If you were an anime fan in 2009, well – you have surely blacked out some of that era. That spring, the world watched as Hollywood rolled out one of its worst movies of all time. Dragonball Evolution stands as one of the industry’s most infamous projects, and it ushered in an anime lull like we have never seen. Over the years, the cast and crew of Dragonball Evolution have rarely brought up the film, but now James Marsters is reflecting on the movie.
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A few weeks back, Marsters made a quiet appearance on Inside of You by Michael Rosenbaum, and the podcast delved into the actor’s most trying periods. It was there the topic of Dragon Ball surfaced as Marsters did a voice for Dragon Ball Super. It was there the star recounted his experience with the IP, and he said he fought hard to voice Zamasu in the anime as an apology for Dragonball Evolution.
DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION WILL LIVE ON IN INFAMY
“I just didn’t want any credit on Dragon Ball because I wanted it to be known to the people at conventions, to the real Dragon Ball Super fans. People would come in my [autograph] lines and ask what happened with that film; I was in this film, a really not-good Dragon Ball movie called Dragonball Evolution,” Marsters said, explaining why he used a pseudonym on Dragon Ball Super.
“That is the one good thing about the movie: not a lot of people saw it. And to everyone who is watching… don’t go see that film.”
Continuing, the actor talked about the world premier of Dragonball Evolution in Japan. The screening was met with quiet applause, and according to Marsters, this reaction is what led him to realize just how bad the adaptation was.
“It was just this slow dawning, sinking feeling that it was just really horrible. The point is that I was tired of catching guff at conventions for this film, so when I got the chance to be on Dragon Ball Super, I was like – let’s do this little trick and let’s use a fake name. It is so I can go to conventions… and tell [fans] that I am Zamasu and it’s an apology for that film.”
When Dragon Ball Super went live, the anime was met with high praise, and no one saw Marsters’ return to the franchise coming. His performance as Zamasu earned him lots of love, and fans were quick to accept his olive branch. After all, Marsters has owned up to his love of Dragon Ball over the years, and the train wreck called Dragonball Evolution can hardly be pinned on the actor alone.
WILL DRAGON BALL EVER MAKE A LIVE-ACTION COMEBACK?
If you have not seen Dragonball Evolution, we will second Marsters here and suggest you stay away. The live-action adaptation is nothing short of train wreck; It barely resembles the story of Dragon Ball we’ve come to love, and even as a standalone film, it is hard to watch. From its awful pacing and cheesy transitions, Dragonball Evolution is regarded as one of the worst movies ever peddled in Hollywood for a reason. Its script alone is enough to give us shivers… yikes!
As for Marsters, his role in Dragon Ball was weighty, but few clocked him in the film. The actor played King Piccolo, but much of his face was obscured by prosthetics. For co-stars like Justin Chatwin and Emmy Rossum, their involvement was impossible to overlook. Even after all these years, Dragonball Evolution remains a stain on their resume, and it lords over the anime fandom at large. Few films have ever faced the kind of vitriol that Dragonball Evolution earned, but honestly? The pushback was more than deserved.
What do you think about Marsters’ confession? Have you ever seen Dragonball Evolution? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.
