It is Dragon Ball that inspired so many modern series like One Piece, Naruto, and Yu-Gi-Oh! It is Dragon Ball that was the global sensation of which Dragon Ball Z could become the success it is today. What’s more, by not watching Dragon Ball you might as well be watching Dragon Ball Z out of context. Let’s discuss everything Dragon Ball Z fans miss out on when they skip the series that started it all.
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Characters Origins Explored
While I don’t want to knock the classic characters that were introduced in Dragon Ball Z, when the series starts there are at least a dozen characters that were already established by that point. I remember reading a review of Dragon Ball Z from High-Def Digest who wrote in his review of the first season of Dragon Ball Z: Kai:
To say the writer was confused as to who all these characters are and what their purpose was would be an understatement. It’s also easy to brush him off as some old man who “clearly is not a fan of the franchise,” yet if most fans look at what he writes with an open mind, they may realize that he is absolutely right in one respect: When you start watching Dragon Ball Z you have no idea who any of these characters are or why you should care.
The reality is that these aren’t lesser characters or even poorly written ones: Their backstories are covered extensively in Dragon Ball. Yamcha isn’t just Bulma’s ex-boyfriend, but a dessert bandit who wants the Dragon Balls to overcome his shyness toward girls. He plays such a major role in Dragon Ball that he’s actually a deuteragonist, showing up in every major arc until midway through Dragon Ball Z. Did you know that Piccolo was not only one of the main antagonists, but at one point looked completely different than he does in Dragon Ball Z? All this character development is covered in Dragon Ball, and it’s well worth watching.
Goku’s Growth as Earth’s Mightiest Hero
The whole concept behind Dragon Ball was that it was a hero’s journey, one that was to have ups and downs. While Goku is a strong tyke even as a kid, in Dragon Ball he loses more times than he wins. Every time he loses, he must learn a new attack, power himself up some more, or learn from a new master so that he can go back and triumph in the end. In fact, Goku loses his first tournament to his own Master Roshi, who is determined to defeat him because (in his words) “a victory too soon will make the boy complacent.”
Sure enough, with every loss, Goku becomes determined to grow stronger, and we as the audience root for him to achieve his goals and become stronger. Now, it could be argued that there are still moments of growth for Goku in Dragon Ball Z, seeing that he died at the hands of Raditz and had to achieve Super Saiyan form to take down Frieza, yet these moments are fewer and farther between, and Dragon Ball contains the only moments where Goku truly loses to the point where he must dig deeper and become a stronger person.
There Technically is No Dragon Ball Z
Although we’re talking about the anime, we should take a moment to mention one of the littlest known facts to American Dragon Ball Z fans: There is no Dragon Ball Z manga in Japan. Throughout the entire run of the manga, the series was simply known as Dragon Ball the entire time. So why does Dragon Ball Z exist as an anime? Well, you know how Dragon Ball has a reputation for being more humor-oriented and fun than Dragon Ball Z by American viewers? Well, that little fact didn’t go unnoticed by Japanese viewers either.
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During the Piccolo saga, the series was becoming less focused on gags and more focused on intense action sequences. The anime producers were getting letters from viewers who were confused if this was the same series they had been watching the whole time. As a result, they reached out to Akira Toriyama to see if the manga was going to continue with this style. When they got confirmation it would, it was decided to change the name of the series when the next story arc began so that viewers would understand that this was a “different” show.
Starting with Dragon Ball Z is Like Starting in the Middle of the Story
Many sci-fi fans love Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strike Back, yet no one would recommend watching it before watching Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Sure, you could get some enjoyment out of it, but doing so means your viewing experience would be much weaker. In the same way, Dragon Ball Z is a weaker show without Dragon Ball. There is no context of the character’s relationships with one another, there is arguably no heroes journey, and there is significantly less growth for Goku, who is little more than a powerful superhero when Dragon Ball Z starts.
Please keep in mind that one can enjoy Dragon Ball Z without watching Dragon Ball first, but while Dragon Ball Z is a good show taken on its own it’s a great show when watched in order. Even if you’ve already seen Dragon Ball Z it is highly recommended that you re-watch it after watching Dragon Ball for the first time, and you will be amazed at how differently things play out once you have the whole picture in front of you.
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