Many parents these days don't let their kids watch shows like Dragon Ball Z because they're "too violent." Luckily, my parents were not one of these parents (probably because the show shut me up for hours at a time). My question is what is so bad about showing children violent shows? I just wanted to discuss a few reasons why Dragon Ball Z helped me mature into a decent adult, and didn't harm my development in any way.
Teaching about the existence of evil
For those of you who don't know the show very well, the premise is there is always an overarching villain that the good guys (the Z Fighters) have to work hard to defeat. Sometimes these villains go as far as eliminating the entire populations of cities by eating the inhabitants (Cell), and wiping out the entire population of Earth (Buu). For a 8 year old kid, that might seem like a traumatic event. While it might have been slightly stressful, it only built up tension in the show that made the final victory that much more satisfying. As bad as things got, the heroes always worked hard for the greater good of mankind to save the day. The message I took away from this was no matter how much evil there is in the world (and there is always some evil), you can always combat it with good. And in the end, no matter how bad things might seem, as long as you try your best, good will always prevail. Not a bad message for a kid, right?
Working hard to achieve your goals
Goku, and the rest of the Z fighters always had to work very hard to defeat the enemies they faced. Sometimes they had to enter the hyperbolic time chamber (where 1 year inside is the same as 1 day outside) to train. Other times they had to enter rooms with many hundreds of times the gravity of Earth. And don't even get me started on how hard Piccolo trained Gohan (it was quite brutal). But it was all necessary to reach their goals. As they got stronger, they reached newer levels of power (called super saiyan), learned new techniques, and defeated stronger enemies. This taught us that no matter how impossible your goal might seem, if you work hard enough you can achieve it.
Anyone can be a hero
In the final episodes of original Dragon Ball Z, Goku (the main character) is able to defeat the most powerful villain ever, Majin Buu (or technically Kid Buu at the time) with the use of the most powerful attack: Spirit Bomb. Spirit Bomb does not use the strength of the person using the ability. Instead, it utilizes the energy of everyone that is willing to contribute to the ability. In this scene (video below), every inhabitant of Earth works together to create this massive attack. In this, Goku does not defeat Buu singlehandedly. Only with the help of the people of Earth was he able to save the day. I'll admit, when I was watching this as a kid, I too raised my arms to help Goku (I think I even ran into the other room to make my parents help as well). This taught me that no matter how difficult something might be, if you try hard enough and work together, anything can be done.
Being humble
Goku and the rest of the Z fighters almost never receive any credit for all the times they save the world. Instead, the world looks to a goofy macho-man, Hercule (aka Mr. Satan), as their hero and give him all of the credit (which he happily embraces). The heroes are not bothered by this at all because they love the people of Earth and they will always do anything to save them. They aren't doing it for the praise and glory of being heroes. Instead, they do it for their passion and love for their home planet. A perfect example of this is actually in the previous video. If you watch carefully, the heroes ask the people of Earth for their energy to help save the day. However, none of the recognize the heroes' voices, so they just ignore the message. However, when Mr. Satan asks the people of Earth for help, they all gladly help. In a way, Mr. Satan is actually the hero in this battle. And he, of course, receive all the credit. But thats okay, as long as you fight for what you believe in, you don't always need to be recognized for your actions. Here is a fantastic video of what the people of Earth think happened in the battle with Cell, another villain in Dragon Ball Z.
Are shows today better for kids?
I'm not sure if you've seen what kids today are watching, but in my opinion its pretty weird stuff. I can't think of any exact examples because I don't follow the kids shows today at all, but I am almost certain they don't teach the great lessons that Dragon Ball Z taught my generation Z fighters. I will always be a hero like my childhood role model, Goku. I will always train to be the best, like my inspiration, Vegeta. I will always take my studies seriously to become the greatest I can me, like my idol Gohan. And I will always fight for what I believe in, like all of the Z fighters that I looked up to so fondly.