Current Events > I have this theory why tons of DBZ fans think Cell Saga is the best. SPOILERS

(+) Yeah! (+)

They started with and were introduced to the Cell Saga and that's why everything before and after Cell Saga is trash to them. Cell Saga was the darkest and the most serious arc of the series with Goku dying from a heart disease and the Androids killing everyone and Trunks' side story with Gohan made it even sadder and all the more serious. Freeza destroying a whole planet might seem worst but you see the Androids and Cell literally rekt havoc and sucking people up which looks more horrible in comparison. It's why they hated the Buu Saga(and literally every other arc) for being too light-hearted and not as dark as Cell, they're use to the grim shit and they expected it so when it's not what they were introduced to they'll hate it. It's also why they think the Falcona music is the best shit in the world.

DB has always been light-hearted. The Cell Saga was actually a very big turn and departure from what the show normally is and unfortunately most Western fans were introduced to the show with this arc so it's what they know and it's what they like. Thots?

Cell Saga is the best

I think it's Bruce Faulconer's epic Perfect Cell theme

Im no expert on DBZ or its fanbase though I like it myself. I know a number of people who always liked Gohan more than Goku and it was just a cool moment watching him surpass his dad and turn into the ultimate badass and fulfill what a lot of people always thought he should be.

Shishiwakamaru posted...

I think it's Bruce Faulconer's epic Perfect Cell theme

Lol US dub

ToteAll posted...

Lol US dub

Bruce Faulconer's music is necessary to enjoy DBZ tbh

archizzy posted...

Im no expert on DBZ or its fanbase though I like it myself. I know a number of people who always liked Gohan more than Goku and it was just a cool moment watching him surpass his dad and turn into the ultimate badass and fulfill what a lot of people always thought he should be.

Oh yeah I forgot the part where dudes are so mad Gohan isn't the center of the story anymore, it's because they grew up with Gohan as their hero, not Goku.

Shishiwakamaru posted...

Bruce Faulconer's music is necessary to enjoy DBZ tbh

stop

They ruined the cell saga by not playing spirit vs spirit

I initially liked the Cell Saga the best. These days, I go Freeza > Saiyan > Cell > Buu. Those first 3 are really good. Buu is good, but with noticeable flaws.

Also, I started DBZ at the Freeza Saga on Toonami as it initially aired (the Funimation stuff, not Ocean prior to Goku beating Recoome). Then me and some friends bought CDs on eBay with the rest of the show in Japanese and watched it that way. Fond memories of watching the show in RealPlayer, hoping for good quality.

ToteAll posted...

stop

I saw someone mention this in another topic and it's totally true. DBZ is full of creepy and tragic moments. The bombastic original soundtrack really doesn't make sense or fit in with the actual show. Bruce Faulconer's music sounds like it was made to represent what happens on screen.

Also Goku's voice, but you could always watch the Kai dub to avoid that.

Shishiwakamaru posted...

The bombastic original soundtrack really doesn't make sense or fit in with the actual show.

This is called nostalgia.

ToteAll posted...

This is called nostalgia.

Did you miss the words surrounding that? DBZ is full of creepy and tragic moments. So a gritty synthy soundtrack fits in much better.

Please other people join in on this Faulconer soundtrack vs. original soundtrack debate

Gohan was really, really easy to self-insert as for the target age group.

DB has always been light-hearted. The Cell Saga was actually a very big turn and departure from what the show normally is and unfortunately most Western fans were introduced to the show with this arc so it's what they know and it's what they like. Thots?

DB had more lighthearted moments, but DBZ was a paradigm shift. The majority of people introduced to DBZ in the 90s were introduced at the beginning of the anime, which is just before Raditz comes over to fuck shit up. Most of the brevity happened between major villainous introductions, or during the "isolate and train" chunks.

We don't rate the Buu saga as the worst out of them all because it was too light hearted, we rate it the worst because...

The non-saiyan Z Fighters became useless
Buu's antics becoming stale fast
Gohan's character being so butchered that he needed a plot power up that was only cool for a couple minutes
Gotenks, enough said

Shishiwakamaru posted...

Did you miss the words surrounding that? DBZ is full of creepy and tragic moments. So a gritty synthy soundtrack fits in much better.

lol no

Shishiwakamaru posted...

Please other people join in on this Faulconer soundtrack vs. original soundtrack debate

Original

Northlane posted...

We don't rate the Buu saga as the worst out of them all because it was too light hearted, we rate it the worst because...

The non-saiyan Z Fighters became useless
Buu's antics becoming stale fast
Gohan's character being so butchered that he needed a plot power up that was only cool for a couple minutes
Gotenks, enough said

My biggest issue with it is how it just overstays its welcome. It went on for way too long.

Stop hating in general. Both soundtracks are fine. Especially when you understand the theory behind it.

Anyways lattinamerican dub is better than USA dub which is a billion times better than original voices because Goku being voiced by an old lady that does her voices like an angry brat is the worst fucking idea.

I never saw the English version of DBZ, but I listened to some of the music in another topic and it was really generic. I think you guys have nostalgia.

Shishiwakamaru posted...

Also Goku's voice, but you could always watch the Kai dub to avoid that.

And Cell sounds like Plankton. But you guys are able to tolerate it since its your introduction to the series.

"Are they still on Namek?"
"Are they still on Namek?"
"Are they still on Namek?"
"Are they still on Namek?"
"Oh thank god, Frieza just said Namek's going to blow up soon..."
"Has Namek blown up yet?"
"Has Namek blown up yet?"
"Has Namek blown up yet?"
"Has Namek blown up yet?"

I think the Cell saga not having such glacially slow pacing as the Frieza saga did helped it garner a lot more favor. I only managed to finish all of DBZ with the Kai remake that trims out all of that padding and fixes the pacing, so that's a big part of why I'd rank the Frieza saga as my favorite and the Cell saga second. But in the original DBZ... god, that was awful. No amount of Bruce Faulconer music is worth that torture. Just watch Kai instead, for the sake of your sanity.

ssjevot posted...

I never saw the English version of DBZ, but I listened to some of the music in another topic and it was really generic. I think you guys have nostalgia.

Absolutely.

They butchered Gohans perfect SSJ2 soundtrack.

And the Digimon theme, oh god.

Ive never understood the extreme hate for Gokus Japanese voice in some circles. The first time I heard it, my reaction was What the hell?, and then I was used to it within like 3 episodes.

Also, regarding voices, I bought all of DBZ Kai earlier this year, as I wanted to watch the show in its entirety with the improved English voices. The Kai dub is so much much better than the original Funi dub. Its been a lot of fun to watch it this way.

Cell was probably the best arc, though I liked the Vegito part best overall
Started watching from the beginning while it was still airing on Toonami

The_Popo posted...

Ive never understood the extreme hate for Gokus Japanese voice in some circles.

It is literally a grandma. Like, it sounds like when my abuela was angry. I can still remember laughing when I discovered the seiyuu was literally a grandma.

I can get the love, certainly, but I never had to grow up with it, and so I literally just hear an old lady screaming.

Northlane posted...

The non-saiyan Z Fighters became useless

Do you hate Shonen in general? It's a Shonen thing for tons of initial characters to be useless. Just look a Bleach.

Northlane posted...

Buu's antics becoming stale fast

How? Every major villain had a character gimmick.

Northlane posted...

Gohan's character being so butchered that he needed a plot power up that was only cool for a couple minutes

This isn't exclusive to Gohan, in fact it wasn't the first time this happened to Gohan with his unlocked potential.

The_Popo posted...

Gotenks, enough said

Nothing wrong with Gotenks. It really just sounds like you didn't like the Buu Saga for very subjective reasons and it's ok but it doesn't make them "good" reasons.

Saiyan and Namek arcs are so much better than Cell. Goku vs Vegeta was never topped.

VeggetaX posted...

It really just sounds like you didn't like the Buu Saga for very subjective reasons and it's ok but it doesn't make them "good" reasons.

I can't tell if this is the self-awareness bit or you being for real.

ToteAll posted...

stop

Stop what, the truth?

I hated how literally every new form, transformation, or fusion in the Buu saga simultaneously managed to make Buu himself look kind of weak since everyone around him was casually powering up to be on par with or stronger than him, and also accomplish absolutely nothing because Toriyama decided to immediately snuff out the torch that Goku passed to Gohan after Cell.

Majin Vegeta, Super Saiyan 3, Gotenks, Ultimate Gohan, Vegito, none of it fucking mattered because in the end Goku beat Kid Buu by throwing a Spirit Bomb at him in base form.

VeggetaX posted...

And Cell sounds like Plankton.

No he doesn't.

TMOG posted...

I hated how literally every new form, transformation, or fusion in the Buu saga simultaneously managed to make Buu himself look kind of weak since everyone around him was casually powering up to be on par with or stronger than him, and also accomplish absolutely nothing because Toriyama decided to immediately snuff out the torch that Goku passed to Gohan after Cell.

Majin Vegeta, Super Saiyan 3, Gotenks, Ultimate Gohan, Vegito, none of it fucking mattered because in the end Goku beat Kid Buu by throwing a Spirit Bomb at him in base form.

You hated too many power ups and transformation? You kidding me, man.

VeggetaX posted...

Nothing wrong with Gotenks. It really just sounds like you didn't like the Buu Saga for very subjective reasons and it's ok but it doesn't make them "good" reasons.

Just pointing out that I was quoted with the Gotenks bashing, but I didnt originally say it. I like Gotenks.

dave_is_slick posted...

No he doesn't.

https://youtu.be/Vd5YgpEqUYY?si=j1vcKKc_LO591sQu

The_Popo posted...

Just pointing out that I was quoted with the Gotenks bashing, but I didnt originally say it. I like Gotenks.

My bad

I think the Freiza saga is best, it built on the Vegeta saga and upped the stakes while perfecting the template. Cell may have had better side characters and resolution, but the template had been laid down so well with Frieza, everything after felt like it was trying to copy the script.

Cell is a very close second, but aside from copying the main story beats, he wasn't as detestable as Frieza, Cell almost felt like he didn't understand the gravity of his purpose. Cell had a strange sense of honor. Frieza thoroughly enjoyed the suffering it wrought. Frieza had no honor or empathy.

By the time Buu rolled around, it felt like a major let down.

Artificial Humans arc definitely has the most problems, mainly from AT not being able to keep time travel straight. I would say Piccolo Daimao is the worst though.

The_Popo posted...

The Kai dub is so much much better than the original Funi dub. Its been a lot of fun to watch it this way.

100% agreed. Between the better voices (plus better recording quality) and cutting out all of the pointless padding the original anime had, Kai is by far the better way to watch DBZ compared to the original. Plus, the "they turned Mr. Popo purple!" excuse doesn't even work anymore because Kai aired completely uncensored on Toonami later on, with Mr. Popo as black as he ever was.

Torgo posted...

Cell is a very close second, but aside from copying the main story beats, he wasn't as detestable as Frieza, Cell almost felt like he didn't understand the gravity of his purpose. Cell had a strange sense of honor. Frieza thoroughly enjoyed the suffering it wrought. Frieza had no honor or empathy.

I actually really liked Cell being that way. That odd sense of honor made for a great contrast compared to Frieza before him, and it's a shame that we'll probably never see him again in canon material, because that honor made him more worthy of a second chance than Frieza who ended up getting one in Super.

VeggetaX posted...

Do you hate Shonen in general? It's a Shonen thing for tons of initial characters to be useless. Just look a Bleach.

...Which characters in Bleach are you talking about? Everybody in that series either remained consistent in their power compared to the heavy hitters or powered up themselves. Anybody who survived their battles kept showing up to fight in future arcs, assuming they were a combatant in the first place.

Another counterargument I'd put forth is One Piece, where every member of the main cast is constantly improving. There's still a pretty obvious "tier list" among the crew but it's a stretch to call any of them "useless".

Meh.

I technically started with the Buu Saga (It was the first saga I actually watched due to getting into the series super late and Buu Saga airing on Toonami for the first time) and I think Frieza Saga is the best.
Why?

Cell Saga as a whole felt all over the place. It was like we need to train to defeat these androids. No wait, these aren't the androids we need to fight these ones. No wait, not these androids, this bug creature. No wait, this bug can absorb the androids and become an even stronger bug...human thing.

It just got kind of ridiculous. Plus you had characters who should have known better make really stupid mistakes for the convenience of the plot.

Meanwhile, I like the Frieza Saga because you know exactly what you're getting. Frieza is an evil guy and we need to stop him from getting the Dragonballs. Except we don't just have to worry about Frieza, he has an entire army at his disposal composed of beings that vary in strength. So despite the fact that you're facing multiple enemies, it's not distracting from the fact that Frieza is the overarching villain and it just makes you wonder what he's capable of the whole time.

VeggetaX posted...

You hated too many power ups and transformation? You kidding me, man.

When all they ultimately contributed to an arc that already felt like it was stretching its plot way too thin was "one more fight scene"? Yep.

Not that this is a problem unique to the Buu saga, but it definitely felt much more pronounced there.

TMOG posted...

...Which characters in Bleach are you talking about? Everybody in that series either remained consistent in their power compared to the heavy hitters or powered up themselves.

Oh so you're saying Chad is like Tenshinhan?

Northlane posted...

Gotenks, enough said

I won't stand for this Gotenks slander. I legitimately have no idea why some in the fandom hate Gotenks (and/or Goten / Trunks by proxy). He's silly and a bit ridiculous, sure. But he's also a kid trying to fight. Goku in DB was also silly and ridiculous...yet he didn't grow out of it and still exhibits similar behavior as an adult. >.>

TMOG posted...

When all they ultimately contributed to an arc that already felt like it was stretching its plot way too thin was "one more fight scene"? Yep.

Bro, breaking limits and bringing up new powers is part of the DB bloodline. And you picked the Buu Saga to start hating it? Says alot, man.

VeggetaX posted...

Oh so you're saying Chad is like Tenshinhan?

I mean, the only fight Chad ever actually outright lost in the series was against Kyoraku, and he went into that one woefully outmatched to begin with, but sure.

Calwings posted...

100% agreed. Between the better voices (plus better recording quality) and cutting out all of the pointless padding the original anime had, Kai is by far the better way to watch DBZ compared to the original. Plus, the "they turned Mr. Popo purple!" excuse doesn't even work anymore because Kai aired completely uncensored on Toonami later on, with Mr. Popo as black as he ever was.

I actually really liked Cell being that way. That odd sense of honor made for a great contrast compared to Frieza before him, and it's a shame that we'll probably never see him again in canon material, because that honor made him more worthy of a second chance than Frieza who ended up getting one in Super.

Id rather Cell stay dead instead of trying to cling to relevance like Frieza.

Garlic Jr. mini saga was best tbh

i like to do a hybrid soundtrack. original OST through Freeza, then switch to the Bruce shit for android saga and onward.

anyway, i started with the saiyan saga. my intro to the series was nappa vs. the z-fighters, and i'm pretty sure it was ocean dub.