The Day Dragon Ball Died

The day Dragon Ball died is a controversial statement the likes of which I know will garner a lot of detractors. However I think that while Dragon Ball and the adventures of Goku and Vegeta still offer a lot of joy to the world and still retain a massive fanbase, the series itself has changed in ways many of us might have noticed but certainly have felt.

Today we dive into what has changed in Dragon Ball since the golden years to attempt at getting to the bottom of a question that has haunted me for years... When was the Day Dragon Ball Died?

MUSIC USED

-M1917 (DBZ)
-Logic & Trick (GAA)
-Hope in the Instant Movement (DBGT)
-M109: Tao Pai Pai (DB)
-Bad Situation (DBGT)
-M1809: Videl SOS (DBZ)
-Vegeta Guitar Medley (94Stones)
-Broly's Theme (Dragon Ball FighterZ)
-M1525: Tragic Battle (DBZ)
-M814: Fearsome Ginyu Forces (DBZ)
-DBZ Sad Guitar (Requintos Tab)

Video edited by Editor-san

[ChadWarwick]

I noticed something within "The Action" the characters do not really get hurt anymore. Example the characters used to get broken arms damaged legs or a hole in the chest now it's just scratches and explosions

[Ultimateprototype]

I feel like Raditz is often understated. It’s not just Piccolo and Goku’s team up against Raditz. It was his introduction to Goku in and of itself at Kame’s house. Finding out he was his big brother, the reaction they all had. Not only that, but Roshi finally having to tell Goku how Grandpa Gohan found him. Dreadfully confirming Raditz’s assertions. A beautiful hook and start to Z that I will always love.

[argentumoculisgrimm]

As of 20 minutes ago, Akira Toriyamas death was announced to the public. He died March 1st. I can't imagine how Mark and many others with such a close relationship to Dragon Ball are feeling. I know *I* have zero words right now. We lost one of the best. The world of Animation; even the world *period*, is less without someone like him.

[firenze]

I just wish we had one moment with goku and chichi actually enjoying being around eachother.

[graykachale]

"This isn't Akira Toriyama's DragonBall anymore." Is perhaps the line that encapsulates this whole video, as always good work Mark you never let us down

[sirius_raspberry]

I wasn't aware that Toriyama wasn't the one to write the fights in RoF, that actually explains so much with how modern DB action feels off

[Drsilver]

A lot of what kills dragonball for me is sort of what you said by the end, its dragonball by a committee. It is a series that has become so self aware of itself that it is more about pumping out a "hype" product based on things fans can familiarize themselves with, then making new dynamic stories that evolve the world and characters significantly.

Now it feels action is the main focus and story is secondary. While before it was a mix of both. That isn't to say new dragonball has failed to introduce compelling or fun new characters: Caulifla/Kefla, Beerus, Zeno. But it feels a lot of it is all window dressing for the main focus: Battles and new transformations. It feels im being handed a product and being asked to consume it, rather then being handed a man's dedicated life's work with his heart and soul in it.

[kazanshin]

When you think about it, there isn't a single fight in OG DB and DBZ that didn't feel like something monumental, something heavy, to care about. The Z-Fighters vs Nappa, Vegeta, Krillin and Gohan vs the Ginyu Force, Vegeta vs Android 18, Gohan vs Dabura, every single battle felt heavy and meaningful. Nowadays, I feel like most battles are battles for the sake of battle only, outside of very specific "final clashes".

[sanjaynambisan]

Man this series has given me so much but it’s crazy despite how different I feel about the original manga gt and super I still love and appreciate all of it faults and all

[Quastar]

Honestly, as depressing as that line from the script was, it was also really sweet. Like while it is sad to see that Toriyama isn't really involved in the action, seeing him politely asking the animators to do their best and seeing him apologize for not really doing much work is honestly kinda heartwarming.

[blur]

I believe Broly tackled this issue in an interesting way by actually adding plot in the end with Cheelai trying to protect Broly, connecting the otherwise disconnected 2 halves of the film, which is why its my favorite portion of the fight despite the other parts being a lot of stylish.

[mandudeguy]

The anamation in the saiyan saga namely and even the frieza saga are so stylized and visceral. It’s so commonly looked over but the way they drew so lined up so many of the scenes in the Saiyan saga are insane and so unique.

[TheHylden]

On top of that, the stakes of the fights never really feel like they're as high. Yes, characters can destroy universes now, so the world's always in peril, but we don't get much of a sense that a character can really die. Death isn't something that's happening too much these days. If it ever does, we have like 4 dragons out there, plus Wiis, to bring everyone back. But even so, it still doesn't even happen. Blood also is far less, limbs being lost, characters being broken down from loss -- real stakes to these fights just aren't added as they once were.

[DTFauxClassic]

Ironically, the best moments that tapped into that classic DB energy was when Z and Super allowed stories with lower stakes. In a series where the heroes winning is a foregone conclusion and death was no longer a consequence (much less a sacrifice), the slice-of-life and and wacky filler episodes were a nice breath of fresh air. I wish we had more moments like Goku getting a drivers license, the Z warriors playing a game of baseball, or Vegeta getting bodied by the power of gag characters.

[Majinhero]

I'm reading the original manga again and I sure miss these moments. Like with the frieza saga and the early android saga, fighting was more a fail state and it it all came down to it if every other option failed.

[JaxBlade]

GREAT VIDEO!! Honestly for me while I'll always unconditionally love for Dragonball theres been soo much stuff where they do something really interesting & captivating but then afterwards I've felt the seasonal rot hit the series Hard, but we will see.

[lucidmind]

Finally someone spoke what I’ve been feeling about Dragon Ball recently, I realized something felt missing with Dragon Ball in the recent Super chapter in which Goku and Gas were teleporting to different planets and fighting, the fight felt boring to me and I was ready for it to end just so the narrative could continue which is something I never felt with the original manga series and anime, the fights really no longer tell a story also, they’re just there for flashiness mostly with a few exceptions like Goku vs Jiren in the anime

[roban]

This is a very good breakdown of why Toriyama's Dragon Ball is as great as it is.
As an aspiring writer I think a lot about what makes a good story, but I've never really considered how important it is to keep the story *present* through the whole process.

Thank you Mark. You gave me a new dimension to think about things in.

[themaskedfacade]

I feel a major consequence of the franchise's power creep is that, in order for the main characters to have legitimate external conflicts, the antagonists need to be god-tier threats. And while there's nothing wrong with high stakes (Namek saga and Cell saga are excellent), I do miss the OG DB days where we could have more grounded threats like Mercenary Tao or the human soldiers of the Red Ribbon Army.

[kirbyofthestarsfan]

I always loved the Frieza and Buu fights for having multiple elements play out alongside the fighting, like King Kai's plan to revive the killed ones and move everyone away from the exploding Namek, or the whole thing with Kid Buu's fight having many sides trying to stall for time and more

I miss that so much, it definitely stinks that modern DB has action just scripted like that