8.4
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Dragon Ball (1986)
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Center
Viewer Rating
Rating: 8.4
Overview
Young Goku sets off on a quest with his teenage friend Bulma to find the seven Dragon Balls, which grant whoever possesses them a single wish.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Bias Dimensions
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Negative
Female Combat: Yes
Buddhism: Positive
Overview
Young Goku sets off on a quest with his teenage friend Bulma to find the seven Dragon Balls, which grant whoever possesses them a single wish.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Center
Primary
The film's central narrative focuses on universal themes of good versus evil, friendship, and self-improvement through personal effort, rather than engaging with specific political ideologies or advocating for systemic change.
The 'Dragon Ball' franchise, a Japanese animation, presents a diverse array of fictional characters and races without engaging in explicit race or gender swaps of roles traditionally defined by Western demographics. Its narrative centers on adventure and personal growth, generally portraying its main characters, who are predominantly male, in a neutral to positive light without critiquing traditional identities.
Secondary
The series features General Blue, a prominent antagonist, who is depicted with effeminate mannerisms and implied attraction to men. This portrayal links his implied queer identity with villainy and is sometimes used for comedic effect, contributing to a problematic "gay-coded villain" stereotype without positive counterbalance.
The show features Chi-Chi, a skilled martial artist, who as a child, wins a physical combat match against a male opponent in a tournament setting.
The film's cosmology, featuring deities like Kami and King Kai, along with themes of spiritual training, enlightenment, and the afterlife, are central to the narrative. These elements are consistently portrayed as integral, often benevolent, and essential for the heroes' growth and the world's balance, aligning with Buddhist philosophical tenets.
The anime series "Dragon Ball" (1986) does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. While a character, Oolong, possesses shapeshifting abilities that include temporary gender changes, these transformations are used for comedic effect or disguise and are not presented as an expression of gender identity. Therefore, there is no depiction of transsexual identity to evaluate.
The 1986 Dragon Ball anime faithfully adapted characters from the original manga, maintaining their established genders without any changes. No characters canonically established as one gender were portrayed as a different gender in this adaptation.
The 1986 animated series is the initial on-screen adaptation of the manga. Its character designs are consistent with the source material, establishing the visual portrayal rather than altering a previously established race.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
8.5
8.3
Critic Ratings
N/A
N/A
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