Is Dragon Ball Z Kai better than Dragon Ball Z?

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Brawl578

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#1 Brawl578
Member since 2008 • 895 Posts

I grew up on the original DBZ, but I think we can all admit that it had abysmal pacing since it was trying not to get too far ahead of the manga at the time.

 

Then here comes DBZ Kai, which supposedly gets rid of all the filler and vastly improves the pacing. Some voice actors for the English dub have changed, and even in the "uncut" version of Kai, there's still two scenes that are censored (No blood when Goku and Raditz die, and no blood when Krillin blasts Vegeta on Namek). Other than that, blood is still present throughout most of the show, and they cuss much more than they did in the original Z dub.

 

For those who watched both, which do you think is better? DBZ Kai or the original DBZ?

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4myAmuzumament

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#2 4myAmuzumament
Member since 2013 • 1791 Posts
the filler is part of it, so original DBZ is the winner. the new voices suck.
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svm128

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#3 svm128
Member since 2007 • 376 Posts

The original, I never had a problem with fillers.

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YoshiYogurt

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#4 YoshiYogurt
Member since 2010 • 6008 Posts
The Manga is best. Anyway, Kai is like shiny EVEN MORE censored version of the original DBZ
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Nengo_Flow

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#5 Nengo_Flow
Member since 2011 • 10644 Posts
Original cuz original voices, better voice acting, better music, better everything. Also Kai stopped at Cell (i dont remember if they even finished the Cell saga)
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bort_hurs

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#6 bort_hurs
Member since 2012 • 202 Posts
I don't understand what Kai (Uncut) is supposed to mean because the whole point of Kai is to be 'cut'.
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Brawl578

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#7 Brawl578
Member since 2008 • 895 Posts

I don't understand what Kai (Uncut) is supposed to mean because the whole point of Kai is to be 'cut'.bort_hurs
By uncut, I mean uncensored.

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4myAmuzumament

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#8 4myAmuzumament
Member since 2013 • 1791 Posts
i'm close to saying that DBZ Abridged is better than DBZ... not sure though. if they (teamfourstar) make the cell saga as good as the first two sagas then i will be sure.
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Serraph105

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#9 Serraph105
Member since 2007 • 36038 Posts

First off let me say that for the most part the new voice acting in Kai I find to be okay, except Jeice of course who is supposed be definitevly from Space Australia and they butchered him. Lets put the voice acting aside though.

I have watched both, and I even went into kai thinking that losing all the filler would be a great thing, but I mostly found it frustrating. Some of Gohan's more awesome rage moments were shortened making him seem weaker, and worse yet the battles just were not as exciting. I realised that without the buildup the battles were far less epic, and thus less satisfying. 

My verdict is that the original was the best.

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idunnodude

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#10 idunnodude
Member since 2007 • 2287 Posts

the original hands down. the long face offs and epic power ups and screaming were half the greatness of DBZ. it just isn't the same without it man they made vegeta go super saiyan in like 2 seconds.

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Legend002

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#11 Legend002
Member since 2007 • 13405 Posts

I like Kai better. The original went by ridiculously slow. The screaming alone lasted a few episodes.

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WiiCubeM1

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#12 WiiCubeM1
Member since 2009 • 4735 Posts

Kai is great if you just want to get straight to the point and avoid the filler, but I always enjoyed the campy, weird filler episodes they'd put in. Hell, my favorite episode of the show is when Goku and Piccolo try to learn how to drive. It's just entertainment, and it's nice to have a little bit of variety every now and then.

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tocool340

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#13 tocool340
Member since 2004 • 21647 Posts

The original, I never had a problem with fillers.

svm128

This. I hated that they censored the hell out of Kai. I also liked the soundtrack and voice over from the original more so than Kai's version....

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nintendoboy16

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#14 nintendoboy16
Member since 2007 • 41489 Posts
Eh, even after all the filler, I still prefer original DBZ.
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nintendoboy16

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#15 nintendoboy16
Member since 2007 • 41489 Posts

First off let me say that for the most part the new voice acting in Kai I find to be okay, except Jeice of course who is supposed be definitevly from Space Australia and they butchered him. Lets put the voice acting aside though.

I have watched both, and I even went into kai thinking that losing all the filler would be a great thing, but I mostly found it frustrating. Some of Gohan's more awesome rage moments were shortened making him seem weaker, and worse yet the battles just were not as exciting. I realised that without the buildup the battles were far less epic, and thus less satisfying. 

My verdict is that the original was the best.

Serraph105

Oh, I agree. The Garlic Jr. saga is one of the best examples of this.

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AussieePet

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#16 AussieePet
Member since 2010 • 11424 Posts
The original . im shocked this is even a question. DBZ Kai is like the Jr version of DBZ lol
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AHUGECAT

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#17 AHUGECAT
Member since 2006 • 8967 Posts

The Japanese original.

The original English dub is unwatchable. Too much music, awful dialogue, some bad voice acting, and the new English dub is even worse. Just stick to the original and superior Japanese 291 episodes.

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Miroku32

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#18 Miroku32
Member since 2006 • 8666 Posts
I prefer Kai. Namek saga took years for finish while in Kai like 6 months.
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famicommander

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#19 famicommander
Member since 2008 • 8524 Posts
Kai is a better television series because it moves at a much more reasonable pace, but I have the entire run of Dragon Ball (the original series season sets, all the Z Dragon Box Sets, the GT Seasons, and all movies/OVAs/TV specials) on DVD and I'd much rather watch those than Kai. I didn't like the new voices, I didn't like the new soundtrack, and I didn't like the super shiny new look (or blue Popo). Dragon Ball > Dragon Ball Z (Funimation > JP > Ocean Group) > Kai > GT
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Capitan_Kid

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#20 Capitan_Kid
Member since 2009 • 6700 Posts
How is this even up for debate? DBZ Kai is better in everyway possible
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PsychoRedFox666

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#21 PsychoRedFox666
Member since 2007 • 2081 Posts

Some of the music is a little odd in Kai at some places. I still prefer the older series but I can see the appeal of not having a lot of filler.

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#22 unrealtron
Member since 2010 • 3148 Posts
I really like the original version.
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#23 campzor
Member since 2004 • 34932 Posts
absolutely not, the animations are of worse quality the music is different and sucky just..no.. no NO NO
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deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d

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#24 deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d
Member since 2005 • 7914 Posts
i don't which version has dirty talk and middle fingers why does Tien with three eyes throw up the rock and has a pet child chiaotzu painted like a mime!
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nintendoboy16

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#25 nintendoboy16
Member since 2007 • 41489 Posts
[QUOTE="playmynutz"]i don't which version has dirty talk and middle fingers why does Tien with three eyes throw up the rock and has a pet child chiaotzu painted like a mime!

Sounds like something from DBZ Abridged.
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Agent-Tojed

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#26 Agent-Tojed
Member since 2012 • 160 Posts

After watching the Frieza fights side by side, I much prefer the Kai version. The music was better ( it fit the mood more) , the animation was better, the voice acting wasn't as grating as the original, and no fillers, thank God. It wasn't until the Cell saga where the original became amazing. Until that moment, Kai is just better.

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deactivated-59d151f079814

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#27 deactivated-59d151f079814
Member since 2003 • 47239 Posts
The music of the American DBZ automatically makes it superior to every other version out there including Kai.. Wtf were they thinking in dropping the American music in KAI?
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lowkey254

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#28 lowkey254
Member since 2004 • 6031 Posts

[QUOTE="bort_hurs"]I don't understand what Kai (Uncut) is supposed to mean because the whole point of Kai is to be 'cut'.Brawl578

By uncut, I mean uncensored.

But it's more censored than the original. The orignal wins.
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svm128

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#29 svm128
Member since 2007 • 376 Posts

Kai is great if you just want to get straight to the point and avoid the filler, but I always enjoyed the campy, weird filler episodes they'd put in. Hell, my favorite episode of the show is when Goku and Piccolo try to learn how to drive. It's just entertainment, and it's nice to have a little bit of variety every now and then.

WiiCubeM1

Haha I loved that episode.

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wolverine4262

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#30 wolverine4262
Member since 2004 • 20832 Posts
Its actually really hard to answer this. DBZ Kai will give you pretty much everything in a much shorter amount of time, but all of the shows flaws come out when they do this. I marathoned it with room mates recently and it was a ltl awkward how enemies was rise and fall so quick. Saying someone is strong really loses all meaning when in 2 episodes they are a termite. There is also some good filler episodes missing (Krillin and Marin, and Goku getting a drivers license). Not to mention the awesome garlic junior saga. BTW, I think funimation is doing the Buu Saga for Kai which I am looking forward to. Overall I think Kai is great, really. Especially up through the Frieza saga. Great audio and HD conversion. But its flaws are magnified and some good bits are missing. Seriously though, who really wants to sit through the entirety of the original Snake Way part?
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#31 wolverine4262
Member since 2004 • 20832 Posts
[QUOTE="lowkey254"] But it's more censored than the original. The orignal wins.

Are you sure that you are comparing both uncut releases or like the TV broadcasts. The ones I saw were just fine but I wasnt really paying close attention.
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Nengo_Flow

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#32 Nengo_Flow
Member since 2011 • 10644 Posts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amQL053rwvQ

 

skip to 4:30 to see the Original Funimation vs Kai, or start from the beginning if you want to see the horrid Ocean dub

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jeremiah06

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#33 jeremiah06
Member since 2004 • 7217 Posts
They took too much content out pf the android/cell saga... dbz really did a good job building tension... however Freiza saga was really long winded... I say overall dbz with kai's Japanese sound track... dbz has the buu saga which gets pretty good...
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deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d

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#34 deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d
Member since 2005 • 7914 Posts

Which dub uses the this clip where Recoome gives the middle finger? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NUhZYVmNV4

 

Don't get me started on how perverted is dragon ball lol

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bowserjr123

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#35 bowserjr123
Member since 2006 • 2478 Posts

From what I've watched of Kai, I like the original better.  I don't like the new voice actors and music of Kai and it seems like they took out a lot of great filler episodes.  

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CreasianDevaili

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#36 CreasianDevaili
Member since 2005 • 4429 Posts
Manga kind of asks alittle of the imagination, and whatnot, to make it shine. Anime really does not work in the same way. That is why even if an anime follows the manga point for point they have to work the visuals and pacing to make it work. FMA:Brotherhood is like that. However Kai isn't reanimated. It is just a re cut of a remastered DBZ. It was, and is, a cheap lazy ass money grab. DBZ at least works well with it's chosen media.
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MetroidPrimePwn

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#38 MetroidPrimePwn
Member since 2007 • 12399 Posts

If you were forced to watch one entire series all the way through for some reason Kai would be the better choice because some of the filler from Z was just brain-splodingly bad, but since you can just skip the obviously not anything to do with anything episodes if you're watching it on DVD or online I'd go with Z in any regular watching scenario.

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nintendoboy16

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#39 nintendoboy16
Member since 2007 • 41489 Posts

Which dub uses the this clip where Recoome gives the middle finger? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NUhZYVmNV4

 

Don't get me started on how perverted is dragon ball lol

playmynutz

Okay, that is one of the older uncut Funimation dubs POST-Ocean.

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#40 jesuschristmonk
Member since 2009 • 3308 Posts
[QUOTE="YoshiYogurt"]The Manga is best. Anyway, Kai is like shiny EVEN MORE censored version of the original DBZ

Fvcking this.