Dragon Ballis iconic, but it isn’t without its issues. The adventures of Goku and the rest of Earth’s greatest heroes have inspired countless fans and artists across several generations, and the series' already massive following only seems to grow with each passing year.Though with the passage of time comes the inevitability of aging, andDragon Ball, despite holding up well enough to continue building upon its success today,shows its age at timesin some truly cringeworthy moments.
Not every moment is directly due to age, either. Even at the time of release,Dragon Ballincluded a few truly questionable scenes. Some feature distasteful portrayals of racial stereotypes, while others play into certain characters' perverted behaviors for the sake of getting a few laughs. The series' occasional scenes of brutal violence against helpless characters can also be tough to sit through.Dragon Ballis still incredible to this day, but many of its biggest fans can’t help but cringe at times.
217
Year:
1994
Violence isn’t exactly rare withinDragon Ball, especially during its original adaptations of Akira Toriyama’s manga series.The series has thrived on its desperate, all-out battles for decades, and though some might feel inclined to argue,fights areDragon Ball’s main selling point. In some rare instances, however, the series has taken it a bit too far. Videl’s match against Spopovich during the Majin Buu Saga’s World Martial Arts Tournament is brutal and lasts far longer than it needs to, at least in the anime’s version of events.
In the original manga, Videl also takes quite a beating, though the entire ordeal is far shorter than it is in the anime, whichstretches the sequence significantly in order to sell Gohan’s building anger. It’s a bit of a different viewing experience when the strongest heroes have the tides of a battle turned against them. In the case of Videl, who was likely one of the strongest humans on Earth at the time of the match, she was entirely outmatched against Spopovich, who beat her to the brink of death in what should have been a friendly tournament exhibition.
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Rather than a fight between two warriors, Videl’s match became a brutal assault on a helpless fighter. It was necessary to draw Gohan out into the ring, but the severity of punishment Videl received is difficult to watch, and certainly didn’t need to take up nearly an entire episode’s runtime.
2
1986
Since the very beginning, Bulma has been one ofDragon Ball’s most important cast members. Without her, Goku might have remained a strange, tailed boy living in the mountains. Her inventions, like the Dragon Radar and Trunks' time machine, have also led to some of the biggest developments within the series.However,Dragon Balldidn’t always treat her kindly. The 1986 anime series, which covered Goku’s youth, featured a much heavier focus on comedy, and, unfortunately, many of its gags centered on the fact that Bulma was the only main female cast member.
Though he didn’t know any better, Goku taking off Bulma’s underwear while she slept was one of the more cringeworthy moments in earlyDragon Ball, and directly led to another rather uncomfortable scene in which Roshi is given a peek under her dress.Many ofDragon Ball’s gags at Bulma’s expense have not aged well, and they all began with Goku non-maliciously taking her underwear off. Fortunately, the series largely left Bulma alone as it adopted a more serious tone in its later stages.
5Roshi’s Countless Inappropriate Advances
A Large Portion of Master Roshi’s Screen Time Is Cringeworthy
Master Roshi is likely best known for his perverted behavior and unwelcome advances towards members of the opposite sex, which is a shame because there’s a well-written character underneath the hundreds of examples of the Turtle Hermit acting inappropriately. His mantra, to work hard, study well, and eat and sleep plenty,lies at the very heart ofDragon Ball. However, Roshi would likely have been better off focusing on his own code ratherthan making more than half of his screen time uncomfortable to watch.
Master Roshi’s time, especially during the adventure, comedy-driven narrative of earlyDragon Ball, is defined by his perversion, and the series often attempts to use it for humorous effect. Like other aspects ofDragon Ball’s earlier sections, many of these gags haven’t aged all too well, and the anime adaptations' overuse of Roshi’s cringeworthy behavior becomes difficult to sit through over time.Dragon Ball’s more recent endeavors have scaled back on Turtle Hermit humor,though it remains central to the character even today.
65
1990
Gohan’s time throughout most ofDragon Ballis somewhat tragic. Forced into countless battles as a child, the gentle son of Gokunever really enjoyed fighting, but did so anyway for the sake of others and his own survival. As a result, the young fighter sustained countless terrible injuries in battle,but none worse than what he endured on Namek. Awaiting Goku’s arrival, the trio of Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta were forced to confront the Ginyu Force, and while fighting Recoome, Gohan received a kick so hard that it broke his neck and left him motionless.
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Several characters throughoutDragon Ballhave nearly been beaten to death, but at the time of the events on Namek,Gohan was only a five-year-old child. The shot of the young warrior lying, head tilted to the side with lifeless eyes is haunting. Much of Gohan’s treatment up until the Cell Saga is a bit disturbing to look back on, but this moment is near impossible to sit through without cringing.
3Officer Black Was a Racial Stereotype, Made Even Worse in the Anime
Toriyama Often Depicted POC Characters With Racial Stereotypes
Dragon Balldoesn’t exactly boast a diverse cast of characters, and Akira Toriyama often designed characters like Mr. Popo and, most famously, Officer Black,based on exaggerated racial stereotypes. Often, fans of the series will attempt to argue away questionable character designs by excusing them as non-human entities, but the problematic portrayal of Officer Black cannot be denied, and it’s made only worse in the anime adaptation of the series.
Many likely know Officer Black from the English dub ofDragon Ball, but it’s less well-known thathis name was actually changed from what it was in Toriyama’s mangafor the original Japanese audio version of the series. In the manga, his name translates to “Adjutant Black”, changed to “Staff Officer Black” for the anime, which is pronounced “burakku sanbo”.
The pronunciation is suspiciously close to a controversial children’s book from the early 20th century,The Story of Little Sambo, which has beenbanned in the United States on several occasions for featuring heavy racial stereotypes, but remains popular in Japan even today. It’s never been confirmed whether the connection was intentional, but given the popularity of the children’s book in Japan, the similarities make viewing the originalDragon Ballanime a bit uncomfortable.
4
Fans likely remember Oolong for wishing for panties after Shenron was summoned early on inDragon Ball, but the character’s introductionwas actually far worse than his most famous moment. When Goku and Bulma stumbled into a seemingly empty town in search of the Dragon Balls, they learned that its residents had all hidden themselves away in fear. As it turned out, Oolong was kidnapping girls in the town and forcing them to marry him.
Their eventual rescue was meant to be comedic,but the entire premise of the gag has not aged well in the slightest. Oolong’s characterization has changed drastically in the time since his introduction, though it cannot be denied that he got off to a rough start in the series. Many ofDragon Ball’s more questionable moments occurred during its earliest arcs, and distasteful gags became less prominent as the series shifted into a more serious tone.
1995
SomeDragon Ballvillains are strange, but none come even close toperhaps the most unexpected villain in anime history.Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Rebornis remembered fondly forintroducing Gogeta into the series, though many seem to ignore or have forgotten the appearance of a character called The Dictator, who was released from Hell while Goku and Vegeta were fighting Janemba.
The villain is an obvious parody of Hitler, and he randomly appears in the final leg of the film,and is eventually done away with by Gotenks. The entire existence of the villain is strange and unnecessary, and if there was some attempt at humor during the scene, it certainly does not come across very well. Of all the uncomfortable moments that take place duringDragon Ball, The Dictator’s screen time is by far the most cringeworthy.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
