I’ll admit, I’m one of those millennial casuals who first watched Dragon Ball Z on TV and had little to no interest in watching the original Dragon Ball, since DBZ already got me hooked on over-the-top martial arts, flying, and magical beams.

Years later, after Dragon Ball Z finished its English air run, I finally watched the original Dragon Ball… and wow, I feel foolish for skipping it for so long.

Do I think the original Dragon Ball is better than Z? Not exactly, but there are so many references and moments in the original that are important for later Dragon Ball series, especially Super. It’s a shame that Dragon Ball didn’t take off nearly as easily as Z did.

But I guess that’s just one of the beauties of Akira Toriyama’s writing. He keeps things simple and entertaining enough that people can jump in at any point of the series and still get the gist of what's going on.

That charm started with the original Dragon Ball, where Toriyama had a clear goal of creating his own version of Journey to the West. While it’s a fun story on its own, it’s definitely a lot different—much more focused on gags and comedy compared to the later DBZ arcs, and there’s a lot less martial arts fighting.

Thankfully, as Toriyama was clearly inspired by more of his competition, he started adding martial arts tournaments and more intense battles, which slowly helped elevate the series and lead to DBZ becoming the ultimate casual battle shounen for fans.

Sadly, as much charm as the original Dragon Ball has with its goofy gags and more down-to-earth martial arts fighting, some of Toriyama’s flaws started to show here too.

Toriyama’s pretty famous for writing on the fly, which leads to many inconsistencies, including the classic "battle power creep" that happens in DBZ. You know, like how Goku suddenly powers up during the King Piccolo arc with no real explanation that makes sense for the rest of the series.

A lot of people also point to Lunch/Launch as being infamously forgotten after the series ended, and personally, I can see why. She started as a gag character and just kind of wore out her welcome, especially since Toriyama never made an effort to bring her back.

The humor also feels very much like a product of its time, with Master Roshi and even Yamcha having some accidental perverted moments, and Bulma becoming the victim of the typical old-school anime humor that’s become overdone today.

Since the series is less over-the-top in terms of fighting compared to DBZ (and even Super), the fights can be a little slower at times, which makes them less exciting to watch consistently compared to the refined, high-energy battles in future arcs.

Also the anime adaptation specifically has the classic old school slow pace AND many filler episodes and arcs. Not nearly as bad as DBZ but still annoying to go through, unless you use a fan-edit of OG Dragon Ball that removes the filler.

Despite those few flaws, they don’t stop the original Dragon Ball from being a fun show. I can see why people might skip it, since the tone, fighting style, and arcs are so different from the serious, over-the-top battles of Dragon Ball Z. But for me, the original Dragon Ball is a must-watch—both to understand Goku’s true origins and to see the relationships and humor that were revisited in the Buu Saga, Super, and beyond.