You could say Naruto picked up that idea, and even there you see how creative the battles were at first for being based on deception rather than huge energy beams, and how it lost its magic when it became all about chosen ones and sharingans. As much as I am glad there are no schools in the show, having the ability to change your shape would offer an aspect of strategy and deception to the battles. Another dropped idea was the transformation school Oolong mentioned, and we never got to see. It was adding to his feral side, as opposed to the civilized humanity, which was relying on technology. It was fun seeing him understand simple-minded creatures like himself. For example, a thing that was abandoned fast was Goku’s ability to communicate with animals. They were proactive about it, and by the end of the arc they got what they wanted.- Bulma: Got a boyfriend- Yamcha: Not afraid of women anymore- Oolong: Got the underwear of a hot babe- Chichi: Got a husband (eventually) Just like it happens with every arc, Toriyama did not develop every concept, which was part of what caused inconsistencies and plot holes down the line. And the best part is that it never became a lame ecchi show, where they dig each other but always chicken out at the last moment. ![]() It may not seem like much today, and can even be considered creepy, since it involves underage girls getting constantly naked and groped, but back when it was airing it was very bold and kinky, without striking as politically incorrect by excusing it as gag comedy. Goku: Strong but dumb- Bulma: Smart but vain- Oolong: Cunning but naïve - Yamcha: Ambitious but afraid of women- Roshi: Super strong but slave to lust- Pilaf: Has a huge armory but no leadership skills Also, a big part of the appeal was how everyone was sexually frustrated, which was adding a lot to the comedy and the chemistry. You don’t get that as the number of characters increase and their features become less and less distinctive. And even the Dragonballs were seen as a way to fix their negative side, so they were in effect a form of catharsis, instead of a cheap way to come back to life all the time. This was creating a small and very balanced cast with fantastic chemistry during their interactions. Furthermore, they were so different from one another, and had a negative trait to offset their positive one. This was making it so fun to watch, as you never knew when would someone betray his allies and steal the Dragonballs. They were moving as a group, but they had no unity. Although you can easily separate the cast into good guys and bad guys, most of them were selfish and had their own agenda. I won’t get into many details regarding the plot, which was all over the place and still full of creativity, and I will focus on its strongest element. It’s funny to think how Dragonball, which came to be the monolith of fighting shonen formulas, began as a deconstruction of the typical hero’s journey and a satire of Chinese epics. Unless for some reason you were lucky enough to get another action adventure comedy series, with plot continuity, where everybody was a selfish idiot, instead of picture perfect boyscouts and one-dimensional bad guys. By then, the plot had become the stereotype everybody was copying, instead of something completely different from everything else that was airing at that moment. And I am talking about the original series, not Z which was what most watched in America and didn’t know there was more before it. #1: Emperor Pilaf Saga Just like it happened with so many other people of my generation, I instantly fell in love with Dragonball.
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