The Dragon Ball franchise is an anime heavyweight with an illustration history spanning almost forty years.
In that time fans have witnessed the franchise’s characters achieve many astonishing feats and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
The Super Saiyan duo Goku and Vegeta have been at the forefront of all the recent story arcs and battles, with the ongoing Granolah arc pushing the pair to new highs.
This focus on Goku and Vegeta’s evolution has somewhat pushed many key characters into supporting roles with next to no development other than what was seen in the Tournament of Power or briefly in the Moro arc.
But the latest movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is finally giving fan favourites such as Piccolo and Gohan their time in the spotlight.
Directed by Tetsuro Kodama, Super Hero is a direct sequel to the Broly movie, which was the first Dragon Ball film considered to be canon to the main anime.
But fans will have to see how Super Hero fits into Dragon Ball Super’s story which is currently wrapping up the Granolah the Survivor Saga.
The plot of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a major call back to one of the first evil organisations Goku went up against, called The Red Ribbon Army who has been resurrected.
This new rendition of the Red Ribbon Army sees its new torch bearers, Dr Hedo and Magenta construct two new powerful Androids to do battle with the series’ heroes.
But with Goku and Vegeta nowhere to be seen, prompting Piccolo and Gohan to step up the fight.
The Dragon Ball universe is huge with so many races and characters, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see them try something different.
The film really wants to put Gohan at the forefront with so many references to the past and the big question of ‘what if he didn’t stop training, however, I feel Piccolo really steals the show here.
Super Hero presents Piccolo in such a different light, foregoing his stoic demeanour, he is a wittier, funnier character which is mainly due to his relationship with Pan.
Other characters such as Bluma, Beerus and Whis also show off new character traits that add an extra dimension to them.
It’s just great to see a lot more emphasis placed on other characters within the franchise other than Goku and Vegeta.
Dragon Ball Super has done a fantastic job at expanding the franchise's lore and Super Hero goes further by adding many new additions that fans will be surprised and excited to see.
What I also loved about Super Hero is how self-aware the movie is, making light of topics such as Piccolo’s father and son relationship with Gohan or how it addresses Goten and Trunks growth spurts.
Unlike the Broly film which was a much more sombre affair, that constantly played on viewers' heartstrings.
Super Hero really accentuates the comedic tone of the franchise with every character whipping out puns or engaging in hilarious banter.
The series has never been one to shy away from humour but Super Hero just turns it up a notch, which might make the film more accessible for newcomers who aren’t there solely for the action.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a joyous ride from start to finish that finds the right balance between the different story elements, especially how it progresses the narrative through its action sequences.
It’s great to see a scenario where Goku and Vegeta take a back seat that has worked superbly with the new additions of the Gammas and Pan elevating the overall experience.
But what’s even better is that Piccolo and Gohan finally get the screen time they deserve and we can only hope that there will be more focus on other supporting characters in the future.
Super Hero also has another franchise first, which is the film being in CGI. This new punchy aesthetic is a far cry from the Shintani style seen in the Broly movie, but the animators did a phenomenal job at adapting the franchise's original look to this new approach.
There were a few moments where some of the characters looked a bit stiff or a little awkward, however, the new CGI style really shone during the most important parts which are the battles.
The earth-shattering fight scenes feature amazing choreography retaining the quick zooms during attacks and slick camera angles that fans are used to seeing.
The fights maintain the series' colourful chaos with the CGI locations adding an extra scope making every battle feel that much grander.
The animation worked really well allowing characters to express themselves like never seen before in 3D
It wasn’t all perfect but it was great to see the attention to detail paid by the animators granting the fans a new visual experience.
Verdict 4/5
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is another great entry into the ever-growing franchise. It’s really remarkable that even after thirty-eight years the franchise is still finding ways to keep fans on the edge of their seats by constantly challenging its own tradition, whether that be through characters, animation style or even storytelling.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero certainly treads a lot of new ground that will allow it to appeal to a much wider audience but at its core, it is very much a Dragon Ball film that fans of the series will cherish.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is set for a limited release from 19 August
