Although I am a sucker for all kinds of Dragon Ball content, almost every time I surf internet, fans are usually fighting about the best DB anime series. There is no doubt that Dragon Ball Franchise is one of the biggest and most popular anime franchises of all time. So, it comes as no surprise that fans are divided among which of its content is the best. Although, there is no point arguing over personal preferences, debating is half the fun of being a fan. So, the following is an audience poll for the same which is followed by the ranking for the major 4 anime of DB franchise.
Dragon Ball vs Z vs GT vs Super Audience Poll – Vote Now!
Before we get down to the list have a shot at it yourself as you can vote for your favorite series in the audience poll below.
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Now, let us get down to the rankings.
4. Dragon Ball GT (1996 – 1997)
Even though everything Dragon Ball is quite amazing but Dragon Ball GT is by far the weakest production in the franchise. Not only is it very short, it is often not considered to be canon in the anime continuation. Dragon Ball GT does not adapt the manga series written by Akira Toriyama and contains a total of 64 episodes. Even though it was a direct continuation of Dragon Ball Z and had its moments, it wasn’t well received by critics or the fans. The entire Kid Goku arc was just annoying and uninteresting, and the series as a whole was very inconsistent and sloppy.
Dragon Ball GT achieved its peak towards the very end but by then it was too late. Even the peak wasn’t that great with the only memorable moments being Super Saiyan 4 transformations for Goku and Vegeta and their final fight with Omega Shenron. The animation was also quite inconsistent, however, the design for Super Saiyan 4 was incredible and still the best one yet. The opening and soundtrack weren’t that impressive as well, leaving fans with little to no memorable moments. And since it is not even canon, most fans tends to ignore and forget it. However, there is a cult following of the series and GT fans consider it the best of the Dragon Ball.
3. Dragon Ball (1986 – 1989)
There is no doubt that Dragon Ball is one of the best anime series in the world and the one which kicked off the DB Franchise we love. Dragon Ball started it all and introduced fan favourite characters like Bulma, Krillian, Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien, and Chi Chi. But just cause it was the original doesn’t mean it was the best, in fact it’s a bit hard to accept when certain fans call it the best. Dragon Ball aside from having a poor and old animation, was very backward, cringey at times and objectified its female characters. In fact, for the majority of it there weren’t any strong female characters and mostly played damsel in distress.
However these 3-4 things aside, Dragon Ball was absolutely crazy and unique. It presented a high tech world but at the same time it featured Dinosaurs and talking animals and what not. Setting aside, it featured some of the best sagas in the entirety of the DB anime including King Piccolo Saga, Tournament Saga, Piccolo Jr. Saga, and of course its very first, Emperor Pilaf Saga. It also features some major character development as well, something we saw a comparitively less in Dragon Ball Super. So yes, Dragon Ball was incredible but it still lags behind the top 2.
2. Dragon Ball Super (2015 – Present)
Fans were a little skeptical when the anime made a comeback after nearly two decades. But to all our relief, Dragon Ball Super proved worth it and set a new high in the world of Dragon Ball. Its animation as expected was way better than all its predecessors and it took off exactly where DBZ left. Being canon and staying true to the manga for most part, DBS made up for an epic watch which was entertaining from start to finish. However, it did have its flaws and one of those flaws was it filler content. A lot of episodes seemed like a drag and the power ups took a lot of time. I remember one particular power up sequence which spanned over 3 episodes and got really tiresome.
Other minor issues include overuse of the iconic villain Frieza, underutilization of Gohan, and unexplained transformations and power ups for many characters throughout the series. Barring that this series was absolutely bonkers and introduced fan favourites like Lord Beerus, Whis, Grand Priest, Jiren, and Black Goku/Zamatsu. That aside, there were like 3 new transformations for Goku himself and each of them were well executed and didn’t seem forced. God of Destruction Saga, Goku Black Saga, and Universe Survival Saga will surely go down in the history as some of the best DB sagas of all time. Another good thing about it is that it will be back for Season 2 and that means there is a chance it might get even better. But even after that, it would be really hard to beat the Number 1!
1. Dragon Ball Z
Does it even need an explanation? Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan Saga, Frieza Saga and Androids / Cell Saga are the epitome of Dragon Ball Franchise. DBZ introduced us to its two most popular characters, the Saiyan Prince Vegeta, and Goku’s son Gohan. These two characters took the franchise to unprecedented heights and then came the two greatest DB villains of all time Frieza and Cell. That aside, Napa, Future Trunks, Android 17&18, Majin Buu, and loads of other memorable characters were introduced in this epic series. This series contains the iconic and most memorable anime scene where Goku finally achieves the dreaded Super Saiyan form against the battle with Frieza. If you are unaware, this is where Dragon Ball was originally supposed to end, but lucky for us we got a lot more!
All the characters in DBZ received insane development especially Goku, Vegeta and Gohan, who take the center stage in DBZ. Its only flaw was its overextended and tiring Majin Buu saga, which started off excellent but ended up being frustrating. But apart from this, DBZ was “Anime Gold” and something all of us Gen Z’s grew up watching. Even if you re-watch DBZ after DBS or DBGT, you’ll find it to be the most interesting, emotional, and engaging one among all. It may not be as high stakes as DBS but it succeeds in being full of heart, and is simply the best!
Feel free to disagree with this list in the comments below and mention your favourite sagas from each series as well. Also, stay tuned for more updates on Dragon Ball as we never miss a DB update!
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