'Dragon Ball Super' Movie Reveals The Reason for Bringing Back Goku's Power Pole

Dragon Ball Super's first movie release, Dragon Ball Super: Broly is set to tweak a lot of what we [...]

Dragon Ball Super's first movie release, Dragon Ball Super: Broly is set to tweak a lot of what we thought we knew about Dragon Ball canon, with a story that will examine the power and legacy of the Saiyan race, from its ancient history to its current pivotal place in the universal hierarchy. Among the older elements of the franchise that Dragon Ball Super: Broly will revisit is none other than Nyoibo, Goku's "Power Pole" from the original Dragon Ball series!

If you weren't a fan of the classic Dragon Ball series, Nyoibo (aka "The Power Pole" or "Compliant Pole") is a magical staff that Master Korin gave to Master Roshi, who then gave it to Grandpa Gohan, who then passed it on to a young Goku. Goku was one of the main accessories that Goku used throughout the original Dragon Ball series, along with his Flying Nimbus cloud. Nyoibo has the ability to grow to great lengths, making it a formidable weapon, or a tool for helping Goku reach great heights, or vault, or any number of other uses.

As you can see in the tweets above, Dragon Ball Super's animation director Naohiro Shintani got inspiration from his wife to not only bring Nyoibo back, but to have the first promo images of Goku holding the "Compliant Pole" in a pose that's actually a throwback to a classic manga of Gohan in a similar pose.

It's an image that's totally in keeping with Dragon Ball Super: Broly's theme of having the current era of the franchise dip back into its roots, to open up new doors that will lead the next Dragon Ball anime into the future. In addition to having adult Goku start slinging Nyoibo again, Dragon Ball Super: Broly will retcon Broly's origin story, and his connection to Freeza - as well as how Freeza (and possibly Beerus) were involved with the destruction of the Saiyan homeworld. There's even possibility that Goku's origin will get a major retcon, as well.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly will hit Japanese theaters in December, and is expected to arrive in the U.S. around mid-January 2019. Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on Funimation, VRV, and Crunchyroll.

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