There are plenty of amazing new and modern shonen anime out there. We just saw My Hero Academia come to an end, and One Piece is still going strong alongside series like Chainsaw Man, D emon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen. These anime all have dedicated followings of their own, but one series that will always stand out regardless of the decade is Dragon Ball.
Some of the most popular shonen anime we know were either influenced or inspired by Dragon Ball in some way. The series' effect on anime and manga has been huge throughout the nearly 40 years it's been around. Like all manga and anime, Dragon Ball has various tropes and elements that it shares with its contemporaries. But when it comes to these things, Dragon Ball absolutely has the edge.
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Video Game Adaptations
Plenty of anime get game adaptations, with the most popular and successful benefiting from multiple entries. When it comes to game adaptations and representation within the video game market, Dragon Ball has every other anime beat. With over 100 games released since 1986 and millions of copies sold worldwide, Dragon Ball games are every bit as successful as the anime and manga.
With series like Budokai, Budokai Tenkaichi, Xenoverse, Raging Blast, and standalone titles like FighterZ, Kakarot, and plenty more, Dragon Ball has a wide variety of games out there that perfectly capture the spirit of the anime and manga. Many of these are fighting games, but there are a few outliers like the 2022 asymmetrical action game Dragon Ball: The Breakers and the Legacy of Goku series that offer gamers different ways of interacting with the Dragon Ball universe.
Transformations
One of the most used tropes in shonen anime and manga is characters making use of different transformations. It's a great way of showing a character's progression while also raising the stakes. From Luffy's various Gear transformations in One Piece to Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode, and plenty more, transformations are a staple. No other anime does it as well as Dragon Ball does.
No other anime transformation comes close to being as iconic as Super Saiyan. The original is the most well-known anime transformation out there, and thanks to Akira Toriyama's unique style, variants like SJ2, SSJ3, SSG, and SSGSS stand out just as much. But transformations in the series aren't just limited to Saiyans. Though the most notable transformation from the early parts of the series was Goku's Great Ape form, other characters, mostly villains, have their own iconic forms that help drive the story and keep things memorable. From Frieza's many transformations to the different stages of Cell and Buu's various forms, you can always count on Dragon Ball to give you a memorable transformation from both its heroes and villains.
Villain Designs
Every mangaka has their own unique style, but some stand out more than others. Akira Toriyama's work has been beloved by different generations of anime fans, with both his protagonist and villain designs sticking with readers and viewers. Dragon Ball might have some of the most recognizable villains in anime thanks to Toriyama's unique style.
Early on in the series, you had villains like Emperor Pilaf and the Red Ribbon Army, which, while not bad designs, didn't stand out as much as what would come later. The series really started to find its groove with villains like Mercenary Tao and King Piccolo, with later villains like Frieza, Cell, and Buu becoming the most recognizable with their various forms and looks.
Special Attacks
Every shonen anime makes use of special attacks for its protagonists and villains. While many of these series come up with creative techniques, Dragon Ball has the most recognizable by far. If you were a fan of the series growing up, you probably saw or were one of those kids going around the schoolyard screaming "Kamehameha" out loud, reenacting some of the series' iconic moments.
Dragon Ball's most important characters all have different techniques they bust out throughout the series, with some even borrowing signature attacks every so often. The Kamehameha is one of the most popular special moves in anime, but other attacks like the Spirit Bomb, Special Beam Cannon, and Destructo Disc are just as well-known among anime fans. Even looking outside of the most popular ones, Dragon Ball's special attacks stick out among the rest.
Villain Redemption
Something Dragon Ball does really well is bring back certain villains and slowly redeem them, turning them from Goku's foes to allies who play important roles in defending the Earth from future threats. Piccolo and Vegeta are the two best examples of this. Both wanted to destroy/subjugate the world at one point, were defeated by Goku, and, through banding together to take on bigger threats, gradually started to redeem themselves, becoming two of the most popular characters in the series.
Other examples, like Buu being reincarnated as Uub, the Androids subverting the expectations set by Future Trunks and becoming decent people, and Tien and Chiaotzu ditching the Crane School early on in the series, show just how good Dragon Ball is at redeeming its villains.
Lighthearted Moments
It might get pretty serious at times, but Dragon Ball is a slapstick comedy at heart. A lot of anime work in comedic elements to lighten things up now and then, and shonen titles do this pretty frequently. But while it might seem dated at times, Dragon Ball's lighthearted moments still shine.
The early series relied heavily on Goku's naivety and unfamiliarity with the outside world to set up a lot of its jokes. It's part of what made the early parts of the series so fun to watch. While plenty of modern anime can absolutely make you laugh out loud at times, there's something about Dragon Ball's more lighthearted moments that stick with you.
Rivalries
Any good shonen series needs strong rivalries between characters to drive things forward. This adds some intrigue to the narrative, while also serving as a way for characters to grow and develop throughout the series. Over the years, Goku has had plenty of great rivals who've pushed him forward and kept fans wanting more.
Piccolo and Vegeta might be Goku's most well-known rivals, but Goku's always had a competitive streak with the people he surrounds himself with. From characters like Krillin and Tien early on in the series, to newer additions like Jiren and Broly, Dragon Ball is always setting characters up to bring the best out of each other. If we ever see the series return, you can bet that Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and the rest will continue to push each other.
Dragon Ball
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1986 - 1989
- Network
- Fuji TV
Cast
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Masako NozawaSon Goku (voice) -
Mayumi TanakaKrillin (voice)
