attitude she had early on. What a waste!!!!!
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by It_Is_Ayna_You_Flips » Sat May 01, 2021 7:50 pm

I don't really think Videl's blandness comes from any desire to avoid past "mistakes." Gohan is meant to be the normal guy of the group, the guy with a normal job and a normal family. That meant the over the top comedic personalities of the other 'housewives' were a no go for Videl. And in a comedic series with lots of action if you're just a supportive, well adjusted background character then you're... well, Puar basically.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by ABED » Sat May 01, 2021 7:54 pm

Chichi becoming a housewife feels very in line with what we saw from the very beginning. She was someone whose idea of how to live came from what she read or saw on TV. Videl on the other hand was so prominent at the beginning of the Buu arc because a farce and rom-com is the only way she could contribute anything meaningful.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by dragonmagico » Sat May 01, 2021 7:57 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 7:12 pm Videl felt like Toriyama said “Gohan is going to marry his mom” and then remembered Chi Chi wasn’t well liked and took out the nagging wife/tiger mom but forgot to put a replacement personality in its place.
Yeah pretty much. Sure I'm not surprised the daughter of one of the richest people on earth doesnt have a "9-5" job. would be weird for her to. But then give her somethng else to do! Like bulma, she doesnt help out running capsule corp, but shes a fun useful character

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by pepd » Sat May 01, 2021 7:59 pm

It would have been nice and fitting if she kept being a superhero at least until she got pregnant. Maybe learn basic ki blast. That said, as much as I liker her (a lot), I'm fine with her being in the background, and don't think she could've join the cast as a fighter. The "tomboy" attitude is a real loss.

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by Peach » Sat May 01, 2021 8:39 pm

If Goku was never resurrected and Gohan continued being the main character, i could have imagined him and her training under Kibito Kai and Elder Kai and eventually Beerus and Whis.

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by JulieYBM » Sat May 01, 2021 9:08 pm

I cannot say I was a fan of early Videl's personality and arcs revolving around her obsession with the men in her life.
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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by MyVisionity » Sat May 01, 2021 10:05 pm

Bringing back Mr. Satan after the Cell Saga and introducing his daughter was a sharp move on Toriyama's part, and I think that Videl was a fun character that played a decent role. Yeah, the second half of the Boo Saga kind of wasted her, but that's true for most of the supporting players. I appreciate the role that she played in the movies, however. And I don't mind her personality shifting somewhat.

However it's hard for me to be too disappointed with the direction that the character took, because shortly after she was introduced the series ended. It would be one thing if Toriyama had kept it going past Majin Boo and we had seen how Videl's character might have progressed, but that's not really what happened.

It is lame and a bit sad what Super has done with the character, sure. But that's probably less about Videl herself and more about the housewife trope in general.

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Re: It’s literally such a SHAME how LAME and WASTED Videl became.

Post by JulieYBM » Sun May 02, 2021 12:24 am

I don't think her personality is the issue. She's a lot more subdued but that fits in with the dynamic with other women. The issue is a lack of fighting, not the presence of...not obsessing over what an idiot her dad is or how "That Gohan-kun sure is sus!" Personally, telling off Chi-Chi and Barry in Super are two of her best moments. Certainly better than seeing her brutalized by Spopovitch.

I still wish that she had taken Gohan's place in the Tournament of Power and fought alongside Gokuu and Piccolo. That would have been a lot more fun to see.
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