Summary
TheDragon Ballanime has been home to some of thebest storylinesin any anime. And being one of the longest-running anime, its fanbase consists of old and new viewers alike from every corner of the world, each of them having their own opinions.
Understandably, it’s impossible to make every fan happy, and even though there have been some really bad arcs in the series, some arcs gain more attention due to how much the opinion of the fanbase is divided over them. The series consists of multiple movies and three anime, all of which will be considered in this list.
7Red Ribbon Army Arc - Dragon Ball
Episode 29 - 45
Following the goofy Pilaf Saga in the originalDragon Ball, Akira Toriyama makes a sudden shift in the anime by introducing the Red Ribbon Army with more focus on action-packed sequences and less on exploration.
Why Fans Like This Arc
The Red Ribbon Army Arc had a lot more action and put young Goku in the spotlight, pitting him against strong, varied enemies with higher stakes. Compared to the previous, slower arc inDragon Ball, some fans preferred the fight sequences here since they showed Goku’s real strength and made him look more mature as he fought Commander Red.
Why Fans Dislike This Arc
Other fans thought that this was a departure from the more goofy and exploration-focused first arc ofDragon Ball. There is also an issue with the arc’s pacing and repetitiveness. Still, this arc isn’t very memorable except for a few scenes so it doesn’t generate too much controversy
6Garlic Jr. Arc - DBZ
Episode 108 - 117
This is a filler arc that comes after the Frieza Arc and before the Trunks saga. Since it’sa filler arc, the debates that fans hold over it don’t have much weight to them.
Many fans liked the fact that an old villain from the originalDragon Ballwas brought back in this anime, giving them a chance to see how Garlic Jr.’s character has developed over the years. Plus, it put a spotlight on supporting characters like Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo since they had to put off this threat without Goku being there to help them.
Perfectly contrary to the fans who liked the supporting cast getting some attention, other fans wanted to see Goku and Vegeta brought back. They also resented the filler nature of this arc since it didn’t provide anything meaningful or impactful to the story of the anime, especially coming from the intenseFrieza Arc.
5Majin Buu Arc - DBZ
Episode 220 - 287
The final major arc inDragon Ball Z, coming right after the heated Cell saga, incited various debates over the internet, dividing the fan base into those who loved the Majin Buu Arc and those who hated it.
TheMajin Buu arc introduced fans to characterslike the goofy and playful Fat Buu, and the equally evil Kid Buu, as well as other characters like Babidi, Dabura, and the Kais. The arc also added quite a lot of transformations, most of which were well-received by the audience.
But more importantly, the character development of Vegeta from a villain to a father who’s willing to lay down his life to protect his family and the Earth provided a much-needed spotlight on his character.
While some fans consider this arc to be one of, if not the best arc in all ofDragon Ballseries, others place it at the bottom of the tier lists.
Much of the issues fans have with this arc revolve around the pacing of the arc, its tone, and the overuse of transformations. They think that the arc was dragged on for too long, and while its quality was very good initially, it significantly dropped in the second half of the arc. The sharp and sudden shifts between comedic, light-hearted moments and intense, world-threatening fights, as well as the addition of various new transformations, each of which had little to no buildup or backstory, put many fans off.
4Baby Arc - DB GT
Episodes 23 - 40
WhileDragon Ball GTis wholly unliked by the majority of the fanbase, it can’t be denied that it hadits iconic moments, and much of the good stuff in it happened within the Baby arc. But where there are contentments, there are resentments as well.
The Baby arc steered the anime toward a more serious and darker tone with higher stakes, foregoing the usual aloof atmosphere of the previous, Drak Dragon Ball arc, and even the other anime. It also delved deeper into Saiyan history and introduced an interesting new villain in the form of Truffles, and added the iconic Super Saiyan 4 form, all of which the fans liked.
Other than generally disliking the anime as a whole, fans think the arc was paced very poorly and could have ended much sooner. There’s also criticism against Baby as a villain, especially with his method of possessing people which was too similar to Super Buu absorbing Gohan and Gotenks, as well as Cell absorbing Android 17 and 18. Plus, there is the always-existing issue of power scaling in the entire anime, not just the Baby arc.
3Dragon Ball Super: Broly Movie Arc
Standalone Movie
Broly was never a canon character in the anime, but with this movie, not only was he added to the universe officially, but he was also given much more attention and love than before.
Much of the love for this movie stems from the beautiful animations and fight sequences it has. The fact that the movie brought back an old, fan-favorite villain and re-vamped his character by giving him an appropriate backstory is also appreciated by the audience.
A surprising amount of fans disliked the movie simply because it massacred Broly’s character. There were inconsistencies in his power, where initially he was shown as aweak and helpless Saiyankept at bay by nothing more than an electric collar, but with it removed, he got so powerful that Goku and Vegeta had to Fuse into Gogest Super Saiyan Blue to take him down.
Additionally, many fans thought the movie was trying to cash in only on the spectacle of the fight sequences, and not actual story twists or character development, especially since Cheelai and Lemo weren’t given the proper attention they needed and added little to the story.
2Goku Black Arc - DBS
Episode 47 - 76
The second most polarizing arc inDragon Ball Superfollows the story of Future Trunks from the same timeline as Future Trunks in the Android Saga, even though there are some inconsistencies in both timelines.
Once again, the return of a fan-favorite character was appreciated by fans. But more importantly, the Goku Black arc brought two uniquely different villains who had nothing in common except to eradicate all mortals; Goku Black acted as a brutal and evil version of the main protagonist, whereas Zamasu, being a Kai who had lost perspective, brought a philosophical side to the duo.
Trunks’s timeline featured a dystopian future where mortals were on the brink of extinction, and his traveling back in time to call on support from Goku and Vegeta added a sense of dread and urgency that doesn’t exist in any other arc inDragon Ball Super.This, and the amazing fight scenes featuring Vegito send this arc into the good books of many fans.
On the contrary, the time-traveling aspect and merging of Future Trunks fromDragon Ball Zwith the one featured here not only created unnecessary complexities but also some inconsistencies. InDragon Ball Z, Future Trunks clearly states that Yajirobe had been killed by the Androids, but in this arc, he is alive and kicking in the future.
The overall indifference of Beerus and Whis toward Future Trunks’s situation felt jarring to the fans, and then the stepping in of Grand Zeno to end the timeline was seen as a cop-out and completely undermined the efforts of everyone and the arc as a whole. Many fans also disliked the ending and felt that there could’ve been a better resolution to Future Trunks’s situation than ending his timeline.
1Tournament Of Power Arc - DBS
Episode 77 - 131
The final arc inDragon Ball Superwas the most controversial one, and its placement in the fan’s tier list is extremely inconsistent.
With the Tournament of Power, the Dragon Ball universe suddenly blew up into something far bigger than anyone could ever have imagined. Not only did fans appreciate the addition of a fresh, new cast of characters, but thebattle-royale take on the tournamentwas loved too.
The addition of Ultra Instinct Goku in this arc was a major reason for it ranking so high on so many lists, and the build-up toward this transformation was also executed well. Plus, the arc managed to stroke the nostalgia of fans by bringing back Android 17 and 18 fromDragon Ball Zand putting Master Roshi at the front lines, similar to the originalDragon Ball.
The list of reasons why fans dislike this arc is not short. Like many other polarizing arcs in theDragon Ballseries, the Tournament of Power arc suffers from pacing and power scaling issues, but both these issues are much more exaggerated here. Fans think the arc should not have gone for nearly 50 episodes. And power scaling issues like Jiren, on whom Goku was unable to land a punch even in his Super Saiyan Blue form with Kaioken 20x, got hit by Hit, whom Goku could stalemate in his Super Saiyan Blue form, were everywhere.
Another issue was that the characters did not really show they cared about the elimination and erasure of their universe. Instead of being desperate to win, the fighters are enjoying the fights and looking for individual glory. Despite the battle royale formula of the tournament, it often feels like a one-on-one fight between characters most of the time, with other fighters disappearing for multiple episodes on end.
