What is the secret to the series' longevity?

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

It's obvious that Dragon Ball is a franchise with long lasting appeal despite it ending quite a long time ago. (This forum's activity is proof of that.) So I want to know what do you think is the appeal of Dragon Ball? Why do people love this franchise so much that we keep coming back to it in some form?
Personally I think it's the characters. Dragon Ball is a series that lives and dies on its characters. I personally keep peeking into this world because I like seeing Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Bulma and the rest of the gang going on adventures and being silly. If you find a different appeal in the series or think that it's survived on something else please voice your opinion.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

It's the battle shounen that most people got into when anime began to explode in the western world beyond the tape trading scene in the mid to late 90s. The characters are the heart and soul of Dragon Ball, but also the faces and personalities that we associate with the "never give up" theme of the series that resonated with us.

I would say we keep coming back to Dragon Ball because seeing Goku and crew face and overcome adversity gives us hope in our times of struggle when we need it. In a weird way I thank the characters and Akira Toriyama for creating them that Dragon Ball became such a huge inspiration from childhood all the way to adulthood, which is the stage of life most of us on this forum are in now.

Regardless of age Dragon Ball gave us something truly special and I will always be grateful for it.

[Asin]

It's obvious that Dragon Ball is a franchise with long lasting appeal despite it ending quite a long time ago. (This forum's activity is proof of that.) So I want to know what do you think is the appeal of Dragon Ball? Why do people love this franchise so much that we keep coming back to it in some form?
Personally I think it's the characters. Dragon Ball is a series that lives and dies on its characters. I personally keep peeking into this world because I like seeing Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Bulma and the rest of the gang going on adventures and being silly. If you find a different appeal in the series or think that it's survived on something else please voice your opinion.

That's honestly pretty much what I think is the case, plus whatever force has kept other sort of progenitors or codifiers of genres of fiction (like Superman for western superhero fiction) from being left in the dust. Interested in this thread. Hope to hear from others.

[ChronoTwigger]

I wrote a complex reply at first, then I came with the proper one.

People purchased stuff. Toriyama was "forced" to continue. To continue, he had to come with new exceptional ideas to sell new stuff. Grown characters, marriages, SSJ2, SSJ3, fusions, Genkidama, kids growing...
It's a matter of marketing. You propose, they buy, so you propose some more.

There's no magical formula, or every company will just copy it. Simply speaking, Toriyama gave people what they wanted for longer than others mangaka did.

As an example, let's pick Masami Kurumada instead. Poseidon Arc started the decline of Saint Seiya. Despite being Hades arc very good, he was forced to move away from Zeus and other planned arcs. Saint Seiya died.
Then by *absolute chance*, Hades was animated . NETFLIX tapped in european Saint Seiya fandom to lure people in, too.
And voit-là, new movies, new anime and official manga sequel.

What was Saint Seiya secret for his longevity? Just one year shorter than DB?
The same as DB. Marketing opportunities.

ADDENDA: I guess I given't the reply people wanted to read. So, what made people purchase DB stuff?

• Goku is orange dressed. It's absurd, but it was extremely alluring, graphically.
  Toriyama style is easy to copy, so everyone can draw his own best character. Everyone did. You did too.
  It's easy to animate and you can create very impactful posters
  A large set of characters, most of them quite developed
  The open ended setting. What's the plot of DB? There's none. You can write whatever, there's no finite goal like in Demon Slayer/Kimetsu no Yaiba
  It's also a comedy
  it's generational, so you can always move onward (although with method, as GT teached us).

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

It's a matter of marketing. You propose, they buy, so you propose some more.

There's no magical formula, or every company will just copy it. Simply speaking, Toriyama gave people what they wanted for longer than others mangaka did.

You're not wrong, but I do think that Toriyama created something special. He managed to create a story which actually had a fairly naturally flowing plot to it until about midway through the Freeza arc despite never planning ahead.

[Yuji]

It's extremely easy to get into and enjoy. I just reread most of the Cell arc last night in an hour before bed. It just flew by, and it's not even one of my favourite arcs.

[ChronoTwigger]

It's a matter of marketing. You propose, they buy, so you propose some more.

There's no magical formula, or every company will just copy it. Simply speaking, Toriyama gave people what they wanted for longer than others mangaka did.

You're not wrong, but I do think that Toriyama created something special. He managed to create a story which actually had a fairly naturally flowing plot to it until about midway through the Freeza arc despite never planning ahead.

I've added some quality point in my reply above, that was too dry and cynical maybe.
To me, the profluence is still intact even after that arc. Even Buu, that's artificially dragged on, is full of *tense* dragging on XD. You can't tell DB/DBZ is boring in any of his development, so one thing you can tell for sure Toriyama was exceptionally good to keep tension high by finding new mechanics to keep interest up.
Narratively, DB is a masterpiece of profluence: that's what made people asking for more and started the marketing loop. Toriyama was good to keep such marketing engine running for decades.

...argh, this indepth is cynical too. Sorry, I've grown up. I see just numbers and selling figures.

[Forte224]

It's the art, and the fact that Goku is such a perfect reflection of that art. The art is instantly recognizable, unique, very endearing and innocent while remaining fairly simple and easy to digest; not too dissimilar to Goku. I've felt this way for years, and every time I try to reevaluate why Dragon Ball is such a hit all over the world in its different forms, I always come back to this same reason.

[TheGreatness25]

I'll tell you what it is for me: nostalgia. It was the most popular thing at a time where I was a kid just happy on life. The mystique of it being Japanese and the US not getting a great representation complete with Stone Age internet made discussions about it fun. Some kids saw more of the Japanese version, some made things up, some came across a random manga in a store from a way later arc than what we've seen, some got a video game--all this stuff was fun. So, to me, the series just represents a snapshot of a great time in my life.

And quite frankly, the pedestal that I put the series on is way more legendary than the series actually is. I recognize this and I'm okay with this. Me imagining these epic, legendary scenes that I haven't seen yet with music that I've heard poor quality snippets of that weren't even in the series (from the music collections, for example) fueled this fantasy of mine of how incredible it all was. So, I like to revisit these thoughts because they make me happy.

Regardless of how anyone wants to analyze what I said--whether it's a good answer or not--it's an honest one. I can pretend that I'm this connoisseur and I broke down every facet of this thing and I'm fueled by the moral complexities of it all, but the truth is, it's just a great piece of nostalgia for me from an amazing childhood.

And I do like the current(ish) material because it just gives me more stuff to connect to that series. As long as it's not totally atrocious on a cellular level, I couldn't care less about what "makes sense" and who's stronger and blah blah. Is it funish? Does it feel like Dragon Ball? Get on my shelf. That's my outlook.

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

I'll tell you what it is for me: nostalgia. It was the most popular thing at a time where I was a kid just happy on life. The mystique of it being Japanese and the US not getting a great representation complete with Stone Age internet made discussions about it fun. Some kids saw more of the Japanese version, some made things up, some came across a random manga in a store from a way later arc than what we've seen, some got a video game--all this stuff was fun. So, to me, the series just represents a snapshot of a great time in my life.

And quite frankly, the pedestal that I put the series on is way more legendary than the series actually is. I recognize this and I'm okay with this. Me imagining these epic, legendary scenes that I haven't seen yet with music that I've heard poor quality snippets of that weren't even in the series (from the music collections, for example) fueled this fantasy of mine of how incredible it all was. So, I like to revisit these thoughts because they make me happy.

Regardless of how anyone wants to analyze what I said--whether it's a good answer or not--it's an honest one. I can pretend that I'm this connoisseur and I broke down every facet of this thing and I'm fueled by the moral complexities of it all, but the truth is, it's just a great piece of nostalgia for me from an amazing childhood.

And I do like the current(ish) material because it just gives me more stuff to connect to that series. As long as it's not totally atrocious on a cellular level, I couldn't care less about what "makes sense" and who's stronger and blah blah. Is it funish? Does it feel like Dragon Ball? Get on my shelf. That's my outlook.

That's a fair assessment. There's nothing wrong with having an attachment to something because of what it meant to you at that point in time.
I didn't have a deep answer either. I just like hanging with these characters and seeing them go through these stories. And, that enjoyment I get from seeing these characters again keeps me coming back from time to time. I don't follow the manga, and to be honest the current material doesn't interest me, but I do check out the new movies whenever one comes out because I can't resist.

[Jord]

At this point...nostalgia. The new material purely regurgitates old stuff, with a small twist. A new hair color, some memberberries here and there.

I think the story of the original trilogy is still pretty timeless (Although GT feels very 90's) but the original version of the show drags on and on and on. Haven't watched Kai BTW but I do think especially the original Z anime hasn't aged well due to it's pacing issues. I have all the dragon boxes and only watched the series once, lol. While I do enjoy the story, I prefer to relive it via other means, such as the manga and video games.

[Xeogran]

but I do think especially the original Z anime hasn't aged well due to it's pacing issues.

I disagree. I don't enjoy Kai because of it's music placement issues + the green tint in Buu Saga (and The Final Chapters feeling like a different product altogether). And generally I'm against censorship and removing scenes of something that already exists.

Z will always be THE version of Dragon Ball anime for me.

[Jord]

but I do think especially the original Z anime hasn't aged well due to it's pacing issues.

I disagree. I don't enjoy Kai because of it's music placement issues + the green tint in Buu Saga (and The Final Chapters feeling like a different product altogether). And generally I'm against censorship and removing scenes of something that already exists.

Z will always be THE version of Dragon Ball anime for me.

How do you enjoy Kai's pacing?
Let's say you get Kai's pacing with original music, no green tint and no censorship. Would that make it the preferred version for you?

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

but I do think especially the original Z anime hasn't aged well due to it's pacing issues.

I disagree. I don't enjoy Kai because of it's music placement issues + the green tint in Buu Saga (and The Final Chapters feeling like a different product altogether). And generally I'm against censorship and removing scenes of something that already exists.

Z will always be THE version of Dragon Ball anime for me.

How do you enjoy Kai's pacing?
Let's say you get Kai's pacing with original music, no green tint and no censorship. Would that make it the preferred version for you?

Kinda sounds like that "Dragon Ball Z Recut" fan edit that's still in the making is what you guys want. It's a work in progress by the same guy who did "Dragon Ball Recut" which is the best Dragon Ball fan edit I have ever watched.

[YoungDefender]

I'll tell you what it is for me: nostalgia.

I think to some extent nostalgia will always be a factor and this goes really for all fans who grew up on a version of Dragon Ball, whether dubbed or original language. There just isn't any getting around that however in my view there has to be more than just nostalgia at play here with this franchise. As a kid I watched a lot of different shows that at the time I liked a lot but today I have only a fleeting interest in at best. Digimon is not something I am particularly interested in anymore or even think about really, nor is Pokemon or many of the other anime that got localized around that time.

I find shows like those don't scale very well into adulthood. There just isn't enough seriousness, drama or adult subject matter in those franchises that bridge the gap between what is and should always be shonen media and something that grown ups can still enjoy in earnest.

Dragon Ball is just one of those genius IPs that has something for everyone and unless you are actively trying to not like it I don't know how you can't fall in love with at least some aspects of what it has to offer.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I'll tell you what it is for me: nostalgia.

I think to some extent nostalgia will always be a factor and this goes really for all fans who grew up on a version of Dragon Ball, whether dubbed or original language. There just isn't any getting around that however in my view there has to be more than just nostalgia at play here with this franchise. As a kid I watched a lot of different shows that at the time I liked a lot but today I have only a fleeting interest in at best. Digimon is not something I am particularly interested in anymore or even think about really, nor is Pokemon or many of the other anime that got localized around that time.

I find shows like those don't scale very well into adulthood. There just isn't enough seriousness, drama or adult subject matter in those franchises that bridge the gap between what is and should always be shonen media and something that grown ups can still enjoy in earnest.

Dragon Ball is just one of those genius IPs that has something for everyone and unless you are actively trying to not like it I don't know how you can't fall in love with at least some aspects of what it has to offer.

This is the best take I've seen so far in this thread. It's easy to just say "Oh its nostalgia" but if that were true just about ANY FRANCHISE would be worth the billions Dragon Ball is and that's just not true.

I will disagree on Digimon tho, I think you dont like it because the dub is very childish. I know it IS unapologetic kids show even in Japanese but there's just so much an adult can enjoy about it still. I will concede Toei is even worse at recapturing the magic of Digimon than it is recapturing the magic of Dragon Ball.

[Koitsukai]

Perhaps it has something to do with the MC growing up alongside the fandom. If you watched Goku as a kid, being yourself a kid, then eventually you'll grow up and Goku will grow up too. He'll have a family, and you'll have one, too, perhaps. He'll get a job, settle down, make new friends, new rivals and so will you.
I don't know, DB is a franchise that tells the lifestory of a likeable character that ends up experiencing many things we do, aside from exploring otherp planets, saving them, and dying many times.

It never stays at the same spot, except for DBS that won't mess with the status quo. You have DB with Goku as a kid and a teenager, then Z with the adult, father and leader Goku, and then grampa Goku in GT. Different stages in this guy's life that can be easy to relate. And if you ever become a god, then you'll relate to DBS Goku, too!

Or maybe it's just nostalgia. And a pretty simple storyline about bettering yourself.

[Grimlock]

Not just the main character, everyone. But yeah, that is the gist of it. I'm only around because I prefer characters to grow up, to get older. I tend to stay away from series that don't have this concept. Which is why you see me complaining the hell out of Dragon Ball Super for not aging the characters, even though it is set in a period that is supposed to be all about change, but then getting very happy when it happens.

If Dragon Ball was stale even in this aspect, I would be long gone by now. It is the most important aspect of this franchise, as far as I'm concerned.

[YoungDefender]

Not just the main character, everyone. But yeah, that is the gist of it. I'm only around because I prefer characters to grow up, to get older. I tend to stay away from series that don't have this concept. Which is why you see me complaining the hell out of Dragon Ball Super for not aging the characters, even though it is set in a period that is supposed to be all about change, but then getting very happy when it happens.

If Dragon Ball was stale even in this aspect, I would be long gone by now. It is the most important aspect of this franchise, as far as I'm concerned.

This is a really good point and part of why I think GT has grown on me more than Super over the years. I remember as a kid thinking that all the new character designs look weird and why does Vegeta have this dad-stache and what on Earth were they thinking but now looking back I can appreciate it more for what it was going for and it resonates when you are getting older yourself, and well, don't look as spry and youthful as you once did. And GT acknowledges that hey, that's okay, everyone is going to gain some wrinkles here and there, even the prince of all Saiyans for goodness sake so everyone relax.

Contrast with Super where they seems to be in this sense of denial where not only do they characters not look older, they actually look younger than they did in Z and even act like they are younger. It asks you to suspend more disbelief you would want to in a continuation story and all this for a message that seems to say something like " let's face it, we all know that only people in their prime and peak physical condition actually matter and don't worry Goku and Vegeta are still in theirs and also guess what - they always will be, so no worries".

GT probably overdid it with aging Pilaf, Mai and Shu though, they straight up just look like they spent the last couple decades in future Trunks's timeline or something.

[Grimlock]

This is a really good point and part of why I think GT has grown on me more than Super over the years. I remember as a kid thinking that all the new character designs look weird and why does Vegeta have this dad-stache and what on Earth were they thinking but now looking back I can appreciate it more for what it was going for and it resonates when you are getting older yourself, and well, don't look as spry and youthful as you once did. And GT acknowledges that hey, that's okay, everyone is going to gain some wrinkles here and there, even the prince of all Saiyans for goodness sake so everyone relax.

I never had problems with Dragon Ball GT, but I do agree with the notion that Dragon Ball Super's existence makes Dragon Ball GT be better (and not in just that aspect either). Anyway, it was really great indeed, and kinda bold, to be honest, that they got the cast that old in that series. Dragon Ball must never become stagnant when it comes to aging the characters. It loses over half of its charm if it does.

Contrast with Super where they seems to be in this sense of denial where not only do they characters not look older, they actually look younger than they did in Z and even act like they are younger.

Look no further than Dende. Dude reverts back to his Freeza saga self in Dragon Ball Super. And Marron, who stays exactly as she looked like in Majin Buu saga for ten years! It's absurd!

GT probably overdid it with aging Pilaf, Mai and Shu though, they straight up just look like they spent the last couple decades in future Trunks's timeline or something.

I think Mai was in her early 30s in her first appearance, mid 20s at the very least. Assuming she was indeed thirty, then: AGE 749 - 30 = AGE 719. AGE 719 + 70 = AGE 789. She is around seventy years old in the beginning of Dragon Ball GT.

I won't apply human years to Pilaf, I don't know what he is. Shuu is an anthropomorphic dog, I don't know if he is supposed to live longer than a normal dog just because of that, but if not, then he should already be dead.