Anime/Manga
Although one inspired the other, the anime and manga of each franchise are quite different. There is a similarity in certain directions that the artwork takes. Charging up of power causes a bright glow, and there is a heavy dose of blasts created by either Ki or Chakra. But the way things play out is decidedly different.
Dragon Ball follows Goku and his pals on his quest to gain power along with acquiring all seven of the Dragon Balls. There’s more of an adventure where you don’t know where things may go. Fights are huge spectacles, often taking several episodes, though not all action-packed. Many fans love making fun of the fact that you can watch characters charge up their power for several episodes before a punch is thrown. I guess if you waited a long time for the big guys to finally go head to head, you can wait a few episodes more for fists to start flying.
Naruto, on the other hand, likes to get things moving along quickly. Yeah, there are long spaces between fights, but once they do get started, there’s a lot going on without all the charging. This doesn’t mean fights never slow down, it wouldn’t be anime if that didn’t happen. You’ll get your occasional monologues, and more than enough flashbacks, but it’s all a bit more action-packed.
Even with Naruto’s faster pace, though, Dragon Ball Z is known for having some of the best fights in anime (Buu Saga, anyone?). In that aspect, the Dragon Ball franchise shines just a bit brighter, but it isn’t a one-sided competition.
