‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ Revisits Major ‘Father of Goku’ Scene

Dragon Ball Super: Broly made big waves because of how Akira Toriyama reworked the famous movie foe Broly into a new character fit for the series’ canon, but that’s not the only change it’s made to the Dragon Ball lore.

Another character that saw a good deal of change was Bardock, but even with all of that change fans were treated to something familiar as Dragon Ball Super: Broly revisits a major scene from Dragon Ball Z film, Bardock – The Father of Goku.

Warning! Major spoilers for Dragon Ball Super: Broly below!

While Dragon Ball Super: Broly drastically changes Bardock from the incarnation seen in The Father of Goku, this gentler, more methodical Bardock still manages to make a final stand against Freeza. One of the most famous scenes in The Father of Goku is how Bardock fights hopelessly against Freeza’s army until being obliterated along with Planet Vegeta. He even manages to fire one last desperate blast, but it’s nothing compared to Freeza’s power. It essentially happens the same way in Broly, but with much less scale.

Bardock’s final stand is recreated in Broly, but there’s zero focus on how Bardock feels during the event. There’s a brief scene in which Bardock is floating in between Freeza’s ship and Planet Vegeta as Freeza’s army surrounds him, much like in Father of Goku. When Bardock fires his final ki blast, it’s overwhelmed by Freeza’s power in the same way. Though it’s more of a background detail.

Almost anti-climatically, Bardock is quickly destroyed along with Planet Vegeta. So, while the new film pays tribute to Bardock’s past incarnation with a shout-out to this major scene, Bardock’s death is not given that final bit of focus (which makes sense given that he’s not given future sight powers in this version).

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is more about how the current Saiyans are distancing themselves from the ghosts of the past, so while revisiting this scene is a cool moment, it’s not necessary to bring back everything from that past incarnation. No reason to carry on old grudges.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is now open in theaters worldwide. Funimation brought the film to the United States on January 16, and tickets for the film are now on sale. You can read ComicBook.com’s spoiler-free review of the film here, and Dragon Ball Super: Broly is described as such:

“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!”