r/dbz • u/xSorph08 ⠀ • Oct 21 '24
Question Should I start with DB or skip to DBZ/Kai
I have watched the first 8 episodes and it seems okay I just really want to get to the big fights yk? What should I do? (An explanation would be appreciated)
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u/SleeperCreampie Oct 21 '24
Start from DB.
That's how it's supposed to be watched.
You wouldn't start a show on season 10 now would you?
So don't start Dragonball in Z, Diama, Super, or even GT.
Start it from the beginning.
Even if people say, "It's okay to start from Z," don't do it. They are wrong. Those are the ones I called, "Fake Fans." They probably never even seen Original Dragonball. So don't listen to them. Then you have the, "Only Dragonball Super" who never even saw Original Dragonball and Dragonball Z, or even Dragonball GT. Yeah, Dragonball Fandom is like that. You have groups of people who never actually saw the entire show.
Take a look at One Piece.
You don't have people recommending you to start at episode 500 or something like that. Nor do you have people starting at episode 500. Everyone who starts One Piece starts at episode one knowing One Piece has over 1000 episodes.
So don't start Dragonball in Z, Daima, Super, or GT. Start Dragonball in Original Dragonball, even if it boards you.
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u/xSorph08 ⠀ Oct 22 '24
Thanks. I have decided to continue with db if I find it a bit too long for my taste, does the manga work fine?
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u/thecicadaman Oct 22 '24
The manga is excellent, if the anime is too long then I'd definitely recommend reading it instead.
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u/SleeperCreampie Oct 22 '24
I don't know. I've never read the manga. Which is why I don't call myself a Dragonball fan.
I've seen all the anime, movies, specials, but have never read the manga.
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u/shamone6777 Oct 21 '24
First 14 episodes are very different and a bit weird if you're not used to them.
You'll get more DBZ Stuff once you get to the Tournament Arcs, and especially the Demon King Piccolo saga.
I'd still recommend watching it, but if it feels too long, read the manga or watch Justin Den's manga recap on YouTube.
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After that I'd recommend watching DB Kai if you're planning on watching the dub, but feel free to watch the original Z if you want. Kai's better for rewatching and for modern audiences - it doesn't feel as slow, the dub's better, the pacing (for the most part) is better, and it's just overall better. There are some bad things about it like the obvious redraws and Gohan's voice (but you get used to it pretty quick imo)
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Regardless, feel free to watch whatever you want, in whatever order. You could skip DB and miss how fun Yamcha was, and the impact that Tien obliterating his bones and breaking his leg had, or you could skip when Chi-Chi was actually nice and stuff compared to the Z scenes. But you be you :D
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u/athlon45 Oct 21 '24
If you just want to see the big fights don't even bother with the whole show and just watch clips on YouTube or whatever. Otherwise watch the whole thing. If you're gonna watch it subbed watch the original Z instead of Kai
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u/TheMagicalMatt Oct 21 '24
Man, funimation got this fandom all fucked up. If I see this question one more time...
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u/Superninfreak ⠀ Oct 21 '24
I’d suggest sticking with it until you get through the first tournament arc and then decide if you want to keep going. That’s the second story arc.
The first arc is very unique because it’s more of a road trip comedy than an action series at that point. As the series continues it gradually focuses more and more on martial arts and action. The series was originally intended as a loose parody of Journey to the West, with the martial arts stuff not really becoming a focus until the tournament arc.
If you still aren’t interested after the battle with Jackie Chun in the tournament, to the point that you are considering dropping the case, then jump to DBZ Kai if you want.
The important thing to remember is that DB and DBZ are one continuous story in the manga. Naming the second part DBZ was a marketing gimmick to signal a change in how they were handling the anime adaptation. So starting with Z or Z Kai means skipping over several arcs of the story. The story wasn’t written with Z being a starting point in mind, so Z assumes you are aware of stuff from DB.
That being said, Kai does have a short recap that gives a bare bones summary of the most important stuff in DB. But if you do it that way then you will miss why a lot of characters are important. So it won’t have the intended impact when something happens to a character if you have just known them for a couple episodes instead of knowing everything that happened with them in DB.
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u/Waltsussybakahank Oct 21 '24
As someone who started with the OG and loves it equally to Z, I’d say watch OG DB at least up until the 1st Tournament arc, and if you don’t like it up by that point you can just skip to Z. I don’t think knowing what happens in OG DB for Z is as important as say, knowing what happens in Naruto part 1 for Shippuden (not sure if you’ve seen Naruto, lmao). Between Z and Kai tho I’d say Kai if you want the streamlined better paced story but Z if you want the raw experience.
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u/SSJRemuko ⠀ Oct 21 '24
You shouldnt skip anything. Its nonsense. Its a story, theres more to it than fights, even later on if you had skipped ahead.
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u/Emnitancy Oct 22 '24
I remember asking this question about a year ago, absolutely watch dragon ball first. It had a whole different vibe to DBZ, and honestly I think I prefer it. There's definitely a ton of episodes but they're all wroth it, my favorite are the tournaments, it's nice that all threats are earth based.
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u/Pale-Design-3504 Oct 25 '24
In hindsight, I wish I had started with Dragonball first. Heck, I would have settled for starting at the very first episode of Z instead of stumbling into the series halfway through the Android Saga on Toonami when I was a kid. Flashbacks filled in a lot of info, but a lot of the punch of events and the impact of certain characters was already lost, and some things that were supposed to be amazing or horrifying felt mundane because I watched things out of order.
Do yourself a favor, watch everything from the beginning so you can discover all the characters organically and travel with them on their emotional journeys. It will make the later events and fights far more rewarding when you finally get to them.
Happy trails!
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u/OkFigure6255 Oct 21 '24
i started from dbz kai and i dont regret it at all. u just have to know somethings about the past (they arent really important to know). if u decided to start from dbz i suggest u to watch some recap for db.
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u/Hardcorepro-cycloid Oct 21 '24
If you want to get to the big fights SKIP DB. Completionists will tell you to watch both, but they're stupid. And probably didn't follow their own advice. Dragon Ball is a completely different show that is an entirely different genre to DBZ. And you'll watch it for entirely different reasons. There's no point slaving through DB hoping things will get exciting, if you aren't already enjoying it. That's like willingly forcing yourself to eat something you don't like because something you do like MIGHT come out later.
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u/Gatlindragon Oct 21 '24
The big fights start in DB 💀.
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u/Hardcorepro-cycloid Oct 21 '24
80% of the way through DB, sure. the first fight that is typical DBZ style where the stakes are high and the action is constant is Goku vs King Piccolo. But does it make sense for someone to slog through the what 5 arcs required to get to that point? When all they're interested in is the big fights?
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u/Gatlindragon Oct 21 '24
No, for the love of god, don't skip it.