Here are 8 reasons that make ‘Dragon Ball Z’ undoubtedly superior to ‘Dragon Ball Super’.
The ‘Dragon Ball’ franchise has captivated every child’s and adult’s attention since its creation in 1984 by Akira Toriyama, which was soon followed by ‘Dragon Ball Z’ (‘DBZ’) in 1986. ‘DBZ’ aired on TV from 1989 to 1996 and was dubbed in over 81 countries. One year later, Toei Animation tried to continue the story with ‘Dragon Ball GT’, but received heavy criticism due to it being loosely connected to ‘DBZ’ and Akira not partaking in its writing. So far, many people have tried to dismiss ‘Dragon Ball GT’ as a non-canon.
But then, in 2015, ‘Dragon Ball Super’ (‘DBS’) made its appearance, as the official successor of ‘DBZ’. The overall reception of ‘DBS’ was better than that of GT. The new animation styles, along with the introduction of new characters, while attempting to maintain the nostalgia factor at the same time, made a good combination that was hard to dislike.
However, everything beautiful has its ugly side, and ‘Dragon Ball Super’ was no exception to it. The series was plagued from the start with animation issues, and the plot felt disconnected from the source material, as the writers ignored certain past events. Those differences created two distinct groups of ‘DBZ vs. DBS’ fans, with the former ones praising the greatness of ‘DBZ’ while shaming what ‘DBS’ represents today.
I’ve watched both series, and I must admit that despite its flaws, I liked some ‘DBS’ aspects. However, I agree that fans are in the right to believe that ‘DBS’ pales in comparison to ‘DBZ’, and here is why:
WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
1. Animation
The animation in ‘DBS’ should’ve been leagues ahead of ‘DBZ’ with all the contemporary techniques and technologies. However, the opposite has happened. Though the images were sharper and the colors brighter, the flow of movements was clunky. The decrease in animation frames for each action scene was apparent, and that made all the fighting scenes tiresome. For me, this should’ve been the most serious problem, because fighting scenes are what ‘Dragon Ball’ is about. That’s why everybody started watching it as a kid, and remained a faithful fan through their adulthood.
The cherry on the cake, however, was the incorrect body proportions, and the misaligned body parts, such as the eyes and the eyebrows. Normally, I would brush it off, but there were cases when the characters looked so goofy that they made me feel completely disconnected from the scenes.
2. Art Style
The art style has also received some changes, which I actually liked, because it gave a fresher and distinguished look compared to ‘DBZ’, while staying faithful to the source. This boils down mostly to personal preferences, but I’m gonna side with DBZ again. The colors in dark environments felt bland and washed out, and the palette of the surrounding environment was not immersive either. The biggest problem, however, was the plastic-y appearance of the characters. Sometimes I felt like watching some low-budget cartoon for kids, instead of a famous action anime.
3. Plot
The plot took a huge blow too. It was plagued with inconsistencies and multiple plot-holes that stemmed from ignoring past events in ‘DBZ’. The ‘God of Destruction’ Beerus, was never mentioned in ‘DBZ’ even though ‘DBS’ characters, such as Frieza and Vegeta, seemed to have known about him during or before the ‘DBZ’ events. The link between Kais and Gods of Destruction wasn’t mentioned either, and if you take into account that their lives depend on that, then this makes it a crucial piece of information. Another thing Vegeta forgot to mention in ‘DBZ’ is that he has a brother. How could he possibly forget about that when he was reminding us in almost every episode that he and Goku were the last sayans?!
Other lame additions include planet-sized Dragon Balls, which are spread across the universe and can grant any wish. Instead of a normal Shenron, a universe-swallowing Super Shenron is summoned instead. Things get even more ridiculous when Zeno, a child-looking divine creature, is introduced as the supreme being ruling over everything, even over the Gods of Destruction.
To be honest, all these made me feel like Akira was making up stuff on the go.
4. Super Saiyan transformations
Despite all the plot holes, nothing beats the cheesiest of them all: the numerous ‘Super Saiyan’ transformations. I can’t stress this out enough, but Akira just didn’t know when to stop. So far, we have seen the following transformations:
- Super Saiyan 1, 2, and 3
- Ultra Super Saiyan
- Super Saiyan God
- Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan
- Super Saiyan Blue
- Super Saiyan Rosé
- Super Saiyan Rosé 2, and 3
- Super Saiyan Blue Evolved
- Super Saiyan Blue (Berserk)
- Ultra Ego
- Legendary Super Saiyan
- Evil Saiyan
- Ultra Instinct
From my perspective, Akira has turned the whole color palette into ‘Super Saiyan’ transformations, since all of them appear with different hair colors. It’s also very exhausting to remember them all or tell them apart. This has completely watered down the meaning of ‘Super Saiyan’ transformations. Even if you could distinguish which one is which, the power advantage of one transformation over the other is almost negligible, apart from a few of them.
If you’ve watched ‘DBZ’, then you should know how much the ‘Super Saiyan’ transformation meant for the development of the series, and the fans. Ass-pulling transformations, like a vending machine, was the tipping point for me. It didn’t even make any logical sense. Like, how much more potential did those Saiyans have?
5. Seriousness
‘DBS’ undermines and humiliates all its characters. Goku has turned into a low-IQ, clueless dork that fails to read any situation or understand anything non-fighting related. I’m not saying that in ‘DBZ’ he was a rocket scientist, but he still was a genius in his own way. His only shortcoming was his incompetence in social situations. ‘DBS’ took that, and turned him into an idiot.
On the other corner, we have Vegeta, the “Prince of all Saiyans”, who has become a comic relief that dresses in maid suits, blushes when he talks about his wife (Bulma), and is socially awkward. I don’t know about you, but if he still was his ‘DBZ’ self, he would prefer to self-destruct a second time rather than watching what he’s become.
Beerus did not escape the ridiculousness either. No matter how cruel and powerful he is, he follows Vegeta’s steps when talking to his superiors (Zeno). I could keep going, but I think that’s enough. I can’t stand watching my beloved characters being degraded and humiliated like that.
6. Realism and impact
The fights are no longer meaningful. There are no clever techniques involved or unique fighting styles. The characters, especially Goku, just shout “atatatatata” whenever they fight, like some kindergarten kid when playing pretend. All the punches and kicks have no impact, and deal almost no damage at all.
‘DBS’ took away the brutality of ‘DBZ’ fights, and tried to maintain only the hype of who’s fighting whom. However, when a fight takes place, the hype fades away quickly, as it looks exactly the same as any other fight, regardless of power levels and transformations. All action scenes are loaded with pointless screams, meaningless power-ups, negligible transformations, and childish fighting styles.
7. Consistency
Many things in ‘DBS’ are brushed off or changed down to their roots, as we mentioned earlier. Like when Goku and Vegeta went to the ‘Time Chamber’ for three whole years to get a power boost before Champa’s tournament, only to come out exactly the same as before. Wow! I understand not putting much emphasis on their training, but completely failing to show any improvement compared to their previous state after three whole years in the time chamber is criminal, to say the least.
Another example is the effect of the ‘Potara’ earrings. In ‘DBZ’ if two people wore one of the earrings, they would permanently fuse together. That’s what Old Kai did in the long past, and still remains fused. However, in ‘DBS’, the ‘Potara’ fusion lasts only a few minutes. A high power level cannot be sustained by the earrings, and that was the reason for the short duration. Still an asspull, nonetheless. Speaking of which…
And, of course, Broly the ‘Legendary Super Saiyan’. He was about as strong as a Super Saiyan 2 in DBZ. But now, not even Goku in Super Saiyan Blue form can defeat him. If you don’t know what that means, it means that Broly is a million times stronger than he was before.
8. A**pulls
Overall, ‘DBS’ has changed almost all aspects of ‘DBZ’, including the plot, and the only thing Akira can find to justify those changes, are fabrications made at the last minute that create even more plot holes down the road. It’s like for everything that contradicts the old plot, a new excuse is made.
Conclusion
‘Dragon Ball Super’ is still an enjoyable anime per se, but if we compare it to its predecessor, it feels like a children’s spin-off. You can’t just change almost everything, expecting that no one would bat an eye. I believe Akira should have stayed loyal to the source, maintained the consistency of the series, and given us some flawless animation while at it. It would have been even better if ‘DBS’ focused on past events that we haven’t seen yet, instead of making up random stuff. Still, I would recommend watching ‘DBS’, even if you’re new to the ‘Dragon Ball’ universe. However, if you’re an old ‘DBZ’ fan, prepare to face possible disappointment.
What’s your take on DBS vs. DBZ? Please, let us know in the comments
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