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[Melkezadek]

I know it's sacrilege, but I really loved this show growing up.

Often fairly criticized for its execution, Dragonball GT is kind of the blotch on the series. "Everyone hates GT" is something I had to hear a lot growing up, and it's almost as bad as admitting you're voting for Hillary Clinton in public. You're going to get screamed at. Over the years I learned how to stop caring about what other people think about the stuff I like, but sometimes it's nice to feel like you have a support group. With Super being hit or miss for some people, I wanted to reflect on why I loved GT so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJcuDgVYjgI

I remember buying bootleg GT tapes from an old website back in the mid 90's, before it aired on Cartoon Network later on. I had limited excess to the internet, but I managed to discover photos of SSJ4 Goku and this "new darker Dragonball" series known as GT. All of these videos were fansubbed, so many of them took liberties with the swearing.* It felt more mature and something we'd never get over here in America (before Dragonball blew up)

The series starts off slow, as Goku, Trunks, and Pan get into shenanigans; exploring the Universe for the Blackstar Dragonballs. There was some good episodes here and there, but often you found yourself kinda bored. I wonder if it was money or this reason as to why they chopped off the first 13 episodes when they localized it. I ultimately think it hurt the Western reception more than it helped it. GT already gets a bad rep, but skipping so much just left the viewer confused IMO. Not a good start.

Soon afterwards though, things kick in with Bebi. I'm pretty sure the concept is a rehashed idea from an old Japanese video game, but it's still really cool. I like them going back into the Saiyan mythos and having things come up from their past they bites them in the ass later. Bebi, a Tuffle (Tsufuru-jin), wants to seek revenge of Vegeta and the remaining Saiyans. His people were the original inheritors of what became known as Planet Vegeta. I won't go into all of the details of the arc, but the writing here was pretty good. This encounter was completely unexpected. Kind of like where Cell came out of no where, when the original problem was the Androids. Just deeper story telling.

And it also introduced one of my favorite SSJ forms, Super Saiyan 4. Sorry, the design just screams badass to me.

I also really liked the tone of GT. One of my biggest complaints with Super is the spot on the timeline it takes place in. I wish it was AFTER Z, where it shows the characters older and more mature. GT always felt kind of "slice of life" and moody. Vegeta's a dad now and wears leather pants. Trunks is the CEO of...something? (capsule corp related, I don't remember). Gohan's a scholar. Everything just feels real chill. The music helps a lot with that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqRFhUzNVtg

I could honestly go on all day about how much I love the series, but I wanna hear from other people. Doesn't have to be love, but what are some things you liked about GT? A personal favorite is the ending. I think it did it better than Z.

*Also, I want to say, I recommend never watching the Funimation Dub. It's TRASH. I promise you will like it a little better if you watch the original Japanese.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Guess OP took the L.

 

[TheVampire]

The animation was so much better then the new Dragon Ball Super

 

[Ahasverus]

Agreed. At least it tried. Super can keep its evil Goku and golden Frieza for all I care.

 

[CherryWoodFuton]

It's an abomination imo

But more power to people that like it

 

[Lord Frieza]

Love is a strong word, but yeah, I don't really dislike GT. I think the hate it gets is pretty dumb. I think it's got a lot of cool ideas even if the execution of them isn't prime. The Shadow Dragons, for instance, is a cool as hell idea.

 

[Dead]

GOAT OP song.

 

[Sephzilla]

SSJ4 would have been a million times better had they stuck to the SSJ1-3 gold color scheme instead of going to a pink/black mix with guy-liner. As it exists it looks so out of place and unnatural compared to the previous forms and screams of "look at me I'm trying do hard to be unique"

 

[DarkKyo]

SS4 is my favorite too! Sad it's not really canon because it's the coolest looking imo. I wish SSBlue was something other than a SS1 re-color. SS4 had the right idea of a more drastic physical transformation.

Also I think Super 17 was a really cool villain, great design.

SSJ4 would have been a million times better had they stuck to the SSJ1-3 gold color scheme instead of going to a pink/black mix with guy-liner. As it exists it looks so out of place and unnatural compared to the previous forms and screams of "look at me I'm trying do hard to be unique"

I'm pretty sure those are blood-shot eyes and not some kind of make-up. Like you can see the red flesh of their eye sockets basically.

 

[Ahasverus]

SSJ4 would have been a million times better had to stuck to the SSJ1-3 gold color scheme instead of going to a pink/black mix with guy-liner. As it exists it looks so out of place and unnatural compared to the previous forms.

I liked that it's not nazi anymore actually.

 

[Melkezadek]

GOAT OP song.

For real. The fact that they used the "Grand Tour" rap opening is disgusting. How do you ruin one of the best things about the series? They wanted it to fail harder than it already did.

 

[ShirAhava]

Was so bad I couldn't finish it....baby saga was at least watchable after that it made my brain hurt it was so stupid.

 

[Big One]

GT is ok just falls flat overall. The series is basically TOEI scrambling to figure out how to properly close the series for better or worse.

 

[Rymuth]

The first time Goku called a one-episode villain 'Stronger than Majin Buu', I knew the series had dug itself into earth's core and it would not unbury itself...

 

[Melkezadek]

The first time Goku called a one-episode villain 'Stronger than Majin Buu', I knew the series had dug itself into earth's core and it would not unbury itself...

I always assumed he was referring to Fat Buu, who wasn't that strong really.

 

[entremet]

SSJ4 would have been a million times better had they stuck to the SSJ1-3 gold color scheme instead of going to a pink/black mix with guy-liner. As it exists it looks so out of place and unnatural compared to the previous forms and screams of "look at me I'm trying do hard to be unique"

I liked it because it harkened to the original Saiyan roots. The most powerful form being a primeval one is pretty cool.

 

[tiebreaker]

thereisadozenofus.gif

 

[singhr1]

There were some good parts but i'd never say I "love" it. I don't think I ever watched the last 5-10 episodes though.

 

[Scientist Supreme!]

I couldn't even tell you if I liked it because all I seem to remember is the first episode and the baby stuff.

 

[Lord Frieza]

I guess now that I think about it, I like almost all of GT's plot ideas. Baby, the Super Andriod, the Shadow Dragons, even the Grant Tour beginning were all potentially great ideas if they had had proper treatment.

 

[Dominator]

I didn't love it, but I definitely enjoyed it. I remember when I had all the VHS tapes lined up to form the image with the spines. Good times.

 

[smurfx]

i kinda spoiled gt for myself with the mexican release and then the japanese release. funimation took too damn long to release it and it spoiling myself ruined the enjoyment for me.

 

[Regulus Tera]

I enjoy iit more than Boo saga DBZ

 

[entremet]

I think the whole kid Goku thing was a trying to catch lighting in a bottle again. I found that very lame as we already had Dragon Ball.

 

[Firemind]

Most emotional ending ever. ;-;

 

[Lord Frieza]

One thing I will say that I legitimately did hate about GT is the fact that they randomly turned Goku back into a kid for the whole series. I'll never truly understand what they were really going for there. I guess because the first part of the series is so DB inspired they thought it fit, but honestly, it was dumb. Even dumber that him going SSJ4 would turn him into a adult, but then he would go back to being a kid afterward. It's like...what?

 

[Firemind]

One thing I will say that I legitimately did hate about GT is the fact that they randomly turned Goku back into a kid for the whole series. I'll never truly understand what they were really going for there. I guess because the first part of the series is so DB inspired they thought it fit, but honestly, it was dumb. Even dumber that him going SSJ4 would turn him into a adult, but then he would go back to being a kid afterward. It's like...what?

Dumber than adult Goku speaking like a goddamn child?

 

[Lord Frieza]

Dumber than adult Goku speaking like a goddamn child?

Yes?

 

[Strangelove77]

It was pretty boring. They basically redid a bunch of things from regular Dragon Ball and Z, but not as good. Some downright bad.

SS4 also looks stupid as hell.

 

[Melkezadek]

I think the whole kid Goku thing was a trying to catch lighting in a bottle again. I found that very lame as we already had Dragon Ball.

I agree 100%. It wasn't necessary. GT should have been the opening intro the Final Bout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6iefr1Z_-k

Show would've been dope as hell.

 

[Astral/H3X]

One thing I will say that I legitimately did hate about GT is the fact that they randomly turned Goku back into a kid for the whole series. I'll never truly understand what they were really going for there. I guess because the first part of the series is so DB inspired they thought it fit, but honestly, it was dumb. Even dumber that him going SSJ4 would turn him into a adult, but then he would go back to being a kid afterward. It's like...what?

Super Saiyan kid Goku is my favorite thing in all of Dragonball. Period. It's adorably badass.

 

[NandoGip]

Can't deny, GT had some great concepts.

 

[Fj0823]

Its alright, it gets dragged down by a horrible start and nonsensical ending.

Black destroys every single one of GTs Villains.

Hell, I'd say even Fat Buu was better than any of them

Japanese Intro Song is amazing.

GT Goku is a great design and my main in every DB Game.

SSJ4 is dumb,but looks better in the games, not so much in the show

 

[Sephzilla]

Kid Goku in GT was basically just giant pandering

 

[Firemind]

Yes?

Honestly how did he have sex with ChiChi when mentally and vocally he's an eight year-old? This is what keeps me awake at night.

 

[Maximo]

Super Saiyan 4 is definitely cooler then Super Saiyan *God*

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

Super Saiyan 4 is definitely cooler then Super Saiyan *God*

only in design. the actual methods of obtaining super saiyan god/blue are better than forcing "blutzwaves" into your body to transform.

they had the right idea to connect great apes to SS, tho

 

[Ydelnae]

I still think Dragon Ball peaked with the Cell saga, but I enjoyed GT as much as the Buu saga and definitely more than the Frieza saga. Throw me all the stones you want.

 

[smurfx]

only in design. the actual methods of obtaining super saiyan god/blue are better than forcing "blutzwaves" into your body to transform.

they had the right idea to connect great apes to SS, tho

i still wonder if we will ever get great ape god mode.

 

[Melkezadek]

only in design. the actual methods of obtaining super saiyan god/blue are better than forcing "blutzwaves" into your body to transform.

they had the right idea to connect great apes to SS, tho

I don't know. "Blutzwaves" if I remember correctly, was the energy that the Moon produces that causes the Saiyans to transform into the great ape. It wasn't just something Bulma came up with. Vegeta cheated sure, but Goku used the Blutzwaves from the Earth itself to ascend. That's fucking badass.

A cool throwaway line was Vegeta talking about using the machine to become stronger if he wanted to, but of course it was never expounded upon. I would've liked to see what could have been beyond SSJ4 with this discovery.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

These are my thoughts on it.

Especially a series like Dragonball, which was a long running, beloved, and iconic series that was (for the most part) enjoyable from beginning to end. Say what you will about DB or DBZ being better, subs or dubs being better, Faulconer's music being the shit or just shit, the truth is most people loved Dragonball. Continuing the anime past the manga is not an inherently bad idea, especially not from a business perspective, but also not from a DB-loving consumer's perspective, and GT actually had a lot of really interesting concepts. Originally it seemed to be going for a more lighthearted theme more akin to DB than DBZ, and then it went back to the extremely brokenly powerful characters fighting each other that made Z so popular. The outline for each arc looks great, and the black star dragonballs and the people the Saiyans/Saiya-jins wiped out having new significance are unique and creative plot ideas. The way that Toei broadened the scope of the series into full blown planet hopping at the start seems like the next logical step after introducing the other planets/universes/multiverses in Z's story arcs. It all seems like a recipe for perfect success. But GT is universally considered to be a pile of crap.

None of the concepts that are introduced are ever realized in a way that is interesting from a plot or battle perspective. Goku is the only one worth anything, and even Uub (who is the human version of Majin Buu, destroyer of worlds) is made into useless fodder at his expense. Fan favorites like Gohan and Vegeta get shafted even more heavily, and the potential of Goten and Trunks as teens is never even brought to the table. They even offer to fuse into an adult version of Gotenks at one point, but the idea is shot down as useless because they would be too weak to do anything. Super 17 is an interesting concept, but the way he's brought about just screams poor writing, even by anime standards and even by Dragonball standards. Dr. Gero meets some random other guy in Hell, creates another 17, they fuse and are suddenly more powerful than Buu? I don't buy it, and I don't think anyone else bought it, either.

Everything just reeks of direct to VHS/DVD syndrome. It's all executed so lazily, like the writers took a look back at DBZ and what made it popular and decided to make a checklist, meet that checklist and call it a day. Goku? Check. Fusions? Check. Increasingly powerful villains? Check. Transformations? Check. All of the soul behind it is gone and none of the dots connect in any way that seems meaningful.

The concepts and character designs are good, but I still can't believe how bad GT is overall. Nobody expected an anime-only series to meet the quality of Toriyama's DB, but I don't think anybody expected a gigantic steaming pile of shit, either. This might all seem like rambling, but GT had some serious potential and it wasted it all. I kind of hope Toei tries again one day with a series that overwrites GT and follows the ending of Battle of the Gods.

DBGT is a bunch of good concepts executed poorly. SSJ4 is cool, Goku, Pan and Trunks adventuring in space is cool, evil dragons are cool, but somehow none of it was made interesting when it came time to storyboard those ideas. Meanwhile, Super is the opposite. Conceptually, it sounds right off of some text-based roleplay or Deviantart account from the 00's, but it's executed so well that it's very enjoyable. Golden Amiibo Freeza, Nega-Goku (literally named Goku Black), and an OC so strong nobody can beat him (Beerus) - it all sounds really dumb. But I found every one of those story arcs enjoyable because they were written well, and distinctly "Dragon Ball" in mood and tone. I think Toriyama's involvement changes everything. Granted, Super still suffers from not treating its non-Goku cast all that well, but the new characters, Vegeta, and Trunks seem to get a fair amount of screentime, at least.

 

[phaze]

It's not all that good but it's not Super at least. It had some really great ideas but just faltered on the execution, I still like its ending as the closure to the series more than that of DBZ.

Majestic OP&ED.

 

[Fulminator]

GOAT OP song.

absolutely


i liked (and still do like) dbgt as well when i was a kid, but I can't say that the quality of the show is on par with DB, DBZ, or even DB Super

 

[Maximo]

only in design. the actual methods of obtaining super saiyan god/blue are better than forcing "blutzwaves" into your body to transform.

they had the right idea to connect great apes to SS, tho

That is true love the design.

 

[Fj0823]

i still wonder if we will ever get great ape god mode.

I believe they are mutually exclusive.

SSGod was created out of good hearted Saiyans to fight the evil Saiyan Apes.

Toriyama doesn't seem to like the idea of going back to monkey = more Saiyan Power, he even wrote the tails away from alternate universe Saiyans like Kyabe.

Evolved and civilized saiyans lost their tails but apparently have the ability to go SS easily.

 

[KHlover]

DBGT gave us Sorae, so it's aight in my book.

 

[BiggNife]

If nothing else, I think the last arc of GT was a great idea.

Using the Dragonballs to wish everything back to normal is such an easy deus ex machina that is used all the time in DBZ so I like the idea that using something that powerful over and over again has real consequences.

 

[Linkark07]

Kid Goku ruined it for me. Perhaps he could continue as a kid until he transformed into SSJ4 but no, he remained in a kid's body.

My other grip was that it was mostly focused on Goku, although Super has this same flaw too. Personally, I would have loved to have Goku as a master, guiding Pan and Uub, and joining battles when they are in big troubles or with the worst villains. For me, that would have been the best closure to the series: we see Goku as a kid learn how to use his power in DB, defeat villains and attaining new techniques and transformations in Z, and in GT, he trains his granddaughter and protegee as the next generation of Z Fighters. Would have loved to have Bulla have more relevance too, perhaps some sort of rivalry between her and Pan (taking some cues from Bulla in Multiverse).

Plotwise, Black Dragon Star Saga and Super 17 were awful. Baby was decent and Evil Dragons was ok. Again, they could have divided everyone into teams for gather the 7 dragon balls before facing Omega Shenron instead of just focusing Goku and Pan and that useless robot.

GT isn't completely bad as everyone makes it seem but it has too many flaws.

The Japanese opening and endings were superb too, especially the 4th ending. It is a shame the US version removed these.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

the ending credits in the finale made it worth it

 

[NandoGip]

The series is worth it just for Dan Dan Kokoro