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One of the best examples of fandoms that are perpetually trying to establish their show as the superior is One Piece vs. Dragon Ball, two of the biggest anime fandoms in the world. These two fandoms have consistently exerted every effort to demonstrate that their preferred anime is superior to the other.
From arguing about iconic scenes in their series to the most recent one, using the box office success of their newest films in Japan, Film: Red and Super: Super Hero, these two fandoms are trying relentlessly to determine which is more popular among the audience.
One Piece fans have used the overwhelming success their film had in Japan over the weekend to try and prove Luffy and his friends reign supreme. Dragon Ball fans were not happy about this, so both fandoms started a war on Twitter about the subject. Keep reading to learn more about how this started and what has been said on social media about this issue.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion.
One Piece Film: Red and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, two fandoms at war because of their movies’ success
How did this all start?
One Piece Film: Red is the most recent addition to this popular franchise's film collection. Toei Animation heavily promoted the film due to the 25th anniversary of the franchise. Because of this regular promotion in Japan, the film was already speculated to be a success even before it was released.
Last Saturday, August 6th, the movie was released in theaters in its country of origin, confirming theories about its massive success. In just one weekend of screenings, the movie made ten times the amount of money that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero did in the same timeframe.
Because of this, One Piece fans started using monetary success as a measure of popularity, claiming this proves their franchise is better than Dragon Ball. Obviously, fans of Goku’s adventures were not happy about this, especially outside of Japan, where Super: Super Hero has not been released yet.
How did the Dragon Ball fandom answered One Piece’s fans?
Moments after the One Piece community started roasting lackluster performances in their films, Dragon Ball fans came out to defend their franchise. They claim there is a lot more at play behind their movie not doing well in cinemas as well as Film: Red’s success.
To start, since Oda's creation was celebrating a massive milestone like the 25th anniversary, it was obvious Toei Animation would put more emphasis on their film. This proved to be true, seeing as Film: Red was promoted exponentially more than Super Hero.
Fans are claiming that it is no surprise that a One Piece film dominated cinemas in Japan. Luffy and his friends are massively popular in the Land of the Rising Sun, while Dragon Ball’s success has mostly been international for the most part.
Goku’s adventures are arguably more celebrated and sought after outside of its origin country. In Latin American countries, for example, the show is extremely popular, with fans breaking box office records whenever a film based on the franchise is released.
Box office is not all
As most fans know, whether you like Dragon Ball or One Piece, the success or failure of one film does not indicate the popularity of a franchise. There is no denying that Toei made a bet on Film: Red’s success over Super Hero, so they tried to make the film as appealing as possible.
Still, the amount of money a film receives does not mean fans will be happy while watching it. Recently, the first reviews for Film: Red have started to come out on various internet sites, and they are not positive.
The film has a very low rating for a film as successful as this one. It seems that, while the marketing campaign proved profitable, One Piece fans were unable to enjoy the film. The overall enjoyment Luffy’s fans got after seeing the latest movie is severely less than Dragon Ball fans’ with Super Hero.
Some One Piece fans claim that the movie is getting review bombed by Dragon Ball fans in retaliation for its success. While this has not been confirmed, many fans are more inclined to believe that Japanese audiences simply did not enjoy the movie.
Final thoughts
For humans, it is natural to want to prove your tastes are better than others’. We are naturally competitive and live in a world where everyone wants to reach the top. This will obviously translate to most aspects of life, even anime.
Wanting to prove your show is better than the rest is not something objectively bad, but it is ultimately pointless. This is exactly what occurred on Twitter between the Dragon Ball and One Piece communities.
Both shows are beloved by millions of fans worldwide and will continue to be for as long as humanity exists. But not everyone has the same taste, so trying to use something as mundane as box office results is not a good way to prove the success of a franchise.
There is no denying that Toei’s publicity campaigns had an impact on the overall performance of both movies. One Piece’s popularity in Japan is also a major factor in how successful their movie was. We still need to consider international audiences that want to see Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
At the end of the day, both shows have amazing stories, characters, and morals that have gained them fans for decades. Instead of arguing about how well a movie did in cinemas, both fandoms should be celebrating the long-lasting popularity of their shows. Let’s not forget that Oda and Toriyama are close friends, as both communities should be.
