Dragon Ball: Z

I find it funny that the creator of Dragonball has said (on the record) that the switch from the original franchise to Dragon Ball: Z was merely a marketing ploy by the production company; it's also funny that the "Z" was chosen to ensure this was the last instalment, given how we now have multiple additional films and the whole DB: Super sequel (not to mention DB: GT, even if that isn't canon). It seems odd because there is such a clear tonal and even artistic jump between the two shows!

When we last saw Goku, he was a teenager. Now he's a full adult, with a wife, a five (I think?) year old kid, and a very different outlook on like. We'd seen the start of this maturation in the Piccolo Jnr. Saga, but right from the first episode of DB: Z it's very clear that this is a fairly different character. He's still carefree and not entirely "civilised", but he's also smart, resourceful, and has a very clear view on morality. This is probably most evident in the saga's finale, when he pleads with Krillin to let Vegeta go, and not to kill him, but the roots of that philosophy are scattered throughout the season.

And it's not just Goku ‒ pretty much all of the characters have aged and matured in their characters (except for Chi-Chi, who has changed considerably in a slightly less than beneficial direction 😅). And the animation and writing style have grown up, too. Gone are the overtly pervy jokes and plot lines; nudity is now "tastefully" hidden, even with child characters like Gohan; and the violence has been toned down considerably. That latter decision has sidelined a few characters (most notably Launch), whilst also calling for redesigns of others, such as the Ox King.

But whilst "real world" violence has been almost entirely removed, the superhero-like abilities of our heroes has been amped up. I'm a bit sad that we don't see this happen directly. Much like the time skip in the final Dragonball saga, this new jump forward serves the plot and character development well, but also means that we just have to accept a lot of new capabilities and super-human skills from everyone. Flight is the most obvious sudden addition! In the first series, a select few fighters could hover or hold themselves in the air, whilst most could jump really, really high, OG Superman style. But no one was ever shown with the power of fully manoeuvrable flight. Now, even Gohan has that capability, no explanation provided. Similarly, whilst we did see some energy attacks and energy-based power-ups were hinted at, the kind of energy-overdrive that Goku unlocks during his time with King Kai is just added in there. Yes, we get a lengthy, multi-episode training montage, but the actual bit where Goku is taught the Kaio-ken technique happens off-screen 🤷‍♀️

One area of development I'm really happy to see they didn't just hand-wave away was Piccolo's conversion from foe to friend. His team up with Goku to attack Raditz makes clear sense once he's realised how powerful the new Saiyan is (his ability to sense power levels is glossed over a little, but ah well). Then, learning that this was merely a scout (of sorts), his choice to train Gohan, who has just shown extraordinary potential, also feels justified, and provides him an obvious arc to begin to care about this kid and, by extension, the other Z fighters. (Oh yeah, the whole "Z fighters" thing is also never explained, apparently, they just suddenly start using it 😂)

None of this would matter, though, if the Saiyan Saga wasn't such a good bridge arc. It cleverly weaves in a bunch of revelations about Goku and Piccolo's origins, introduces us to a wider universe of threats and potential allies, and sets the stage for a much grander story, both in terms of the inevitable trip to Namek, and also the interconnectedness of the core characters. Plus, killing off a bunch of the fighters does also help narrow the scope of play a little, which is definitely beneficial too. I do wish Raditz and Nappa were a little less one-dimensional, and that Vegeta wasn't so absolutely evil, but I'm also impressed at how much of his future characterisation is subtly present here this early on.

The result is a really solid chapter in the ongoing narrative, and an excellent introduction to this new version of the classic show. It's still a little slow at times, and there are a few moments where you're left thinking "why wouldn't you just do X or Y?" (particularly around the lack of sensu beans ‒ come on Korin, you had a few years to grow a good stock!), but the setup is intriguing, the extended training middle section is really good fun (I thoroughly enjoyed Goku's time in the after life), and the final battle is surprisingly impactful and nicely balanced (aside from the whole "Vegeta powering up is felt all over the globe", when in later seasons they exceed that power level a hundred fold multiple times without it registering outside the battlefield at all 😅), which rounds it all together well.

On the one hand, this is the quintessential Dragon Ball: Z storyline. Vegeta becomes a core character; the overall universe gets expanded multiple times, fleshing out the origins of the Saiyans and Nameks alike; and we have the introduction of the Super Saiyan. It builds nicely on the themes of the Saiyan Saga, pushing the plot well beyond anything that the original Dragon Ball series had scope for, and, in many ways, provides an excellent conclusion to Goku’s own story. His son, family, and (adopted) home world are all safe, and he has ascended to become the most powerful fighter in the universe and the ultimate force for good. (At least, as per the information so far divulged…)

However… despite having a superb villain, some incredible world expanding lore, and an utterly epic final showdown, it is completely marred by it’s awful pacing. I can forgive Dragon Ball its propensities for power creep, drawn out fights, and multi-episode powers ups, as they are both core to the way the story is told and, largely, serve to amp up the stakes and the drama. But the Frieza Saga takes this to all new — and all terrible — levels. The constant repetition of watching events unfold, and then having King Kai tell them again to those in the Spirit Realm; or intermixing flash backs in the midst of fight sequences to recap events, often of this Saga itself (I can forgive, to some extent, the padding out with backstory from the prior series and earlier Saiyan Saga); the cut always to Bulma just complaining and never really doing anything (they did her character so dirty in this season) or back to Earth for the same repetitive sequence of jokes. And these issues only ramp up over time. The final 5-6 episode should likely be a maximum of two, but we keep having to go over and over and over the same points. It’s draining, appalling storytelling.

Plus, they inadvertently retcon their own stories on a couple of occasions towards the end. The flashback showing Napa revealing to Vegeta that Frieza destroyed their homeworld simply makes no sense and reduces Vegeta’s own arc and growth significantly. Allow him to suspect foul play, maybe, but this just undercuts an entire earlier sequence of events. Or how about Vegeta flying away after beating up Gohan, only for him to be back with the gang in the next episode, and even actively helping them get a plan together to revive Goku?

Speaking of, one of the few things this Saga gets really, perfectly right is Goku’s own arc. He’s the epitome of the noble warrior: he trains hard, he pushes past his own limits, he achieves power unlike anyone else, and yet he takes every moment possible to spare Frieza’s life, to give him another chance. Of course, this asks some questions about why he didn’t do the same for Raditz, his own brother, but nevermind — maybe he’s just matured a bit? Critically, though, it also keeps his trait of wanting to be pushed himself, letting Frieza get to his own max power level, constantly drawing out the fight, whilst still showing that he is thinking about other people and putting them above his own ego — something that later seasons, and the whole of Dragon Ball: Super seems to forget and take to ridiculous extremes.

I also love how well Namek and the Namekian people are explored, and actually thought the consistent power levelling of Frieza’s goons was not just pretty solidly done, but also helped build the whole “Saiyans get stronger with each defeat” plot thread. The Ginyu Force never felt that interesting before, but I actually really liked them this time around (even their absurdities — though maybe not Jeice’s faux-Australian accent 😅).

One other aspect that totally went over my head as a kid was the racial undertones of the final showdown between Goku and Frieza. I’m not sure how much was explicitly intended, but the result of having a largely white, monstrously evil villain who has simply had everything handed to him on a silver plate for his entire life, consistently try to wear down his much stronger, braver, and much more hard working opponent by hurling traditional “beastial” insults — “you monkey”, “a stinking, dirty ape”, “nothing but an animal”, “lowly beast” — insults levelled most frequently at Black men — is hard to ignore. It makes Frieza even more despicable, and also provides a moment of immensely quiet strength when Goku gives a subtle smirk and states that the villain has been beaten “by a monkey” or adds emphasis to his exclamation earlier in the fight that he’d “rather be a brainless monkey than a heartless monster”. I can certainly see why the show and character have been so utterly embraced by the Black community across the world.

So to say I’m torn on how to rate this season is an understatement. It has wonderful moments of character development, some incredible set pieces and twists in the plot, and many of the best, most nuanced philosophies we see the show ever deliver. And yet, I wanted it to end so many times. It should have been a 5* finish, but there were periods I wanted to just switch it off and never go back. So I’m settling at somewhere just right of centre. (And, no, I don’t think the Kai edit will necessarily be the answer; yes, it will likely help, but I hear it cuts out some of the more interesting world building aspects as well, which is a shame.)