Does Dragon Ball Super Need to Copy Dragon Ball Z Once It Returns?

Dragon Ball Super anime has been on hiatus for going on two years now, and in that time fans have [...]

By Kofi Outlaw

Is Dragon Ball Super New Anime Better Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Super anime has been on hiatus for going on two years now, and in that time fans have had plenty of ideas about how the series should continue when it returns. While the anime is on pause, the Dragon Ball Super manga has been going strong, and recently we broke down how the new arc has been thankfully giving us some much-needed Dragon Ball Z nostalgia. That discussion seemed to spark a larger and more interesting one among fans: Does Dragon Ball Super need to go back to the Dragon Ball Z formula when it returns?

To put it in the most simple terms: it couldn't hurt.

In case you don't read the Dragon Ball Super manga (or our excellent coverage of it here on Comicbook.com): the manga's new story arc features an ancient villain of the past (Planet-Eater Moro) finally breaking loose from Galactic Patrol Prison and wreaking havoc on the universe. Moro's life-draining power and formidable magic has already resulted in the destruction of New Namek; the near-extinction of the Namekian people; not to mention the near-deaths of both Goku and Vegeta. As a result, Goku and Vegeta split up and each sought out new forms of training that will allow them to defeat Moro; meanwhile on Earth, the Dragon Ball Z-Fighter squad has been left to defend the planet against Moro and his new gang of magically-powered escaped convicts. As of the latest issue of the manga, Goku has just made it back to Earth in the nick of time before his family and friends are killed, ready for the final showdown with Moro.

If that all sounds like the plot of a Dragon Ball Z storyline, it pretty much is. You can take your pick which arc it resembles the most (Vegeta, Freeza, Cell, Majin Buu) but one thing is clear: with Dragon Ball Super's "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" Arc, Akira Toriyama and his mangaka protege Toyotaro are definitely going back to the basics, in the best way. The new villain is actually fearsome and frightening, with an origin that's deeply woven into the franchise mythos. The fights aren't the same kind of pure fan-service power spectacles that Dragon Ball Super became famous for - they actually have serious stakes and tension, with actual story points and battle strategies built into them. Best of all: Goku and Vegeta's increasingly gimmicky power-ups provide no easy win against a villain that can consume their Super Saiyan energies. That's opened the door to Dragon Ball exploring new kinds of power-ups that may actually be rooted deeper in the larger mythos of The Saiyans and Divine Races, which has been the real thematic fulcrum of Dragon Ball Super all along.

It's not hard to see why Dragon Ball fans are overwhelmingly enjoying the latest manga arc, as it's basically a curative for most of things fans have long criticized for. So, when discussing Dragon Ball Super's it's probably reasonable to ask if the manga's "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" arc isn't the best way to start the next anime. But even if that's not the direction Toei goes with the series, the lessons that the manga have taught us are clear: Dragon Ball Z is still the best the franchise has ever been, and it's time for Dragon Ball Super to power-up to that level.

The Japanese-language and English dub releases of Dragon Ball Super are now complete and available to stream with FunimationNOW and Crunchyroll. Viz Media is releasing new chapters of the manga at a monthly rate that can be read entirely for free through the Shonen Jump digital library, and Dragon Ball Super's big movie, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Fans in Japan are also able to enjoy fresh non-canon adventures from the franchise with new episodes of Super Dragon Ball Heroes' promotional anime series.

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