Unleashing the Epic Power: Enhancing the Majin Buu Saga in Dragon Ball
Unlocking the true potential of Dragon Ball's Majin Buu Saga: Discover how this iconic arc could have been elevated by addressing pacing issues, empowering Gohan as the protagonist, enhancing Majin Buu's villainous presence, and refining power scaling and escalation
The Majin Buu Saga, the final story arc in the original Dragon Ball manga and Dragon Ball Z anime, has faced criticism for various reasons, particularly when compared to the highly regarded Cell Saga. It has been criticized for its excessive length, uneven pacing, inconsistent power scaling, and the seemingly unbelievable abilities of the main antagonist. As a result, the Majin Buu Saga is seen as a flawed conclusion to the series.
However, despite its flaws, the saga also features iconic moments, significant character development, world-building, and lore that surpasses any other story arc. While its weaknesses have been pointed out, many still choose to remember its highlights, overshadowing its numerous shortcomings. Thus, it remains essential for any fan of Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z, representing a crucial part of Goku and his allies' collective journey. The Majin Buu Saga could have been improved through various means, resulting in a more satisfying viewing experience.
Evening Out The Pacing
The Majin Buu Saga suffers from uneven pacing and an abundance of dragging moments. The World Tournament Saga and the Babidi Saga had significant lulls during certain stages. The narrative gained momentum with the emergence of Majin Buu, but this was lost in the Fusion Saga. These issues can be attributed to padded scenes and flawed character writing. The heroes frequently made illogical decisions solely for the purpose of escalating the narrative, such as Gotenks repeatedly prolonging his fights for showboating. These decisions often contradicted logic and added frustration to the characters' decision-making patterns, even if they were consistent with their personalities.
Allowing Gohan To Take Center Stage
The structural integrity of the main plot threads was collectively weakened, resulting in an escalation that appeared trivial on occasion. To enhance the pacing and build-up of the narrative, it would have been beneficial to resolve plot threads in a more balanced manner, eliminating unnecessary padding. This approach would have made the slower sections of the Majin Buu Saga much less tiresome to watch.
In the conclusion of the Cell Games Saga, a character's long-awaited development payoff finally came to fruition. Gohan's untapped potential and extraordinary power had been hinted at since the beginning of Dragon Ball Z. Throughout the series, he showcased remarkable abilities, such as inflicting damage on Raditz, Vegeta, and Frieza, and experiencing a significant power surge fueled by his heightened emotions.
Gohan's power level has always been closely tied to his emotional state, with moments of distress triggering a surge of hidden strength. The Cell Games Saga showcased this phenomenon, as Gohan's rage over Android 16's death propelled him to become the first Super Saiyan 2 among the main characters. As the focus shifted to defeating Cell, Gohan took center stage and became the main protagonist after Goku's demise.
This progression seemed to set Gohan on the path to become Earth's defender, following in his father's footsteps. However, his development took a detour in the Majin Buu Saga, as Goku and Vegeta regained the spotlight, pushing Gohan aside. Although Ultimate Gohan's arrival in the battle against Super Buu indicated that Gohan was ready to step up as the new leader, his defeat was a devastating setback that nullified his earlier growth. Therefore, giving Gohan a more significant role in the final conflict would have maintained the momentum from the Cell Saga, allowing him to embrace his father's legacy and evolve into the hero and martial artist he was destined to be.
Improving Majin Buu As A Villain
Majin Buu, despite being one of the well-known adversaries in Dragon Ball Z, is not particularly captivating. His noteworthy abilities lie in his regeneration and tolerance for damage, alongside various convenient powers for advancing the plot. Buu's motivations throughout the story arcs of the saga remain unclear, apart from his inclination to fight the heroes and wreak havoc. Interestingly, Babidi initially plays a larger role in controlling Buu's actions, but this changes as soon as Babidi meets his demise, leaving Buu without a clear purpose.
As the saga progresses, Buu's behavior becomes increasingly erratic in his different forms. He proceeds to destroy cities, the Lookout, and even the Earth itself, but also settles down in his own house or transforms people into candy for his personal consumption. This lack of direction and intent in an antagonist is one of the major shortcomings of Buu's character. Later versions of Buu, like Evil Buu and Super Buu, endlessly seek power and stronger opponents without any explanation for such desires, given Buu's limited intelligence. Ultimately, Kid Buu is portrayed as a purely evil and chaotic force, which lacks the complexity seen in previous antagonists such as Vegeta, Frieza, the Androids, or even Cell.
Oddly enough, Mr. Satan provides Buu with a level of guidance that surpasses his own capabilities, playing a significant role in the storyline compared to other characters. He even manages to convince the monster to undergo a positive transformation and appreciate the sanctity of life. Implementing minor adjustments, such as enhancing Majin Buu's self-awareness or exploring his motivations, could have tremendously enhanced his portrayal as a more captivating antagonist. Akira Toriyama introduced a series of incredibly formidable adversaries in Majin Buu, Super Buu, Evil Buu, and Kid Buu, yet failed to establish a clear path to defeat them, adding to the numerous issues with power scaling that pervade this saga.
Power Scaling And Escalation
The previous sagas in Dragon Ball Z displayed clearer power scaling and involved side characters to a much greater extent compared to the Majin Buu Saga. In these earlier sagas, crucial members of the Z Fighters, such as Tien, Krillin, and Piccolo, played significant roles in the fights against the Saiyan invasion, Frieza, and even Cell. However, in the Majin Buu Saga, their contributions became virtually useless and irrelevant due to the incredibly high power levels of the Super Saiyan transformations.
The power difference between the Saiyans and other characters in the Buu Saga is so immense that even the Supreme Kai, a divine being, is nowhere near capable of facing even the weakest version of Buu. Goku's Super Saiyan 3 transformation exemplifies this, as he spends a significant amount of time powering up, unleashing screams and shockwaves that cause earthquakes and tsunamis worldwide. Characters without the ability to transform into Super Saiyan 2 or perform Fusion play minimal roles in the actual fight, serving as distractions or warming up Buu before the Saiyans join the battle.
Unlike previous sagas with power levels restricted to planetary scale, the Majin Buu Saga culminates in the obliteration of the entire human race and the Earth itself. The only thing preventing the destruction of the entire universe is Goku's Spirit Bomb. This indicates that the increase in power has become incredibly absurd, although it undeniably intensifies the tension in the final confrontation. To give the non-Saiyan members of the cast a more meaningful role, it would have been beneficial to control this power escalation and provide them with more training opportunities and participation in battles. This would have added a more interesting dimension to the fights in the saga.
Dragon Ball Z is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
