DragonBall Super: Superhero | The Movie that Re-Lit the Spark of the Original Series
A great deal of people have heard of the Dragon Ball franchise. Whether that be from the anime adaptation of the manga, video games, or from fans seemingly talking about the stories' incredible characters and fight sequences. And that's because Dragon Ball has made a permanent mark in the world of animated storytelling since the franchise's first release of its manga in 1984 and soon after with the anime adaptation, which is noted to be profoundly more loved than the manga, released in 1986.
With the release of the most recent Dragon Ball movie; DragonBall Super: Superhero in April 2022, instead of following the traditional format of having Goku and Vegeta save the planet from another imminent threat as the two scream aggressively and power up to new heights. Akira Toriyama the writer of the series with the help of Tetsuro Kodama the director of the project decided to take another route and give the supporting characters Piccolo and Gohan a chance to shine. Sure they had their moments back in the android and Cell saga of DragonBall Z but that was more than 20 years ago. Of course, fans were eager to see this wonderful duo make a comeback and it had been a long-awaited event.
The film not only puts our two protagonists on the sidelines and gives supporting roles the spotlight, Akira and Testuro decided to bring back a long-time-running villain organization that goes back to the good old starting days of the Dragon Ball franchise; The Red Ribbon Army. The RRA has been an ongoing problem in the earlier DragonBall series so bringing them back serves as a sort of nostalgic trip for fans who have been around since the start.
The events of this film take place after the Granolah Arc in the manga's most recent series. We get confirmation of this in the few scenes we get with Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Beerus, and Whis at the beginning of the film and toward the end. These scenes have no significance to the plot but seem necessary since Goku is the poster child for the franchise. The main antagonists of the film are simple humans. Dr. Hedo the child super genius/ex-convict and the grandson of Dr. Gero was able to construct a universal threat-level android using the blueprints of an earlier villain introduced back in the original DragonBall Z. This time with an unhinged mindset. Not entirely his fault as he was being manipulated by Magenta and Carmine the two true masterminds behind the plan to take down Goku and the Z fighters. After hearing that the Z fighters are a group made up of aliens and super-humans Dr. Hedo was left in disbelief about the idea of aliens. This is strange considering how the Major of West City is a dog-man. This plays into the story's narrative and further exposes the film's greatest strength. The difference between doing what's right in order for one's personal gain and doing what's right for the sake of others.
The stakes held in this movie although seem detrimental, in reality, are much lower compared to what has been seen in the DBS show. What better way to show off the skills of the "weaker" fighters right? Wrong! Without Goku and Vegeta, Piccolo and Gohan are the only two warriors who have the potential to defeat the android. Keyword "potential". The years after the android saga haven't been too well for either of them. They both have slacked and been outdone by many over the series' years. But this is exactly what the two needed to find a new domain of power to save their friends, family, and everyone else on Earth. Truly it's nice to see the writers do one of the two most loved characters in the show some justice by allowing us to see how strong both can truly become.
First introduced back in the 1980s Dragon Ball when Goku our protagonist and Gohan's father is still a child. We see him supposedly defeat the RRA, thwarting their plans to take over the world. That wasn't the end for them as head scientist Dr. Gero had escaped and dedicated the next 15 years to building androids who could overpower Goku and anyone else who would try to stop his plans. For those who haven't watched the complete series a little spoiler; Dr. Gero's plans fail once more creating five new androids who in power rivaled most of the characters in the show at the time. Goku with the help of his friends and family takes down the androids and once again brings peace to the earth. We thought that would've been the end for the RRA but to our surprise in a twist, few including myself didn't see coming, the Red Ribbon Army returns to finish the job they had failed at twice before. This time instead of simply taking over the world they plan to end Goku and his friends as they pose the greatest threat to their evil scheme.
Having been around for more than 30 years, it's given the franchise time to build a connection with the audience. The connection between the main protagonists; Goku and Vegeta, to the dynamics created between fathers and sons, and to other more meaningful aspects such as pursuing strength through discipline and a want. It's not enough to merely be strong to win you must also be willing to do everything that it takes to save the ones you love and protect them from anything that may harm them. That is exactly what Gohan and Piccolo embodied in the film. It was their drive to win. All these attributes of Dragon Ball are what seal the title of it being the grandfather of anime. Or as some claim it to be. But is a title such as that really out of the question?
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