A massive influence on today’s millennials and a widely known anime, Dragon Ball has managed to amass quite the following ever since its original run back in 1989. Starting with Goku, our original titular character, and also the main hero whom everyone initially, or eventually, banks upon to save their world, Dragon Ball is arguably one of the first fighting anime that had a global impact on tweens. Considering that anime has been around for more than 40 years, there is a lot to pick apart in terms of its storylines, arcs, tournaments, characters, and everything else that transpires in between.
We’re showing our appreciation for Dragon Ball in this article by rating its movies, some canon and some not, to show just how heart-pumping and exciting the series could truly become. Many of the most epic fights, character arcs, and locations have been explored in these movies, and you wouldn’t want to miss even a frame of their cinematic awesomeness. For these reasons, consider setting yourself up with att internet plans for maximum viewing quality when it comes to these amazing movies. Rest assured, a good connection would be pivotal in letting you truly take in the story as well as the action.
And now, without further ado, let’s get into our movies!
Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
Frieza’s elder brother and a menace in his own right, Cooler can’t stand defeat. A characteristic that the entire Frieza clan seems to have in common. In Return of Cooler, the audience is treated to a metallic version of Cooler who has recuperated from his defeat at the hands of Goku last time only to come back to New Namek to drain its life form. Tactfully attracting our goody-two-shoes hero in the process.
Cooler’s new body can be considered akin to that of Metal Frieza, but where Frieza had a more grunge, put-together look, Cooler’s is more defined, seamless, and quite intimidating. Regardless, that doesn’t stop Goku from beating his butt once more to establish that whatever Frieza’s family dishes out, Earth’s mighty warriors will be there to end it.
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
Super Saiyans are known to be hot-tempered rascals who stop at nothing to push their boundaries in the quest to become the best. Usually, our Super Saiyans consist of good people like Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, and Gohan, who are situated on Earth and are dedicated to fighting the good fight. Now imagine a descendant of the Saiyan race who knows nothing of his origins, has no friends, is consistently brainwashed, and is kept in pain. His only friend is a huge worm native to the planet he lives on.
Sad, isn’t it? That kid is Broly, and his father, in order to test his limits, pits him against Goku and Vegeta. Both parties are confused as to why they are fighting each other, and in the chaos & confusion, reach their respective limits. This causes Broly to go berserk and tap into his Super Saiyan potential, effectively making him a white-eyeballed beast who bashes our heroes for the better duration of the movie. Excitement!
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn
Fusion Reborn is perhaps one of the most favorite DBZ movies to exist and will remain so because of the sole reason that it introduces the legendary fusion of Goku and Vegeta; Gogeta! You’d expect both our heroes to fuse together on Earth, alive and well, while fighting against a terrifying enemy. But you couldn’t be more wrong. The entire fight takes place in hell, a hell that looks like a child’s puzzle. The villain is Janemba, who in his initial form is a giant, cuddly-looking monster who does nothing more than makes snorting sounds while he is repeatedly bashed by Goku and Vegeta.
After having taken enough damage, Janemba then transforms into a much smaller, sleeker, and more agile version of its former self. Effectively overpowering both our heroes and forcing them to use the fusion dance to become Gogeta. The fight that entails next is a pleasure to watch, ending with Gogeta using his final move; the Stardust Breaker, to obliterate Super Janemba once and for all.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Super Hero opts to take the road less traveled by shining a light on some of our lesser featured heroes; Piccolo and Gohan. Admittedly, Piccolo has been underutilized as of late and, thankfully, has been thrown back into the fray by Toei Animation. Gohan had more or less the same fate until the advent of this movie. Both the master and the student go up against the same organization that was responsible for making the Androids.
The movie also features Gohan’s new Super Saiyan mode that, although he keeps his hair black, turns his eyes a menacing red. Upping his power ten times in the process and jogging up his fighting back to the glory days when he took on Cell.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap on the best movies we have for you in the Dragon Ball franchise. A couple of these are available here and there on streaming platforms, but if you want to get the full experience, then consider setting up an account on Crunchyroll.