Reviews Anime / Dragon Ball Z

Saiyan Saga - Great beginning and end, shoddy middle

After 15 years of having zero contact with this franchise, I had decided to start binging all of it from beginning to end. From the original Dragon Ball to Z, from Z to GT, and from GT to Super.

Keep in mind that I'm a lot less forgiving about its flaws than most fans. I'm not approaching this franchise from the viewpoint of a long-time fan who grew up with it, I'm approaching it as an adult who spent his entire lifetime on the internet hearing random people proudly declare this is "The Best Anime Ever." So... expect some Hype Backlash here.

The Awesome Beginning

After finishing the original Dragon Ball, I couldn't help but find the show to be a bit meh. I mean, don't get me wrong, the sagas of Pilaf, Master Roshi and Uranai Baba are generally excellent and pretty enjoyable in their own right, but the rest is kind of repetitive and boring. It all changes once Z begins though...

Z begins with a time-skip, Goku and Chichi are now married and have a son together. Suddenly, they're attacked by an alien who claims to be Goku's brother and the entire story is turned upside down. I simply love the way Dragon Ball Z begins. It's shocking, mysterious, dreadful and the stakes have never been higher. Raditz is defeated at the cost of Goku's life, and it's then revealed he has much stronger friends who are now coming to Earth to finish the job.

The entire set-up at the beginning is amazing, from the beginning of Piccolo's redemption arc and Gohan's growth into a warrior to Goku's sudden death and the general feeling of hopelessness the remaining cast has to deal with. Unfortunately, things slowly start going downhill from here...

Several Episodes of Nothing

A short while after Piccolo kidnaps Gohan, the anime starts a 10-episode long training montage for the surviving heroes, all the while Goku has to run a very, very, very long pathway to reach a new mentor who can train him for the Saiyan's arrival, while the rest of the gang gather the Dragon Balls to revive him.

Now, I don't think any of these episodes are particularly bad. I do love some good old Dragon Ball adventuring, but the problem is that the plot only barely advances during this portion. I do know most of these episodes are straight-up Filler, but I do think some of them are essential to showcase Gohan's growth.

But the one thing that makes these episodes particularly frustrating and a complete waste of time is what comes next...

Several Episodes of Worf

I'm just gonna say it right here, I despise this part of the story. You see, Akira Toriyama is a pretty big fan of The Worf Effect and uses it at least once per every single arc. But this here is probably the biggest offender of the misuse of this trope not only in the entire franchise, but also in the entirety of media.

Right after their 10-episode long training montage, the heroes start falling one by one. In fact, they suck so hard that two of them gather up all of their energy to commit a suicide-attack on Nappa to absolutely no effect. So, you're telling me all of those 10 episodes were nothing but a massive waste of time? Geez, thanks Dragon Ball!

So, Goku is resurrected and effortlessly beats Nappa to a pulp... you know, the one who massacred the entire team before? Proving once and for all that everybody who's not named Goku in this franchise only exists to get their asses kicked and/or killed... Isn't that beautiful? (/s)

Despite my heavy distaste for this set of episodes, there are two moments I love: The first one is Yamcha's death. For me who watched the original Dragon Ball, seeing Bulma lose her mind over her boyfriend's death, who she's been mistreating and abusing over the course of the series, was immensely powerful.

The second one is Piccolo's Sacrifice. It's one of the best redemption arcs that Akira has written in the franchise. The entire journey, from Piccolo kidnapping Gohan to bonding with him and putting himself in harm's way, despite making plans to turn his rival's kid against him, is just too beautiful.

An Actual Challenge

After Nappa bites the dust, the fight against Vegeta begins. The fight against Vegeta is pretty unique in that he's the first enemy to ever give Goku trouble. I mean sure, we had Tao Pai Pai and King Piccolo before, but it was nothing a quick visit to Karin's tower didn't fix. This time, the stakes are real!

Vegeta is a foe that even after training, Goku still couldn't beat and wouldn't have beaten if his friends didn't intervene. For once in Dragon Ball history, four characters gang up against a single powerful enemy instead of going one-on-one. Where was this determination during the Nappa fight?

Vegeta's transformation into an Oozaru, Goku finally understanding he was the one who killed his grandpa, him trusting Kuririn and Gohan with the Genki-Dama, Yajirobe growing a spine and helping the heroes, and Vegeta's own fake moon biting him in the ass at the end were all delightful to watch.

Final Thoughts

Admittedly, I would've liked if Raditz stayed longer. He was a much more interesting character and a better choice for the final villain than Mr. "I'm An Elite!" But alas, as soon as Raditz bites the dust, he is quickly forgotten and never mentioned again, like his whole existence was just a plot-device to get the story going.

The other thing that drags down this arc is the heavy amount of Filler and The Worf Effect that happens right afterwards said Filler that makes a good portion of this arc feel pointless and frustrating to watch.

But overall, the Saiyan Saga is pretty enjoyable. The important characters and their respective arcs are well set-up and executed, the important fights rely more on strategy and group effort than raw power, and it's a great beginning that demonstrates Dragon Ball is growing with its audience and not afraid to explore more mature territory.

Also, its ending paves way for the next arc, which I personally consider to be the peak of Dragon Ball Z.

Rating: 4/5