Written by: Kevin Berge
See all those varied character? Don't worry, most of them don't matter. (Image Courtesy of: technobuffalo.com)
Anime's history stretches back as far as the 1910s, but its widespread popularity in Japan only came in the 1980s. One of the first anime to ever reach mainstream worldwide success was Dragon Ball and subsequently its even more popular follow up Dragon Ball Z.
I was just old enough to start watching Dragon Ball Z as it began airing on Cartoon Network, and it immediately caught my interest. The action was enthralling. The characters were fun and memorable. The world was constantly evolving, and the ideas put forth played upon classic fairy tale themes that I loved.
On the list of shows even beyond pure anime that influenced my childhood, Dragon Ball Z is right near the top. I bought Dragon Ball Z T-shirts, lunchboxes, and drawing books. I wanted to make clear my love of the whole world of Dragon Ball Z and never missed an episode of the 291 episode run.
Thus, it was always my plan to revisit the series and review it now that I could look back on it with fresh eyes though I wanted to feel comfortable writing and reviewing the series because this is an integral part of my childhood that I want to be able to review completely and without bias.
Yes, I am aware that Dragon Ball is the predecessor to Dragon Ball Z, and there will be a review of the series on the site at a later date. I just felt like focusing on the series that made the bigger impact on me.
I was just old enough to start watching Dragon Ball Z as it began airing on Cartoon Network, and it immediately caught my interest. The action was enthralling. The characters were fun and memorable. The world was constantly evolving, and the ideas put forth played upon classic fairy tale themes that I loved.
On the list of shows even beyond pure anime that influenced my childhood, Dragon Ball Z is right near the top. I bought Dragon Ball Z T-shirts, lunchboxes, and drawing books. I wanted to make clear my love of the whole world of Dragon Ball Z and never missed an episode of the 291 episode run.
Thus, it was always my plan to revisit the series and review it now that I could look back on it with fresh eyes though I wanted to feel comfortable writing and reviewing the series because this is an integral part of my childhood that I want to be able to review completely and without bias.
Yes, I am aware that Dragon Ball is the predecessor to Dragon Ball Z, and there will be a review of the series on the site at a later date. I just felt like focusing on the series that made the bigger impact on me.
Synopsis
Picking up five years after the events of Dragon Ball, the legendary hero Goku has settled down with his wife Chi-Chi and now has a son Gohan. He still retains contact with the many friends he made during Dragon Ball's run, but he never had reason to ask for their help until his history comes to bare.
His long lost brother Raditz comes to tell Goku the truth of his upbringing and forces him to face the consequences. leading to a journey of death and rebirth across the universe with his growing group of friends to find peace and defeat many great enemies.
His long lost brother Raditz comes to tell Goku the truth of his upbringing and forces him to face the consequences. leading to a journey of death and rebirth across the universe with his growing group of friends to find peace and defeat many great enemies.
Meet Vegeta. He's a bad guy who takes a lot of lives, but we all love him because he has a massive inferiority complex. (Image Courtesy of: garyaswaby.com)
Story Arc Analysis
***This section of the review will be spoiler heavy, exploring and analyzing the complete story arcs of the series. If you have not seen the series yet, you should skip to Impact and Art Style until you have seen the series unless you don't mind being spoiled on plot details galore.***
Saiyan Saga (Episodes 1-39): Dragon Ball Z began the same way any other show would: by killing off its main character. Well, that isn't exactly normal, but it sets the tone for the way the series deals with death and loss. As much as this series can pull at your heart strings, just like classic superhero stories, everyone that matters is safe because of the dragon balls.
Still, this first saga is a steady opening thrill ride as it opens up Goku's lore, introduces the afterlife, and gives us the first glimpse at Vegeta, the series' best and most complex character. While Goku's brother Raditz is a cool presence and Nappa is fun for what he is, they pale in comparison to the Saiyan prince Vegeta.
If anything, this saga lacks in terms of major events. It is mostly setting up lore. The training sequences of Goku in the Other World and Gohan with Piccolo are fun diversions, but they amount to a few too many episodes standing still. Things only kick off after episode 22. From then on though, things mostly go into overdrive.
The battle between Goku and Vegeta is one of the two most memorable battles in the entire series run, and this section of the anime also does an excellent job introducing the hidden power of Gohan which is one of the series' most interesting running storylines.
Namek Saga (Episodes 40-74): The Saiyan Saga leads to quite a bit of death. Goku had to resurrected by the dragon balls, but Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Tien, Piccolo, and Kami are all left dead, taking the Earth Dragon Balls with them. Thus, the adventure to Namek begins to get a different set of dragon balls.
This section of the series truly begins to show the series struggles with pacing. For as long as the series took to set up and execute the battle with three powerful Saiyans, the characters just wander around Namek and fight Frieza's minions. Again, nothing is accomplished until Goku gets involved.
This section does introduce Frieza, the series' best villain (given that Vegeta slowly but surely turns ally even as early as this saga), but he only really begins to stand out in the next saga of the story.
Frieza Saga (Episodes 75-107): The Frieza fight takes too long for what it is, beginning the running joke that DBZ is a whole lot of yelling in pain and focus, but it is also an exciting fight all seen together, perhaps the series' strongest. Goku is made to look like he is truly outmatched as Frieza continues to evolve.
This section of the anime has many of the series' most memorable moments. Frieza's strength comes from his true villainy as he just enjoys destroying everything and everyone. In any attempt to not lose for the first time in battle, he destroys Namek in spite. Plus this leads to the original Super Saiyan moment which is still the coolest Super Saiyan moment in the series.
In the end, the whole time on Namek could have taken half the time, but it was a truly great section of the series that is the first part of the series I reflect on when thinking about DBZ.
Garlic Jr., Trunks, and Androids Sagas (Episodes 108-139): Due to Garlic Jr.'s connection to the DBZ movie Dead Zone, his brief return to the series often just feels like an extended sequel film. In fact, this whole part of the anime is the closest the series gets to full on filler.
The introduction of Trunks is awesome and is an interesting way that the series deals with time travel, but it also hurts Frieza's legacy as he is so easily dispatched for no reason than to make Trunks look incredible at first. The series has a bit of an annoying tendency to have each saga lead to multiple power jumps for all the characters just to raise the stakes.
The Androids are unique villains for the series, and Android 18 becomes a solid ally in the long run. However, their threat to the series is too minimal, just playing set up for the real enemy in Cell. This does lead to Vegeta showing off his Super Saiyan form for the first time though which is something.
Saiyan Saga (Episodes 1-39): Dragon Ball Z began the same way any other show would: by killing off its main character. Well, that isn't exactly normal, but it sets the tone for the way the series deals with death and loss. As much as this series can pull at your heart strings, just like classic superhero stories, everyone that matters is safe because of the dragon balls.
Still, this first saga is a steady opening thrill ride as it opens up Goku's lore, introduces the afterlife, and gives us the first glimpse at Vegeta, the series' best and most complex character. While Goku's brother Raditz is a cool presence and Nappa is fun for what he is, they pale in comparison to the Saiyan prince Vegeta.
If anything, this saga lacks in terms of major events. It is mostly setting up lore. The training sequences of Goku in the Other World and Gohan with Piccolo are fun diversions, but they amount to a few too many episodes standing still. Things only kick off after episode 22. From then on though, things mostly go into overdrive.
The battle between Goku and Vegeta is one of the two most memorable battles in the entire series run, and this section of the anime also does an excellent job introducing the hidden power of Gohan which is one of the series' most interesting running storylines.
Namek Saga (Episodes 40-74): The Saiyan Saga leads to quite a bit of death. Goku had to resurrected by the dragon balls, but Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Tien, Piccolo, and Kami are all left dead, taking the Earth Dragon Balls with them. Thus, the adventure to Namek begins to get a different set of dragon balls.
This section of the series truly begins to show the series struggles with pacing. For as long as the series took to set up and execute the battle with three powerful Saiyans, the characters just wander around Namek and fight Frieza's minions. Again, nothing is accomplished until Goku gets involved.
This section does introduce Frieza, the series' best villain (given that Vegeta slowly but surely turns ally even as early as this saga), but he only really begins to stand out in the next saga of the story.
Frieza Saga (Episodes 75-107): The Frieza fight takes too long for what it is, beginning the running joke that DBZ is a whole lot of yelling in pain and focus, but it is also an exciting fight all seen together, perhaps the series' strongest. Goku is made to look like he is truly outmatched as Frieza continues to evolve.
This section of the anime has many of the series' most memorable moments. Frieza's strength comes from his true villainy as he just enjoys destroying everything and everyone. In any attempt to not lose for the first time in battle, he destroys Namek in spite. Plus this leads to the original Super Saiyan moment which is still the coolest Super Saiyan moment in the series.
In the end, the whole time on Namek could have taken half the time, but it was a truly great section of the series that is the first part of the series I reflect on when thinking about DBZ.
Garlic Jr., Trunks, and Androids Sagas (Episodes 108-139): Due to Garlic Jr.'s connection to the DBZ movie Dead Zone, his brief return to the series often just feels like an extended sequel film. In fact, this whole part of the anime is the closest the series gets to full on filler.
The introduction of Trunks is awesome and is an interesting way that the series deals with time travel, but it also hurts Frieza's legacy as he is so easily dispatched for no reason than to make Trunks look incredible at first. The series has a bit of an annoying tendency to have each saga lead to multiple power jumps for all the characters just to raise the stakes.
The Androids are unique villains for the series, and Android 18 becomes a solid ally in the long run. However, their threat to the series is too minimal, just playing set up for the real enemy in Cell. This does lead to Vegeta showing off his Super Saiyan form for the first time though which is something.
All you interesting developing heroes can step back. Super Goku is here. (Image Courtesy of: the-fanboy-perspective.com)
Imperfect Cell and Perfect Cell Sagas (Episodes 140-165): The formula of major DBZ villains is fairly straightforward. They are all big threats who become bigger and bigger threats as they have multiple stages of evolution. At their apex, they seem unstoppable until the heroes go to their next stage.
Cell's growth though was the series most interesting story development as Cell's growth is an integral part of the story. He consumes the Androids to get more powerful with each development feeling like his personality is growing as well. It also helps flesh out the Androids better as characters as they fight for their lives.
Still, it is not until Cell reaches his perfect form that he becomes a memorable villain even though he shows himself to be powerful from the start. This also is the section of the anime that introduces the ultimate cheat, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, which helps the show move the training and growth along at whatever pace they want.
Cell Games Saga (Episodes 166-194): Cell's final showdown with the heroes lacks the feeling of impending doom that Frieza's final fight held, and this section contains several noticeable filler episodes. However, this saga has some of the most memorable moments not involving Goku which is welcome.
The series up to this point had built up the hidden potential of Gohan, so watching him be the first to ever transform to Super Saiyan 2 and defeat Cell both when Cell played fair and when he tried to cheat to win was a fantastic series of episodes.
This saga is strong because it allows Gohan to shine then has Goku seemingly die for good as he cannot be revived by the Dragon Balls. It makes for a strong moment of moving on in the series that could have been a great finish to the anime.
Great Saiyaman and World Tournament Sagas (Episodes 195-219): I've always been a sucker for a good tournament arc in an anime, and Dragon Ball was defined by its great tournaments. This time though, the tournaments are played off mostly as a diversion with no real conclusion as they lead to the rise of Buu.
There are some fun moments particularly seeing Trunks and Goku's second son Goten battle it out who become so interconnected in the whole of the Buu saga. The use of Goku here starts out as a cool idea that makes the tournament idea more exciting if only it hadn't been sidetracked so quickly.
The biggest problem with this section is not the tournament but the complete misuse of Gohan's character. His attempts to be normal and his Saiyaman persona are a waste of a character that should have been leading the charge in this last villain showdown.
Babidi and Majin Buu Sagas (Episodes 220-253): Of the four major villain arcs in the series (Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, and Buu), Buu's story is the most uninteresting and unnecessary. Largely what makes him stand out is how docile his first form is which also makes this arc drag with Babidi a boring comic relief voice for Buu to play off of.
The structure of this section is a bit odd. On one side, the series half-heartedly continues the tournament. On the other, the heroes face stages of one on one fights. This leads to a redux of the Goku vs. Vegeta fight with different stakes which has its appeal but also feels a bit too convenient.
The use of Super Saiyan 3 in this saga develops another running joke about DBZ as Goku's power grows through the growth of his hair. The transformation is one step too far in the series as it feels too much like the series is invalidating previous evolution of the characters by having again the strongest. The bright spot of the saga is the use of fusion with Goten and Trunks becoming Gotenks.
Fusion and Kid Buu Sagas (Episodes 254-291): The main part of Buu's story that is interesting is the hint of good inside him that surfaces early in the series's final saga. Beyond that, Buu just grows to his ultimate form and stands as a power level for the heroes to overcome once more.
This plays out quite similar to Cell's story as first Gotenks then Gohan get the upper hand on Buu only for him to grow stronger. Finally, Goku and Vegeta are forced to fuse to become Vegito, and they even end up failing as sudden lore is revealed of such how powerful Buu truly is.
With some final assistance from Vegeta, Goku is the savior once more, riding the world of the evil Buu for good. The good Buu lives on and begins a normal life. It's all a happily ever after after followed by several filler additions at the end to show that the future for the Dragon Ball universe will live on past Goku.
The fight here is the series' most complex and multi-staged, but it also just ends up being too oddly structured. Buu doesn't carry the same gravitas of his predecessors, and the show never quite finds the right way to close out that satisfied the stories told of all the characters.
The Films: I have watched the majority of the DBZ films, owning most on VHS tape (wow, just writing VHS makes me feel old). Surprisingly, they are largely strong, avoiding the series' pacing issues due to its more condensed form. The only I have not seen are the most recent entries (from Wrath of the Dragon on).
The films are at their best when the villains are steeped in the canon history of the series. The Cooler and Broly films in particular are the ones that have stuck with me the most from the series. There are also a few television specials which are poorly paced for the most part, explaining lore more than telling a story.
Dragon Ball GT: I do acknowledge it exists, but I will never review it as a separate entity as I have fallen asleep trying to get through it too many times to count. Why it is so much worse than its predecessor with the same cast of characters is hard to qualify. Just know it is only for the most inquisitive of DBZ fans.
Cell's growth though was the series most interesting story development as Cell's growth is an integral part of the story. He consumes the Androids to get more powerful with each development feeling like his personality is growing as well. It also helps flesh out the Androids better as characters as they fight for their lives.
Still, it is not until Cell reaches his perfect form that he becomes a memorable villain even though he shows himself to be powerful from the start. This also is the section of the anime that introduces the ultimate cheat, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, which helps the show move the training and growth along at whatever pace they want.
Cell Games Saga (Episodes 166-194): Cell's final showdown with the heroes lacks the feeling of impending doom that Frieza's final fight held, and this section contains several noticeable filler episodes. However, this saga has some of the most memorable moments not involving Goku which is welcome.
The series up to this point had built up the hidden potential of Gohan, so watching him be the first to ever transform to Super Saiyan 2 and defeat Cell both when Cell played fair and when he tried to cheat to win was a fantastic series of episodes.
This saga is strong because it allows Gohan to shine then has Goku seemingly die for good as he cannot be revived by the Dragon Balls. It makes for a strong moment of moving on in the series that could have been a great finish to the anime.
Great Saiyaman and World Tournament Sagas (Episodes 195-219): I've always been a sucker for a good tournament arc in an anime, and Dragon Ball was defined by its great tournaments. This time though, the tournaments are played off mostly as a diversion with no real conclusion as they lead to the rise of Buu.
There are some fun moments particularly seeing Trunks and Goku's second son Goten battle it out who become so interconnected in the whole of the Buu saga. The use of Goku here starts out as a cool idea that makes the tournament idea more exciting if only it hadn't been sidetracked so quickly.
The biggest problem with this section is not the tournament but the complete misuse of Gohan's character. His attempts to be normal and his Saiyaman persona are a waste of a character that should have been leading the charge in this last villain showdown.
Babidi and Majin Buu Sagas (Episodes 220-253): Of the four major villain arcs in the series (Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, and Buu), Buu's story is the most uninteresting and unnecessary. Largely what makes him stand out is how docile his first form is which also makes this arc drag with Babidi a boring comic relief voice for Buu to play off of.
The structure of this section is a bit odd. On one side, the series half-heartedly continues the tournament. On the other, the heroes face stages of one on one fights. This leads to a redux of the Goku vs. Vegeta fight with different stakes which has its appeal but also feels a bit too convenient.
The use of Super Saiyan 3 in this saga develops another running joke about DBZ as Goku's power grows through the growth of his hair. The transformation is one step too far in the series as it feels too much like the series is invalidating previous evolution of the characters by having again the strongest. The bright spot of the saga is the use of fusion with Goten and Trunks becoming Gotenks.
Fusion and Kid Buu Sagas (Episodes 254-291): The main part of Buu's story that is interesting is the hint of good inside him that surfaces early in the series's final saga. Beyond that, Buu just grows to his ultimate form and stands as a power level for the heroes to overcome once more.
This plays out quite similar to Cell's story as first Gotenks then Gohan get the upper hand on Buu only for him to grow stronger. Finally, Goku and Vegeta are forced to fuse to become Vegito, and they even end up failing as sudden lore is revealed of such how powerful Buu truly is.
With some final assistance from Vegeta, Goku is the savior once more, riding the world of the evil Buu for good. The good Buu lives on and begins a normal life. It's all a happily ever after after followed by several filler additions at the end to show that the future for the Dragon Ball universe will live on past Goku.
The fight here is the series' most complex and multi-staged, but it also just ends up being too oddly structured. Buu doesn't carry the same gravitas of his predecessors, and the show never quite finds the right way to close out that satisfied the stories told of all the characters.
The Films: I have watched the majority of the DBZ films, owning most on VHS tape (wow, just writing VHS makes me feel old). Surprisingly, they are largely strong, avoiding the series' pacing issues due to its more condensed form. The only I have not seen are the most recent entries (from Wrath of the Dragon on).
The films are at their best when the villains are steeped in the canon history of the series. The Cooler and Broly films in particular are the ones that have stuck with me the most from the series. There are also a few television specials which are poorly paced for the most part, explaining lore more than telling a story.
Dragon Ball GT: I do acknowledge it exists, but I will never review it as a separate entity as I have fallen asleep trying to get through it too many times to count. Why it is so much worse than its predecessor with the same cast of characters is hard to qualify. Just know it is only for the most inquisitive of DBZ fans.
You may not be his father by blood Piccolo, but I will always consider you Gohan's best father figure. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
Impact and Art Style
Action anime has its tropes the same as all show genres do, but Dragon Ball Z is the type of show that was less influenced by those tropes as it helped create them for better and worse. The action scenes and pacing are a part of the genre now because of the series success.
It is a great series in how it developed its characters and stories while avoiding too much filler along the way. It is a three act show despite its incredible length and rarely has a dull moment as long as you can stay in the tension of the drawn out action moments.
There are very few series that can ever hope to match the impact of the show which has been very rarely trumped in popularity since it first aired. The action shined even if it occasionally became noticeably gimmicky. The characters shined even if they occasionally fell into roles unsuited for their development. The story shined even though it followed similar patterns.
Dragon Ball Z is an old anime that did not have nearly the inspiration and resources new animators and artists have at their disposal, but that makes its art style all the more noticeably distinctive. Nothing else looks like Dragon Ball Z in the way the characters and environments look.
Still, the series was noticeably improved particular in its early shortcomings in the art by its update in Dragon Ball Z Kai which is a strict visual upgrade of the series. With time, that distinctive style has been noticeably improved to make an even more great viewing experience.
It is a great series in how it developed its characters and stories while avoiding too much filler along the way. It is a three act show despite its incredible length and rarely has a dull moment as long as you can stay in the tension of the drawn out action moments.
There are very few series that can ever hope to match the impact of the show which has been very rarely trumped in popularity since it first aired. The action shined even if it occasionally became noticeably gimmicky. The characters shined even if they occasionally fell into roles unsuited for their development. The story shined even though it followed similar patterns.
Dragon Ball Z is an old anime that did not have nearly the inspiration and resources new animators and artists have at their disposal, but that makes its art style all the more noticeably distinctive. Nothing else looks like Dragon Ball Z in the way the characters and environments look.
Still, the series was noticeably improved particular in its early shortcomings in the art by its update in Dragon Ball Z Kai which is a strict visual upgrade of the series. With time, that distinctive style has been noticeably improved to make an even more great viewing experience.
Sub vs. Dub
I grew up with the Dragon Ball Z dub, and I've always liked the English cast. In fact, I only watched a subbed episode of DBZ quite recently just to compare. In most of these cases though, nostalgia is a big deal as I got attached to the English cast without ever getting attached to the Japanese cast.
However, it is not just the casts that change from the dub to the sub. The show is fundamentally different in the way it is scored with the English version have a far more extensive soundtrack. This is a big deal as Dragon Ball Z is heavily driven by atmosphere, and the Japanese version is far more sparse on that front.
Personally, I found it hard to take the transition which was one of the most radical I had seen from dub to sub. There is likely stronger writing of characters as there often is with the original Japanese, but I personally could not see myself watching the series without the original cast and atmosphere.
Recommendation: Dub
However, it is not just the casts that change from the dub to the sub. The show is fundamentally different in the way it is scored with the English version have a far more extensive soundtrack. This is a big deal as Dragon Ball Z is heavily driven by atmosphere, and the Japanese version is far more sparse on that front.
Personally, I found it hard to take the transition which was one of the most radical I had seen from dub to sub. There is likely stronger writing of characters as there often is with the original Japanese, but I personally could not see myself watching the series without the original cast and atmosphere.
Recommendation: Dub
You could call these three the trinity of villains of DBZ or just the obstacles that led to Super Saiyan 1, 2, and 3. (Image Courtesy of: halswarrior.deviantart.com)
Conclusion
This is not always the case, but Dragon Ball Z is an anime that ages well. Looking back on the series, I still enjoyed returning to it beyond the nostalgia. There are many issues with it, but, at its core, it is a series that is just so much fun to watch.
I did find though that I noticed the series' circling too often. The main villains are too much like video game bosses, powering up to their maximum form, while the struggles of the heroes are too power driven. There are not enough emotional hurdles with death such a loose threat in the story.
With each stage of evolution, the series turned back on itself, making previous development feel less significant. The power levels overlapped themselves until the essence of the series felt like it was forgotten. DBZ is a show that is best in its early stages before it outreaches itself.
For an action thrill ride, DBZ will always stand up. It is an exhilarating experience with thrilling effects and a deft score that always stands out. It is just a shame the same cannot be said for the anime's human story. What begins as a very intimate experience too often loses its character growth for more excitement.
I did find though that I noticed the series' circling too often. The main villains are too much like video game bosses, powering up to their maximum form, while the struggles of the heroes are too power driven. There are not enough emotional hurdles with death such a loose threat in the story.
With each stage of evolution, the series turned back on itself, making previous development feel less significant. The power levels overlapped themselves until the essence of the series felt like it was forgotten. DBZ is a show that is best in its early stages before it outreaches itself.
For an action thrill ride, DBZ will always stand up. It is an exhilarating experience with thrilling effects and a deft score that always stands out. It is just a shame the same cannot be said for the anime's human story. What begins as a very intimate experience too often loses its character growth for more excitement.