'Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero' Review: Gohan and Piccolo's Excellent Reformation
PG13: For some action/violence and smoking
Runtime: 1 Hr and 40 Minutes
Production Companies: Toei Animation, Funimation
Distributor: Toei, Crunchyroll
Director: Tetsuro Kodama
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Cast: Kyle Hebert, Sean Schemmel, Robert McCollum, Christopher Sabat, Aleks Le, Zeno Robinson, Zach Aguilar, Charles Martinet, Eric Vale, Meredith McCoy, Johnny Yong Bosch, Sonny Strait, Jeannie Tirado, Kara Edwards, Monica Rial, Jason Douglas, Ian Sinclair
Release Date: August 19, 2022
The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals who carry on its spirit have created the ultimate androids — Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. However, these two androids call themselves superheroes and start attacking Piccolo and Gohan.
Dragon Ball series creator and screenwriter Akira Toriyama defined his version of heroism through iconic characters like Son Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and more. His creativity and storytelling allowed this expansive franchise to retain relevancy for decades, long before the MCU or DCEU were even a pipe dream. That a theatrical Dragon Ball Super movie has to conform to conventions of the superhero blockbuster to maintain relevance in a field of Hollywood flicks that is overly reliant on the genre is sad, if not confusing. It's additionally confounding that an entry called Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero plays to the structure of a spy flick. When a Dragon Ball movie finally gives Piccolo and Gohan—who have been ineffective background characters post-Cell days—a self-contained story, why complain?
If you’re all caught up with the DBS series, or just a veteran who has skipped some story arcs (hello, it's me), it's welcoming to see these old characters retain their signature dynamics on the big screen. The high spirit (bomb) energy, humor, and heart remain intact as the story explores Piccolo and Gohan’s relationship. The story focuses on Piccolo, who has become a grandfather figure to Gohan's 3-year-old kid, Pan. Gohan sadly followed in his father's footsteps by being absent from his kid’s life. He's all work, no play—or to Piccolo, no train. In the words of TeamFourStar, he peaked as a kid when he beat Cell. Piccolo finds out that the once defunct Red Ribbon army has reformed with the oblivious grandson of Dr. Jiro at the helm. He seizes it as the perfect opportunity to get Gohan’s lazy ass out of the study room to kick some ass against two new Androids, Gamma 1 & 2, who perceive the aliens among them as villains.
Like most Dragon Ball-related stuff, the plot hinges on misinformation as a means for extensive fight scenes. What gives this entry heft—despite its convoluted and, at times, silly plot—is the heartwarming dynamic between Piccolo and Gohan. They've had the most complex dynamic fans know and love, and the movie delivers on giving the two purpose for the first time in years. The unjolly Namekian giant has been the father figure that Gohan deserved since Goku kamikazed himself for the first time, and their chemistry is the most heartwarming aspect of the film. The lengths Piccolo goes to give his first pupil/surrogate son some agency for the first time since he was a kid is fun, familiar, and somewhat nostalgic. Toriyama loves these characters and their chemistry is as A-plus as ever. As aforementioned, Super hasn’t given the two any objective for most of its run. Gohan's alter ego, the Great Saiyaman, is stupid, if not embarrassing. Toriyama goes the extra mile to course correct those missteps and give fans what they want: Gohan being a badass again.
The prominent element that stands out from the first frame is the stylistic switch from 2D to 3D, the first of the Dragon Ball-anything (excluding video games) to do so. It seems like a betrayal to veteran fans, especially how every still looks like a cutscene from Fighterz. Once the first action sequences ensue, sound effects spontaneously appear behind bombastic fight moves, exhibiting direct inspiration for the film to evoke a comic book feel. However, it’s not anything to write home about by any means. Director Tetsuro Kodama attempts to elevate the spirit by visually differentiating the film from the past Dragon Ball entries in other facets beyond its jump to the 3D approach.
While I have several gripes with the new animation techniques, that isn’t to say the action sequences aren’t exhilarating. The camerawork does most of the heavy lifting, apart from the fight choreography. There are so many bold choices the animation plays around with within the 3D plane, especially while executing long takes. There are close-up shots of characters either charging up or attacking someone as the camera immediately zooms out and you follow their every move. It may be dizzying, but it keeps you in the passenger seat for the experience as if you’re on a high-octane roller coaster ride. See it in 4DX rather than IMAX because you'll feel as if you're going Super Saiyan in real-time.
I appreciate/commend Kodama and his animators’ diligence in experimenting with Dragon Ball’s visual presentation by going CG and adding some components that make the action scenes pop. Due to the stylistic changes, the character movements and facial expressions are restricted outside the action set pieces. Part of the Dragon Ball charm—or any anime, really—is how inventive the animators get with over-the-top facial expressions for comedic effect. None of that is present here. The 3D presentation is justified in some cases but it’s simply not enough to capture the Dragon Ball experience. It bears many visual similarities to Dragon Ball FighterZ but that game took creative liberties, such as cel-shading and detailed action lines to evoke the sources’ 2D roots. This film is trying to stay relevant at the kids’ table when in reality they’ve been running the gamut for years.
Goku and Vegeta are integral components of the franchise’s identity. Since this is a Piccolo and Gohan movie, there is no rhyme or reason for those two to appear. When the plot starts to ramp up speed, it halts in its tracks to ask the viewers, “Wonder where Goku and Vegeta are while all this is happening?” The pacing gets derailed to confirm that this is indeed a sequel to Dragon Ball Super: Broly while adding nothing of substance to the main plot. Their ONE scene drags for no reason as it recycles the same humor with Lord Beerus and Whis. These characters are great, but they serve no purpose whatsoever. They could've easily been cut out of the entire flick and the plot wouldn’t change.
Despite being an experimental screen test to see if its new CG style can stay for future installments, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is as fun and exhilarating as a Dragon Ball flick can be. The self-contained focus on Piccolo and Gohan's father-son chemistry warrants the price of admission over the excessive action spectacle. While its story is far more convoluted than the previous entries, which were mere 90-minute beat-’em-ups, Super Hero has a well-earned kamehameheart to stand out as the cream of the crop.
The title is still stupid, though. Why is it called Super Hero when this is a spy flick? Piccolo goes undercover and spies through a good chunk of the film. Next time, don’t try to conform to the confines of the most famous film genre. You’re Dragon Ball. You’re better than those capeshit people.
