Should The Dragon Balls Be Destroyed?

The Dragon Balls have long been the impetus for why characters within Akira Toriyama’s insanely popular franchise have fought and/or assembled, with the collecting of the seven giving the collector any wish they desired, but we think that it’s time that these “magical wishing orbs” go the way of the dodo and become extinct. With the latest story arc of Moro in Dragon Ball Super having the villain use the Namekian version of the Dragon Balls to make a nefarious request, said wish just went into showing how the Balls themselves’ role on the franchise overall might be worth cutting out completely.

Do you think it’s time for the Dragon Balls to be stricken from the series? What are your ideas for the future of the Shonen franchise? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Saiyans!

Death Is A Joke

Originally, there used to be a stipulation on death in Dragon Ball wherein a person could only be wished back once and this resonated specifically during the Saiyan Saga, which some might not recall. With the Z Fighters squaring off against Vegeta and Nappa, Chaotzu was one of the first warriors to fall, causing his life long friend in Tenshinhan to fly into a rage because the albino fighter had died once before. During the original Dragon Ball series, Chaotzu was killed by the Demon King Piccolo, making his death seem permanent during the Saiyan Saga.

Of course, Goku and company discovered that there were Dragon Balls currently available on the Planet Namek, but in doing so, took away one of the key weaknesses of the Earth’s set. With the Dragon Balls gone, death can have an impact once again. 

There’s Too Many Of Them

There are a lot of Dragon Balls that have been created, not even taking into account the story lines that take place outside of the anime franchise’s main continuity. The original Dragon Balls created by Kami, the Namekian Balls created by Elder Guru, the Super Dragon Balls that were used as the impetus for the Tournament of Power, and the Dragon Balls created by Dende. Each of these sets have their own unique rules and quite frankly, can be a little confusing when you attempt to compare and contrast them. If they’re not going to flat out eliminate the Dragon Balls, perhaps they should cut down the overall number of sets!

The Loss Of A Deus Ex Machina

This goes back to the idea of infusing some more creativity into the overall story of Dragon Ball, but the Dragon Balls have been used as a “Deus Ex Machina” for the franchise over its three separate story lines. By taking them out of the equation, it would mean that the series would have to essentially reinvent itself, and with many feeling that the Moro Arc simply hasn’t been able to live up to fans’ expectations. By taking away the “Machina”, it would cause the creative minds behind the series to have to try something entirely new, rather than relying on the past. 

It Makes The Series Repetitive

As mentioned earlier, the Moro Arc feels familiar in that it seems to be a mish mash of the arcs that came before it, with the villain seeming like a combination of the Demon King Piccolo and Cell. WHile the Dragon Balls might not play heavily into the arc, their involvement has become a “safety net” for the Z Fighters, that can essentially undo any of the problems that might have taken place during a specific arc.

Imagine if the Tournament of Power truly saw the end of every universe outside of Universe 7 without an option to wish them back. How would that take a toll on the characters? Would characters from the outside universes be forced to live in Goku and Vegeta’s? Interesting questions to be sure. 

They’re Simply Not Needed Any More

At the end of the day, Dragon Ball as a series is about fights and the bolstering of power levels via insane levels of action that usually revolve around the Saiyans currently living on Earth and the Dragon Balls themselves have become something of a small part of that. By ditching them completely, it takes away a giant safety net while also making the story that much more interesting moving forward, which is definitely something the Shone franchise could use moving forward once the Moro Arc passes.