The Dragon Ball Movie that Made Fans Realise There’s Life Outside of Goku Only Existed to Give Piccolo a Fresh Transformation

For decades, Goku’s rise through increasingly powerful transformations has defined the Dragon Ball series, captivating audiences worldwide. However, as the series progressed, this reliance on the protagonist, Goku began to raise questions among fans: Could the franchise thrive without him at the center at some point? Well, yes, they somewhat can, as Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the 2022 movie challenged this notion by shifting the spotlight to other characters — most notably, Piccolo. 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie was made for Piccolo | Credit: Toei Animation

On 1st January, the executive producer of the Dragon Ball franchise, Akio Iyoku revealed the driving force behind the creation of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, as he claimed the movie was developed to address a recurrent issue: the underutilization of Piccolo in terms of relevance and power.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero – Piccolo’s journey to relevance

For most of Dragon Ball‘s history, Piccolo has been a fan-favorite character. Introduced as a formidable villain in the original Dragon Ball, he evolved into a mentor and ally in Dragon Ball Z, particularly through his crucial role in training Gohan during the Saiyan saga. However, as the series progressed, his significance gradually started to lessen. While characters like Goku, Vegeta, and even secondary Saiyans continued to grow stronger and gain new transformations, Piccolo’s development became very much stagnant.

As @peraperayume shared on X (formerly, Twitter), recognizing this issue, Akio Iyoku and the late Akira Toriyama devised a plan to make Piccolo relevant again. The solution came in the form of a new transformation in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero: Orange Piccolo. This transformation, achieved through the use of the Dragon Balls, granted Piccolo a significant power boost, placing him back in the ranks of the franchise’s top-tier fighters.

Orange Piccolo transformation in Super Hero movie | Credit: Toei Animation

This movie’s narrative centered on Piccolo and Gohan, who teamed up to combat the Red Ribbon Army’s resurgence. By shifting the focus to a different character, Super Hero offered a refreshing change of pace, reminding viewers of the rich cast of characters in the Dragon Ball universe.

A story beyond Goku and Vegeta in Dragon Ball history

One of the most striking aspects of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is its deliberate sidelining of Goku and Vegeta. While the duo has long been the backbone of the series, their absence in the central conflict allowed other characters to shine. This decision particularly resonated with fans who had grown weary of the series’ dependence on Goku’s constant power-ups and Vegeta’s relentless pursuit of surpassing him. 

This isn’t the first time the Dragon Ball franchise created a movie just to focus on other characters, such as Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie centered on Broly. However, the Super Hero movie’s core theme was the mentor-student relationship between Piccolo and Gohan.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero particularly focused on Gohan and Piccolo’s relationship | Credit: Toei Animation

Gohan, who had largely stepped away from fighting to focus on his academic career and family life, found himself drawn back into battle with Piccolo’s guidance. Their partnership, combined with Piccolo’s newfound power, proved crucial in defeating the Red Ribbon Army’s latest threats, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, and the monstrous Cell Max.

As the franchise looks ahead with projects like Dragon Ball DAIMA, the success of Super Hero displays the importance of exploring new perspectives and giving underutilized characters their moment in the spotlight. For fans, it was a bold step toward a more inclusive and diverse future for the series.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.