Dragon Ball Super Poll Reveals Which Art Style Fans Like the Most

Dragon Ball Super has opened the floodgates of fan opinion, with a poll that posits a very divisive question: which art style has served Dragon Ball Super best – and would serve the series best as it moves forward. The main decision – as embodied in a poll from @DBSChronicles – is between Naohiro Shintani and Chikashi Kubota, two of the most influential artistic influences on modern Dragon Ball anime. Shintani re-invented the artistic style of Dragon Ball for Dragon Ball Super‘s first movie, Broly. Kubota has created Dragon Ball visuals like none other – including Dragon Ball‘s first use of CGI visual effects. 

So which style should Dragon Ball Super use in its next anime? The Shintani Style? Or the Kubota Style? According to the poll… 

Not surprisingly, the Shintani Style of Dragon Ball anime has the lead on Kubota Style. When Dragon Ball Super: Broly‘s first teaser was released, the new look of the animation was the talk of Dragon Ball fandom. Shintani really wanted to take Dragon Ball to a new place, especially after there was such a big break after the anime had ended and faded from mind. Shintani and director Tatsuya Nagimine wanted to break the mold of Dragon Ball and did – much to fan delight. Shintani has – by all measure – become the new icon of Dragon Ball, and the push for his vision to be THE vision of the series is substantial. 

Of course, we can’t discount the fact that Chikashi Kubota is ranking so highly in the polling. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero hasn’t even rolled out in theaters across the globe yet (just Japan and a few other markets), so a lot of fans haven’t actually gotten the chance to see new animation style in motion (high definition, non-bootlegged) yet. There’s also been no small amount of backlash to the idea that Kubota and director Tetsuro Kodama are using CGI in their animation. And yet, Super Hero seems to be hitting with fans, big time, and Kubota is getting particular love for how his animation invokes (but updates) Tadayoshi Yamamuro’s iconic Dragon Ball Z style. 

It’ll be interesting to see how opinions shift as Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero continues to have its theatrical run – and what opportunities for new anime arise after the film. We already know that one new Dragon Ball Super anime is in the works – whatever it may be: 

“Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a movie that was made not only for the Japanese audience but with the whole world in mind. Dragon Ball is a series that Japan is very proud of, so we felt a sense of responsibility while working on the movie. We’re indeed releasing it in America this summer as well! What? ‘What comes next’? Well, if you’re asking, a new entry on the series is already in the making! Super Hero took us five years to make, so it’s only natural we’re already working on what comes next! Toriyama-sensei himself is always working on new Dragon Ball concepts and ideas, after all. We’re all thinking about what we want to show the world next.” 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is now in theaters.