There’s little left to be said aboutDragon Ball Z’s greatness that hasn’t already been said. The series' impact on anime’s rise to popularity in the West cannot be understated, and it continues to usher countless fans into the world of anime and manga nearly four decades on from its premiere.However, it isn’t a perfect anime by any means. Beyond the series' iconic cast of characters performing heroic feats of strength, certain aspects of the iconic series just don’t work as well as they once did.
That shouldn’t exactly surprise anyone, either.Very few anime series are immune to age.Dragon Ball Z’s visuals, though they’ve achieved a sort of vintage aesthetic that a large portion of the anime community enjoys, are undeniably below modern standards, while pacing issues stretch a relatively straightforward story to nearly 300 episodes in length. However, one aspect of the series that falls a bit short has little to do with age, and it’sone of the few thingsDragon Ball Superactually did better than its predecessor.
Dragon Ball Z Is Iconic, But It Isn’t Perfect
A Variety of Issues Plague Dragon Ball Z
TheDragon Ball Zportion of Akira Toriyama’s original manga spanned just over 300 chapters of material. TheDragon Ball Zanime hit 291 episodes before finally reaching its conclusion. As is the nature of ongoing adaptations of weekly manga, portions of the story needed to be stretched andan abundance of filler was addedin order to keep the anime from catching up to the manga.This created some pacing issues for the series, which would often hang around on certain fights or plot points much longer than viewers might like.
Pacing issues and filler were addressed withDragon Ball Z Kai, which, in many ways, has become the best way for fans to experience the series, though its aged visuals remained in the 2009 anime. Given what Toei Animation has proved themselves capable of in the recently airedDragon Ball Daima,a modern remakewould likely be the most effective fix for the show’s issues. In terms of narrative, however, it’s arguable thatno other entry in the franchise comes close to whatDragon Ball Zachieved.
The sudden development that Goku was actually born to a race of savage space warriors is one of thegreatest twists in anime and manga history, while the introduction of Super Saiyan forever changed the way battle shōnen operated. Plot lines like Gohan’s hidden power, Piccolo’s assimilation into the main cast of fighters, and Vegeta’s growth as a characterestablished other cast members as integral pieces of the puzzle. The series is iconic for a reason, but there’s one thing that could have been done a little better.
Following the introduction of Super Saiyan, transformations became incredibly linear andlacked any sort of unique qualities from character to character. Super Saiyan was followed by Super Saiyan full power used by Goku and Gohan in the Cell Saga, then Super Saiyan 2 and 3 and so on. Between the characters, the different transformations were all practically the same deal. This isn’t so much a problem as it is something that could have been improved on, and it never got much attention untilDragon Ball Supercame along and improved on it.
Dragon Ball Super Gave Its Main Fighters Unique Transformations
The Series' Strongest Fighters Were Given Their Own Unique Ways of Showing Their Strength
Dragon Ball Superis also not a perfect anime series by any means, and it’s often guilty of missing some of the magic that made Akira Toriyama’s original story so special. Nevertheless, its best qualities really shine through,and one of them is how the series has handled its transformations. Throughout the majority of the 2015 anime, Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue were the most commonly used forms, and like withDragon Ball Z’s transformations, there really wasn’t anything unique about them between their two users.
That changed, however, during the Tournament of Power. Instead of following the usual trend of one fighter unlocking a new form and having the rest of the gang follow suit, Goku gained the ability to use Ultra Instinct specifically because of how he fought. In contrast, Vegeta’s aggressive and emotional nature prevented him from using Ultra Instinct,and he instead brute forced an evolution of Super Saiyan Blue, a development very in line with his character.
Rather thanDragon Ballgiving its main characters a singular bar to reach,they instead broke their limits in a way that was entirely unique to them, and it didn’t stop there either. Broly’s Full Power Super Saiyan transformation drew on his overpowering rage, while Gohan’s Beast form was achieved thanks to a similar rage, but one that was much more controlled and understood by its user. Even Piccolo joined in on the fun, gaining a power-up which came from the dragon his other half created. It’s a small change, but one that uses characters' personalities to define their strength.
Dragon Ball Super’s Cast Is the Best It’s Ever Been
The Series Now Boasts a Dream Team of Fighters
A common criticism ofDragon Ball Superis that it’s largely just the Goku and Vegeta show. Though that’s somewhat true throughout the majority of the anime series, the new and unique transformations introduced by Broly, Gohan, and Piccolo have changed that.The ongoing manga is currently on hiatus, but the latest development sawDragon Ball Super’s main fighters brawling it out on Beerus' planet in their most powerful forms,all standing on relatively equal footing.
Dragon Ball Zis the franchise’s most popular anime series, and for good reason. From a narrative standpoint, it really cannot be matched by anything that comes after it. However, that doesn’t mean that later entries weren’t able to improve on the show, andDragon Ball Superdid so in a big way with its new transformations. Whenever the manga returns, the new and improved fighters will take ona Frieza with an all-new transformation of his own, and it will likely take all of their combined strength to take him down.
Dragon Ball Super
Cast
Dragon Ball Super is an anime series set after Majin Buu’s defeat. It follows Son Goku, now a radish farmer, as peace prevails until Beerus, the God of Destruction, appears. Seeking to challenge a legendary warrior, the series revisits events from two Dragon Ball Z films before exploring alternate universes.
