Dragon Ball’s Next Anime Proves the Best Version of Z Isn’t the One Fans Grew Up With

Dragon Ball is one of the most influential anime series ever made, and even after 40 years, the franchise is showing no signs of slowing down.

Dragon Ball will be coming out with two new series in the future: Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Prisoner Patrol Saga, animating the manga arc of the same name, and Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, a remake of the first arc of Dragon Ball Super that will hopefully fix a lot of the glaring errors the series has become known for.

Dragon Ball Super: Beerus in particular is an interesting remake, and it’s not the first time that the Dragon Ball franchise has looked to correct its mistakes. Dragon Ball Z Kai is known as one of the best additions to the franchise because of how well it came out, and hopefully, the same can be said for Dragon Ball Super: Beerus.

Dragon Ball Is an All-Time Great

Dragon Ball might be the single most important anime franchise in existence. Its influence can be found throughout the art form, and it’s no exaggeration to say that anime as a whole wouldn’t be the same without it. Every shōnen series that has come after has walked a path first tread by Dragon Ball.

The Dragon Ball anime is officially 40 years old. It’s a historic feat that only a handful of other series can compare to. Most series would be lucky to reach half of a decade, and even after four, Dragon Ball isn’t slowing down whatsoever.

Dragon Ball Has Two New Series Coming Out

Earlier this year, it was announced that Dragon Ball would be releasing two new series sooner rather than later. Dragon Ball Super will finally come back after a major hiatus with the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, bringing one of the strongest villains in Dragon Ball to the screen.

Moro is one of the oddest enemies that Goku and the rest of the Z Fighters have ever faced, and that’s saying something. His powers are hard to comprehend, and Goku is going to have to upgrade his arsenal if he wants to stand toe-to-toe against his newest foe.

Goku isn’t the only character who is going to need an upgrade in the newest installment of Dragon Ball: Vegeta is already incredibly powerful, but the Prince of all Saiyans is about to get a ridiculous upgrade that will finally give him an edge over his rival.

Dragon Ball Z Might Be The Franchise’s Best, But…

Out of every entry into the Dragon Ball franchise, there isn’t one series looked upon more fondly than Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball started the franchise out, focusing on martial arts and humor. Dragon Ball GT has a few decent qualities but not enough to overlook the many poor qualities that it brings to the table.

Dragon Ball DAIMA and Dragon Ball Super are the latest additions to the Dragon Ball franchise, and while they’re both excellent in their own ways, they don’t have the same magic as Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball Z has some of the best fights in the franchise, easily the best character designs, and the absolute best transformation in the art form.

While Dragon Ball Z is the pinnacle of the Dragon Ball franchise, it isn’t perfect. There are a couple of annoying aspects about the show that haven’t aged well, and that’s exactly where Dragon Ball Z Kai comes in.

… Dragon Ball Z Kai Is Even Better

Dragon Ball Z Kai is the remastered version of Dragon Ball Z. It fixes a ton of issues that marred the original series, including problems surrounding pacing, lighting, and more. At the time, it didn’t feel like the most necessary move, but Dragon Ball Z Kai has aged gracefully and has created serious merit around its own existence.

Dragon Ball Z Kai is setting a good precedent for Dragon Ball Super: Beerus. The original Dragon Ball Super, like Dragon Ball Z, has a few flaws that a remaster can fix fairly easily. The Dragon Ball franchise has already corrected one of their best entries, and it should be even easier for them to do it a second time around.

Will Dragon Ball Super: Beerus Fix Dragon Ball Super?

Dragon Ball Super: Beerus has an opportunity to fix Dragon Ball Super’s biggest errors. The animation behind the first arc of Dragon Ball Super is outrageously bad and made even worse when Dragon Ball’s standing within the world of anime is taken into consideration.

Dragon Ball is one of the best anime franchises of all time, so how could Dragon Ball Super be animated so poorly? It’s a question that may never be answered, but with the inclusion of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, it doesn’t have to be. Dragon Ball Super: Beerus can upgrade the animation and make Dragon Ball look as good as it deserves to look.

Dragon Ball Super: Beerus also has a chance to fix a few of the glaring retcons and plot holes created by the Dragon Ball franchise. The biggest plot hole that it can fix is the inclusion of Super Saiyan 4. If Dragon Ball DAIMA occurs between the ending of Dragon Ball Z and the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, Goku should have used Super Saiyan 4 in his fight against Beerus.

Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is a step in the right direction for the Dragon Ball franchise. Nobody is complaining about getting more Dragon Ball, especially if the series is focused on stepping up the overall quality in a few key areas. Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is also a reminder that remasters matter, and that Dragon Ball Z Kai started this idea over a decade ago.