Dragonball Z vs Dragonball Super- Why I Won't Watch Super

Alllllllllllllllrighty then. It’s time to come out and say it. I am not going to watch Dragonball Super but fear not! I shall explain why. Dragonball Z is my favourite anime and favourite animated show of all time. I haven’t watched Dragonball, have seen GT, and do not care to watch Dragonball Super. I feel I might have a hard time contrasting Akira’s 3 stories but I’m going to do my best. With that, let’s jump on the Nimbus and take a ride.

Let’s get one thing out in the open: I have only seen Z and GT in their entirety. I am however familiar with the main plotlines in DB and Super in a general sense. In Dragonball we got the Tournaments, Tien saga, Baba saga, Red Ribbon saga, Pilaf saga, and King Piccolo and Piccolo Jr. I know that most of Goku’s friends started as rivals or enemies. There were some things I learned about it that surprised me within the last few years such as: Kami never taught Goku (it was Popo), Popo eats Goku’s Kamehameha, Yajirobe eating Cymbal, Goku shooting a Kamehameha out of his feet, Shenron being destroyed by King Piccolo, and Goku’s original Nimbus being destroyed. Everyone knows Bulma was Goku’s first friend and the Bear Thief was his first enemy. I’d like to see Bear Thief vs Jiren haha. Z came to America first after which GT and DB aired. Z is clearly the peak of the DB franchise but it couldn’t be the amazing manga/anime without DB setting the foundation. Super is where it went off- in the wrong direction. Super is the black sheep of the DB trilogy, the odd duck and you can easily tell- it’s tone is very different than that of its predecessors. Db flows organically into DBZ, Super feels like something entirely different. DB and DBZ are one continuous adventure as Z amps up the action and the fighting. Yes, Super does the same thing but it feels forced. Z ended on a great note. And then we were given Super, and you could tell Toriyama was running out of gas. On that note, let’s get into it.

As I mentioned already, the story in Super doesn’t flow nicely. Out of the blue we have Destroyer Gods upping the ante so quickly and Goku becoming Super Saiyan God from the start. Hardly any build-up there. The Tournaments of Power also feel forced. They are there for lack of better storylines and creativity. Hit is a cool character though, and the combination of Kao-Ken with Super Saiyan Blue is creative. I’m not sure I’m a fan of the Super Saiyan God concept. Very convenient that when Beerus the Destroyer comes to Earth, it takes the power of 5 benevolent Saiyans to just stand in a circle and give their power to the main Saiyan. Those 5 Saiyans are Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, and (conveniently), the unborn daughter of Gohan, Pan. By that logic, the other Saiyans should become Super Saiyan Gods too if they take the time out of their day to stand in a circle. Of course, that never happens because Super isn’t about the rest of them, it’s about Goku and Vegeta, but mainly Goku.

On that note let’s talk about Gohan the waste-man. In the movie Resurrection F, Frieza is wished back to life because reasons. We see him in his first form and he flipping ONE-SHOTS Gohan. I don’t care how many years Gohan didn’t train after his fight against Super Buu, he would not be one-punched by first form Frieza who Kid Gohan could take for crying out loud and this was before the Androids in Z! We learn that in the span of 4 months, Frieza could achieve a new form as strong as SSJB Goku who actually didn’t train to achieve that power if you think about it. SSJB is just the super saiyan form of SSJG which he got with 5 Saiyans. If that’s the case then SSJB should actually be orange since SSJG gives Goku a red aura and SSJ has a yellow aura therefore the mix should be orange. I would have preferred if SSJB was actually SSJ4 instead of the complexity of the actual SSJ4 from GT. Now that we’ve established that Gohan is a weakling, back to Frieza. So currently he has two forms he’s added that are stronger than his fourth form at 100%- Golden Frieza and now Black Frieza. So he’s basically a Pokemon because he keeps adding new forms so fast. Frieza X and Frieza Y. Toriyama can’t let go of Frieza.

Let’s talk about the animation now. It lost its grittiness that made Z and DB serious. When the characters aren’t fighting, it seems like a kid’s show. It’s more cartoonish. The most irksome part of it is that everyone and I mean EVERYONE is a comedian now, even Piccolo, Beerus, and Vegeta. Gone are the tense days of Goku and his friends facing the stakes to defeat the undefeatable threat of Frieza on Namek, or Vegeta being scared pissless by Perfect Cell, or Goku staring down Kid Buu before they fight. Sure they get serious when they face Goku Black and Jiren and Caulifla but that’s it. The rest of the time is a competiton to see who can act the funniest. Twas not so in Z. Sure Goku is lighthearted when not in the face of battle but he’s nowhere near the bafoon he became in Super who doesn’t know what kissing is?! What in the actual Resurrection F? Vegeta’s character in Z is sorely missed. I get that characters change but that much? I miss the uncaring, prideful Saiyan that Vegeta once was. Now that we’re on the subject of Vegeta, I’m going to state my unpopular opinion: Vegeta’s whole point of existing is being second fiddle to Goku. He’s a Goku copycat who attained SSJG offscreen just to show he could play catch-up. So naturally, Vegeta could also transform into SSJB and then he could also transform into SSJB Evolved, whatever that means? I suppose that’s his equivalent with Kao Ken + SSJB and then Ultra Ego is the equivalent with Ultra Instinct. Goku must do it first, then Vegeta follows behind so we remember that he’s cool too.

From what I’ve researched and understand, UI and UE are both potential facilitators. I will admit, I think they’re both cool techniques/transformations. Ultra Instinct relies on absolute peace of mind, focus on the battle, and a strong determination to survive and win. So far, Goku is the only one besides the gods to have achieved this and it allows him to fight at his full potential. Goku is one strong mofo then if he can take on the likes of Jiren at full potential. He sure has come a long way from the Bear Thief. I know he’s faced other foes after Jiren like Moro, Granolah, and Gas who have overpowered Ultra Instinct let alone Black Frieza (we’ll get to him). Like, how strong is this guy going to get? Not that I’m complaining but is there going to be a limit haha? Vegeta’s UE on the other hand is apparently only achieved by someone training to be a God of Destruction which he is by Whis. The technique/transformation is reliant on the user having a lust for battle and raw self-indulgence for power and also allows the user to get stronger from attacks. Like Goku, this form is unique only to Vegeta thus far. Ok, I suppose I can get on board with that. Orange Piccolo and Beast Gohan though? I’m summing that up that the writers were so lazy that they cheated so that Piccolo could have a new form (wish from Shenron) and so that Gohan is no longer a lame-o. I mean, that literally came out of nowhere. No contextual buildup or lore behind it whatsoever unlike SSJG, UI, or UE. I’m assuming his new form is called Beast Gohan to associate it with his Saiyan heritage. Oh my gosh, and I almost forgot about Freezer. He doesn’t even TRANSFORM when becoming Golden or Black Frieza. He simply gets a new coat of paint on him. So if a Frost Demon simply trained for a day intensely, he’ll become Rainbow Freeza. Got it.

Let’s talk about the ridiculousness that is Android 17 now. What purpose does he serve in DBS? What purpose indeed? He literally only serves to be a number for the Tournament of Power. I can get Frieza getting so strong in a short time and him conveniently finding a Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train in for 10 years (ugh) because his race is capable of that but 17? Come on. Let’s face it, the plot needed to him be that strong and they could think of no one else to step in- ahem Pikkon.

DBS is clearly about fan service more than story. The villains are unoriginal (Goku Black, though Zamasu was good). Bringing back Frieza is evident they got no one else, and Hit and Jiren, while good antagonists for both Tournaments of Power, are there just for that. To make Goku strive to be stronger. Nothing wrong with that but they don’t really have much character or serve the story that well. Just bowling pins meant to be knocked down.

For my final thought, I don’t think DBS is garbage but Z it is not. Trunks’ design in DBS in contrast to Z is bad. The lack of Bruce Faulconer’s music is also a miss. I feel like they called it Super just so they could make it…..well, super. Sure, they get really technical about how to fight better and what techniques work and don’t work and how to think more effectively when fighting but Super is more about the action and the next big bad being bigger than the last bad. Z is more about growth and character interactions. My opinion- Z is the superior and the peak and the franchise will never hit those heights again. That being said, there’s a new show called DB Daima where the characters become kids. I don’t know why they would develop and produce such a show and premise because I can’t think of anyone who asked for that honestly.

Anywho, that wraps up my thoughts about this post. Have a good day ya’ll.