What if ‘Dragon Ball Super’ Was Made in the 90s?

Fans have reacted to Dragon Ball Super‘s animation, and have generally agreed that it has gotten better as the series progressed. But how would it look if it were made in the 1990s?

One artist took on the challenge of translation a few key scenes into a more Dragon Ball Z fitting style, and the results are full of nostalgia.

Salavdor Vera Llanos took to DeviantArt to upload a number of key moments in Dragon Ball Super to look more like Z and the results sure are eye-opening.

You can find more examples on his DeviantArt page, such as his take on the “Future Trunks” saga, Golden Frieza, and many other notable moments.

Dragon Ball Super hit some road bumps when it first aired because the “Battle of Gods” arc was mostly derided online as the art often seemed juvenile, or off model considering what most fans were expecting with Dragon Ball‘s first native HD animated series.

But perhaps those first several episodes were more of a practice run and the production team eventually found a groove because the current Tournament of Power in the “Universal Survival” arc has resulted in some of the best animation of the series.

Goku‘s first transformation into the Ultra Instinct state was a huge moment for fans because of its animation. Not only was this part of an hour long special episode, but just looking at Goku‘s Ultra Instinct state and the differences it shares with the rest of Goku’s storied transformations implies that there has been a great increase in quality.

A more recent example would be Goku’s long battle with Kefla. It not only ended in Goku’s best attack ever, but the episode before had a Super Saiyan God Goku being pushed back by an increasingly strong Kefla. The last big moment of the tournament had Android 17 and 18 fighting the remaining members of Universe 2, and ended with Android 18 delivering one of the cooler moments in the tournament as she climbed a giant Ribrianne. Goku’s inevitable rematch with Jiren will be a sight to behold as well.

It is always fun to look back and imagine, however, as many fans still appreciate the raw passion that went into most of Dragon Ball Z‘s more memorable moments.

Dragon Ball Super‘s “Universal Survival” arc is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swim airs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 11:30 p.m.

What do you think of this throwback look for Dragon Ball Super? Talk to me @Valdezology.