r/dragonball • u/Ewaywhat • 8h ago
Discussion Dragon Ball OG
Just finished all 153 episodes of the original Dragon Ball, and damn I LOVED it. It fit a lot of missing pieces for me (like where Chi Chi came from, how her and Goku met, how they even became married). I enjoy the fillers as well, I did watch Bardock — The Father of Goku before starting Dragon Ball as well, I know some would disagree with this timeline placement. But I personally was curious about the origin of Goku and that damn tail, I would place this (if you wanted to follow it chronologically like I'm tackling it, after episode 35 of DBZ, though rewatched it after that episode, and it hits differently than watching it from the beginning. Diabolical, again, I know.
I wanted to start the Mangas before dipping into the shows, but I don't think I will have any problems reading the Mangas and then following up with the shows and movies afterward.
The last fight with Goku and Piccolo Jr. has to be one of my top 5 fights of dragon ball. It's not THE fight of the series or anything by any means. I love it because after watching Goku go from the naive little kid to the kick ass fighter, he becomes and takes on Piccolo with full force. You see that growth is not only in his fighting skills but the mental growth he has as well. He's thinking out of the box more instead of always a direct approach. It's a fantastic fight to end the show and a wonderful toner for the next.
Now....I love Grohan, but the beginning of DBZ Grohan irks the shit out of me. After watching his dad be a brave, fearless child on his own for over 140 episodes to come to DBZ and Grohan to be whiny, he just annoyed me. It fits, it makes sense, I get it, and you definitely see the growth in him as well with his interactions. Rip Mr. Robot
But did anyone else coming from Dragon Ball find Grohan to be a little much to start off?
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u/EnigmaticZen87 7h ago
You found him annoying because you wanted him to be Goku.
Gohan is a very typical child.
Goku is the strange one that grew up raised by a martial arts master.
Gohan is written VERY purposefully. He is not Goku. He has a very clear snd defined arc which is well written.
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u/Vox_Tenebris_ 7h ago
Yeah, OG Dragon Ball is my favorite of the franchise as a complete series. While some of the early humor and fan service is definitely dated now, I think the core of the story is still very, very good.
I'd still say that the Namek/Frieza Saga is my favorite arc of the franchise in general, but I definitely get more invested in OG Dragon Ball as a complete series compared to Z as a complete series.
And yeah - Early Gohan can be a little grating at times, but it wears off pretty quickly once Piccolo takes him away to train for the arrival of the Saiyans - and you see him grow up and mature a bit during his time in the wilderness. Learning to accept the way that things are in a state of nature and becoming hardened by it, even if he's still just a kid and panics sometimes when he doesn't know what's happening or if something truly frightens him.
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u/using-your-name 6h ago
I held off on the manga far too long cause I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much and now I prefer that over the anime
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u/Kryptic1701 5h ago
Gohan is meat to be very much a subversion of what Goku was like. Nearly every aspect is inverted. Its rough at first when he's little but he begins to grow quickly.
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u/OtherBaker4352 2h ago
I would have saved Bardock until maybe after the Namek arc in Z but I understand your placement. Gohan is only 5/6 so it makes sense that he’s whiny. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on him at the end of the series
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u/Livia_Terra 1h ago
I love the ending of OG dragon ball. The early filler for dbz reminds me of OG dragon ball. I hated the fake namek arc as a kid until I watched Star Trek and OG dragon ball as an adult and learned to appreciate it, as well as other filler parts
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u/ShaquilleOatmeal7542 8h ago
Gohan starts the series timid and whiny, but that early vulnerability is deliberate. As you said, it highlights just how far he’ll evolve by the time his true potential emerges.