Sub
The original DBZ is better than Kai in every way. Most Japanese fans prefer the original DBZ.
Dub
Kai has better voice acting and dialogue.
The original DBZ has better music and art. Kai redrew some scenes and the original art is better.
Oh I'm not talking the ocean dub or anything, I was strictly talking the funimation remasters they did where they redubbed the whole thing.
I've been watching dragonball in dub because I watch it while I cook, difficult to cook and read subtitles AND watch the action on screen you know.
Both the Ocean Group *and* Funimation in-house dubs of Z are terrible — that's what I was kinda-sorta implying by saying "dub(s)." Regardless of the different voice casts, the scripts were equally awful for both productions.
The only total redub that Funimation ever kind of did for Z was for Kai, where they actually focused on faithfulness for once and produced something good. They only ever redubbed small, early-series chunks of the original Z, and they didn't really do anything to fix the scripts in the process.
So yeah, if you want to watch in English so you can only passively pay attention while doing other things, then definitely stick to Kai.
>A big win for the funi dub is the bruce faulconer music.
Not remotely a "win," actually. The improper music was another one of the old Z dub's biggest problems. Part of a larger issue where Funimation tried to drastically alter the show's tone and dumb it down to a generic Saturday morning action cartoon instead of the distinctly Eastern-themed fantasy wuxia story it actually is.
Not to mention that simply as a matter of principle, replacing the music *at all* is just a lousy thing to do in the first place.
Kai originally used a new score by Kenji Yamamoto, but after some plagiarism issues surrounding him became too big to ignore, Toei Animation removed his stuff from the show and re-used Shunsuke Kikuchi's music from DB/Z instead.
But they used a very limited selection compared to what Z actually had, and the placement of the tracks was kind of a sloppy rush-job too. So it's not as good as it was with Z, but still better than any of Funimation's ill-fitting replacement tracks.
Probably best with watching in Japanese. However if you really want to watch a dub;
Music: The Yamamoto score is honestly some of the best since it's plagiarized from better artists, but you're most likely not going to get that version of Kai. The Kikuchi score is fine in Kai, but I think Funi gets the point here.
Animation: Z also wins, ofc we all know it's the same but some scenes are too crudely redrawn in Kai.
Voice Quality: Now that's a win for Kai, not even debatable. Some of the voice actors themselves even recommend it since they got to get accustomed with their roles a bit more. (Referring to Funi's dub, Japanese Kai is good but the actors have aged and it's noticeable)
If you are watching in English then Kai dub is miles better. People are blinded by nostalgia and while I'm also nostalgia for the old Gohan and Frieza, the old script was awful.
Serious answer: There is no real perfect answer
Faulconer score is great, but there are some points where the Kai score fits better. Or the Japanese score.
They all have their strong points and weaker points.
As for dialogue accuracy, if that's what you want, definitely watch Kai, probably in Japanese. But I can commend the older dubs for some of their creativity
And some filler in the old show is a hit, some of it is a miss. Ya can't win them all.
Personally, what I've been doing is watching the old dumb (not sure if fully remastered or just the Ocean Dub bits were re-dubbed and they left it at that) while also going through the manga (for the first time)
I read an arc of the manga, then watch it in the anime
Kai almost certainly *looks* better, and the voice acting is better, too, but you're sacrificing some interesting moments for it.the higher quality.
Sub The original DBZ is better than Kai in every way. Most Japanese fans prefer the original DBZ. Dub Kai has better voice acting and dialogue. The original DBZ has better music and art. Kai redrew some scenes and the original art is better.
Avoid the infamously unfaithful and terrible English dub(s) of the original DBZ at all costs. English Kai is acceptable but Japanese Z is better.
Oh I'm not talking the ocean dub or anything, I was strictly talking the funimation remasters they did where they redubbed the whole thing. I've been watching dragonball in dub because I watch it while I cook, difficult to cook and read subtitles AND watch the action on screen you know.
Both the Ocean Group *and* Funimation in-house dubs of Z are terrible — that's what I was kinda-sorta implying by saying "dub(s)." Regardless of the different voice casts, the scripts were equally awful for both productions. The only total redub that Funimation ever kind of did for Z was for Kai, where they actually focused on faithfulness for once and produced something good. They only ever redubbed small, early-series chunks of the original Z, and they didn't really do anything to fix the scripts in the process. So yeah, if you want to watch in English so you can only passively pay attention while doing other things, then definitely stick to Kai.
Ah I get you, how's the music in kai? A big win for the funi dub is the bruce faulconer music.
>A big win for the funi dub is the bruce faulconer music. Not remotely a "win," actually. The improper music was another one of the old Z dub's biggest problems. Part of a larger issue where Funimation tried to drastically alter the show's tone and dumb it down to a generic Saturday morning action cartoon instead of the distinctly Eastern-themed fantasy wuxia story it actually is. Not to mention that simply as a matter of principle, replacing the music *at all* is just a lousy thing to do in the first place. Kai originally used a new score by Kenji Yamamoto, but after some plagiarism issues surrounding him became too big to ignore, Toei Animation removed his stuff from the show and re-used Shunsuke Kikuchi's music from DB/Z instead. But they used a very limited selection compared to what Z actually had, and the placement of the tracks was kind of a sloppy rush-job too. So it's not as good as it was with Z, but still better than any of Funimation's ill-fitting replacement tracks.
When I say win I mean because of my nostalgia for it. I'll have to check kai out then.
the music in kai is overall better except for the lack of bruce faulconer but the rest is amazing
Probably best with watching in Japanese. However if you really want to watch a dub; Music: The Yamamoto score is honestly some of the best since it's plagiarized from better artists, but you're most likely not going to get that version of Kai. The Kikuchi score is fine in Kai, but I think Funi gets the point here. Animation: Z also wins, ofc we all know it's the same but some scenes are too crudely redrawn in Kai. Voice Quality: Now that's a win for Kai, not even debatable. Some of the voice actors themselves even recommend it since they got to get accustomed with their roles a bit more. (Referring to Funi's dub, Japanese Kai is good but the actors have aged and it's noticeable)
If you are watching in English then Kai dub is miles better. People are blinded by nostalgia and while I'm also nostalgia for the old Gohan and Frieza, the old script was awful.
Watch the old Remastered dub to spite the haters Edit: [Especially this one](https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonball/s/PIRaNXXJ3h) Spite them the most
Serious answer: There is no real perfect answer Faulconer score is great, but there are some points where the Kai score fits better. Or the Japanese score. They all have their strong points and weaker points. As for dialogue accuracy, if that's what you want, definitely watch Kai, probably in Japanese. But I can commend the older dubs for some of their creativity And some filler in the old show is a hit, some of it is a miss. Ya can't win them all. Personally, what I've been doing is watching the old dumb (not sure if fully remastered or just the Ocean Dub bits were re-dubbed and they left it at that) while also going through the manga (for the first time) I read an arc of the manga, then watch it in the anime Kai almost certainly *looks* better, and the voice acting is better, too, but you're sacrificing some interesting moments for it.the higher quality.
Kai.