Among many anime franchises somehow Dragon Ball has survived the test of time. From Yu Yu Hakusho to Cowboy Bebop and all other titles that came and went, Dragon Ball has survived. But why is that exactly. Why are the fans still asking for more and more Dragon Ball year after year. I have come up with some answers and I believe that you as the reader will agree with me on the following.
Many manga and anime come and go but very few stay in our hearts. Take a look at One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Sailor Moon and all the other series that just keep on going and going. I am not sure why Yu Yu Hakusho because it was a fan favorite. Also keep in mind might not have the best stories but we still like it no matter what. There are some anime that are very story driven like Berserk and stay around for the long term but some anime you just love so much you cant put it down. Why is that.
Naruto survived with Boruto the next generation. It was brought back because the show was so popular and people love it so much that the creators decided to give it another go. We just don’t want to see the end of some shows. It seems like its easy to run out of ideas and as you already know, Dragon Ball Super has not been the most creative work with its Super Saiyan Blue, however, we still love it.
For most of us fans, we started with Dragon Ball Z from either middle school or high school and then into our adulthood we still love the show. The anime grows with you like a sibling. But its the characters that stay with us. We watch the anime for the story but we stay for the characters.
Admit it , no matter how stupid Goku acts, we still love him because of who he is. Goku is like your high school friend that you call up to hang out with. Every time he walks in the room he sets the place on fire(emotionally that is).
Is not just Goku, but the characters around him as well. Dragon Ball’s main fans are young boys who then grow with the show. The audience is mostly male, girls come for the ride too.
Its All About The Action
Dragon Ball Z was not the first Dragon ball series. The first series was with little Goku. The boy with a staff and a flying nimbus cloud. The story was based on the Chinese fairy tale of the monkey king. The series has been around in manga since 1984. It was not until September 1996 that Dragon Ball Z aired in America. After its debut, many people did not take their eyes of anime and western cartoons became a joke.
Dragon Ball Z was all about the action. You defeat one enemy then another enemy shows up even stronger than the last. You have train, get stronger to defeat the new villain.
You might be saying, “but there are so many action shows, how is Dragon Ball so popular?” The answer is power. Energy beams, flying around in battle and most of all martial arts. Young men love to fight and they love challenges. There is nothing that we love to see more than a hero fighting to save the day.
Before Dragon Ball Z, at least in the west, there was really nothing like it. Sure we had great franchises like Star Wars and some cool martial arts stuff like the Karate Kid but there was never something close to Dragon Ball Z.
Its Multicultural
Although Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, was inspired by Chinese mythology and cultural to create the series, Dragon Ball it self is not necessary 100% Asian. Its characters are unique and it has a mixture of western and eastern style of settings. This is what attracts many people to Dragon Ball Z. Even the characters seem different and not exactly Asian despite of the origin of their creation. Bulma seems very western and Goku himself is not necessarily Asian either. Then you have Krillin that looks like a monk. Then other characters that appear in the show are very diverse. You cant really judge Dragon Ball for being one thing or one way. It is so unique that you cant compare it too many things, that is at least when it once started. Now a days you have many anime that take inspiration from Dragon Ball Z.
Its Very Relatable
Many American cartoons and shows are created with a purist mentality. That means, no blood, no gore, no sexual scenes or nudity but Dragon Ball does not shy away from that as well as many anime. When it came out in the west it had to be censored a lot. Scenes like Goku running around butt naked.
Dragon Ball is very real and the characters go through things that we have gone through as well. Like when Krillin died. That was a very emotional experience. It was devastating. How about when Gohan was all alone to train with Piccolo before the Saiyans came. Even that time when Vegeta started crying as he told Goku the story of how Freeza abused the Saiyans and forced them to destroy planets. How about the story of Trunks coming from the future where its basically a dystopia for him.
Dragon Ball Z is very realistic despite it being a eastern style cartoon show.
Testosterone Booster
Lets face it. The first time you watch Goku turn Super Saiyan you pissed your pants. I know you did. That moment was so emotional and so out of this world. We had no idea what Goku had become. A Super Saiyan. You know that you always wanted to scream your guts out and grow spiky golden hair.
Dragon Ball Z is a testosterone booster for boys. The fighting, the super saiyan screaming transformation. When you were watching Dragon Ball Z as a kid, just watching it gave you a rush in testosterone and you know it. All of a sudden you wanted to have more muscle and kick ass. Much like how One Punch Man motivated people to get into fitness, Dragon Ball Z inspired many people to take martial arts lessons.
That is all for this article.
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