Original Dragon Ball vs Z: Which era had better storytelling?

I know my username says I'm a Vegeta guy, which means I'm inherently biased toward Z. But I've been rewatching the original Dragon Ball recently and I need to talk about how GOOD the storytelling is. <strong>Original Dragon Ball's Strengths:</strong> - Actual character development for Goku — he goes from a feral kid in the woods to a world-class martial artist - The World Tournament arcs have genuine tension without world-ending stakes - Villains like King Piccolo feel threatening because of their IMPACT, not their power level - Comedy and adventure balance perfectly — something Z mostly abandoned - Master Roshi, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien are all RELEVANT characters <strong>Dragon Ball Z's Strengths:</strong> - Higher stakes create more emotional investment - The Saiyan Saga is arguably the most tightly written arc in the franchise - Vegeta's character development across the series is masterful - Iconic transformations that changed anime forever - Gohan's growth from scared kid to SSJ2 warrior <strong>The Core Difference:</strong> Original DB is an adventure story with fights. DBZ is a fighting story with occasional adventure. Both work, but they're fundamentally different shows wearing the same name. I think Original DB has BETTER storytelling — tighter pacing, more character variety, better humor. But DBZ has better MOMENTS — SSJ transformation, Vegeta's sacrifice, Father-Son Kamehameha. If you could only rewatch one, which are you picking? And do you think the franchise should return to that original adventure tone? (Daima kind of tried this.)