Dragon Ball Goes Viral as Fans Debate the Legacy of Dragon Ball Z Abridged

Over the years, Dragon Ball has become one of the biggest series in anime, but it has certainly had some low points. It is hard to forget how fans were left awash after Dragon Ball GT floundered and the manga was finished. These days, it is hard to imagine the franchise's lull given how big it is, but that is what happened back in the day. One of the biggest things that kept the anime afloat with Dragon Ball Z Abridged, and fans are now warring over the web series' legacy after a controversial tweet. 

The whole thing began after a clip from Youtube went viral out of nowhere. The video showed popular Youtube TotallyNotMark discuss the history of Dragon Ball and online fandom. During the longer video, the creator nodded to DBZA and the impact it had on sustaining fans during Dragon Ball's post-GT dry spell. And well, the shoutout got the fandom going.

Shit opinion

— HipMasterDan (@MasterDan) January 29, 2022

As you can see below, netizens are sticking up for DBZA against those who say it had no impact on the franchise. While it is true that Dragon Ball would have survived without the Webb series, many fans are sticking out for its influence outside of Japan. When Goku was nowhere to be found, the Team Four Star parody kept Dragon Ball alive with online fans. Fans new and old were treated to a new take on Dragon Ball Z that turned into everyday Internet memes. And though it ended in 2020, the impact of DBZA is still bringing newcomers to Akira Toriyama's original series whether you want to admit it or not. 

How do you feel about Dragon Ball Z Abridged looking back? Did the web series keep you invested in the franchise? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

Think About It

It's not really wrong though. Sure, Dragon Ball will forever be popular. But to say that DBZA played zero role in keeping any interest, or perhaps even getting younger viewers into the series seems dumb. It's like how I would literally give no fucks about Yu-Gi-Oh without TGOTAS.

— Yuriofwind (@Yuriofwind) January 30, 2022

They're Right

He is right

Annoyance with overuse of memes and jokes aside, not everyone was picking up the video games. DBZA was one of the most tightly edited and scripted abridged series at the time and was able to leverage it with creating memes that last in the collective conscious

— syd (@FigmentSaint) January 30, 2022

Excuse Us?

so wait, why were people mad about Totally Not Mark very accurately stating how important Team Four Star was for keeping Dragon Ball conversation alive

(I don't actually wanna know, y'all are just wrong and being a pain in the ass, DBZA was good for the fandom)

— Nate Ming (@NateMing) January 30, 2022

Listen Again

What he is saying: DBZA helped maintain the Western Dragon Ball fandom in time of drought.

What people are hearing and saying: "BRO THIS FOOL THINKS DBZA SAVED DRAGON BALL LMAOOOOO GARBAGE TAKE"

— Pugtaro 🇵🇷 (@OhPugChamp) January 29, 2022

Say It Louder

he is literally right though

maybe I wouldn't say "nearly as popular" but DBZA did contribute HEAVY to keeping DB alive, at least in the late 2000s and 2010s

— AKA (@aka_nobodyy) January 29, 2022

Pick Your Side

When TotallyNotMark said TFS / DBZA was one of the biggest contributions to Dragon Ball Z's growth in the west in the 2000's

— 🌸DreMeMoTo (@DreMeMoTo) January 30, 2022

Well Played

dbza was great. a well-done parody that DID help give db fans some food when there was hardly any official content to consume at the time

i just wish 95% of dbza fans weren't so horrid lmao, but them being stupid isn't tfs' fault

— 🍬 nebula / vegito & gogeta simp 🥐 (@starspiritsword) January 30, 2022

Give It Respect

"DBZA isn't a reason why Dragon Ball is still popular"

Statistically, at this moment, not a single minute in the day goes by where a single episode of DBZA isn't being watched by somebody. The series probably wouldn't be dead without it, but this isn't nothing.

— mondo (@ZMondoCool) January 30, 2022