Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Would Have Been Better Without Goku and Vegeta

By Kofi Outlaw

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is now an international box office hit, and has been an especially big milestone in overseas markets, as the film has certified anime as a legitimate blockbuster box office draw. However, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will also be remembered for its somewhat divisive decision to feature the characters Gohan and Piccolo as its protagonists – while relegating Dragon Ball Super lead characters Goku and Vegeta to bit parts in the film. 

Goku and Vegeta's Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Role Explained

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(Photo: Toei Animation)

As stated, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero only featured Goku and Vegeta in a couple of scenes – and those scenes don't add anything to the movie, at all. Super Hero sidesteps the issue of Goku and Vegeta's presence on Earth by having the two Saiyan warriors travel to Lord Beerus' planet to train. At first, Goku and Vegeta are sparring with Broly, in order to teach the berserker Saiyan to control his powers; but then Goku and Vegeta end up going at one another, to finally find out who the strongest is. Super Hero checks back in later when Bulma attempts to inform Whis of the drastic situation on Earth – only to have the call unanswered as the crowd on Beerus' world is enthralled by Goku and Vegeta fighting. The Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero post-credits scene reveals that it's Vegeta who finally wins against Goku. 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Didn't Need Goku and Vegeta

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(Photo: Toei Animation)

While Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero's Goku and Vegeta segments did some fun fan service, we think that the movie would've been better without them. To put it in question: why did Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero even need Goku and Vegeta at all? 

Super Hero's storyline involving Goku and Vegeta was nothing less than filler – which may have been welcome in a Dragon Ball Super anime but was wholly out of place in a feature film. It seems clear from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero's marketing that Toei included scenes of Goku and Vegeta (and Broly) in the movie in order to put them in the marketing for the film. Every trailer for Super Hero made sure to tease us with shots of Goku, Vegeta, and Broly in battle – never really hinting that these were all just one scene early in the film, and just sparring sessions. 

While the promotional campaign for the film did admit that Gohan and Piccolo were the focus of Super Hero's story, the visual marketing for the film made sure that Goku, Vegeta, and aged-up versions of Goten and Trunks all showed up as well. It gave an impression of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and its fights that was arguably misleading – but perhaps not without good reason. It is a fact that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero's international success has only been offset by its lower performance in Japan – and Goku and Vegeta's reduced role in the film has been speculated to be a major contributing reason for that. So some bait-and-switch marketing with Goku and Vegeta may have felt necessary. 

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(Photo: Toei Animation)

That all said: it's clear that Toei made the decision to risk Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero on a Gohan and Piccolo story, and they should have just committed to that risk. It weirdly would've been easier for continuity if Super Hero was a side story taking place while Goku and Vegeta were completely absent and occupied with the events of the Dragon Ball Super manga. As it stands, there's a lot of "is it canon, is it not canon," timeline confusion that seems to be happening around Super Hero. 

In the end Dragon Ball is always going to lean on its tried-and-true elements in every project – but as the franchise continues to expand into mainstream success, being able to do spinoff stories with other characters is going to be key. So if this was the test lab for that expansion, let the results speak for themselves: Dragon Ball doesn't need Goku and Vegeta to make bank in the global market.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is now in theaters worldwide. 

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