Anime, the Japanese wonder that has charmed many people, it has many genres, from comedy to slice of life to drama, with many memorable and popular series that represent each of them like Doraemon, Pokemon, etc. However, the universally most popular anime genre will always be shounen, as it is extremely simple to make a character do something cool with animation, and what is its representative?
It’s Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball Z, the legendary series that managed to captivate the hearts of everyone, it doesn’t matter if they are a fan of anime or not. Dragon Ball Z is what we all watched when we were kids as we all followed Son Goku’s journey step by step. Today, after doing thorough research, I present to you the reasons that make Dragon Ball the series successfully captivated almost all people’s hearts.
1. All The Sequels Managed To Retain The Spirit Of The Original Dragon Ball Series
For those who grew up not knowing of the first Dragon Ball series, this seems pointless. But believe me, it’s not. A large part of the world grew up watching that old series, and to them, it was their childhood, so the fact that the sequels always managed to retain the principles of the original show is one of the reasons the franchise has become so successful.
There are fans of the series that have been there since day one and the fact that the sequels all acknowledged and respected them. Yeah, the fights have been decided by Ki blasts that can shatter galaxies since Dragon Ball Z, but they can still be finished by quick thinking and brute strength, what the original was all about. The series all focused on adventure and wonder, on the journey to find new and exciting things.
2. It Was The Very “First” Anime For Most Of Us
Yeah, Pokemon can be a serious contender, but if you ask any anime fan about the very first anime that they have watched, the most likely answer will still be Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z. That’s just how it is. It is like your “first love”, whenever you look back at it, you automatically ignore anything that is bad about it and just focus on that sense of nostalgia.
The number of people that have watched the two Dragon Ball shows is simply unmeasurable, and this case is even truer with Dragon Ball Z. The first Dragon Ball was released in 1986, which means that it has been around for more than 40 years, really impressive, right?
3. The Super Saiyan Transformation
Let us face it, when we saw the show for the first time, were we not immediately captivated by Goku’s transformation into the single strongest being in the whole universe? I know I was. When Goku transformed for the first time, I was so hyped I simply cannot sit in place. Seeing his hair standing up and turning to the famous golden color while a similar golden aura slowly wraps around his body was such a magical moment for me.
I immediately knew right then, that this moment will change the way the series does its battles forever. The subsequent series always try to find a way to one-up this scene and they always come so close to success, but this still remains the best scene I have ever seen, I know that many people share this same experience.
4. The Girls
The Dragon Ball Z girls may very well be the very first anime girls that you have seen, I can say this confidently as that was the case for me. They are all quite unique and attractive, with their own personality. Another reason that we all love them more is the complete makeover of their character.
For example, Chichi is a hot-headed housewife that will shit on the strongest being in the whole universe now, a complete opposite of her cute and soft-spoken image in the original series. It’s these subtle changes or maturity in their personality that make the Dragon Ball Z girls feel so relatable and attractive.
5. It Inspired Many Mainstream Shows Nowadays
There is a consensus that almost all of today’s most popular shounen anime shows would not exist if there was no Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball Z and its main character, Goku is really inspiring. That’s the main reason why people started to make almost all anime protagonists cheerful, innocent with a righteous personality, and of course, they must always be big eaters. Notable examples of this case are:
Luffy from One Piece and Naruto from the anime of the same name, of these two anime shows are wildly successful, maybe even more so than Dragon Ball Z, and they all admitted to taking inspiration from Dragon Ball Z. What better way to showcase a show’s great point than having other great shows admitted to taking inspiration from it?
6. Fanservice (No, Not The Kind You’re Imagining)
I admit that the original show is guilty of the bad kind of fanservice, the newer shows have, fortunately, managed to avoid making the same mistake. But right now we are not talking about this issue, we are talking about the other kind of fan service, where the creators know exactly what the fans want and are happy to present just exactly that to them.
A good example is Dragon Ball Super, where they know that fans have been unhappy with the way they treated Gohan, the firstborn, the one that has always been told to have potential far exceed that of Goku. Well, the creators picked up on the sentiment and now they made him powerful again, as he rightfully deserves. If this is not a reason for a fan’s love, I don’t know what can be.
7. Goku
You didn’t think that we will leave him out, did you? The main reason why one like a show has always been due to its main character and Goku did his job spectacularly. We all fell in love with the orphaned but innocent and brave kid, who went on to become a great father and warrior, sacrificing his life multiple times for his home and his friends. And who can resist his magnificent Super Saiyan form?
