MistareFusion's Dragon Ball Dissection! (Updated 2/16/26!)

[PhantomSaiyan]

Most people are like that unfortunately

The "normie" side of the anime/manga fandom are strictly anime only people most of the time, and they will wait for famous manga to get adapted into anime before experiencing them.
There's only a few manga that can cross over to the "normie side" for example I'd say something like Berserk, but even then, it will never be as popular with the masses as something that got an anime adaptation that did well.

Manga is unfortunately inherently more niche than Anime

[Scsigs]

I honestly forgot that Jaco was a thing. It still baffles me that Toei hasn't adapted it into a miniseries or something. Jaco's just dropped into Resurrection F & they just expect you to know who he is going in from reading the manga. A miniseries would be more accessible to the fandom at large that hasn't read it.

I guess that breaks into the bigger question as to whether or not a manga is accessible enough or if it needs to be animated for people to care. Because, while I certainly understand differing tastes, it does make me a little sad how often people seem to treat manga as a storyboard, nothing more than a template for the inevitable animation.

I mean, in Japan, anime adaptations are specifically made to advertise the mangas their based on to drive more people to them & make more money off the corporate synergy. That's the main reason I'm surprised they haven't done it yet, especially for overseas fans. Like, over here, way more people watch the shows & movies than read the mangas. A lot more people also are willing to have an anime on in the background so they can just watch it rather than read the dialogue & look at the panels. It's the same over here with why WB makes animated adaptations of their popular comics rather than trying to sell more copies of the comics. More people are ok with watching a movie for a few hours than reading a long comic book storyline.
Plus, look at it this way. Episode of Bardock got an OVA special even though the manga's objectively garbage just so they could market Super Saiyan Bardock. We've objectively gotten more adaptations of garbage in this franchise than what people can actually sink their teeth into. Hell, I'm also surprised there's no Neko Majin adaptations either considering there's more DB stuff in it.

[Gaffer Tape]

A Dragon Ball Nitpicker's Guide to Jaco - Dragon Ball Dissection: Jaco the Galactic Patrolman Part 2

Dragon Ball Dissection's look at Jaco the Galactic Patrolman comes to a close. After it develops its own idol-worshipping, rocket-chasing, time-manipulating story, it must justify its close connection to Dragon Ball. Why does Jaco fail to catch Goku? Who is Tights's famous family? What does this story teach us about the Saiyans? And most importantly, why is Dragon Ball Minus a thing???

[WittyUsername]

When you think about it, the Jaco manga retroactively makes a lot of things about the original manga seem rather strange in hindsight. You’d think Bulma would’ve brought up the fact that she has an alien friend who could take them to Namek, for instance.

On the subject of toddler Goku being violent before his head injury, given that Minus retconned Goku’s backstory to where he was sent to Earth for his own safety, rather than to conquer it, you could easily assume that his hostility towards Grandpa Gohan was specifically him throwing a tantrum about wanting to go back home to his parents.

[DanielSSJ]

When you think about it, the Jaco manga retroactively makes a lot of things about the original manga seem rather strange in hindsight. You’d think Bulma would’ve brought up the fact that she has an alien friend who could take them to Namek, for instance.

Not anything to do with Jaco, but this reminds me of how in the original series, Bluma only started considering using the Dragon Balls to make herself look younger 10 years after Boo because Goku called her old, but in Broli and Super Hero, which take place a few years before, she's apparently been abusing the Dragon Balls for years for this exact purpose.

[Gaffer Tape]

When you think about it, the Jaco manga retroactively makes a lot of things about the original manga seem rather strange in hindsight. You’d think Bulma would’ve brought up the fact that she has an alien friend who could take them to Namek, for instance.

Between that and Popo's magic carpet, there are so many transportation-related snafus around that point in the story.

[Scsigs]

Toriyama's penchant for not well thought out retcons comes in clutch again!

[Gaffer Tape]

The Gold Standard of Disappointment - Dragon Ball Dissection: Resurrection 'F'

Here's one I've been waiting for for a long time. I remember I used to rail against this movie pretty viciously here on the forums. Dragon Ball Dissection looks at a movie that is now, somehow, ten years old! It's always been my cheap shot joke, but is it really as bad as I remember? Does it still make me as mad? What does Resurrection 'F' bring to the table, and how does it influence Dragon Ball Super?

I hope you like this one because it was a really cathartic experience for me.

[The Dark Knight]

Following the conclusion of GT, I was convinced that Dragon Ball's glory days were far behind it, as everything that made the original series so great was pretty much absent from it. Fast forward to 2013, and Battle of Gods breathed new life into this franchise, putting story and characters above all else, while also providing us with great action set pieces. Had Battle of Gods been a one and done project, it would've been a nice send off to this franchise, but had it just been the beginning of something new, then we were in for a fun ride...or so I thought. Resurrection F is pretty much every stereotype non-Dragon Ball fans have of the franchise, all in one nice package. No story, no character arcs or development, mindless action with no narrative weight behind it, and transformations that are all style with zero substance. Resurrection F had the honor of introducing a new stereotype that's now associated with the franchise: Nostalgia. Unfortunately, it's Resurrection F, not Battle of Gods, that set the foundation for what everything in this revival would be like for 10 years until Daima got us back on track.

[Scsigs]

The Gold Standard of Disappointment - Dragon Ball Dissection: Resurrection 'F'

Here's one I've been waiting for for a long time. I remember I used to rail against this movie pretty viciously here on the forums. Dragon Ball Dissection looks at a movie that is now, somehow, ten years old! It's always been my cheap shot joke, but is it really as bad as I remember? Does it still make me as mad? What does Resurrection 'F' bring to the table, and how does it influence Dragon Ball Super?

I hope you like this one because it was a really cathartic experience for me.

The point you made about Jaco just showing up in this movie with no explanation as to who he is. This is the biggest part of why I think they should've done a mini series adapting the Jaco manga. More people are willing to watch a short TV season than read a manga &, especially after FUNimation would've dubbed & released it, more people would've known who Jaco was. It's really weird because Toei will animate short mini arcs for the One Piece movies & air them in the middle of canon arc episodes that adapt stuff from the manga, but they have yet to animate Jaco. Why? It's so dumb.

As for the movie itself, yeah, looking back on it, it has a lot of fun things about it. However, it barely has a story (Freeza's revenge on Goku), doesn't use all of its time well, & the ending sucks. Which, I know you're not that hot on Vegeta. However, as someone who likes Vegeta more, the ending of Goku getting the kill rather than Vegeta when, arguably, Vegeta deserved to hand Freeza his ass on a silver platter like he almost does by killing him, it's just so dumb. Plus, the movie is so devoid of tension. Goku & Vegeta having Super Saiyan Blue from the jump is really bad because it just nullifies Freeza getting his power-up. In a movie where the tension was already deflated because Beerus & Whis were there, Toriyama added more of that kind of shit. It's so bad. What I think they should've done is have Goku & Vegeta on the cusp of unlocking it & Freeza pushes them to the point of finally doing so like with Goku breaking through his limits & unlocking Super Saiyan during their last fight. I mean, if they're gonna retell that arc's rising action & climax, why not just go whole hog with it, y'know?

I think it mainly comes from the fact that the movie was clearly made to appeal to the DB fans who only enjoy the action. I remember IGN's review of Battle of Gods where they said there was too much "campy filler" & that's the kind of people they were trying to appeal to with this movie. It's so dumb because Toriyama just had a great movie where he proved he could still write great Dragon Ball & then we got this shit.

[The Dark Knight]

Goku & Vegeta having Super Saiyan Blue from the jump is really bad because it just nullifies Freeza getting his power-up. In a movie where the tension was already deflated because Beerus & Whis were there, Toriyama added more of that kind of shit. It's so bad. What I think they should've done is have Goku & Vegeta on the cusp of unlocking it & Freeza pushes them to the point of finally doing so like with Goku breaking through his limits & unlocking Super Saiyan during their last fight.

I would've preferred the movie focus on Goku mastering SsjG instead, with Vegeta struggling to activate it, only doing so when faced against Freeza with no way out. Why rush into introducing a new form when you barely did anything with the previous one ?

I think it mainly comes from the fact that the movie was clearly made to appeal to the DB fans who only enjoy the action. I remember IGN's review of Battle of Gods where they said there was too much "campy filler" & that's the kind of people they were trying to appeal to with this movie. It's so dumb because Toriyama just had a great movie where he proved he could still write great Dragon Ball & then we got this shit.

I remember Toriyama (or someone official) saying something along the lines of the movie being made with more action in mind due to Battle of Gods lacking it. I personally think BOG did a good job balancing story and action, although it could've benefited from less Pilaf.

[coola]

Your idea for "worst wish" kinda reminds me of Dark Wish, one of story arcs in Power Rangers Mystic Force, and it's such great idea, certainly much better than what we got

[Scsigs]

I remember Toriyama (or someone official) saying something along the lines of the movie being made with more action in mind due to Battle of Gods lacking it. I personally think BOG did a good job balancing story and action, although it could've benefited from less Pilaf.

Pilaf was ok in BOG, but I don't understand why he, Shu, & Mai were there. They were an unneeded addition to the cast, though Mai would come into play in an interesting way in the Future Trunks arc of Super, even if the timeline doesn't make much sense for the wish to make them younger for that timeline.

[The Dark Knight]

Pilaf was ok in BOG, but I don't understand why he, Shu, & Mai were there.

In the original script, 3 unnamed characters were the ones who stole the Dragon Balls, so Toriyama changed it to the Pilaf gang when he got involved with the movie. I personally would've preferred if the plot point was just removed in its entirety, but I would've been more open to it being there in a reduced capacity.

[Damian0358]

Commenting on the upcoming Super coverage, I'm reminded of when a friend of mine decided to re-read Dragon Ball, but decided to solely cover Super through the movies (going with Ajay's Super Cut for Resurrection F) and the manga, skipping the animated series entirely. After each arc, I'd regale them with what happened in the animated version instead (with some help from Magnificent Ponta's Super Re-Read thread on here in case I had forgotten something or needed extra Toyotaro facts) and the surrounding fandom discourse around them.

I don't know how you intend to cover the two versions, whether focusing on the animated version first and then doing a DBD TV equivalent for the manga (since from the Universe 6 Tournament onward the manga starts lagging behind), covering them simultaneously, or what have you, but it's going to be fun seeing the differences between the two covered in a video format like this alongside your retrospective commentary on everything from this era. I imagine that to a lot of folks, the differences between the two are as unknown as the fact that Jaco had his own manga prior to Resurrection F! Even moreso now given how, post-anime, there seemed to be a shift towards leaning towards the manga's interpretation of events (like that one vote asking about peoples' favorite fight in the Tournament of Power offering only the manga fights) and things such as the usage of 正統続編 in relation to it the same year the anime ended, reintensifying all those discussions about canon that we all love.

[WittyUsername]

As much as I dislike Resurrection ‘F’, I could never get behind the complaints about Vegeta not getting to be the one to kill Freeza. Ignoring the fact that Vegeta isn’t supposed to be the main character, I don’t see what makes him “deserving” of it. Yeah, he had a long history with Freeza, but he was more or less just as bad as him. He wasn’t some tortured victim. He didn’t even care that Freeza killed his people. He just didn’t like having to play second fiddle to him.

Anyway, my opinion on the movie has pretty much remained unchanged after all these years. It’s bad. It’s boring. It has virtually nothing to offer beyond shallow spectacle. It’s a step down from BoG in pretty much every conceivable way.

[Grimlock]

Ignoring the fact that Vegeta isn’t supposed to be the main character

I wouldn't say Gohan was the main character of Cell saga, yet he still got the kill. Piccolo was the protagonist of Dragon Ball Super Super Hero, but he didn't get the kill. So what's up with this argument?

He didn’t even care that Freeza killed his people.

Probably not something you should be saying about a movie where Vegeta blatantly refuses to join Freeza because the latter killed his people. Also, can't check the manga right now, but I'm pretty sure Vegeta mentions something about it while crying when asking Goku to defeat Freeza. So... yeah, ultimately, very deep down, he cared.

[Koitsukai]

I really can't stand FnF. I agree the first part it's pretty nice, Jaco is cool even if you have no idea who he is, he is irreverent and that Freeza drawing still kills me. He is funny enough to bypass being a complete stranger. And I enjoy him being so bossy to everyone while being literally nobody to us.

I get really bored when Freeza whips out his army, there were many things established in Z that made me think the guys should not struggle so much with fodder, even if they are trying to defeat them instead of killing them. Retired Roshi is holding his own, how hard could it be, even if they are so many? we've seen one man-ish wipe out entire armies with one blow before, surely they could do something like that but holding back enough to leave them alive. Or kill them, who the fuck cares? they are there to kill you, your children, your dog, everybody.
I'm also surprised by the resolution of these soldiers, IIRC, nobody deserted after learning that they were extremely outclassed. I get it, though, that airlock scene in Freeza's ship is there to show that they must fight till the end.
TL;DR: if it was a much shorter fight, I probably wouldn't mind it.

I'm also unhappy with Freeza's banter with the Namek Veterans, it was just reduced to one-liners. And with Whis and Beerus sitting right there, letting us know nothing will go wrong, I got similar vibes to the Abokado movie, with the adults watching Gotenks fight... it's rigged! the villain has no chance. Except, here Whis can literally re-write the one climax you'd think he wouldn't be able to prevent.

[WittyUsername]

Ignoring the fact that Vegeta isn’t supposed to be the main character

I wouldn't say Gohan was the main character of Cell saga, yet he still got the kill. Piccolo was the protagonist of Dragon Ball Super Super Hero, but he didn't get the kill. So what's up with this argument?

He didn’t even care that Freeza killed his people.

Probably not something you should be saying about a movie where Vegeta blatantly refuses to join Freeza because the latter killed his people. Also, can't check the manga right now, but I'm pretty sure Vegeta mentions something about it while crying when asking Goku to defeat Freeza. So... yeah, ultimately, very deep down, he cared.

Gohan was intended to be the new protagonist back when he defeated Cell, but regardless, that wasn’t my primary point.

It was repeatedly stated during the Freeza saga that Vegeta could not care less about his people. The Broly movie only further reaffirmed this. He didn’t hate Freeza out of some desire to avenge the Saiyan race. He hated Freeza because working for him was an insult to his pride.

[Zephyr]

It's funny that this film is at the same time both a formulaic Dragon Ball Z film and also like a template/pilot for Dragon Ball Super's story. It's got a foot in both eras.

I haven't rewatched the movie in a while, but I remember thinking it was funny that the entire Freeza thing just ended up being a relatively low-stakes part of Goku and Vegeta's training with Whis. I remember being bummed that the post-credits scene was just Freeza back in Hell with seemingly no indication that they'd do more with him, so it was exciting to finally see them do just that two years later.

Those are honestly the movie's biggest lasting impressions with me, 10 years later. I have plenty of smaller gripes with it, but in lieu of rewatching it my biggest complaint is that it's just so fucking ugly.