Summary
Dragon Ball's influence is widespread, impacting anime with genre changes, passing of the torch, and tournament rounds. The series balances comedy and action, reinvents power, and combines martial arts with mystical powers. Vegeta's rivalry with Goku and Goku's ability to turn enemies into allies are prominent elements that have lasting influence.
It's hard to think that an anime franchise has such a widespread influence. Dragon ball. The series, which dates back to the 1980s, had a major influence on many of today's mangakas when they were children, and that impact can be clearly felt in their work today. Even though Akira Toriyama is now gone, his influence on anime will be almost limitless thanks to the power of Dragon Ball.
There are countless reasons why Dragon Ball has a great influence on anime in general. Both the original series and Dragon Ball Z broke new ground for shounen anime and established a number of tropes that have been seen in all later works. Here are the 10 biggest reasons why this series has such an enduring legacy and why it will continue to be influential for decades to come.
10 suddenly normalized genre changes of Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball moves from fantasy to science fiction without giving up anything
It's no exaggeration to say that Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, despite being direct sequels, are extremely different series. Dragon Ball started out as a silly fantasy adventure, while Dragon Ball Z is a dramatic series with sci-fi shenanigans. It was a radical, but gradual change, using retcons to change Goku's nature by revealing his Saiyan heritage.
Many later series would also feature significant changes to the existing formula as the stories expanded; For example, Bleach began as a story set primarily in the real world dealing with ghosts before going completely fantasy and delving into Bleach's Soul Society, and the radical shift that the series The film resulted from this shift in focus. Dragon Ball's successful genre-shifting made it possible for later series to do the same, eventually helping them develop into the hit series we call.
9. Passing the torch is a special part of Dragon Ball
Although the Torch was never completely extinguished, Dragon Ball tried it first
Another storytelling device that Dragon Ball Z helped popularize was the idea of passing the torch. With Goku now an adult, it seems his son Gohan is ready to take his place. Toriyama fully intended for Gohan to be the main character, but Goku's insane popularity ultimately made that impossible. However, the Cell Saga in particular still stands out as an important “passing the torch” moment, where Goku passed the responsibility of protecting the world to his young son.
The idea of heroes having successors has become a staple of many manga and anime series, especially as a way to continue a franchise after the story ends. One only needs to look at Boruto to see an example of how anime has followed that story, but it is even applied in series like My Hero Academia, where Deku's role as was All Might's shown successor until he realized his own departure. -torch moment.
8 Dragon Balls popularized the tournament
The tournament round allows many characters to shine
The Tournament arc is a special part of Dragon Ball, with the series dealing with the first tournament arc of only a few dozen chapters in the World Martial Arts Tournament. The tournament arc is a great way to have multiple high-stakes fight scenes back to back, while still providing an explanation for why one fighter doesn't simply kill the other. After all, tournaments (in general) have rules and you must follow these to win, placing some much-needed limits on what characters can do.
Tournaments also allow other characters a chance to be in the spotlight as they fight one-on-one (or in teams) against enemies whose worthiness has been proven by their acceptance into the tournament. join the tournament. Although later series such as Yu Yu Hakusho would help codify the tournament format in anime and manga, it cannot be denied that Dragon Ball was the initial inspiration for many later tournaments.
Dragon Ball balances comedy and action
The franchise has experimented to find the perfect balance
While Dragon Ball Z has certainly seen a shift towards a more serious direction compared to its predecessor series, it certainly hasn't gone so far as to abandon comedy entirely. It took some time, but Dragon Ball has found the perfect balance between jokes and fight scenes, being careful not to let the humor interfere with the drama of the fights.and vice versa.
Many subsequent series, from One Piece to My Hero Academia, have borrowed the carefully judged balance between comedy and action that Dragon Ball established. Manga, almost by definition, must include humorous elements, but it's hard to maintain those jokes in the face of drama, just as it's hard to maintain dramatic tension after a joke. . Dragon Ball pioneered perfect balance, knowing when to joke and when not to.
The 6 Dragon Balls invented transformation spells that increased power
Super Saiyan became the roadmap for the Shonen series later
Dragon Ball's Super Saiyan transformation is perhaps the most iconic transformation of a hero of all time. While it's not uncommon for villains to go through a variety of horrific forms while fighting, shapeshifting wasn't really a power that most heroes had before Dragon Ball Z. The series does a great job of building up the transformation, making this an incredibly satisfying moment in the series as Goku finally achieves his full Super Saiyan form.
Transformations have become so popular that they have almost become the standard. One only has to look at Luffy and his Gear transformations, or Ichigo and his Hollow transformations to see how much Dragon Ball is influenced in this regard. Of course, transformation became a Saiyan trademark, with many more transformations later unlocked, and the transformation ladder itself became a new form that many other series would follow.
5 Martial arts combined with mystical power
Martial arts pave the way for greater abilities in Dragon Ball
Martial arts often play an important role in manga and anime series, with martial arts training often serving as a gateway to much greater possibilities. By mastering martial arts, one can learn to control their Ki in Dragon Ball, which allows for everything from energy blasts to flight. Although there were many martial arts manga that came before Dragon Ball, there weren't many that combined martial arts training with near-magical abilities.
It is not difficult to see the similarities between the use of martial arts in Dragon Ball and other later series. Mastering martial arts, from things like Naruto's ninjutsu to Bleach's sword fighting techniques, is an essential part of many shounen heroes' journeys, and it's yet another major influence Dragon Ball has had on what happens next.
Skip 4 times makes Dragon Ball smoother
Ignoring the period of peace has helped the series maintain momentum
Even in the world of Dragon Ball, where a powerful new threat seems to lurk around every corner, there are still times when everything is very peaceful and safe. The franchise has used the time skip option for many years, going back to the first time skip in the series, where Goku and his friends parted ways and agreed to meet again at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Not to mention the huge amount of time between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.
Instead of forcing everything to happen in a very short period of time, Dragon Ball isn't afraid to let time pass and its characters grow old. By the time of Super, Goku has gone from being a child to having grandchildren, spanning a long period of his life, something very few other series would dare do. Only recently with works like Boruto and Yashahime have major time skips allowed fans to see their heroes truly grow up, but Dragon Ball did it first.
The 3 Dragon Balls invented the training part
Devoting a story training section helps winners feel earned
One idea that Dragon Ball essentially invented was the training arc, an entire story built around growing strong enough to meet the next challenge on the battlefield. This is usually done for a limited time; Think of Gohan's first phase of training with Piccolo, which must be completed before the other Saiyans arrive on Earth, with a year of training until then. Some are even more rigorous, such as Goten and Trunks' fusion training, which must be completed in a few hours.
Training rounds have become almost mandatory in shounen series since Dragon Ball first popularized them. It's hard to name a series without at least a training arc, especially among big names like Naruto and Bleach.For example, Demon Slayer's fourth season is built entirely around a massive training phase, intended to prepare its heroes for the final confrontation.
2 Vegeta is the greatest rival of all time
Vegeta's rivalry with Goku will create hundreds of similar opponents
The idea of a rival character, often on the same side as the hero, is certainly older than Dragon Ball, but there's no denying that Vegeta is one of the best executed opponents of all time. Vegeta's slow transition from villain to rival to ally is one of the best character arcs in Dragon Balland one can actually appreciate the character growing to respect Goku rather than just hating him for being better.
Having a rival who resembles Vegeta has become common in shounen anime. Bakugo from My Hero Academia is perhaps one of the biggest recent examples, with dark personality traits like Vegeta's that help him contrast the purity of the main character. Rivals are great at pushing characters to grow stronger, as they compete with each other to grow rather than always being forced to face villains, who may not be directly comparable. can continue.
An ally's enemy is Dragon Ball's greatest influence
Goku is the master of turning enemies into friends
From the beginning of Dragon Ball, it was necessary for Goku to turn his old enemies into allies. It happened earliest with Yamcha and continued to spread to almost every character involved later in the series.. Piccolo, Vegeta, and Buu all express the subtext in different ways, with Piccolo developing his own identity separate from his father and Vegeta learning the value of having a rival to push him up a notch. new high.
The power of friendship has always been a major theme in Shonen series, and what better way to show that power than by saving villains from themselves and giving them a chance at redemption? Goku approached these enemies instead of killing them, which left him with powerful allies who could help deal with future threats, until Goku finally got a Large groups of friends can fight alongside you.
Nearly every shounen series has at least one character who starts out as a villain, often directly paralleling a Dragon Ball character, ensuring that the “Enemy of Our Allies” story is accurate. Dragon Ballthe most lasting influence on anime and manga.