Is Dragon Ball Z Popular?
Posted by No-Equivalent2621@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 82 comments
I'm Brazilian and this show was very popular in my country i wonder if it was popular or well known in USA
Yotsubauniverse@reddit
Absolutely! Heck, my highschool freshman Hallway has a painting of the Z fighters in the hallway. Whether they know the story or not everyone and their grandma has heard of it or has seen a reference to it.
FondleGanoosh438@reddit
Absolutely. May be even more popular in Mexico.
Ok-Walk-8040@reddit
Probably because Goku is Mexican
RightRudderz@reddit
Supposedly WILDLY more popular in Central American countries vs US on average.
I do earthwork in Texas with a lot of Spanish speakers with DBZ Stickers on cars and hard hats. Guys in their 30’s.
FondleGanoosh438@reddit
I didn’t want to make any sweeping generalizations but I grew up in SoCal and Latinos love it.
Deep-Profession-9321@reddit
This has been such a weird experience for those of us who went to high school in SoCal during the 90s (I had friends in other states/NoCal who had the same experience). It was mainly white kids and asian kids who loved anime and video games and we would get bullied mercilessly by the black kids and hispanic kids, calling us losers for liking anime and video games. Now here we are in 2026 and the black dudes and mexican dudes are claiming they love anime and video games and always have.
FondleGanoosh438@reddit
I was in JR High in the early 2000’s and the kids in the anime club were easily the biggest nerds. Maybe above the kids who played magic. Being a nerd used to take balls. Now everyone is a nerd.
beenoc@reddit
IIRC the finale of Dragon Ball Super was projected on the side of the Mexican parliament building in Mexico City, with government approval. I don't think there's a 'maybe,' I think Mexico likes Dragon Ball like how Americans like... I don't know, the Super Bowl?
RelevantJackWhite@reddit
yes, it's probably the second-most popular anime ever behind Pokemon. DBZ was a global megahit
Dangerous-Series4064@reddit
You should have watched OG first though
young_trash3@reddit
Pokemon was a bigger franchise, with the games, anime, cards, merch, but if you are just comparing anime to anime dragonball z was much bigger. Back in the early 2000s dragonball z was getting comparable viewership as Monday night football.
BadgemanBrown@reddit
Monday Night Football averaged 25+ million viewers in the early 2000s. DBZ was on cable at the time - Cartoon Network - and didn't even get remotely close.
The top-rated DBZ telecast ever was under 4 million.
Many-Rub-6151@reddit
Lol thats true, me and my friends put them on equal footing back then
RelevantJackWhite@reddit
damn, that is pretty impressive! i didn't realize it was that strong when it came to actual numbers
JoshHuff1332@reddit
Tbh, I'm not even sure I would place it behind Pokemon if you go solely by the anime. Pokemon is pumped up a lot by other media, like the games
RelevantJackWhite@reddit
i'm just thinking by household name status, and whether the average person recognizes it
Rouxman@reddit
True. My mom wouldn’t know Goku but she’d probably know Pikachu
unknowingbiped@reddit
The fortunate thing for her was that they were all pikachus and they all were pokemans.
We all had the same parents.
mjc500@reddit
When they were both new Pokemon was definitely way bigger… though DBZ seems to have had a lot of staying power with new generations of young people - so maybe if you add all the streams up from the past 20 years it would beat Pokemon, though I’m not really sure.
Including video games and merchandise though and everything else - Pokemon is the biggest IP in the history of the world. According to Wikipedia, Dragon Ball is the 33rd biggest… below Star Trek but above Street Fighter
Live_Ad8778@reddit
Probably going to rehash a joke but...
ITS POPULARITY IS OVER 9000!
TheBlazingFire123@reddit
Yes, but not as much as it used to be. It’s most popular among black people
SanctimoniousVegoon@reddit
yes, one of the all-time most popular animes here.
Budget-mayo@reddit
It's well known like everywhere.
Ill-Butterscotch1337@reddit
Yeah. It used to be aired everyday after school in the early 00's.
AndreaTwerk@reddit
Not nearly as popular as in Latin America.
Yes if you like anime it’s probably one of the first you watched. But I’ve taught in US high schools for ten years, recent immigrant kids from Latin America are much more into DBZspecifically than kids born and raised here.
No-Equivalent2621@reddit (OP)
I would say it's probaly bigger in Latin america than in Japan (it's home country) from what i've seen
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
In Japan it’s just another shounen. An extremely influential shounen that was quite popular in its day, yes, but one that already had its time in the sun. You don’t see a ton of fans still talking about it or wearing merch.
I think I’d argue that Evangelion is probably the most popular of the older anime series in Japan. You see Evangelion merch absolutely everywhere and it encompasses virtually every item you could think of. Toothpaste, fishing tackle, prescription glasses, business suits, wedding rings, etc.
No-Equivalent2621@reddit (OP)
Dragon Ball Z had a ratings share of 20.5%, and the original Dragon Ball had around 22–23% (the original is more popular than Z in Japan), while Evangelion had a 7.1% share. So no, Dragon Ball was still a cultural phenomenon in Japan. And (probaly) more popular than EVA at least what i'm seeing with ratings
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
I used to live in Japan, so I think I know a thing or two about the things I was seeing on a daily basis. Also, I’m not talking about ratings when they were airing. I’m talking about lasting cultural legacy in the present day. Fact is, you still see lots of Evangelion products and collabs on shelves, which is not the case of DBZ.
No-Equivalent2621@reddit (OP)
Well, I lived in Japan too, which is why I feel more comfortable talking about this topic than in America, where I’ve never lived.
This comparison feels off.
The Rebuild of Evangelion movies were building a complete story over a long period of time, while the Dragon Ball Super movies came after a fully completed TV series and largely retold or condensed existing material.
If we instead compare TV performance, the newer Dragon Ball Super aired in an era where fewer people watch traditional TV, yet it still averaged around 6.2% ratings. That’s comparable to Neon Genesis Evangelion, which aired in the 90s when TV viewership was much higher overall.
Also, Dragon Ball Z Kai averaged about 9.7% (2009–2012), which is significantly higher.
More importantly, Dragon Ball has always been a mainstream, mass-market franchise aimed at a broad (especially younger) audience, whereas Evangelion has traditionally targeted a more niche otaku demographic.
When you look at merchandise, the gap becomes even clearer. Dragon Ball sold about ¥7.67 billion (\~$96M) in annual merchandise sales in Japan (2012), while Evangelion generated roughly ¥300 billion total merchandise revenue over its entire history (1995–2025).
AndreaTwerk@reddit
I think it has a lot to do with syndication.
In the 90s where I was in the US Dragon Ball only aired on cable stations at night.
Pokémon and Digimon were Saturday morning cartoons on network/free stations. So everyone could watch them.
random_throws_stuff@reddit
I think it's an age thing. It was on TV in the US mostly in the 90s from what I understand.
I'm in my mid 20s and got exposed to it around 2007 when I was visiting my parents' home country, and then watched DBZ kai when it aired in the US around 2011. I remember going to watch a DBZ movie in the theater a few years back and it was mostly people ~20 years older than me
NegotiationOk4424@reddit
Robotech hit hard and left a last impression
forceghost187@reddit
Yep
Monkeynavyseal@reddit
Yes, very popular
Galaxy_boy08@reddit
If you are a millennial and you had access to cable as a child you were exposed to a lot of anime including DBZ
before I ever watched DBZ the movie The History of Trunks came on before I had a single clue on what this strange cartoon was as a child.
It's very big here in america probably one of the largest anime's next to Pokemon.
random_throws_stuff@reddit
most people I know in my age cohort (mid 20s) have heard of it but didn't watch it. when I went to go watch a DBZ movie a few years back, I noticed it was mostly people ~20 years older than me.
No-Equivalent2621@reddit (OP)
Dragon ball released from 1996-2005 in ameroca so maybe the average fan would be 30-35 ish
It released around the same time in Brazil so that's why i'm guessing
MMARapFooty@reddit
It the second most known anime in America behind Pokemon.
Ratchet2332@reddit
Extremely
Kaenu_Reeves@reddit
It’s more old-school, a lot of modern anime would be more popular amongst the youth
Lanky-Antelope7006@reddit
Extremely popular. You still see window decals of DBZ characters on cars on the freeway.
OO_Ben@reddit
If yall haven't watched DBZA you're in for a treat.
pokematic@reddit
Not as popular as it was in the 90s (before Pokemon invaded like zubat), but it is still "a part of the monoculture that everyone is familiar with" to my knowledge.
A_Hint_of_Lemon@reddit
You have NO idea…
akaispirit@reddit
It's very popular. I see people wearing DB merch almost daily.
NitinTheAviator@reddit
Goku’s Tacos
Algae_Mission@reddit
In the US? It’s probably about as popular as any anime has ever been here that isn’t.
Most people are aware of it, even if they haven’t all watched it.
Inside-Run785@reddit
It’s very popular. However, there is a large part of the population that will only think of anything animated as “for children” and always beneath them.
No-Equivalent2621@reddit (OP)
There's way less of this stigma in Brazil
Mostly because they would show adult animation from the US and Japan in kids broadcasting times so the whole family would watch
sosuhme@reddit
I'm not saying what they said is untrue, but I personally almost never run into that. From Simpsons to South Park to King of the Hill to Rick and Morty and so, so much else, adult oriented animation is everywhere. Gen X and Millenials may have dealt with that opinion from our parents, but unless it's coming back up in the younger generations, I think it's a pretty niche mindset these days.
FeartheMose@reddit
It's quite popular but i personally dont know a ton of people who have watched it
schonleben@reddit
Agreed. I was in the prime age demographic for it growing up, but I never watched it and I don’t remember any of my friends watching it either, but I know that others did.
knightni73@reddit
It was popular in the late 90s when it was on Toonami.
Early-Raisin-540@reddit
I never watched it but knew a few others who really enjoyed it.
It wasn’t like SpongeBob where literally everyone I knew growing up watched it, but DBZ still has a very strong appeal.
NIN10DOXD@reddit
EXTREMELY. Especially in Black neighborhoods.
SilverB33@reddit
Yes it's been pretty much a big part of anime here in the states
Specialist-Soil3956@reddit
Absolutely it is. I’m actually watching it in the background right now. Goku just found out about 18 and Krillin’s kid
SufficientProject273@reddit
My friend, the US was 3 years Deep into DBZ by the time it Aired in Brazil. It unfortunately is pretty much the 'Face" of Anime in the US. Personally I never cared for it. It was many Millennials first Anime... I grew up watching imported Anime in the 80s though.
sasquatchisthegoat@reddit
Yes but nowhere near the popularity it has in South America. I lived in both South America and the Us throughout my childhood and it’s like 3x bigger despite most American knowing ofit
PokeCaptain@reddit
It certainly was very popular, but it's much bigger in Latin America.
TerminatorAuschwitz@reddit
Seriously? Goku is one of the most universally noticeable characters on Earth.
5hallowbutdeep@reddit
US is 20 years too late for this compared to Asia.
malachite_13@reddit
Yes. Very.
Ok-Energy-9785@reddit
Sure, for anime fans. It's one of the most popular animes
thenerfviking@reddit
Goku had a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which is pretty much the pinnacle of being a mainstream cartoon character in the USA.
Danibear285@reddit
Who is Dragon and WHAT DO THEY WANT WITH MY BALL Z
Brief-Percentage-193@reddit
Most people (at least in genz and millennials) know about it but haven't watched it. I'd compare it to European soccer in America in popularity. Most people here could probably name a few teams or players but haven't really watched it. Personally, everything I know about it comes from memes, meaning it's relevant enough to be memed frequently but it's nowhere near the popularity of some more mainstream shows like breaking bad.
Major_Enthusiasm1099@reddit
It's been around since the 80s, so I'd say yeah
nothinnews@reddit
Since the 90s. It was so popular it was played on both cable and local networks from what I remember. Anime wasn't that popular in the 90s so it was mostly children who didn't understand the difference between anime and western animation.
young_trash3@reddit
Yeah back then I was a dumb kid who just thought anime was a Japanese cartoon.
Now im a dumb adult who knows anime is a Japanese cartoon.
Being-Common@reddit
Virginia! Hanging out with little boys in spandex, I see!
DaddyCrit728@reddit
As many have said, DBZ Is a mega bit here. However, i would say its so liked and accepted by Americans as honorary American Pop Culture that its seen by many as not even being an anime. The feeling of a show like DBZ and Yugioh feels different to many Americans than something like Berserk or Inu Yasha, or even modern anime like AOT and FMA.
PersuasionNation@reddit
Yes. But it was less popular in the US compared to the rest of the world. We also got the version with made-up original (and worse) background music soundtrack
juan_humano@reddit
Pretty much what I would have said. Popular, but from what I have seen in Mexico and Guatemala its much more popular there
No_Entertainment_748@reddit
The big 4 i remember from the playground were
Pokémon
DBZ
Beyblades
Digimon
UndividedIndecision@reddit
As far as animation goes, yeah it's pretty popular
Maikudono@reddit
It had its peak popularity in the early 2000s. Everyone knows about it as it is one of the granddaddies of modern animes. Now days its not as popular as other big animes like Naruto or Onepiece.
shammy_dammy@reddit
Yes.
Snotmyrealname@reddit
DBZ is popular across all lands and most know timelines.
ILoveLampRon@reddit
It used to be huge here, especially in the early 2000s. Pretty much everyone knew Goku. It’s not as dominant now though. Anime in general got bigger, so stuff like Naruto, Attack on Titan, etc. kind of took that spotlight. DBZ is still iconic though.
PartyPorpoise@reddit
Absolutely. One of the most popular anime in the US, and one of the first (if not the first) to be a huge hit.