Regardless of whether the intense focus on combat or absurd power levels are a turning point for some, there’s no denying the level of Dragon ball not only influenced but also changed shounen forever. While not every fan may agree, Super Dragon Ball actually improves the franchise by bringing out and developing its most interesting elements. Although some purists feel the series is being retconned too much to make it worse, the amount of effective plot decisions Dragon Ball Super is making proves that this is not only a worthy sequel but actually improves on the original.
The majority of the most iconic moments in the shounen genre are now considered cliches because many of what mangaka Akira Toriyama popularized and revolutionized in Dragon Ball appear in almost every series. However, even some fans are under the impression that the overall storytelling is lacking, especially compared to some of the more nuanced series. However, Dragon Ball actually uses some of the best literary devices that many of the most critically acclaimed series have been celebrated for using. Dragon Ball Super takes these things and pushes them to the next level.
Dragon Ball Super has great character development
Character development is one of the most important aspects of good storytelling, and Dragon Ball Z showed how much characters can grow through how much Vegeta changes. Vegeta’s redemption became the standard for countless similar villains-turned-heroes that followed. However, Dragon Ball Super developed Vegeta into an even more nuanced character. While Z transformed Vegeta from Goku’s enemy to a reluctant friend and rival, most of the time the Saiyan Prince was only obsessed with surpassing Goku, before finally admitting Goku would always be strong than. Super has now seen Vegeta accept this mindset in less obvious ways. Realizing that he is in Goku’s shadow, Vegeta now tries to become as strong as Goku but takes a different path, typically Vegeta’s Ultra Ego transformation.
Gohan is another impressive example of a character who changed significantly throughout Z. After surpassing his father and defeating Cell, Gohan soon became less interested in fighting and more interested in studying. adulthood. Although most fans overlooked that Dragon Ball had the perfect reason to make Gohan weaker, his methods in Super evolved further by having him reject his Saiyan heritage. himself and focus on his human side, embracing his Ultimate form and possibly even explaining Gohan’s still mysterious Transformation Monster.
Dragon Ball Super’s powers are tied to the user’s identity
Gohan and Vegeta’s most recent forms show that Dragon Ball Super has adopted another effective storytelling device that many modern anime series use – the power of metaphor and transformation. Some of the more successful modern shonen are celebrated for their use of this plot device: a hero’s power is often used as a metaphor for something deeper and more meaningful than just a other to defeat opponents. Dragon Ball Z certainly revolutionized the overall look and feel of attacks and power-ups in shounen, but the series has never depicted this technique or any other beyond that.
Dragon Ball Super, on the other hand, completely reinterpreted the meaning of Ultimate Gohan and gave Vegeta his most unique form with the Ultra Ego. As the name suggests, Vegeta gains more power in this state based on his personality and Saiyan identity. Even Vegeta’s hair color is derived from Beerus’s skin tone because the transformation uses the God’s Power of Destruction. However, in a shocking twist, the series later revealed that Vegeta could not fully utilize Ultra Ego as it would require him to return to his old self, emphasizing that he has evolved to any extent throughout the series.
Dragon Ball Super Has Awesome Foreshadowing
One of the most famous aspects of anime and manga is foreshadowing, something One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has mastered perfectly. While Dragon Ball delved into this to an extent, Super takes this coveted form of storytelling to the next level. One of the more obvious examples occurs when the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga briefly mentions the difference between achieving a technique through hard work versus having it given. Goku teaches this lesson to Moro at the end of their battle when the villain steals Instant Transmission using Seven-Three’s Copy technique, but is unable to use it properly. The same concept returns in the following Granolah the Survivor Saga, where Gas wishes to become the strongest being in the universe but is unable to fully utilize that power.
Dragon Ball Super also uses foreshadowing to justify later events, such as when the series sets out the reason behind Frieza’s new extremely powerful form by initially hinting that there are more more than one Room of Spirit and Time in the universe. The use of foreshadowing proves that Dragon Ball Super pays more attention to its overall plot development than fans give it credit for. Without advance planning, it will be impossible to foretell future events or plan for them effectively.
Dragon Ball Super is somewhat mysterious
Many anime fans seem to be under the impression that the more mystery there is, the better the story. Dragon Ball Z certainly doesn’t focus much on this aspect of storytelling, even if it does have some interesting things to offer. Luckily, Dragon Ball Super seems to be revisiting many of them, even ones that Toriyama seems to have forgotten, such as Goku’s heart condition. Dragon Ball Super also introduced a completely unexpected and wild power that Goku used twice with no explanation as to where it came from, proving that there can be mysteries. in Dragon Ball, contrary to the storytelling missteps, according to some fans, that was the case with Dragon Ball Z.
One of Dragon Ball Z’s most interesting mysteries is actually one that many successful series have used: the hero’s true lineage. Dragon Ball took this version by keeping Goku’s parents completely absent from the story, with his father Bardock only appearing in one panel. However, it made such a huge impact that an entire unofficial movie, Bardock: The Father of Goku, was made. Years later, fans got his full story in the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie, and then Bardock’s well-received flashback in Granolah the Survivor Saga in the manga. This flashback not only clears up some of the mystery, but also has important connections to the present, proving once again that Super really cares about its storytelling.
Although Akira Toriyama is recognized as one of the most influential mangakas of all time, he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for his storytelling abilities. Fan Dragon ball tends to focus on and emphasize the more visceral aspects of the franchise, such as spectacular battles and exciting power-ups and transformations. However, the series actually has great storytelling and meaningful plot devices, and Super Dragon Ball is developing and emphasizing these elements in the best possible way.