This classic anime is somehow even better than its legacy would suggest

(Welcome to Ani-time Ani-wherea regular column dedicated to helping the uninitiated understand and appreciate the world of anime).

Anime is more popular than ever, and major American studios are now looking to Japanese studios to collaborate on projects based on big IPs, including “The Lord of the Rings” and DC Comics. With dozens of shiny new shows coming out every four months, it’s hard to justify spending time watching hundreds of episodes of an old show with limited animation, especially when the things that made them new have been copied, remixed, and parodied to death.

Take “Dragon Ball” as an example. Countless mangas and animes, from “One Piece” and “Naruto” to “My Hero Academia” and “Hunter x Hunter,” owe their existence to the late master Akira Toriyama and his work. Would live-action superhero movies like “Superman” pay homage to classic anime series if “Dragon Ball” hadn’t started a million playground arguments over who could beat Goku in a fight?

It’s easy to underestimate the huge cultural impact that “Dragon Ball” (and its sequel, “Z”) had both in Japan and abroad. This is a franchise that helped save Toonami and turned an entire generation of kids into anime fans. Similarly, “Dragon Ball” has become synonymous with anime, and Goku has become the archetypal anime protagonist. (Just think about how many anime characters have spiky hair like him.) What other show would gather tens of thousands of people on the streets of Mexico just to watch an animated fight?

All of this is to say that the legacy of “Dragon Ball” is unequivocally incomparable. However, if you watch “Dragon Ball” today, you might discover that it’s a classic that’s somehow even better than its reputation (and our collective memories) would suggest.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past 40 years, “Dragon Ball” follows Son Goku, a young man who goes on adventures around the world (and other worlds) in search of magical Dragon Balls that grant any wish. . From there, the series quickly becomes a superhero story as Goku and his friends fight increasingly stronger enemies to save the world and, sometimes, the multiverse.

Let’s make something clear first: No, you should never, ever skip “Dragon Ball” and go straight to “Z.” To do so would be to lose the genius of Akira Toriyama’s storytelling and, above all, his sense of humor and comic timing. The original series is less of a constant fight and much more of a fantasy adventure inspired by the Jackie Chan films that relies on gag comedy. (The first episode dedicates an extended scene to little Goku simply urinating in a river.) It only takes 11 episodes for Goku and his friends to collect all the Dragon Balls, and even then they are used for the first time in a joke. want. At every turn, the original “Dragon Ball” is about finding the silliest joke, and with it, the most inventive and imaginative joke. Even when the series started featuring big tournament arcs, it was mostly about how fun it is to watch little Goku defeat much larger and seemingly stronger opponents (or how he annihilated wave after wave of Red Ribbon Army soldiers). .

Take for example the parade of villains Goku faces throughout the “Dragon Ball” saga (including “Z” and “Super”), many of whom are not so much threatening or terrifying as hilariously silly and absurd. In fact, the first antagonist of “Dragon Ball” was a noseless little would-be tyrant, while the Red Ribbon Army was made up of ridiculous generals. This continued with “Z”, where we met the Ginyu Force (incredibly muscular warriors who are more concerned with striking a cool pose than fighting), or the adorable Majin Buu who turned people into chocolate and ate them.

The action in “Dragon Ball” is also unparalleled, both before and after the show’s shift in focus. At first, the series is about martial arts, with Tiny Goku performing Jackie Chan-style moves (and fighting a poorly disguised Master Roshi who calls himself “Jackie Chun”) against dozens of enemies in exciting fights. (Part of what makes “Dragon Ball Daima” so good is that it brought back the property’s martial arts-inspired combat.) However, even after the show basically evolves into a superhero adventure, it continues to find new ways to raise the stakes and make each confrontation memorable and unique. Individual fights can last dozens of episodes, but every second is exciting and dynamic. The only reason “Yu Yu Hakusho” challenges anime tropes and conventions the way it does is because “Dragon Ball” defined them in the first place.

Despite much of the great iconography of “Dragon Ball” involving Goku fighting, the series is much more than that. Part of the brilliance of the franchise is that it can be many things and explore many genres. Akira Toriyama may never have planned to make a series like “Dragon Ball” or see it evolve the way it did, but he did make the most of it and managed to sustain the story as it developed. The plot began as a fantasy adventure inspired by “Journey to the West” and Chinese mythology and culture, although it also included a fair amount of Goku fighting dinosaurs. And yet, “Dragon Ball” could also have a lot of futuristic sci-fi technology, plus demons and aliens from distant planets. Hell, “Dragon Ball Super” even brought in the multiverse.

This is the kind of anything-goes world-building that would inspire anime series like “Naruto” and “One Piece,” resulting in fleshed-out worlds that support a variety of tones and characters written so strongly that they can still be recognizable. even. as they change. In fact, the same Goku who used to goof around and not know what a car or a girl was in “Dragon Ball” is also the same Goku who becomes a Superman-like alien with inhuman powers, as well as an absent father who He trained in both Heaven and Hell, but couldn’t even get his driver’s license.

Arguably one of the greatest contributions “Dragon Ball” made to the world of anime was its vision of friendship and creating allies. Before The Fast Saga turned mortal enemies into friends you invited to dinner, in “Dragon Ball” Goku befriended everyone who ever tried to kill him. Krillin went from being Goku’s biggest rival as a child to his closest friend, while Yamcha became a core member of the team after trying to steal Goku from him once. Even Piccolo and Vegeta, who started out as irredeemable villains, ended up changing their ways, with the former becoming Gohan’s surrogate father and Vegeta becoming the best husband in the franchise. Vegeta, in particular, even started a trend of rivalries in anime that has lasted for decades and continues today. Everyone from Bakugo to Sasuke owes their arcs to Vegeta becoming Goku’s rival.

It’s been 40 years since the “Dragon Ball” manga entered serialization, and the world of manga and anime hasn’t been the same since. Whether you’re a die-hard anime fan who watched “Dragon Ball Z” on Toonami, someone who’s familiar with all the modern battle shonen manga but are afraid to go back to the source, or just a newcomer who’s never dared to watch “Dragon Ball.” “whether it’s old or too long, let me assure you: the trip is worth it.

Even if you think you know what “Dragon Ball” is from its reputation or the endless memes and iconic quotes, the franchise is much more than that. It’s a hilarious, action-packed, heartfelt, endearing, heartbreaking, spiritual bomb-throwing, Kamehameha-shooting epic between father and son that more than earns its reputation as one of the best anime of all time, and without a doubt the most famous. Again, there’s a reason every anime protagonist looks or acts a bit like Goku, while time skips and power-ups are equally common in anime. It’s not just that “Dragon Ball” made them first; It’s just that the show did those things so well that everyone wants to pay homage or copy its effect.

Akira Toriyama may no longer be with us, but “Dragon Ball” will be around forever.

look at this if you want: “Hunter x Hunter”, “My Hero Academia”, “Naruto”.

“Dragon Ball” is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.