Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has surpassed its humble shonen origins to transform into an international sensation that’s influenced not just other anime and manga, but pop culture as a whole. Toriyama’s run on Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z surpassed expectations and reached a satisfying conclusion after 444 episodes and 519 manga chapters. Dragon Ball Z’s finale brings Toriyama’s magnum opus to an appropriate ending. That being said, it’s difficult for a successful property that’s still financially viable to be put out to pasture.
Toriyama had seemingly said everything that he wanted about Dragon Ball when the anime aired its final episode in 1996. However, audiences were surprised – and excited – when Dragon Ball Z’s final episode was followed by an ad for a brand-new sequel – Dragon Ball GT – that would be airing the following week. Dragon Ball GT isn’t an inherently bad idea, but it’s a cautionary tale about how too much of a good thing can sour a franchise and burn bridges with fandom. Dragon Ball GT was released nearly three decades ago, but its dark shadow still hangs over the franchise today. Fans have struggled to view Dragon Ball GT with fresh eyes and an open mind, which is unfortunate because there’s still a lot to love in this ambitious sequel that was personally praised by Toriyama.
Dragon Ball GT Is A Filler-Free Story That Combines Dragon Ball’s Levity With DBZ’s Action
Image via Toei Animation
Each separate Dragon Ball anime has a distinct energy, but the grander franchise is both aided and encumbered by the fact that each series attempts to seamlessly connect to its predecessor. Accordingly, Dragon Ball GT picks up five years after Dragon Ball Z’s Peaceful World Saga and directly pays off what’s teased in its finale. This continuation is appreciated, but it also results in a jarring tonal whiplash, which was enough for plenty of fans to abandon Dragon Ball GT before it really even got going. It makes sense that mature Dragon Ball fans who grew up watching the series would be opposed to a sudden pivot to more light-hearted, juvenile storytelling that’s akin to the original Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball GT even goes one step further and literally transforms Goku into a child and then pairs him together with his nine-year-old granddaughter Pan. This is admittedly a controversial way to kick off the series, but it quickly finds its footing and finds a way to adept Dragon Ball’s levity with Dragon Ball Z’s action-oriented storytelling.
Furthermore, one of the biggest hurdles that Dragon Ball GT faced is that it immediately followed Dragon Ball Z and didn’t give the audience more of an opportunity to reset their expectations. It makes sense for Dragon Ball to strike while the iron is still hot, but context is crucial and it’s fascinating to consider what a little distance can do. Audiences would have likely been more forgiving of Dragon Ball GT’s introductory Black Star Dragon Ball Saga if it aired a year or even six months after Dragon Ball Z’s finale, so that the series could get out of its own way and have a little more breathing room. Dragon Ball DAIMA’s warm reception is proof that this type of story can work. It just needs to be delivered at the right time. The “tainted” reception to Dragon Ball GT’s first storyline was further reinforced by the anime’s English dub. Funimation (now Crunchyroll) made the bold decision to skip Dragon Ball GT’s first 16 episodes, only to later release them as “Lost Episodes.” North American audiences were conditioned to believe that Dragon Ball GT’s beginning is bad before they even got a chance to watch it and form their own opinions.
There are also plenty of arguments that both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Super also begin with similar growing pains, especially the latter. This means that this isn’t an issue that’s specific to Dragon Ball GT, but Dragon Ball in general. However, it’s easier to gang up on Dragon Ball GT because it only has a fraction of the episodes of its predecessors, which ultimately magnifies any of its misfires. Dragon Ball GT is only 64 episodes, in comparison to Dragon Ball’s 153 episodes, Dragon Ball Z’s 291 episodes, and Dragon Ball Super’s 131 episodes. Dragon Ball GT’s shorter episode count is frequently cited as the result of plummeting ratings. Dragon Ball GT’s ratings weren’t always great, but it’s a large assumption that this is why it’s a shorter series. Part of Dragon Ball GT’s advent as an anime-original series is that it wouldn’t have to struggle with filler episodes – or even sagas – which became endemic to Dragon Ball Z. Part of Dragon Ball GT’s purpose was to deliver more concise storytelling that wouldn’t be pushed to focus on a single fight for dozens of episodes, like Goku and Frieza’s clash in Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball GT’s conception as a “filler-free” Dragon Ball series was meant to make the anime more accessible, regarding both its lack of padding and a substantially less intimidating episode count.
Dragon Ball GT Actually Feels Like A Sequel That Builds Upon Old Ideas
Image via Toei Animation
Each new Dragon Ball series technically functions as a sequel that builds upon its predecessors. However, Dragon Ball GT goes above and beyond in this regard. Each of its sagas all call back to a concept, villain, or relationship from Dragon Ball Z or the original series. There are some fans who attack this as hollow nostalgia, but Dragon Ball GT handles these ideas in a considerably more natural manner that’s less gratuitous and manipulative than Dragon Ball Super and DAIMA’s approach to the past. A sequel should feel like more than just a story with the same characters that’s set later in the timeline. There needs to be a proper point of view and purpose for digging up the past. Dragon Ball GT is so successful on this front because it wisely begins with a nostalgic obstacle that directly connects to Dragon Ball’s first real antagonist – Emperor Pilaf. Dragon Ball Super haphazardly brings back old characters like Frieza, Cell, and Future Trunks, the likes of which seldom improve upon their original appearances. In fact, they even run the risk of diluting these characters’ impact and reversing their growth that made them so compelling in the first place.
Dragon Ball GT is full of familiar faces from Goku’s past, but it also looks for Dragon Ball remnants that make sense to bring back, such as Piccolo and Kami’s un-fused Nameless Namekian, the Saiyans’ conflict with the Tuffles, World Martial Arts Tournaments, Great Apes, fusion, and a legacy of reckless Dragon Ball wishes that finally start to catch up with the characters. Dragon Ball GT’s concluding Shadow Dragon Saga might actually be the most nostalgic storyline from any Dragon Ball series due to how each Shadow Dragon encounter triggers a look back to a Dragon Ball wish from earlier in the franchise. There are also plenty of cameos in Dragon Ball GT that are a little shaggier and less justified, but none of these overstay their welcome or attempt to take over the narrative. Besides a two-on-one clash between Frieza, Cell, and Goku, a rematch between Vegeta and Nappa, and random Saibamen rampages are more fulfilling than Dragon Ball Super’s return of Barry Kahn or the Great Saiyaman.
Finally, Dragon Ball GT doesn’t get enough credit for having the strongest final episode of any Dragon Ball series. It’s also still the most fitting conclusion to the grander saga and it makes perfect sense that Dragon Ball would conclude with the Dragon Balls’ disappearance and the world learning how to solve their own problems without them. Dragon Ball GT’s final episode is one big extended goodbye, where Goku touches base with the most important people in his life, such as Krillin, Master Roshi, Piccolo, and Bulma. Goku’s Super Ultra Spirit Bomb that secures Omega Shenron’s destruction is also such a touching blast of the past. Once all this is said and done, Dragon Ball GT flashes forward 100 years to a retcon-free future that would be easy to follow-up on for a new series, rather than the problems that modern Dragon Ball has faced without passing the Peaceful World Saga.
Dragon Ball GT’s Goku Time Problem Is Amended Through Creative & Challenging Combat
Image via Toei Animation
Dragon Ball is a multifaceted series that has far more to offer than simply heightened fight sequences. That being said, Dragon Ball’s combat is frequently the franchise’s biggest talking point. Dragon Ball GT’s acronym is comically dismissed to stand for “Goku Time” as a reference to how he’s the only character who gets to defeat any notable villain. Dragon Ball GT is certainly more focused on Goku than other Dragon Ball series and it’s understandably frustrating that so many powerful characters with potential, such as Goten, Trunks, Gohan, and Piccolo, are essentially ignored. Vegeta is even shelved for Dragon Ball GT’s first-quarter. Goku repeatedly leading the charge in battle can occasionally get repetitive, but Dragon Ball GT eventually shows some love to Uub, Vegeta, Pan, and Goku and Vegeta’s fused form, Gogeta.
Goku is present in essentially every Dragon Ball GT fight, but there’s at least exceptional combat on display. Goku’s fight against Baby Vegeta, for instance, is easily on par with Goku and Vegeta’s initial Saiyan Saga clash. It reaches the same heightened theatricality through its incorporation of Golden Great Apes and the introduction of Super Saiyan 4. Dragon Ball Z’s Majin Vegeta and Goku fight continues to receive praise, but there’s a strong case to be made for why Goku versus Baby Vegeta is the superior battle. Dragon Ball GT’s seven Shadow Dragons also feature eclectic battle strategies that stem from each antagonist’s creative abilities (which could also be said for the Machine Mutants, despite being a clunkier topic). The seven Shadow Dragons are united, but each of these fights still feels completely different, even if they all conclude with Goku taking out the enemy.
Dragon Ball GT also reaches an exciting turning point upon Goku’s aforementioned Super Saiyan 4 upgrade. This transformation has become an essential combat tool that’s so beloved that it’s gone on to surpass Dragon Ball GT itself. Super Saiyan 4 has found its way into multiple Dragon Ball video games, some of which don’t include any other Dragon Ball GT material, before its momentous and canonical debut in Dragon Ball DAIMA. Dragon Ball DAIMA could have introduced a completely original transformation for Goku, but its decision to return to Dragon Ball GT’s Super Saiyan 4 form is a testament to its lasting legacy. Dragon Ball Super may present its Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue forms as the superior transformations, but there’s no denying that Super Saiyan 4 is more ambitious and creative. It does more than just a generic palette swap for the Saiyan’s hair and aura. Dragon Ball DAIMA’s success proves that Dragon Ball GT’s ideas are not just valid, but beloved. Fans just need to stop self-sabotaging and give Dragon Ball GT a real chance that’s not steeped in outdated criticisms.
