MOD EDIT: This review contains spoilers.
1.) Characters are either lame or shallow, or both.
Why?: Some lack motives, and what ones have motives are antagonists with admittedly cliche, lame, boring or ridiculous motives. I prefer antagonists you can empathize with, but honestly the only character who had a decent motive, predictable and overused as it may be, was Baby in GT. I can empathize with his motive at the least, because Saiyans took over his creator's (Tuffles) planet, Planet Plant.
Characters also don't do much planning before hand about what they're gonna do, and don't have a lot of plot or thoughts outside of: "Fight my enemy or have others fight them first and then fight them myself in fits of rage."
I prefer it when antagonists have a good plan behind their fighting. What are you planning? What are you stalling for? What intelligent plot do you have behind your actions that we can't possibly understand? But honestly, its predictable, as DBZ's come down to a science (will discuss in my next point).
Similarly, Dragon Ball Z's characters are far too predictable. Goku's evil brother shows up, punches him, tells him he's his evil brother and Goku had a mission to do. Then he kidnaps his son and will hold him in ransom unless Goku destroys Earth.
2.) Repetitive plot is repetitive is repetitive is repetitive is repetitive but not relevant.
Why?: Honestly, I have found maybe 3 variations of the same plot device used throughout the series, the only ones that were relatively interesting in the slightest being Cell Saga and maybe Baby.
However, each one is so similar to the other, it's gotten unbearably predictable.
Not only that, but Dragon Ball has no overarching plot whose conclusion its all leading up to. Dragon Ball is a.... Sub-Plot starts, sub-plot ends with minimal connections to that one in the next sub-plot anime.
Additionally, the ONLY suspense I found throughout the entire series was when Goku was going to be LATE for a fight, because Goku was a character with strength that is glaringly superior to other characters, it came down to him and Vegeta (perhaps Gohan) being the only ones who can actually fight the enemy. And honestly, since DBZ holds true to its formulated, admittedly repetitive plot, I knew that Goku would show up and kill the antagonist.
3.) Versatility in powers? What's that?
This is staying short and sweet. With just a low amount of exceptions, Dragon Ball powers are incredibly repetitive. Characters with some imitation of a martial art, ungodly strength and speed, and some form of energy blasts, be it through technology(Androids) or life force (all other beings Ki). And when they need an enemy to be much stronger, what do they do? Slap the same gimmick onto antagonists two sagas one after another.
Kinda lame, if you ask me... With no real versatility (variation) in powers, save a small amount of exceptions, it gets kinda lame. Instead of seeing how the protagonist uses their own exclusive powers to counter some stronger/more useful power in combat, it comes down to "Who moves faster, punches harder and blasts more powerfully" with minimal need for tactics. This is ESPECIALLY the case when fighting enemies like Buu and Cell who've got one thing going for them in particular: Dat regeneration tho.
And the source of regeneration is interesting, right? Like, using a clever combination of lesser powers to give themselves something akin to regeneration? Some array and line up of some sort of items?
And how is the regeneration solved? Clever use of items or powers to somehow stop the regeneration? Plans to somehow use their powers cleverly to get rid of the items or make the regeneration meaningless?
Nah. BLAST STRONGER with a new technique, which is almost always hardly any different from his other techniques, but larger, stronger and takes longer to prepare.
In all honestly, the ONLY enjoyments in the anime's series I ever got from watching it is the barely entertaining fight scenes and the decent music tracks. This anime is not worth your time and please do not waste it watching this anime. There are plenty of other, definitely superior anime of similar genres. I recommend you go watch them instead of this.