• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

How would you rate the dragon ball (both original and z) arcs?

Anteater

Member
Honestly my favorite arc was the King Picollo arc in DB.

Mostly because it took place right after tournament 2 and the Tenshinhan arc was actually really good, they escalated it right after the tournament with a huge tone shift before the viewers have room to breath, so it left a huge impression on me, Goku getting so pissed off for the first time ever in his life because his best buddy just got murdered in cold blood was like the time when he turned super saiyan on namek, except I thought it was better even though not as flashy. (I really adore the recent dragon ball super episodes when goku hang out and fight against krillin again, they used to be such best buddies but we don't get to see them hang out as much now)

The final moment when he put everything into his final attack against Picollo, man.

oWukwoq.jpg

For me, it's king picollo arc > namek > cell > tounament 2 > Picollo Jr > tournament 1 > Buu > Pilaf / red ribbon

I'm sure there are some minor arcs missing like the Fortune Teller Baba arc where Goku fight against his Grandpa, and there's the Saiyan arc, I don't know where to put them but I'd say they were very good, the fight vs Vegeta in the Saiyan arc was still one of the best, but I still sort of think it's just a prologue for Namek. Pilaf/dragonball collecting at the beginning contains all the introduction to characters such as Yamcha, Bulma so it was pretty great too.

I'm not sure why but I actually find red ribbon to be weak, it has some good comedy and raiding their base was also good too but I'd rate it below the other arcs, just not a big fan of it, it's still very enjoyable, with Arale's cameo and whatnot.

I also don't mean to put down some of the arcs I rated lower, I just don't want to make the thread too long, like I absolutely adore many moments in the series, like the third tournament with Chichi getting married to Goku and many good moments. Red Ribbon army with the side characters like Android 8 and not to mention the Arale cameo.

Vegeta getting soft during the Buu's arc and actually care about his family, etc.
 
been almost 2 decades since I watched DB, so I'm not gonna rate it

Frieza/Namek > Cell > Saiyan > Buu

If Buu arc ended with Vegeta actually killing Buu, it would be the best arc for me.
 

Two Words

Member
Pilaf and Red Ribbon are separate arches.

King Piccolo > Piccolo Jr. > Tien Martial Arts Tourney > Goku & Krillen training + Martial Arts tourney > Red Ribbon Army > Saiyan Saga > Pilaf > Freeza Saga > Android/Cell Saga > Buu Saga



Dragon Ball is just so much better than DBZ.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Saiyan Saga > the rest

lkOH6F.gif


It's been too long since I've watched Dragonball so I'm only going to rank the DBZ arcs

Saiyan > Frieza > Cell > Buu
 

Ottaro

Member
Ive always felt that, overall, Z was about the coming of age of gohan. Cell is the culmination of that so I think its the greatest.
 
Namek > Androids > King Piccolo > Zamasu/Black > Saiyans > Battle of Gods > Buu > Pilaf > Red Ribbon > Resurrection F

I like all of canon DB though. I haven't seen or read early DB in YEARS.
 

Anteater

Member
Pilaf and Red Ribbon are separate arches.

King Piccolo > Piccolo Jr. > Tien Martial Arts Tourney > Goku & Krillen training + Martial Arts tourney > Red Ribbon Army > Saiyan Saga > Pilaf > Freeza Saga > Android/Cell Saga > Buu Saga

Dragon Ball is just so much better than DBZ.

aww I actually like Freeza saga more than Red Ribbon, I think Freeza has some really cool Alien designs and characters, the exotic location and seriousness puts it above the other arcs, super saiyan was super cool too
 

Anteater

Member
Saiyan Saga > the rest

lkOH6F.gif


It's been too long since I've watched Dragonball so I'm only going to rank the DBZ arcs

Saiyan > Frieza > Cell > Buu

honestly Vegeta put up so much of a fight, I'd say it was the greatest threat Goku ever had in the entire series, Goku actually got his ass kicked and couldn't even get up before his friends arrived lmao
 

Reset

Member
Androids + Cell > Namek > Saiyan > DB First Tournament > DB Second Tournament > Buu > King Piccolo + DB Third Tournament > Baby > Black Goku > Shadow Dragon > God of Destruction

I'm not going to rank the rest of the arcs like RoF, Pilaf, Red Ribbon, Black Star, etc. because they were trash.
 

Anteater

Member
Androids + Cell > Namek > Saiyan > DB First Tournament > DB Second Tournament > Buu > King Piccolo + DB Third Tournament > Baby > Black Goku > Shadow Dragon > God of Destruction

I'm not going to rank the rest of the arcs like RoF, Pilaf, Red Ribbon, Black Star, etc. because they were trash.

I always thought Pilaf was sorta part of the introduction at the very beginning of the series as Bulma's dragonball collecting arc, where they collect the first set of dragon balls, where Goku meets with Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, Roshi, etc, I have a soft spot for it since it's the beginning of the story and it's sorta fun
 

Kyuur

Member
DB Tournament Saga > Great Saiyaman > everything else

I'm not particularly fond of any of the series' more serious arcs.
 

kunonabi

Member
As far as animated Z goes

1.Cell

2.Saiyan

3.Frieza

4.Buu

Cell saga did a better job of giving more of the cast moments to shine and be a part of the plot, had the best fight in the series with Android 17 vs Piccolo, the best villain and had a legitimately great payoff at the end with Gohan vs Cell.
 

Sephzilla

Member
honestly Vegeta put up so much of a fight, I'd say it was the greatest threat Goku ever had in the entire series, Goku actually got his ass kicked and couldn't even get up before his friends arrived lmao

The fascinating part of the whole Goku/Vegeta rivalry is that Vegeta is constantly obsessed with surpassing Goku, yet in head to head fights Vegeta is technically undefeated against Goku. Krillin, Gohan, and Yajirobi (!) deserve the W against Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga because Goku was dead to rights when they showed up and Goku didn't really do anything after that. And Vegeta technically won the rematch in the Buu Saga since Goku was holding back and then let his guard down
 

Anteater

Member
The fascinating part of the whole Goku/Vegeta rivalry is that Vegeta is constantly obsessed with surpassing Goku, yet in head to head fights Vegeta is technically undefeated against Goku. Krillin, Gohan, and Yajirobi (!) deserve the W against Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga because Goku was dead to rights when they showed up and Goku didn't really do anything after that. And Vegeta technically won the rematch in the Buu Saga since Goku was holding back and then let his guard down

yeah in a 1 on 1 fight Vegeta could've likely smoked his ass, Vegeta was just insecure lol
 

Real Hero

Member
I always thought Pilaf was sorta part of the introduction at the very beginning of the series as Bulma's dragonball collecting arc, where they collect the first set of dragon balls, where Goku meets with Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, Roshi, etc, I have a soft spot for it since it's the beginning of the story and it's sorta fun

It's great, not sure what he's talking about
 

Fbh

Gold Member
Has been too long since I saw DB.

But for Z I'd say.

Namek > Saiyans > Cell > Boo

Namek was awesome. So many cool fights, my favorite villain in the series, introducing the super Saiyan in that awesome chapter

Saiyans is also great. Both of them felt like such a big threat , everyone trying to resist till Goku gets there and Vegeta was probably the hardest fight they had .

I love the tournament on the cell saga. But honestly didn't care much for the first part with the androids and the first 2 cell stages .

Boo does also have some awesome moments like Vegito and badass Gohan but much like cell the first half or more of the arch isn't very good
 

DarkKyo

Member
Have not seen all of DB but in terms of DBZ I'd have to say I like it all in this order:

Saiyan=Freiza
Namek
Android/Future Trunks
Buu
Cell

I get why a lot of people like the Cell arc but honestly it's the most boring one for me. Cell is a lot less interesting than the other big villains.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Maybe it was just because of how Toonami only had half of the arc dubbed for the longest time so it always looped, but the Namek saga felt like it took forever. Admittedly, it was still a pure hype moment when Goku finally showed up and wrecked the Ginyu Force
 

Real Hero

Member
Both Piccolo arcs

Saiyaman+ Buu arc

Pilaf arc

2nd Tournament

1st Tournament

Saiyan arc

Freeza/Namek arc

Red Ribbon/Fortue teller Baba arc

Andorids/Cell arcs
 

TheOfficeMut

Unconfirmed Member
Maybe it was just because of how Toonami only had half of the arc dubbed for the longest time so it always looped, but the Namek saga felt like it took forever. Admittedly, it was still a pure hype moment when Goku finally showed up and wrecked the Ginyu Force

Holy CRAP I explicitly remember that. It took at least two years from what I remember to move past Goku arriving on Namek and confronting the Ginyu Force. At the time I didn't really use the internet nor did I really expect the show to restart as much as it did, and for years Toonami would restart the show at the Saiyan Saga and end it at the start of the Frieza one. I got excited each time that pivotal episode approached because I always heard about Frieza Saga but always wondered when we were finally going to see it in the states.

I vividly remember the excitement when I came home from school one afternoon and turned on Toonami to finally find that the Frieza Saga was finally dubbed and that the show did not reset to the Saiyan Saga. It was unbelievable to me.
 

Enduin

No bald cap? Lies!
Dragon Ball > Dragon Ball Z

I grew up with DBZ first and still love it to death, but they went off the rails after the Freeza arc with power levels and refusing to let Goku go. It was hype and super fun all the way through Buu, but when compared to DB it just lost a lot when it came to the overall quality and impact. DB has just far better stories and development with a progression that doesn't feel forced.
 

galv

Unconfirmed Member
Let me preface by saying Dragon Ball is a superior story with better characters, better pacing, interesting fights and actual development. Dragon Ball Z lost that spark during Namek, shifting towards power level determined fights, Super Saiyans and an over-dependence on Goku. With that being said, it was still very entertaining.

Dragon Ball Arcs:
1. King Piccolo Saga
2. Red Ribbon Army & Fortune-Teller Baba Saga
3. World Martial Arts Tournament Saga
4. Tienshinhan Saga
5. Piccolo Jr Saga
6. Pilaf Saga

Dragon Ball Z Arcs:
1. Namek Saga
2. Saiyan Saga
3. Cell Saga
4. Buu Saga

With that being said, moments from later DBZ were still awesome - the moments leading upto the Buu saga in particular were awesome, cause it expanded upon Gohan/Goten/Videl and what Goku dying actually meant. Early Buu saga had plenty of promise too, especially with the Buu vs Buu fight. Same with early Cell - Imperfect Cell was such a great villain.
 

Anteater

Member
Dragon Ball > Dragon Ball Z

I grew up with DBZ first and still love it to death, but they went off the rails after the Freeza arc with power levels and refusing to let Goku go. It was hype and super fun all the way through Buu, but when compared to DB it just lost a lot when it came to the overall quality and impact. DB has just far better stories and development with a progression that doesn't feel forced.

The thing with db was that it's a gag anime that focused on comedy as a basis usually, but when it decides to get all serious it makes it so god damn cool and makes a serious impact on you, man goku was easy going and he just got so pissed during the picollo arc
 

Razorback

Member
Everything's fine except for the Buu saga.

My 10-year-old self wasn't buying any of that turning people into candy bullshit.
 
Childhood was idolizing DBZ
Adulthood is realizing DB was the best all along
That said the entirety of the King Piccolo saga was my favorite and the one I rank the highest
 

Anteater

Member
yah i love the gohan development in cell saga

anyone remember android 16 tho? =( he's dead and no one resurrected that poor guy.........................
 
Saiyan Saga > the rest

lkOH6F.gif


It's been too long since I've watched Dragonball so I'm only going to rank the DBZ arcs

Saiyan > Frieza > Cell > Buu

Also haven't seen DB in a long long time so can't comment on that.

This is the correct answer. Nothing in DBZ tops the epicness of that Kaioken 4x Kamehameha vs the Galick Gun.
 

Enduin

No bald cap? Lies!
The thing with db was that it's a gag anime that focused on comedy as a basis usually, but when it decides to get all serious it makes it so god damn cool and makes a serious impact on you, man goku was easy going and he just got so pissed during the picollo arc

Yup, I also think that the power levels play into that as well. It's easier to be mostly comedic in tone with moments of serious drama when you have characters and enemies that aren't veritable gods. Sure they were super human by any metric, but they couldn't just blow up an entire planet on a whim.

I haven't caught up with Super beyond the initial films they released, but it just kind of becomes meaningless when you are dealing with beings that can easily wipe out pretty much all of existence like it was nothing. It just throws the whole scale of things far beyond what anyone can really contemplate and appreciate.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Yup, I also think that the power levels play into that as well. It's easier to be mostly comedic in tone with moments of serious drama when you have characters and enemies that aren't veritable gods. Sure they were super human by any metric, but they couldn't just blow up an entire planet on a whim.

This is part of why I love the Saiyan Saga so much. The power scaling was at the right level where it hit superhero-ish "fate of the world" levels but didn't get ridiculous
 

Wazzy

Banned
Cell saga > Buu Saga(up until Kid Buu then it becomes shit) > Frieza saga > Saiyan Saga

I have very fond memories of Cell saga. I adored how each character was involved even if they didn't do much.
 
1. Cell Saga: The last time a large amount of the supporting cast is involved and contributed. Dragon Ball really suffered from this outside the tournament arcs. Goku basic took on Red Ribbon all by himself while during King Piccolo Killin is dead and Yamcha has a broken leg leaving it up Tien to lead the charge until Goku shows up and defeats the opponent beating him up with with one kick. Goku should have stayed dead at the end.

Saiyan Saga: The supporting cast basically holds the line until Goku can come and defeat the villain, destroying them in one punch a la Tien and Drum in the King Piccolo saga. Gohan and Piccolo's relationship is well done though.

Buu Saga: Much more comedy-focused and overlong, but at least Vegeta finally confronts his past as an evil villain which he had never really done until this point. Dude was still blowing up innocent people on the Cell Saga. He accepts Goku is better and finishes his character growth.
Actual limits on power appear with Super Saiyan 3 being slightly stronger than 2. Gohan cashes in on his potential and becomes the strongest individual.

Frieza Saga: Escalation: the saga. Basically Vegeta, Gohan and Killin drive most of the plot until Goku shows up and is promptly taken out again till the final battle. Vegeta overwhelms opponents till he gets humiliated and beated to an inch of his life. Then comes back much stronger and rinse and repeat 3 times. The Recoome fight is like Nappa and once again Goku defeats the opponent beating up his friends with one punch.
 

KraytarJ

Member
I haven't seen like the second half of DB so I won't bother rating what I've seen. As far as DBZ goes I'd say:
1. Cell
2. Namek
3. Buu
4. Saiyan

To me Dragon Ball as a whole peaked with Gohan vs. Cell, and as time has gone on I've come to appreciate the Namek saga more and more but it's still very close to Buu for me. I've never been particularly interested in the Saiyan saga since the villains were pretty uninteresting to me, and while the power creep gets pretty ridiculous as Z goes on it's too low for my taste in the saiyan saga.
 

NandoGip

Member
Ranking best to worst

DB:
Piccolo
22nd Tournament
21st Tournament
Red Ribbon
Pilaf

Z:
Cell
Saiyan
Buu
Namek

GT:
Shadow Dragons
Baby
Black Star Dragon balls
Super Android 17

Super:
Future Trunks
Battle of Gods
Recruitment arc
U6/U7 Tournament
Return of F

Movies:
Wrath of the Dragon
Return of Cooler
Fusion Reborn
Bojack Unbound
Tree of Might
Legendary Super Saiyan
Coolers Revenge
Worlds Strongest
Super Android 13
Dead Zone
Broly Second Coming
Lord Slug
Bio Broly
 

L Thammy

Member
Freeza Saga (The fact that it relied on stealth and going straight for the Dragonballs gave it a unique dynamic. The fights were still great.)
Saiyan Saga (One of the best fights in the series along with interesting developments)
Piccolo Jr Saga (Goku versus Piccolo is the best fight in the series, but nothing more than fighting to note.)
Buu Saga (Just really really creative, plus Buu is a deceptively intelligent villain, so I can appreciate how hard-earned the win was.)
Tenshinhan Saga (I think the series had really found its pacing by this point, so it just barely edges out the previous tournament.)
World Tournament Saga (I think I just have a soft spot for Jackie Chun.)
Cell Saga (There are a lot of great and memorable moments, but I feel like this is where the fighting worst devolved into beam wars, and the rapid abandonment of villains made the plot kind of random and confusing. I also just don't like Cell as much as the other villains.)
.
.
.
Pilaf Saga (Memorable, but the humour is kind of nasty.)
King Piccolo Saga (Sorry, but I can't stand the water boost thing.)
Red Ribbon Saga (Taipaipai and General Blue are the only interesting things, the rest was boring. Goku curbstomps practically everyone, even the final villain of the saga, shit's lame.)
 
Top Bottom