Dragon Ball Super Needs to Bring Back the Other World Tournament

The team behind Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball Unit reportedly mentioned how the next Dragon Ball Super film is already in the works. While that’s already an exciting prospect, the most alluring thing about the idea is that the team is aiming for something “probably totally different” from what happened in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. So what could be as effective as the fight with Broly, but tread different ground? How about something more…emotional?

Though Dragon Ball Super has shown it in short bursts, the series should bring back the Other World in full for whatever the next movie is. Why? Because it allows for a major connection to the deaths in Dragon Ball Super: Broly as it could open up the door for all sorts of big Saiyan reunions.

With Broly, Gogeta, and potentially Super Saiyan 4 joining the series canon officially, it means anything from the franchise’s past can be made canon if there’s a particularly high popularity with fans or if it’s an interesting story. One story that meets both of these qualifications is the fan-favorite Other World Tournament arc from Dragon Ball Z.

Not only would this bring characters like Pikkon into the series officially (which could also lead to Janemba), this could set up an interesting angle for Goku and Vegeta as they search for new challenges following the Tournament of Power. Because after fighting the multiverse and potentially the most powerful opponent in Universe 7, what’s left really?

The Other World has a history of including both heroes and villains of the series, and this grey area could include the Saiyans killed by Freeza. Have a new Kai, or one of the already established ones, bring in the Saiyans to win the Other World Tournament and Supreme Kai then recruits Goku and Vegeta because of it. Knowing them, they would definitely fight the other Saiyans and wouldn’t just shut down the tournament right away.

With Bardock, Gine, and King Vegeta getting such a big focus in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, this would be a good way to connect the two films and make this film a soft-sequel rather than the completely isolated adventures of films past. Bringing in the perished Saiyans would be a way to connect the films without alienating those who might not have seen Dragon Ball Super: Broly too.

Bringing in the Other World Tournament would lead to all sorts of fan-service laden fights on par with Gogeta vs. Broly, but have far more emotional and narrative resonance for Goku and Vegeta. Goku vs. Pikkon 2, Vegeta vs. Pikkon, Bardock vs. Pikkon, Goku vs. Bardock, King Vegeta vs. Vegeta, Bardock vs. Vegeta, etc the possibilities are endless here.

As for the climax, how about bringing Super Saiyan Bardock into the canon officially? For pitches’ sake, let’s say Janemba ends up being the villain of the film. He eventually gets so strong, that Goku and Bardock are the only ones left standing. In one final, climactic attack, the two of them work together and both go Super Saiyan for the last push! The team can even take this one fan-service step further and have it mirror Goku working with Gohan against Cell at the end of Dragon Ball Z.

Though Goku has never really mentioned missing his parents (and these days he never seems to think about Grandpa Gohan either), seeing and working so closely with his father and mother could stir these feelings in him. This would be fulfilling something fans have been hoping to see as Goku gets more emotional development. This would also be great for Vegeta.

Having Vegeta see his father and Saiyan people once more will show Vegeta just far he’s come. Make theirs a prickly dynamic to be a foil to Goku and Bardock’s (or vice versa) and this would be all the better. It’s just odd that despite the Dragon Ball universe establishing that a physical afterlife exists that it would never try to bring the Saiyans into it.

Now there doesn’t need to be another Other World Tournament to make this happen, but wouldn’t it just be fun to see? There’s no need to completely reinvent the wheel when the franchise has so much non-canon material to potentially adapt. Not only would it automatically feel different thanks to Goku and Vegeta’s current power levels, but the franchise has opened up fans to accepting all kinds of possibilities and stories now. Why not bring the Other World Tournament back?

Now, what do you think? Would you like to see the Other World Tournament in the next Dragon Ball Super movie or anime? Let us know in the comments or talk to me on Twitter @Valdezology!