Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Review

It’s no secret among Dragon Ball fans that the character with the most wasted potential is none other than Goku’s son, Gohan. When first introduced, he was all but said to have the potential to get stronger than his father. For a brief time, during the Cell Saga, he did, slaying the titular villain in a legendary duel. Then, it all went downhill.

Toriyama tried to make Gohan the new main character but wound up backtracking and bringing Goku back into the spotlight. Worse, while Gohan did get stronger, it either became a moot point thanks to Goku, or he ended up slacking on his training. Fans of the character grew disappointed with him as he got relegated to a supporting role. Thankfully, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero aims to correct all of that, and for the large part, it succeeds. Even if the 3D animation can be hard to look at, sometimes.

The Return of the Revenge of the Red Ribbon Army

Next to Frieza, the most recurring villain’s in the Dragon Ball franchise are the Red Ribbon Army. Even though Goku took them down as a kid, they keep coming back like cockroaches. First, it was in the form of Dr. Gero and his numerous Androids (though some are actually Cyborgs), with Cell being the worst. Now, though, the actual Army makes it’s first onscreen appearance since the Dragon Ball days. Now going by Red Pharmaceuticals and led by their former leader’s son, their plan remains the same: world domination. The only ones that can stop them are the Z-Fighters, whose main fighters are pretty much gods. So, time to make some more Androids.

Enter, Dr. Hedo, the grandson of Dr. Gero and an even bigger genius than the mad scientist. As far as new characters goes, Hedo’s pretty out there. He’s willing to use dead bodies to create his own set of Androids (which got him time in prison), and he’s obssessed with superheroes. Despite this, he’s still naive enough to buy into the Red Ribbon Leader’s lies.

The Big Scheme

In the opening act, Commander Magenta wins Hedo over by making up some story about how Capsule Corporation’s a front for a group of evil aliens trying to take over the world, and that Gero created his Androids to stop them. In other words, Magenta plays on Hedo’s love of heroes to get him to make some Androids for them. 

This whole fabrication is so blatantly false that it’s almost laughable. Even those in-universe lacking the full context know that Cell was a villain who tried to destroy the Earth. Yet Hedo falls for it, at least partially. It’s arguably my biggest with the film, but it did give us two cool new Androids, Gamma’s 1 & 2.

Like the Great Saiyaman before them, the Gamma’s look ripped straight from a Sentai series. Gamma 2, voiced by Zeno Robinson (who seems to be everywhere these days) is loud, extroverted, and goofy, while Gamma 1, played by Aleks Le, is the introverted and stoic type. Together, they make a good duo, with some of the more interesting characters Dragon Ball introduced in recent years. They feel more like heroes than the Pride Troopers, which is a good thing. Fortunately, despite working for the bad guys, they believe in justice and eventually catch on to their employer’s true colors.

Piccolo is Best Dad in Dragon Ball

One of Super Hero’s main selling points is that the film’s centered around not Goku and Vegeta, but Gohan and Piccolo. It’s often been joked about that Piccolo’s more of a father to Gohan than Goku is, and the film itself lampshades that. Piccolo regularly babysits Gohan’s daughter, Pan, and trains her every morning. When they’re talking after a brief sparring session, Piccolo honestly forgets that when Pan’s says Grandfather, she’s referring to Goku. 

Piccolo may not act like it, but he’s clearly the best dad in Dragon Ball, and now the best grandfather. And like any good dad, he’s frustrated when he thinks his son isn’t living up to his full potential. In this case, Gohan’s more focused on his research than paying attention to his training…or picking up Pan from school.

So, when the Red Ribbon and the Gamma’s show up, Piccolo decides that this is the perfect chance to whip Gohan into shape. It’s reckless and unorthodox, but like any good Dad, Piccolo makes sure to keep Pan safe from any real danger, and steps in when Gohan can’t handle it on his own. 

In addition, Piccolo gets a long-overdue power boost, courtesy of Shenron. As a result, he becomes the latest to transform. In this case, he’s orange, bulkier, and buffer. And, judging by his power, he might be on par with Super Saiyan Blue.

That’s not the most impressive form, though. Not by a longshot.

El Blanco Gohan is Now Canon

During the Tournament of Power Arc, several memes came into existence. The legend of Ultra Instinct Shaggy. Jiren’s more powerful older brother, El Hermano. However, the one most relevant to this is El Blanco, a fan-made transformation for Gohan. People jokingly said that Gohan would gain a new transformation that would turn his hair white and let him surpass everyone in the franchise. Well, like Ultra Instinct Shaggy, El Blanco is now canon.

In the film’s epic climax at the Red Ribbon Army’s HQ, Gohan, Piccolo, and the others fight the worst thing they could hope to face: a mindless, Kaiju-sized clone of Cell called Cell Max. It’s suitably poetic that, when facing a clone of the enemy he’s most famous for beating, Gohan unlocks a new transformation. The Dragon Ball Wiki calls it Gohan Beast, but fans know the truth: it’s El Blanco. El Blanco is canon, and that’s the best thing that the franchise could do for Gohan.

A Funny (If Somewhat Flawed) Film Without Goku

Overall, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a pretty good film. There are some problems with the pacing and story, though. Much of the humor from the first half hearkens back to the more comedic days of the early manga, which doesn’t exactly mesh well with the action that fans have come to expect from the manga. However, it does its best with what it’s got.

Once the movie drops the comedy, though, it cranks into high-gear, and it’s well worth slogging through everything. The 3D animation lets the movie do things with the characters that traditional animation doesn’t, making for more epic battles. The music is good, the fight’s are good, and it’s just an all-around good time.

Plus, the film does give a good reason why Goku and Vegeta don’t get involved since they’re training on Beerus’ planet with Broly. Broly is back, if only for a short time!

I personally liked seeing it in theaters, but you can wait for it to stream online if you don’t think you’re up for it. I must warn you, though: Pan is adorable!

I Give Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero a 3.5/5

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*The following was originally published on FANDOM. Due to the FANDOM Contributor Program being shut down, it has been copied and moved to my blog. Thank you!

Before Beerus, the greatest villain in the Dragon Ball films was Broly. Possessing a seemingly infinite amount of power and an insatiable bloodlust, the monstrous Saiyan became a cult favorite among fans of the franchise. So when an announcement came that a revamped Broly would be the villain in the Dragon Ball Super film, fans went nuts.

Boasting a new look and an altered personality, this new take on Broly is just as deadly as the original. And now that he’s made his big screen debut, we can safely say that he’s also pretty impressive. But does Super‘s new and improved Broly trump the original? To answer this question, we’ll have the two face off in several categories — backstory, personality, and power — to determine which version of Broly — OG Broly or Broly: BR — is the best, once and for all.

BACKSTORY

In both versions, Broly’s unnaturally high battle power as a baby made King Vegeta freak out and try to get rid of him. The only difference is how he goes about eliminating Broly. In Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, King Vegeta’s men stab baby Broly, leaving him and his father, Paragus, for dead. In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the Saiyan King sends Broly to a violent planet full of monsters in hopes that they’d kill him; both plans fail.

To their credit, both films do an excellent job of setting up who the two Broly’s would later become. In OG’s Broly’s case, it’s not hard to see what made Broly into the crazy monster we see in the films. He gets stabbed in the chest, watches his planet blow up, and, worst of all, has to endure baby Goku‘s crying for hours on end — all before he can even form words. No wonder he turns into such a mad beast.

When compared to OG Broly’s backstory, Broly: BR’s backstory feels like a cakewalk. Sure, he spends most of his life stuck on a grim planet with only his father for company, but this doesn’t break Broly, or make him lose his mind. But it does leave him with poor social skills and great loyalty to his father, who OG Broly was more than willing to kill.

When audiences first saw how violent OG Broly was, they couldn’t help but wonder what turned him into such a monster, and they got their answer. Broly: BR’s backstory does a lot of the same, but it doesn’t quite measure up to the original’s tragically epic backstory. OG Broly wins this round!

PERSONALITY

At his core, OG Broly’s defined by two traits: his sadistic madness, and his hatred of Goku. A self-proclaimed devil, he’s willing to kill everything in his path, simply because he can. When Paragus tried to flee the planet they were on, OG Broly crushed him inside his pod, laughing the whole time — brutal.

But it’s his hatred of Goku that defines him. He associates Goku’s crying with all that trauma he experienced as a baby and, in turn, blames him for everything. The mere sight of Goku was enough to send him into a rage in the first film.

In the second movie, Dragon Ball Z: Broly — Second Coming, Broly’s defeat at Goku’s hands washes away the little sanity he had left. In fact, aside from a single instance, the only word he can utter throughout the entire movie is “Kakarot,” Goku’s Saiyan name. He’s so obsessed, he can’t even tell Goku apart from his sons.

Thanks to only getting exiled, Broly: BR retained his sanity. Unlike the original, he’s a kind and gentle soul who hates fighting. And with his father as his sole companion most of his life, Broly: BR longs to make friends, as he did with the monster Ba.

Despite being loyal to his dad, Paragus treats his son no better than a tool; he’s always ordering him around. It’s Paragus who forces Broly: BR to fight, even going so far as to use a shock collar to force his son’s obedience.

When he does fight, though, Broly: BR has much in common in with his counterpart. He has yet to learn to control his power correctly, so it and his Saiyan instincts eat away at his sanity. It gets to the point where he can’t tell friend from foe, leading him to fight anything that moves.

So, in one corner, we have a Broly whose only defining traits are being a crazy bruiser and hating Goku. In the other, we have a Broly who hates fighting, likes making friends, and has an actual personality. Broly: BR has an actual character, and after seeing how Paragus treats him, it’s easy to sympathize with him. Broly: BR is the clear winner here.

POWER

As we’ve already said, OG Broly’s power is terrifying. In the very first scene of The Legendary Super Saiyan, we see him annihilate an entire galaxy. Not to mention, during the film’s big fight, Broly faces five Super Saiyans and a Super Namekian at once. He then, of course, proceeds to curb stomp them all.

To defeat him, everyone has to pour their energy into Goku — and even that doesn’t kill. It takes blasting him into the Sun to do that!

OG Broly was a terrifying monster, but he doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Beerus, who can destroy entire universes at once. Broly: BR not only matches Beerus and the Destroyer Gods in power, he easily surpasses them.

Goku and Vegeta had to go Super Saiyan Blue (SSB) in Dragon Ball Super: Broly to fight base form Broly: BR, and once Broly went Super Saiyan, even that wasn’t enough to go toe to toe with him. It took them fusing their powers to become SSB Gogeta to beat him.

Both versions of Broly clearly have near unlimited power and strength. But Broly: BR’s power level surpasses that of actual gods. Broly: BR wins in a landslide!

AND THE WINNER IS…

By a wide margin, the new Broly is a welcome improvement over the original. While he may not have as dark a backstory as OG Broly, Broly: BR is better written and far more likable. With both Goku and Frieza having expressed interest in making him an ally, we will almost certainly see him again soon. Who knows, maybe he has a divine future ahead of him. No matter what, Broly is here to stay, and his fan power is maximum!

Dragon Ball Super: Broly Review

I could write an entire essay about how much I loved this movie, but that would not do it justice. Dragon Ball Super: Broly was everything that the fans wanted and then some! By the time I’m writing this, I literally got out of a full house, so I am striking while the iron’s hot.

Plot

Let’s start off with the basic plot. The film shows how Broly’s exiled to a desolate planetoid by King Vegeta. All because he can’t handle the fact that Broly’s stronger than his son. Paragus goes to get him but gets stuck on the planet with him, which saves them from the Saiyans’ genocide. That takes up thirty minutes. Flashforward to the present day, Paragus and Broly get rescued by Frieza’s men. Frieza then takes Broly the two to Earth so he can fight Goku and Vegeta while he steals the Dragon Balls.

Broly

Unlike the psychopathic monster we grew up knowing, the new Broly is a kind soul who can’t control his power. He fights, but only to protect the people he cares about. His father Paragus forced him to become a warrior, even using a shock collar to keep him in line. I’ve seen that kind of thing used on animals, so I loathe it with all my heart.

After spending a little less than half the film building it up, we finally get to the fight we’ve been waiting for. And it is worth it! Goku and Vegeta don’t hold anything back in the fight, but Broly manages to keep pace with them. I won’t say what happens as that’s part of the fun, but it’s the best animation I’ve seen since Battle of Gods.

Before I get into the good stuff, I want to voice the one complaint I have about the film: the prologue.

Put. The Pitchforks. Down.

The Prologue

I loved the prologue. It helps build up the universe. Although, was adapting the Goku origin story from Jaco necessary? It may be me being mad that it erases Bardock: the Father of Goku from the canon, but it seemed like extra padding. It could have been an extra short released online or something, but it had no bearing on the plot.

Now that that’s done, let’s say what I loved about the film. First off, I love how they changed Broly’s backstory. He’s no longer motivated by what Team Four Star dubs “really dumb” and a “crying infant“. Yeah, they traded off his hatred of Goku, but now he has a personality and friends.

Speaking of whom, I like the new additions to the Frieza Force, Lemo and Cheelai.

I loved these two characters, and think that including them was the smartest thing the movie did. Usually they’re only cannon fodder I never considered that there might actually be decent people in them.

New Characters

First we have Lemo, the old veteran and grandfatherly figure. He’s been in the Frieza Force since the time of King Cold. Put that into perspective: more than fifty years! That’s impressive considering the Frieza Force was almost non-existent by the time the Tournament of Power ends.

On the opposite side, we have Cheelai, the young and impulsive delinquent. Right off the bat, it’s made clear that she’s meant to be the new “Ms. Fanservice” for Dragon Ball. We get several scenes of her that are supposed to be suggestive. Case in point:

I thought she was cute and plenty of others do, as well. People wouldn’t stop laughing at this stuff in theaters. She’s more than just eye-candy, though. She has an actual personality. She’s quirky, kind, impulsive and acts on her emotions without a second thought. She’s the opposite of Lemo, and that’s what makes their dynamic work and they become the friends Broly needs to stay grounded. I genuinely hope to see more of them in the future of the franchise.

Minor Spoilers

While I won’t say what happens, I have to spoil some of it for my next good point: Frieza and Broly both live. Frieza got brought back after the Tournament of Power, and even though I hate him, I freaked out over whether he’d die. He’s a good villain, and it would be a waste to kill him after bringing back again. We will see him again, one day soon. As for Broly, he’s safe and sound. Something tells me that we will be seeing him again soon. And I can’t wait to see where he goes from here!

All in all, this movie was the hype that it had built itself up to be, and signals the start of an amazing new chapter in Dragon Ball. It may have stumbled a little at the start, but it rockets to the finish line. If this is what they came up with to top the Tournament of Power, then I can’t wait for what’s next.

I give Dragon Ball Super: Broly 4.5/5 stars. Saiyans have no limits.

Some Stray Observations

• Anyone catch the remark about Vegeta being “Vegeta IV”? Who are the first two Vegetas?
• Kid Raditz is so adorable! But still worthless.

• Cheelai= new fanservice material. See?

• Who were those other two Saiyans that were with Nappa, Vegeta, and Raditz? We never heard anything about them. What happened to them!?!
• I will pay money to see Frieza get beaten up by Broly for an hour.
• This movie made $7 million opening day. That’s another sign that anime has become mainstream!

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