Summary
A prospective live-actionDragon Balladaptation needs to break the anime’s timeline and start at a very specific point. The long-running franchise has gone through several iterations over the years, with the whimsy ofDragon Ballbuilding to the more combat-heavyDragon Ball Z, the controversial (and non-canon)Dragon Ball GT, and the modernDragon Ball Super. However, the most prominent attempt to bring the series to live-action,Dragon Ball Evolution, ended up failing to recreate what makes the original anime series so special.
Figuring out how to properly bring the series to live-action can be tricky. While some pieces of the puzzle (likethe potential casting of Goku) seem obvious, other aspects are harder to parse out.This includes figuring out where to begin the adaptation, as there are several solid jumping-on points from the original. The best one for a film adaptation takes place at a crucial junction in theDragon Balltimeline, while serving as an ideal way to highlight the extended cast, high-octane action, and sheer scope of theDragon Ballfranchise at its best.
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If a live-action Dragon Ball Z movie ever comes to fruition, one actor from HBO’s Warrior is the only choice to play Vegeta, Goku’s long-time rival.
A Live-Action Dragon Ball Movie Should Skip Straight To The Saiyan Saga
Why Any New Live-ActionDragon BallAdaptation Should Start WithDragon Ball Z
Any prospective new live-actionDragon Ballneeds to skip the events ofDragon Balland start withDragon Ball Z’s “Saiyan Saga.“Dragon Ballhad already been a long-running series by the events ofDragon Ball Z. Taking place five years after the ending ofDragon Ball,Dragon Ball Z’s opening storyline forced rivals Goku and Piccolo to work together to defeat Raditz. Goku’s long-lost brother, Raditz expanded the scope by revealing Goku’s alien origins and set up several plotlines that built to the arrival of his allies Vegeta and Nappa for a massive series of battles.
The “Saiyan Saga” is a great way to set up what makesDragon Ballsuch a cool franchise. The storyline features many ofDragon Ball’s characters uniting to confront Vegeta and Nappa, giving a potential film an easy way to set up a larger cast at once. Shifting toDragon Ball Zwould allow the adaptation to focus on plenty of fan-favorite characters like Piccolo, Gohan, and Vegeta on top of showcasing Goku. It’s also an action-heavy saga, allowing the filmmakers to bring the franchise’s trademark action to the forefront of any adaptation.
Why The Original Dragon Ball Is Hard To Bring To Modern Film
A Wacky Tone & Dated Characters Make The Adaptation Process Surprisingly Tricky
Dragon Ballis a beloved piece of anime history, butadapting the original series for modern audiences is a tricky proposition. It’s a massive series with several storylines that cover Goku’s growth from an unnaturally strong child to an impressive fighter and would require a lot of time centered on an unrealistically young protagonist. Elements of the original series feel dated compared to modern views, especially when it comes to characters like Master Roshi and Oolong.Dragon Ball’s focus on goofy visuals and characters works well in animation but might be harder to believably pull off in live-action.
The evidence of this can be found inthe infamously badDragon Ball Evolution, which took several elements fromDragon Balland tried to filter them through modern archetypes like the “high school superhero.” The result was a messy film that was overburdened with exposition and bland characters. Dropping the whimsical and ridiculous elements ofDragon Ballremoved a lot of the fun, resulting in a poor adaptation. Jumping toDragon Ball Z, which has a greater balance of dangerous stakes and action with goofy antics and quirky characters, would be a better showcase for the franchise.
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Dragon Ball Z Could Be A Huge Film Franchise (& Could Always Return To Dragon Ball Later)
The Saiyan Saga Highlights All The Ingredients That MakeDragon BallSpecial
Dragon Ball Zis an ideal place to jump-start a live-actionDragon Ballfranchise, as it introduces some of the show’s most memorable elements and underscores the power of the supporting cast. The true character arc of the “Saiyan Saga” isn’t found with Goku but with Piccolo, whose mentorship of Gohan steadily transforms him from a villain into a hero. Starting with the “Saiyan Saga” would draw attention to the potential of that expanded cast while still giving Goku an arc that would benefit his goofy personality and impressive fighting skills.
Notably, jumping straight into the events ofDragon Ball Zwouldn’t prevent the series from exploring the events ofDragon Ball. If a film franchise exploded out of a prospective live-actionDragon Ball Z,prequels focusing on Goku’s younger years could flesh out that story.Dragon Ball Evolutiontried to mimic the more intense action ofDragon Ball Zwithin the framework ofDragon Ball, and it didn’t work. Just skipping toDragon Ball Zfor an adaptation of the franchise could underscore the potential of the series and kick things off with an exciting and compelling story.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
