Dragon Ball, especiallyDragon Ball Z, is looked back on with great affection these days, but when the series first ended, fans were a lot more upset than you might think. In fact, the ending of the eternally popular series was actually quite controversial, which may surprise fans who weren’t active at the time it ended.
TheDragon Ballmanga originally ran from 1984 to 1995, culminating in the desperate battle at the end of the Buu Saga. However, the actual ending of the series is what’s known as the “Peaceful World Saga,” set 10 years after the events of that battle. These final chapters depict one final World Martial Arts Tournament, and introduce Buu’s reincarnation, Uub.
For the anime, this ending was immediately followed byDragon Ball GT, kicking off a new era for Goku and friends, but for Akira Toriyama and the manga, that was meant to be it. As it turns out, many fans at the time weren’t pleased with the ending to such a long manga, leading to unhappiness and even some outright cruelty.
Fan Response to Dragon Ball’s Ending Was Mixed, At Best
Many Fans Accused the Ending of Being Rushed and Considered It a Letdown
The Peaceful World Saga is only 2 chapters, which led many fans to feel that the ending was rushed.For a series that ran for 519 chapters, fans expected more of an epilogue than that, especially if it’s introducing a brand-new character like Uub, who is made out to be very important even in the few pages in which he appears.
While contemporary accounts of fan reactions toDragon Ball’s endingare hard to come by online,the fansite Kanzenshuuhas some reactions from Japanese fans translated, as well as accounts of its own users who were reading the manga at the time. Interestingly, many Japanese fans expressed some mild disappointment–“Is it already over?”–but mostly wished for Toriyama to rest.
The global reactions of Kanzenshuu’s interviewed fans were a bit more varied. One fan, Tanooki Kuribo, stated, “I didn’t think it was anything special,” and added,“I think if this wasn’t the ending, and the series actually went on, you would never even think that this point (the ending) could have been an actual ending.”
Another fan, VegettoEX, said, “All in all, it’s not a very good ending, but after a decade, how exactly do you go out in style?” Which raises a valid and interesting point that’s applicable to more than justDragon Ball.
Was There Ever a Chance of Fans Liking Dragon Ball’s Ending?
The fact of that matter is that after following a story for ten years–long enough for the young kids who started reading it to have grown into adults–it’s going to be difficult to come up with an ending that’s going to satisfy every fan. If one were to ask all these fans (as Kanzenshuu did) how they would prefer it to end, they’d get a dozen different answers.
This can be seen even today with modern series that have ended recently.TakeMy Hero Academia, for example; after a 10-year run, just likeDragon Ball, it ended with a time-skip several years into the future, with passing-the-torch moments and an epilogue showing the peaceful world that the heroes had fought for.
However, many fans wereextremely upset overMy Hero Academia’s ending. While much of the upset was due to misinterpretation, even after clearing things up, some dissatisfaction remained. Without getting into true spoilers for those who are waiting for the animated version, there was unhappiness regarding relationships, character endings, and more.
Reading week-to-week is very different from reading the whole story at once, and the ending may work better that way.
Given how fan opinion has changed regardingDragon Ball’s ending over the years, though, it seems likely thatMy Hero Academia’s ending may also be reevaluated once more time has passed and fans have had a chance to cool their opinions. Reading week-to-week is very different from reading the whole story at once, and the ending may work better that way.
Toriyama Actually Did Alter Dragon Ball’s Ending in Response
Years Later, Toriyama Modified the Ending
My Hero Academia’s controversial ending was somewhat fixedby the addition of one more final chapter, which helped to provide more closure and better showcase how things had changed in this post-timeskip era. The new chapter was much better received by fans, and the ending isn’t quite as derided as it was upon release.
Dragon Ballactually had a very similar response, although it wasn’t until many years later, when a new version of the manga was released, that Toriyama actually made changes to the ending. In theKanzenbanversion, released in 2004, Toriyama added three new pages to the ending, in which Goku gave Uub the Flying Nimbus.
It wasn’t a substantial change, but it helped underline the fact that Goku was training Uub to be his successor, to take on the responsibility of protecting the Earth after Goku is gone.The new ending even parallels Uub flying on the Nimbus with kid Goku doing the same, drawing a direct comparison between the two.
Of course,Dragon Ball GT,the anime continuation set after the Peaceful World Saga,wouldn’t make very good use of Uub, and the advent ofDragon Ball Super(set between the fight with Buu and the Peaceful World Saga) has raised a lot of questions about the validity of the Peaceful World Saga as an ending for all ofDragon Ball.
That has led to a different kind of distaste for the ending, one caused by continuity issues more than the actual quality of the ending itself. Looking at the Peaceful World Saga in the context ofDragon Ballalone, the ending does actually work quite well for Goku’s character, and is a fitting epilogue forDragon Ball’s original manga.
Overall,Dragon Ball’s ending controversy was seemingly inevitable; any story that lasts 10 years will have a difficult time ending, be itMy Hero AcademiaorDragon Ball. When taken as a whole, however,Dragon Ball’s final chapters work well for their intended purpose, and don’t deserve to be as disliked as they once were.
