Trying to get into Dragon Ball Z, should I try the Abridged version?

[Zerxen]

So I have been watching the Android and Cell saga through Toonami. Anyway I would like to get caught up regarding past episodes using Abridged episodes. I know they focus more on humor but maybe I can get an idea of the story. There are just too much episodes.

[Jedi]

You should watch Dragon Ball Kai, Z is nearly unwatchable nowadays because of all the bloating, it'd be good also to go back and see where the series started in Dragon Ball at some points. Z has some really good character development filler scenes though, such as the entire thing with Piccolo and Gohan in the wilderness, Kai just flows a-lot more fluidly and we'll be getting the Kaified Buu Arc sometime in the future.

Abridged is good and all, but it does make some of the more serious moments seem alot less serious. I.E a-lot of stuff with Frieza, but I don't see anything wrong with getting into the series via Abridged.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Glorious Nippon Steel

[SaltyBucket]

First, start with the original Dragonball series (please do it, I find it much better than Z or Z Kai honestly). That way everything makes sense

then watch DBZ Kai, the original DBZ had WAAAAAAY too much filler and the voice acting just feels really stale compared to kais (<cant speak for the Japanese dub) The kai Buu arc is gonna be dubbed after the Cell saga is done on Toonami

then watch the abridged series, watching it without having seen Z first makes everything weird

Please dont watch GT

Edited June 22, 2016 by Badbot5000

[The Geek]

I agree that it's probably best to go through Kai instead of Z. The Abridged series probably isn't a good substitute for the series since DBZA is very much its own thing separate from DBZ.

[Crysta]

Presumably you've been watching and you only need to catch up, so the Abridged series ought to be fine tbh.

You don't have to watch like three different versions of the show. And the Namek/Frieza saga is notorious for dragging on waaaay too long.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Crysta

[Jedi]

Like the main reason you'd even watch Z at this point is for the "good" filler there was, like Krillin, Tien and Yamcha on Kami's lookout stuff, Piccolo and Gohan training, Tien, Chaotzu and Yamcha on King Kai's planet vs the Ginyu Force, everyone vs Cell Jr's actually doing decently, Main reason you'd care about most of it, is the moments they gave to the Dragon Ball characters. Some other good examples are

Goku and Piccolo's drivers license hilarity, and the filler Otherworld Tournament arc was also pretty legit for filler (The fights are unique and almost get Yu Yu Hakusho tier of unique in that as well), but aside from little moments, the main fights get reaaaaaally padded out, and "Fake Namek" for instance before the Frieza arc proper draaaaaaaaaaaags, Garlic Jr draaaaaaaaaaags.

As someone who's seen/read Dragon Ball, Z, GT, Kai and now am working on Super, I can tell you to mostly stick with Kai with the Z/Kai argument.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Glorious Nippon Steel

[Tangerine]

Wtf @ Abridged being anything remotely similar to the series. If you want to watch DBZ then you watch DBZ or Kai. Abridged is not a substitute or valid/accurate alternative in any way, shape or form. It is for fans of the series, you won't even understand 1/10th of the jokes without having seen the original show. The Saiyan-Frieza saga are the best episodes of the show as well, skipping them and watching the Abridged series as a filler but watching the next two sagas of the original is a ridiculous concept for someone trying to get into the series lol. Kai up to the Android saga isn't even that long.

The other requirement is being a 90s kid, because DBZ is a terrible show that nobody should like if they didn't grow up with it. It being bad is probably part of the charm though.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Tangerine

[Lord Raven]

The other requirement is being a 90s kid, because DBZ is a terrible show that nobody should like if they didn't grow up with it. It being bad is probably part of the charm though.

It's still better than a lot of shounen trash out there, if only because it's such a simple story with a simple concept behind it.

[Tangerine]

Oh I agree, I love DB lol. Part of loving DB is being aware of how bad it is though! I'm not a fan of shounen anime in general, I think they're all trash, I just have a soft spot for DB because it was so popular when I was in school and literally everyone watched it together.

The best part about DB is the complete lack of terrible highschool-level drama and angst.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Tangerine

[Crysta]

Wtf @ Abridged being anything remotely similar to the series. If you want to watch DBZ then you watch DBZ or Kai. Abridged is not a substitute or valid/accurate alternative in any way, shape or form. It is for fans of the series, you won't even understand 1/10th of the jokes without having seen the original show. The Saiyan-Frieza saga are the best episodes of the show as well, skipping them and watching the Abridged series as a filler but watching the next two sagas of the original is a ridiculous concept for someone trying to get into the series lol. Kai up to the Android saga isn't even that long.

The other requirement is being a 90s kid, because DBZ is a terrible show that nobody should like if they didn't grow up with it. It being bad is probably part of the charm though.

TFS stays true to the storyline while dissecting obvious flaws in logic (there's quite a few of them) and making pop culture references like most Abridged series; it's for fans, but you do not need to be cloaked in DBZ knowledge to follow it. I'd say people who have only casually watched a few episodes and went through DBZA marathon would do okay at a DBZ knowledge quiz, even if some of the in-jokes fly over their heads.

It's not ridiculous; it depends on how much SERIOUS BUSINESS you want in your dated 90's shounen anime. If you need to know how the show is actually meant to unfold, derpiness and all, then yeah go ahead and just watch the original series. Or Kai. Whatever.

[Excellen Browning]

It's still better than a lot of shounen trash out there, if only because it's such a simple story with a simple concept behind it.

What? DBZ is the shounen trash tv other shounen trash tv got modeled after.

[Tangerine]

TFS stays true to the storyline while dissecting obvious flaws in logic (there's quite a few of them) and making pop culture references like most Abridged series; it's for fans, but you do not need to be cloaked in DBZ knowledge to follow it. I'd say people who have only casually watched a few episodes and went through DBZA marathon would do okay at a DBZ knowledge quiz, even if some of the in-jokes fly over their heads.

It's not ridiculous; it depends on how much SERIOUS BUSINESS you want in your dated 90's shounen anime. If you need to know how the show is actually meant to unfold, derpiness and all, then yeah go ahead and just watch the original series. Or Kai. Whatever.

So, what you're saying is that it's not at all an alternative to watching the show. DBZA is comical, it's not at all equivalent to the show lol. It's basically "what if DBZ was worse in every way and also self aware".

Edited June 22, 2016 by Tangerine

[Excellen Browning]

Btw I enjoyed GT.

[Crysta]

No. I said he will not get some of the in-jokes, but he'd get a good gist of what's going on and would probably enjoy it.

You should probably read the entire post instead of just honing in on the last sentence; if he really, really feels he needs all of the series in all it's intended glory, then yeah he should just go watch the entire thing.

But if not, he can settle for DBZA.

[Tangerine]

I understand you're a fan, but it's not an alternative to watching the show for someone "looking to get into the series". You don't "get into a show" by watching an edited version full of toilet humor and pokemon jokes with bad voice overs lol. DBZA is not official, is not nearly as popular (obviously), and is not what people will reference when discussing DBZ.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Tangerine

[Shin]

As someone who's watched almost all of the DB franchise (I've missed a movie here and there), it's probably easiest to go through the 50 or so episodes of Kai compared to the 100 episodes that the original had for the Frieza saga. The early parts of DBZ are probably the best, the abridged series will probably give you the jist of what happens, but watching it afterwards would be a far more enjoyable experience - a lot of the jokes make more sense or are funnier if you've seen the series itself.

Mind you, DBZ is a little dated! It kinda wrote a lot of the tropes and a lot of the storytelling and characterisation is a little flat. That shouldn't stop you from enjoying it though.

[Jave]

Watch DB if you can.

Mind you, the original DBZ is incredibly bloated to watch in long sittings. There's way too much filler that amounts to nothing (Gohan's extended training during the pre-Saiyan saga, the Fake Namek saga, Garlic Jr. saga), and sometimes single battles go way too long.

Personally I'd recommend going with DB and DBZKai. Haven't seen Super but I'm planning to. Ignore GT since it sucks and it's been retconned anyway.

Oh, and watch that DBZ episode where Goku takes driving lessons, if only because it's so amusing to watch (Basically a Looney Tunes cartoon starring the DBZ cast).

[EricaofRenais]

I watched the original DB after I got in to DBZKai and it is pretty good, I still laugh though because when I was watching the episode where you meet Chi-chi and her dad my dad walked in the room and asked me why I was watching a talking hamburger and I had to explain the whole episode to him. I remember I tried to watch some DBZA and it was not good at all, you can try it but I think you should take the time and watch the real thing.

[Jedi]

Watch DB if you can.

Mind you, the original DBZ is incredibly bloated to watch in long sittings. There's way too much filler that amounts to nothing (Gohan's extended training during the pre-Saiyan saga, the Fake Namek saga, Garlic Jr. saga), and sometimes single battles go way too long.

Personally I'd recommend going with DB and DBZKai. Haven't seen Super but I'm planning to. Ignore GT since it sucks and it's been retconned anyway.

Oh, and watch that DBZ episode where Goku takes driving lessons, if only because it's so amusing to watch (Basically a Looney Tunes cartoon starring the DBZ cast).

I'd respectfully disagree that the early on Gohan training segments being a waste, they actually develop the mentor/student relationship of Piccolo and Gohan and actually show Gohan become not as much of a crybaby, the sudden shift without it is incredibly jarring.

Also while there is a lot wrong with GT there are good ideas that weren't exactly utilized the best, but are still kinda neat. Such as the return of a Tuffle to get a long waiting revenge on the Saiyans etc, SS4 has a cool design and the Japanese musical score is really solid.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Glorious Nippon Steel

[Zerxen]

Any good places to watch DBZ Kai?

[Shin]

Any good places to watch DBZ Kai?

To be honest, googling DBZ Kai and the episode you want usually provides good results!

[Lord Raven]

If you google the dub, make sure it's the uncut dub and not the Nicktoons dub. The Nicktoons version is just bad.

[Tangerine]

I'd respectfully disagree that the early on Gohan training segments being a waste, they actually develop the mentor/student relationship of Piccolo and Gohan and actually show Gohan become not as much of a crybaby, the sudden shift without it is incredibly jarring.

That was one of the issues I had with Kai, a lot of the good content from the original was cut too. It's unfortunate there isn't a definitive, perfect version of the show, lol.

[Alertcircuit]

You clearly want something quick, so I'm not gonna tell you to go back and watch the original Dragon Ball (even though it's pretty good if not better than Z, depending on what you're looking for). Z is a no-go, because the pacing is insanely slow. Abridged, maybe, but I don't know if it sufficiently gives the whole story, and sometimes the references bring up more questions than answers. Not a horrible alternative though. I'd just recommend going back and watching Z Kai from the beginning. There's DVDs and Blu-Rays, and you could buy those or hit up your local library. Z has some good fillers, but there's really only maybe a dozen that are noteworthy. (Gohan and the robot/dinosaur, Goku goes to hell, Pikkon, the driving episode, etc.)

The order the series goes in is basically:

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball Z (or Dragon Ball Z Kai if you value your time)

Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball GT (not sure if canon anymore because there's some stuff in Super that contradicts it)

Kai/Z explores the story of Goku discovering he's a Saiyan and the subsequent Saiyan invasion up until where you're at right now and beyond. The original series is like a comedy/kung-fu show whereas Z is where it turns into the battle shonen that you're familiar with. If you skip the original DB anime/manga, this should cover anything important you miss I think.

[spoiler=Summary of important bits from DB if you do decide to skip] Goku lived in the woods with his Grandpa Gohan until his death. He then kind of lives on his own until teenage Bulma comes with a radar looking for the Dragon Ball that belonged to Grandpa Gohan.There are 7 Dragon Balls, bring them together and they summon a dragon to grant you one wish. The dragon can't grant the same wish twice. That rule is important. After the wish is granted, the balls scatter to random places on Earth and cannot be used for a year (not sure the exact length of time but it's a while). Goku is peculiar in that he has a tail and is absurdly strong, which leads to a pretty big shock reveal at the end of the first arc where they find out Goku becomes a giant ape monster when he sees the full moon. The tail is the reason this happens as far as anyone knows. As the series goes on, they encounter more and more of the supporting cast. Yamcha is a desert bandit, but he ends up having to team with Goku/Bulma. He eventually trains under Master Roshi after Goku and Krillin.

Goku becomes a student under Master Roshi and meets Krillin, who kind of bullies him for a bit but they become friends. Goku fights and destroys the Red Ribbon Army, because they're bad guys. There's this big martial arts tournament, the Tenkaichi Budokai, where all the best fighters go to to decide who's the best. Master Roshi brings Goku and Krillin, while the rival school brings Tenshinhan and Chaozu. This rival school is evil though, and they try to kill Master Roshi & students but Tenshinhan develops a respect for Goku and they become friends/turn on the leader of the rival school. Tenshinhan still beats Goku at the tournament though.

Krillin is murdered, Goku hunts down and kills the murderer, a henchman of the Demon King Piccolo. Goku eventually runs into this guy Yajirobe, who's on par with Goku but is incredibly lazy. During the arc, Roshi and Chaozu also die. Goku gets strong enough to beat King Piccolo and kills him. Krillin, Chaozu, and Roshi are revived by the Dragon Balls at the end of the arc.

There's a timeskip, during which Goku trains with Kami, up on his lookout. Kami removes Goku's tail. Kami is the God of Earth. (iirc the Japanese word for God is Kami) He created the Dragon Balls. If he dies, the Dragon Balls disappear. This is also important. His backstory is that he and King Piccolo were once the same person, but they split into two. Kami being the good one and King Piccolo being the evil one. Kami and Piccolo are one, meaning if either dies, so does the other. If either Piccolo or Kami dies, the Dragon Balls are gone. The reason Kami is still alive after King Piccolo's death is because in his dying moment, King Piccolo laid an egg/had a son, Piccolo Jr, who is essentially a younger, more powerful version of King Piccolo. Piccolo Jr. is the Piccolo we see throughout Z/Kai and the rest of the series. Goku fights Piccolo Jr. at a tournament and Goku wins, and lets Piccolo go free despite everyone thinking that's a terrible idea. Goku marries Chi-Chi. Curtains close.

As for Kai's dub, it aired on Nicktoons before it came out on DVD, so if you see any videos that look to be Nicktoons TV rips then that's why. They censor swearing, the more grisly violence, mentions of death, and recolor blood, which although isn't a dealbreaker, is kind of weird. Toonami airs the uncensored version iirc.

[ping]

It might be worth noting that the original manga does not differentiate between DB and DBZ, so starting with DBZ or Kai would be starting at a somewhat random point. The tone shift from the pretty silly start of the series (which I personally prefer) to the more 'serious' later parts happens somewhere in the middle of DB.

The start of DBZ does mark the first appearance of Gohan and the whole Outer Space Business which will pretty much never stop being relevant, so I admit that making the cut at that point does make sense.

I would also recommend starting with the very first DB episode.But if you don't like the silliness, don't skip all the way to DBZ/Kai. A better starting point would be the tournament before the King Piccolo arc (not the Piccolo jr. arc which comes later). Piccolo (jr.) is one of the more important characters throughout the later arcs, so it might be interesting to know more about his origins. And the tone is imo pretty similar to the rest of the series (maybe excluding the sillier Buu arc), so if you liked the Cell saga, you'll probably like this part, too.