‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’: What To Know Before Seeing The Movie

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is finally here. Anime fans have been waiting for this series’ first film to drop for months now as teasers of Broly reuniting with Goku took the Internet by storm. Now, the film is ready to make its U.S. theatrical debut, but there are those still on the fence about the film.

After all, there is a lot of Dragon Ball out there, and fans who’ve been out of the loop for awhile might not feel like they’re ready to check in on Broly. So, if you are in that boat, then you can stop worrying. We’re here to break down the most important things you need to know before watching the Dragon Ball movie!

Ready to take a dive into the lore of all things Saiyan? Well, let’s go:

Dragon Ball Super 101: If you have not seen any of this new anime, you should know the anime is a direct sequel to Dragon Ball Z. It is actually set before the epilogue included in Dragon Ball Z, so no – there are no mentions of Dragon Ball GT you’ll need to worry about. Set a short while after Buu was defeated, this series begins with Goku and Vegeta doing training as usual. The men are involved in lots of arcs, but there are two fans will want to brush up on…

‘Battle of Gods’ and ‘Universal Survival’: The first arc of Dragon Ball Super introduces two very important characters named Beerus and Whis. The former is a humanoid cat who is an all-powerful God of Destruction. Attended by his angel overseer Whis, Beerus met Goku as an opponent first before becoming a sort of reluctant mentor.

The next arc is the ‘Universal Survival’ story. As the last one of the TV anime, the arc sees the top warriors of Universe 7 take on Dragon Ball‘s recently revealed multiverse. Goku and co. are pitted against fighters from a slew of universes, and the Saiyan learns there are definitely fighters out in the multiverse more powerful than him… and that only makes him more excited.

Super Saiyan Evolutions: If you haven’t been keeping up with the anime, you should know Goku and Vegeta have some new forms in their arsenal. The fighters turned out their various Super Saiyan forms way back when, but Super Saiyan God is the go-to power up these days.

Specifically, Goku and Vegeta tap out their power with a form called Super Saiyan Blue. Basically, the transformation turns the two newly appointed Super Saiyan Gods into Super Saiyans, stacking the powers. Goku managed to unlock an entirely new power state called Ultra Instinct as well, but don’t worry — you will not need to know that form for this film.

Broly Is Canon: Finally, one of the biggest facts about this Dragon Ball Super has to do with Broly. Originally introduced in the Dragon Ball Z films, this beefy fighter has been given an entirely new personality for this movie because — at long last — Broly is canon to the franchise.

To put a long story short, Broly wasn’t originally overseen by the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama. The artist decided to put his own spin on the Saiyan for this movie, making Broly a canon character at last. The fighter is still as powerful as ever if not more so, but his addition to the franchise in an official capacity means Broly can affect the franchise’s future. So, fans can expect that whatever happens in this movie will have lasting repercussions as the anime continues on.

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Got any more questions about the film? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is now out in theaters in Japan and the U.S. You can read ComicBook.com’s spoiler-free review of the film here and read up on its official synopsis below:

“A planet destroyed, a powerful race reduced to nothing. After the devastation of Planet Vegeta, three Saiyans were scattered among the stars, destined for different fates. While two found a home on Earth, the third was raised with a burning desire for vengeance and developed an unbelievable power. And the time for revenge has come. Destinies collide in a battle that will shake the universe to its very core! Goku is back to training hard so he can face the most powerful foes the universes have to offer, and Vegeta is keeping up right beside him. But when they suddenly find themselves against an unknown Saiyan, they discover a terrible, destructive force. Locked into battle with the formidable Broly, Goku and Vegeta face their most dangerous opponent yet!”