Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is likely not the film you were expecting. Rather than being about Goku and Vegeta—or even Gohan (the only member of the cast to have actually been a professional superhero)—the film is actually centered firmly around Piccolo. But that’s hardly the only surprise in the film—and no, I’m not talking about the film’s two new (and largely unneeded) transformations. So, from one Dragon Ball fan to another, here are the five most welcome surprises I experienced while watching the movie.
*Note: This article, by its very nature, is nothing but spoilers.
Image source: 映画「ドラゴンボール超 スーパーヒーロー」公式 on Twitter.
Dr. Hedo’s Family Tree
The antagonists for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero are the newest iteration of a classic Dragon Ball foe: the Red Ribbon Army. Magenta (the son of Commander Red) tricks young genius scientist Dr. Hedo into creating a pair of superhero androids to take down an evil, alien-backed secret society bent on world domination—i.e., Capsule Corp. But why is Dr. Hedo able to create androids with strength on par with the likes of Piccolo and Gohan? Because he is a genius even greater than his late grandfather: Dr. Gero. According to the film, Dr. Gero had two children. One on them, Gevo, would die relatively young and be used as the template for Android 16. Meanwhile. the other, yet-unnamed, child would go on to grow up and have a child of their own—i.e., Dr. Hedo.
Image source: Bandai Namco Entertainment on Twitter.
A Familiar Face Enters the Anime Canon
In fleshing out Dr. Hedo’s family tree, we get a look at Dr. Gero’s wife and mother to his children, a woman named Vomi. Vomi’s existence in the main Dragon Ball anime timeline is rife with implications. While Vomi herself has never showed up in the anime timeline before, her likeness has shown up in several recent Dragon Ball video games (most prominently Dragon Ball FighterZ and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot). Just as Gevo is the template for Android 16, Vomi is the template for the game-only character Android 21. This means that Andriod 21 could easily be out there somewhere in the Dragon Ball anime world—just waiting for the right moment to appear. Who knows, maybe she’ll be the main antagonist when Dragon Ball gets its next, inevitable anime iteration.
Image source: 映画「ドラゴンボール超 スーパーヒーロー」公式 on Twitter.
Tons of Piccolo Centric Callbacks
Over the course of the Dragon Ball franchise, the Namekians have had more than a few powers that are used once or twice and then mysteriously never mentioned again—regardless of how helpful they would have been. In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Piccolo is largely on his own. Goku and Vegeta are off-world, Buu is asleep, and Gohan is shunting his responsibilities as both a hero and father onto his family and friends so that he can focus on his own interests. This means that Piccolo must figure out not only how to become strong enough to defeat the androids but get Gohan to realize his priorities are all out of whack as well. This situation is perfect for giving Piccolo a reason to revisit his old techniques. In the film, we have everything from the Namekian ability to unlock one’s true potential to the return of Piccolo’s giant form. But best of all, we get another use of the ever-iconic “clothes beam”—which is always a fan favorite.
Image source: 映画「ドラゴンボール超 スーパーヒーロー」公式 on Twitter.
Cheelai’s Romance Issues
Cheelai is one of Dragon Ball’s newest and most enjoyable characters. Once a foulmouthed grunt in Frieza’s army, she turned her back on the evil galactic warlord to save her friend Broly from being killed by Gogeta. Of course, being on the run while trying to protect her ultrapowerful (yet, incredibly innocent) friend is no easy task, so the film shows that she, Lemo, and Broly have taken refuge on the one world even Frieza isn’t foolish enough to attack: Beerus’ Planet.
While the God of Destruction isn’t happy to suddenly be sharing his world with three newcomers, two things help to change his mind. The first is that Lemo is a fantastic cook. The second is that, apparently, Cheelai is exactly Beerus’ type. While she may be getting used to the idea of being surrounded by some of the strongest beings in the galaxy, being hit on by one of them—especially a literal god—is not something she is prepared for. On the other side of things, it’s hilarious to watch Beerus try to put the moves on her. He gets her a chair, protects her from a splash of water, and helps her carry some ice cream for everyone to eat. It’s cute to see such an arrogant character so humbled.
Image source: 映画「ドラゴンボール超 スーパーヒーロー」公式 on Twitter.
Vegeta Finally Gets a “W”
For the main plot of this movie to happen, Goku and Vegeta (not to mention Broly) need to be basically written out of the film. To do this, they are all isolated on Beerus’ planet with classic Toriyama shenanigans preventing communication between Whis and Bulma. But more than that, everyone of Beerus’ planet is focused on watching a fight: a last man standing match between Goku and Vegeta. There are even two additional rules to keep things interesting: no ki attacks and no transformations. It’s just Goku and Vegeta punching each other till one is no longer able to.
What’s great about this is that the whole fight ties back to the tournament of power. Rather than trying to follow Goku’s path to ultra-instinct, Vegeta has decided to learn from Jiren instead. He has begun meditating and calming his mind—learning to save his strength for the moments when it will have the greatest effect. It’s something that completely changes how he fights and finally gives him the edge he needs to beat Goku in a fair fight.
Top image source: 映画「ドラゴンボール超 スーパーヒーロー」公式 on Twitter.
Be First to Comment