Yoshi's Dragon Ball Breakdown

Pilaf Arc - 5.5/10

I believe the Pilaf Arc to be one of the worse Arcs in Dragon Ball. The main reason I feel this way is because the tone is just so much different from the rest of the series. It has too many gag moments compared to the rest of the series and they're mostly toilet humor anyway. Still not the worst Part I Arc but it comes close.

21st Budokai - 6.5/10

This is my favorite Budokai Arc personally. It really shows us that Roshi is more than just an old pervert. He actually goes the extra mile for his disciples and really helps Nam out too. It also really captures the simplicity of Dragon Ball if you get what I mean, and this is where the series starts getting somewhere in my opinion.

Red Ribbon Army - 5/10

Worst Part I Arc and second worst Arc in the series. It's fine during Muscle Tower, but everything after that is poorly constructed and dragged out too long. Black, Red, and Blue were all terrible villains too. I also hate how ruthless Goku became here. The only saving graces of this Arc post Muscle Tower are Tao Pai Pai and Karin.

22nd Budokai - 6/10

This is a decent Arc, but I also I feel this Arc is actually somewhat overrated. Tenshinhan's development was rushed, and it being as short as it is doesn't help either. Tenshinhan wasn't even that big a deal later in the series, and Chaozu was an awful edition to the Manga who never even spoke to Goku (the more you know).

Piccolo Daimao - 7/10

Easily the best Part I Arc. Piccolo Daimao was a great villain and my second favorite after Freeza. His goal to rid the world of all law enforcement was an interesting political theme. There was a hopeless atmosphere since Piccolo Daimao killed the Dragon, and Goku VS Piccolo was probably the best Part I fight too.

23rd Budokai - 5.5/10

My least favorite Budokai Arc. Some of the big fights were not well done and actually inconsistent like Goku VS Tenshinhan and Goku VS Piccolo Junior. There were some interesting things about it though, like you could actually tell Piccolo Junior didn't have the ambition like his father did and that foreshadowed him turning good. The ending was also good.

Saiyajin - 7/10

This is my second favorite Arc in the series and I feel it's actually underrated. I think the main criticisms are that it's too linear and is a setup for Freeza. Like in Piccolo Daimao, there was a hopeless atmosphere against Nappa, and this was the last time everyone actually stood a chance. Goku VS Vegeta was also my favorite fight in the whole Manga, and you could really feel the tension during the fight.

Freeza - 7.5/10

Best Arc in the series hands down. The universe building was handled well and I loved that Toriyama went into the history of Namek. I loved the three way battle between the Gohan & Krillin, Vegeta, and Freeza & his men during the initial stages. This was the last time the Dragon Balls were relevant to the plot too. Unlike Piccolo who was just conflicted, Vegeta was a true psychopath. Don't get me started on Freeza, who was my favorite character in the Manga and had excellent villainous traits and charisma.

Cell - 6/10

Honestly, I went into this Arc expecting it to be worse than it actually is, although it's still a bit overrated. The humans didn't stand a chance in battle anymore, but this was at least the last time they were somewhat useful outside of collecting the Dragon Balls. I actually loved the dark theme of a hopeless future. Unlike Boo, Cell was still a villain I could take seriously too, even if he became blander after each transformation. The biggest flaw about this Arc is that there are some asspulls here and there, but this was when Toriyama was losing steam. It's also somewhat self contained, but it's the second last Arc in the series, so whatever.

Boo - 4/10

This Arc is pretty bad... You could argue terrible. No one was relevant but the Saiyajins, and by this point, they've become all become poorly written except Goku who I would argue was a bad character since Red Ribbon. Gohan became a schoolboy, Vegeta became Majin, and Goten & Trunks/Gotenks were annoying, bratty gag characters. There are shitty power chains and implications all over the place, which is sad because up until this point, Toriyama made very consistent power chains. We never knew who would defeat Boo either, and while the final fight against Pure Boo was climactic, it doesn't make up for the poor quality of this Arc.

Dragon Ball - 6/10

This Manga is middle of the road average, with high points like Freeza and low points like Boo. It's worth a read if you're looking for a simple but enjoyable Manga.

 

Freeza arc IMO is the best arc ever in DragonBall series.I'd easily give it a 10/10.

Followed by Cell arc which I would give 7 at least.

 

I like Buu's Saga. It has SS3, Gotenks, Mystic Gohan, Dabura, Vegito, and Buu. Music is on point too. It's a fun arc imo.

As for the broken power chain, well.. Did you try the Manga's version of the arc? I haven't yet (slowly going through Androids's Saga atm) but I do know Vegito goes straight to Super Saiyan against Buuhan instead of stalemating him in Base first, which had me scratching my head for the longest time. Goku also doesn't try to fight Buutenks, who's far stronger than him.