What are your favourite things to come out of revival Dragon Ball?

[Yuji]

I was thinking about this and I think one of the things I appreciate the most about modern DB is redeeming Freeza's reputation. Not so much in RF, but ToP and onward. Fusion Reborn, Otherworld filler, GT and even Mecha Freeza all just ridiculed the character. I think those depictions bled into videogame what-ifs in the 00s and early 10s and fanworks like DB Multiverse, and it basically tainted fan perception of Freeza as this non-threatening, weak, joke character, almost as if they'd forgotten of his imposing presence on Namek. I'd say the original Funimation dub probably contributed to this, and Chris Ayres' more dignified and sophisticated portrayal rectified it in the English-speaking world.

Modern portrayals show how you can write the character being outclassed in the macrocosm without turning him into a joke. Be it his new character arc or even just small things putting his strength into perspective like Beerus' line in BoG about Goku's power compared to Freeza's which changed battle power discourse forever, or flashbacks to the planet Vegeta days. It feels like a natural progression of the character to focus on his slimey, schemey antics, respect his conniving and fake polite personality, and develop his respect for hard work and training, while still throwing some gags and jokes here and there that don't devalue the character at all.

[JulieYBM]

Tomioka Atsuhiro writing Dragon Ball Super. That man made Zamasu and Gokuu Black so gay, it's amazing. Also, I was such a big fan of his work on the Tournament of Power. Tomioka really came up with some cool battle tactics for the characters to use—especially Gokuu!

Also, I really loved the episode and a half that Ishitani Megumi directed. Those are still such underrated gems. I feel like we're going to be viewing Jiren as a character through her lens for a long time. It definitely makes me wish Ishitani could direct a compilation film for the Tournament of Power.

Kale and Caulifla might just be my overall favorite element. Kale's insecurities, Caulifla's hunger for overcoming strong guys and becoming her best self...the Sapphic manner in which the two women interact...oof. Amazing. The way that their arcs culminate in Potara merger into Kefla is easily the most satisfying fusion character ever. Kefla and Merged Zamasu truly underscore how the best way to redeem boring stuff like fusion/Potara merging is through actually leaning into the queerness.

The directing for Freeza's return during the Tournament of Power arc was also really awesome. I really enjoyed just how much weight there was just to his merely being on-screen: partially or fully. That his character arc would culminate in a gorgeously directed team up with Gokuu to save the universe is just icing on the cake. Despite having to make the Tournament of Power with an arm and leg tied behind their back, all of the staff at Toei Animation truly gave it their all and managed to pull off one of the coolest Dragon Ball arcs ever. There was a weight to the Tournament of Power I hadn't felt like the Namek arc or even early Artificial Humans arc.

Dragon Ball Super: Broli is probably my favorite of the modern films. You can truly feel the passion of the animators in each line on the paper. After the Dragon Ball Super television's production schedule being a complete nightmare it was so awesome to see everyone reunite on a project where they could finally let loose without worrying about bad character designs and needing to finish their work as quickly as possible for the broadcast of the next episode.

Broli and Cheelai's interactions are also some of my favorite. I really like recasting Broli as their cute guy who needs help being introduced to society and a tough girl like Cheelai is the perfect foil for that. I really wish we could see more of those two interacting properly.

I also really liked the Dragon Ball Super version of Dragon Ball Minus. The three intersecting plotlines really complimented one another: King Vegeta III at the top, greedily securing his position and legacy through his own son, Paragus in the middle, desperately trying to climb the ladder and using his son as a tool for that, and Bardock, weary of a life that has grown meaningless to him and seeking only to see if he will find new meaning in securing his son's future. It's a really fun story arc, although I think it would have perhaps worked better as flashbacks interwoven with the fight to better highlight the present day conflict and how it was a continuation of that past.

Gokuu and Vegeta with beards was awesome as hell, too. I wish we had gotten to see more of that!

Also, all the new transformations are cool. I like how we didn't just wind up with a cascade of ten million golden-haired Super Saiyans or whatever, too. I do think that Ultimate Gohan is pretty lame, though. I'd have preferred him to just get Super Saiyan 2 and perfected it somehow by training with Future Trunks, but whatever. Speaking of which, Future Trunks' new transformation is awesome as hell, too. A transformation born of his rage from the eternal suffering of his timeline? Hell yeah!

[AliTheZombie13]

Beerus and Whis were fun characters.
I think that's it for me, nothing else ever really stroke me as "This was a great addition to the franchise."

[Grimlock]

In release order:

• Tarble OVA.
• Dragon Ball Online.
• Dragon Ball Heroes.
• Bardock OVA.
• Movie 14.
• Gine.
• Super Saiyan 2 getting some screentime.
• The first twenty-five minutes of Dragon Ball Super Broly / Base Gogeta.
• All the games that didn't retell Dragon Ball Z / Xenoverse Fu / Android 21.
• The appearances of Dai Kaioshin, Dragon Ball Online Yadorats and Uub in the manga.
• Dragon Ball Super chapters 77, 82 and 83.
• Dragon Ball Super Super Hero (minus Gohan).

Honorable mention: Jaco, the Galactic Patrolman.

I hope to include Dragon Ball Daima here eventually.

[SupremeKai25]

Off the top of my head:

- The Lore and World-building with the multiple universes, the Gods of Destruction and Angels, and the Time Rings;

- Zamasu and Moro are up there with the original villains;

- Jiren, Toppo, Beerus, Whis, Kale, Caulifla, Kefla, Cabba, Frost, Merus, Champa, Vados, Hit, there's a lot of fun and memorable new characters that are worthy and great additions to this old franchise.

- Actual new forms that are not just slightly different shapes of yellow hair!!

- The scenery and backgrounds of the fights. Fighting in the planet's orbit, on top of a giant inactive Dragon Ball, in an apocalyptic ruined city, inside of a dimensional world of Void, or in a frozen wasteland leading into a volcano landscape... I prefer this to Generic Desert wasteland #33.

- Goku learned to ask people if they want to fight instead of carelessly throwing them to the wolves. He also has an actual job now and works his ass off for his family.

- The videogames. Sparking Zero came out this month, would a videogame of this quality and size have come out if the last Dragon Ball material had been Evolution 20 years ago? Hm, I doubt that.

- The hype and internet traffic around the franchise as there was a new DB series to talk about online. If you were not there when Super was airing (2015-2018), you will not understand.

[Majin Buu]

Beerus and Whis- They're fun characters that feel like they fit right into the wacky world of Dragon Ball (despite how awkwardly Beerus is shoved into existing lore). I particularly like that Beeurs is Whis' boss but at the same time Whis is Beerus' martial arts master and is far stronger than Beerus. That's an interesting dynamic, especially considering how laid back they are with each other. They do start to wear out their welcome after a while though. They could have been used more sparingly.

Zamasu/Goku Black- A genuinely new type of Dragon Ball villain (in a series that's largely more of the same) with much creativity on display. I wish they were in a better written arc.

Caulifla and Kale- I like Caulifla's spunkiness and Kale's character arc that takes her from shrinking violet to confident warrior, some of Super's best character writing (though it felt like she went through that arc twice in a row, owing to Super's pacing problems).

The Universe Survival Saga as a whole- It wound up being better than I expected it to be (Ironic considering I had more expectations for the Future arc since that's the arc that got me to start paying attention to Super at all). The music, the animation, the storytelling- the quality of the show in general feels like it's been kicked up a notch here, to the point where it actually approaches being good at certain points. It makes me wonder what Super could have been if it had debuted with this level of quality.

Dragon Ball Super Broly- I'm lukewarm about this film. The new Broly is a good character, but it feels like there could have been more to his story than what we got. That being said, I do like how he's more of a foil for Goku here, with his having been raised outside of civilization, reaching Super Saiyan in a similar way, and having his own gang of pals. He also gets roped into a plot involving the Dragon Balls like Goku.

Dragon Ball Super SuperHero- I love the Gammas. I like their "fun one and serious one" dynamic and their superhero gimmick makes for some amusing gags. Like Beerus and Whis, they fit right into Dragon Ball's wacky world. That one of them is killed off in the end, and that it's the fun one to boot, gives the duo some pathos that provides a nice contrast to their light-hearted nature. I also like that the film was basically a love letter to Piccolo.

I hope to include Dragon Ball Daima here eventually.

I concur.

[Majin Buu]

I forgot about Hit (Not surprising considering not much of interest happens in that arc outside of Goku vs. Hit).

I like Hit. He has cool abilities and his characterization as someone that never thought about improving himself as a fighter but is totally down for doing so when motivated by an opponent like Goku makes him likeable. He's like a reverse Freeza in that regard- He didn't need to get his ass kicked to want to improve himself.

[Zephyr]

There's plenty of stuff. Without elaborating:

• characters like Beerus, Whis, Hit, Zamasu/Black, Kale/Caulifla, Geran, and more

• transformations like Ultra Instinct, Orange Piccolo, and Beast Gohan

• Goku being a savant by stacking Kaioken on top of Super Saiyan Blue in the anime and using Destruction in the manga

• crazy unexpected shit like the ending to the Future Trunks arc (especially in the anime)

• the spectacle of Beerus and Champa's flashback fight in the manga

• the art direction and silly chanting OST of DBS: Broly

• Dragon Ball FighterZ in general

But by far my favorite thing about the revival, and the part that I think makes continuing the story worth it in the first place, is Freeza. Bringing him back and turning him into a martial arts rival is a fantastic idea, and the TV anime executed it in such a satisfying way. Having him image train in Hell by mentally killing Goku over and over, having them sucker punch each other after he's out, having a constant uncertainty as to whether or not he will betray them, and ultimately having him mount a team attack with Goku to eliminate the final opponent. Incredible stuff.

[90sDBZ]

DBS Broly for me. Such a fun movie.

[MasenkoHA]

As a single work? Probably Battle of Gods

Otherwise I like the Universe 6 Saiyans.

[Envy]

This is small and a lot less complex than what other people are saying, but Super giving us some female Super Saiyans is perhaps my most favorite thing. I watched DBZ as a girl and always thought the Super Saiyan transformation was super cool, but we never got to see a female Saiyan ever attain it and that made me really sad. I always wanted so bad for there to be one. So that was so amazing for me to see in Super, even if the writing was silly.

[JulieYBM]

I remember waiting to find new of Pan becoming a Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball GT during the 1990s and early 2000s. Surely they wouldn’t skip her because she was a girl!

Damn, was I wrong

Kale and Caulifla being one of the best parts of Dragon Ball Super—if not the best part—is honestly so cool. The Tournament of Power leaves one so hyped to see what is next for their development.

[Freezer94]

My absolute favourite part of the revival is the few manga chapters of Goten and Trunks as high school super heroes. Genuinely wish we got much more of that and their general high school life.

But I've liked a lot of the revival, the 4 movies (even Res F) were entertaining and I found more enjoyable than the vast majority of the 90s movies. Super Hero in particular is amazing and the stand out.

But I've even enjoyed most of the main arcs of Super. Especially Moro and Goku Black.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

The Super Broly movie, new characters like Beerus, Whis, Zamasu, Goku Black, Glorio, parts of Super, specifically the slice-of-life episodes and unexpected twists like Freeza joining the Tournament of Power, the Moro arc and all of Daima so far.

[Peach]

The four movies, the Master Roshi episodes in the Tournament of Power, and the moments of 17 vs Jiren & Toppo.

I tend to ignore mostly everything else.

[jjgp1112]

A return to a lot of the dynamics I thought got lost in the Buu saga, and Toriyama not sidelining Goku and making him disconnected from every arc.

And,
FRIEEEZA, FRIEEEEZA, FRIEEEZA, FRIEZAAAAAAA

Parroting Zephyr in how much I love the absurdity of the most straight-up evil character in the series going through the rival arc too.