It's been a while since Superhero released and now that the manga is covering the movie, it seems there's a few months left until we get new Super content. I'd wager this is a good time to reflect on Super and rank the arcs from best to worst.
To avoid differing continuities, take your personal best and favourite adaptation of the story for your ranking. For me:
1. Battle of Gods (movie) - it's crazy to think the first story from modern DB is still the best one, but Battle of Gods really does stand on its own as a great story. While I like some of what the anime did in regards to Beerus' character, the movie version is a more concise, faster-paced version of what is essentially a perfect mix of Dragon Ball's humorous roots with its action set pieces. It does wonders for Goku's character while setting up new horizons with its ending, and can serve both as the start of a new series or a conclusive ending to Z, however you see fit. It's pretty much the only piece of Super material I could compare directly to the original series and say it holds its own.
2. Superhero (movie) - Coming in at a distant second, but very much above third place. Verdict's still out on the manga adaptation but for now I find the movie the more visually interesting - props on the manga for the prequel arc though, that was fun. Not a fan of Gohan feeling shoehorned into an otherwise Piccolo-centric movie, and every scene on Beerus' world felt out-of-place, but besides that, it's the most fun I've had with Dragon Ball for a literal decade.
3. Tournament of Power (manga) - If I were ranking the anime version of this arc, it'd come in dead last due to how much of a contradictory mess it is, but I come to appreciate the manga version more and more as time goes on. Kudos to Cipher and Magnificent Ponta for their outstanding posts on this arc. It really is very well structured, nicely paced, everyone feels purposeful and the themes of the arc are well set-up and developed.
4. Future Trunks (manga) - I'd say this is probably the one arc the anime could have gained an edge over the manga, and mostly (almost exclusively) because of how much better and more engaging of a character Goku Black is there. Ultimately though, the manga's attention to detail, logical plot progression and more accurate characterization wins me over.
5. Broly (movie) - It's a shame the movie had to be bogged down by the first acr on planet Vegeta because the rest of it is great. It's a pretty standard and simple story, very much like Super's version of the Saiyan arc to an extent. I'm not as high on it as some others though, because once you get past its extraordinary action, it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to its characters, which I find the other arcs excel in.
6. Moro/7. Granolah - I'll group these two together because I keep going back and forth on which arc I prefer the most. Both have some pacing issues, but I find the Granolah arc more agreeable on rereads. Personally however, Goku is the most interesting character in the series for me, and I find his role in the Moro arc more engaging - I think that's the defining factor.
8. Universe 6 (manga) - I feel bad for ranking this arc so low because truthfully it has done nothing wrong. It's probably the most well-written Super arc in the sense that it achieves precisely everything that it tries to do. But it feels unambitious, safe, predictable and just outright underwhelming so I can't in good conscience rank it above other arcs that may have screwed up more but excelled in at least one thing.
9. Resurrection 'F' (anime) - Finally to nobody's surprise, F comes in at dead last. What may surprise some people is that I rank the anime over the movie. While the anime's terrible animation is definitely a slight against it, it also removed or fixed a lot of the nonsensical lines and character moments from the original movie. Also, it's not like the movie was visually interesting to begin with, so not much was lost on that front. Just overall a complete miss.
How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
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Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
I haven't seen Super Hero or read the manga so this is just for the tv series and first 3 movies
1. Battle of Gods- Great, fantastic, arguably should have been a solo act.
2. Super Broli- Fantastic animation, a somewhat more fleshed out Broli and Paragus, though doesn't have as much rewatch value as Battle of Gods
3. Tournament of Power arc- A great showcasing of multiple characters and different interactions. I know fans complain about the majority of the story being set in one location but it didn't bother me because there was so much great character stuff going on. What brings this down is 1. I must acknowledge I benefitted from seeing this via Hulu and being able to binge watch. Had I watched this once a week on Crunchyroll or Toonami I might have found it insufferable and it was made to be viewed one episode a week so that has to be accounted for 2. Jiren is about as interesting as beige wallpaper, should have stuck with Hit as Goku's new man-crush 3. The ending is saccharine as shit (specifically the montage and the final bit with Goku and Vegeta) I'm pretty sure I acquired diabetes after I saw it.
4. Universe 6 arc- This is where the Dragon Ball Super tv series REALLY starts. It was nice getting a tournament arc after not getting a proper one since the Piccolo Jr arc. While enjoyable this arc ultimately felt like a practice run for the Tournament of Power saga
5. Zamasu arc - A decent enough story. It has severe tonal whiplash and I don't care Zamasu fucking sucks as a character. He's not complex he's a stock narcissistic hypocrite baddie
6. Resurrection F- I don't hate this one nearly as much as others do. It's mostly harmless.
7. Beerus arc- Retelling a movie most Dragon Ball fans had already seen is ill advised. Stretching it out to 13 episodes is even more so. I did like the ending song at least "Hello, Hello, Hello." Pity Toei didn't just stick with it until the Tournament of Power
8. Golden Frieza arc- This is the arc that almost made me give up on Super. I actually took a month off from watching Dragon Ball Super halfway through this
1. Battle of Gods- Great, fantastic, arguably should have been a solo act.
2. Super Broli- Fantastic animation, a somewhat more fleshed out Broli and Paragus, though doesn't have as much rewatch value as Battle of Gods
3. Tournament of Power arc- A great showcasing of multiple characters and different interactions. I know fans complain about the majority of the story being set in one location but it didn't bother me because there was so much great character stuff going on. What brings this down is 1. I must acknowledge I benefitted from seeing this via Hulu and being able to binge watch. Had I watched this once a week on Crunchyroll or Toonami I might have found it insufferable and it was made to be viewed one episode a week so that has to be accounted for 2. Jiren is about as interesting as beige wallpaper, should have stuck with Hit as Goku's new man-crush 3. The ending is saccharine as shit (specifically the montage and the final bit with Goku and Vegeta) I'm pretty sure I acquired diabetes after I saw it.
4. Universe 6 arc- This is where the Dragon Ball Super tv series REALLY starts. It was nice getting a tournament arc after not getting a proper one since the Piccolo Jr arc. While enjoyable this arc ultimately felt like a practice run for the Tournament of Power saga
5. Zamasu arc - A decent enough story. It has severe tonal whiplash and I don't care Zamasu fucking sucks as a character. He's not complex he's a stock narcissistic hypocrite baddie
6. Resurrection F- I don't hate this one nearly as much as others do. It's mostly harmless.
7. Beerus arc- Retelling a movie most Dragon Ball fans had already seen is ill advised. Stretching it out to 13 episodes is even more so. I did like the ending song at least "Hello, Hello, Hello." Pity Toei didn't just stick with it until the Tournament of Power
8. Golden Frieza arc- This is the arc that almost made me give up on Super. I actually took a month off from watching Dragon Ball Super halfway through this
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ZombieVito
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Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
1) Zamasu arc.
My favorite arc in the entire franchise with my favorite villain. Fantastic ending with finally some real consequences. Infinite Zamasu is some truly terrifying shit.
2) Broly.
Introduces great characters, has incredible visuals and amazing fights but the best it does is that it finally fixed the complete trash of a character that was Broly.
3) Super Hero.
This is a great time for Piccolo and Gohan fans. A much needed shine, especially for the former. Hopefully it sticks.
4) Tournament of Power.
The best tournament in the franchise hands down. Every character gets a moment to shine. Ultra Instinct is the best transformation since Super Saiyan.
5) Universe 6 arc.
It was nice to see Piccolo fight again and the introduction of new Saiyans was a great idea. Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken is fucking hype.
6) Resurrection F arc.
While not looking nearly as good as the movie, it does fix some blunders from it like correcting the amount of wishes Shenron can make or having Goku power down before Sorbet hits him with the laser. Including Ginyu was a fantastic idea.
7) Battle of Gods arc.
This is only here instead of the movie because the fights are better.
Everything is anime of course. I dislike the Super manga even more than GT.
My favorite arc in the entire franchise with my favorite villain. Fantastic ending with finally some real consequences. Infinite Zamasu is some truly terrifying shit.
2) Broly.
Introduces great characters, has incredible visuals and amazing fights but the best it does is that it finally fixed the complete trash of a character that was Broly.
3) Super Hero.
This is a great time for Piccolo and Gohan fans. A much needed shine, especially for the former. Hopefully it sticks.
4) Tournament of Power.
The best tournament in the franchise hands down. Every character gets a moment to shine. Ultra Instinct is the best transformation since Super Saiyan.
5) Universe 6 arc.
It was nice to see Piccolo fight again and the introduction of new Saiyans was a great idea. Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken is fucking hype.
6) Resurrection F arc.
While not looking nearly as good as the movie, it does fix some blunders from it like correcting the amount of wishes Shenron can make or having Goku power down before Sorbet hits him with the laser. Including Ginyu was a fantastic idea.
7) Battle of Gods arc.
This is only here instead of the movie because the fights are better.
Everything is anime of course. I dislike the Super manga even more than GT.
Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
1. Galactic patrol prisoner saga
There's not much to say here Goku finally masters Ultra Instinct, Vegeta gets a worthy redemption arc, the villain that is Moro is cool and has an awesome first goat design. Gohan and Piccolo get a joint combo for 73, Yamcha returns to action and the rest of the team gets some spotlight.
2 TOP
I have a lot of nostalgia for this tournament and also I myself really hyped about Ultra Instinct and the raw power that Jiren has, the relationships between the characters are also worth noting:
Vegeta -> Cabba
Goku -> Caulifla
Goku -> Jiren
Gohan -> That guy from universe 10 whom he eliminated in an honorable fight for survival
Toppo -> the rest of the pride troopers
Caulifla -> Kale
In addition to the fights themselves, the tournament was based on the interactions between characters that had their climax during the tournament, which was a cool variety during the tournament.
3. Broly
The revamped Broly character which got a fresh start was well received, the animated film delivered and was a very good and at times charming actioner.
4. future Trunks saga
Super introduction, good development and controversial ending. I liked the motivation of Black and Zamasu and their charisma and Black's attraction to rose, and the fights but those were better in the manga. It's cool to see Trunks again after years and his farewell in the anime with Gohan flying to him to say goodbye.
5. Battle of Gods
A cool re-introduction to the universe and also a fantastic introduction towards a new adventure.
6. Granolah the Survivor saga
Completing Vegeta's redemption arcs from the Moro saga is a big plus, Goku continues his training, Granolah has a brilliant relationship with Vegeta and coolest of all Goku remembered his parents.
7 Super Hero
A fun movie and manga saga with a manga prequel having a balance between seriousness and slice of life.
8. Universe 6
Typical Dragon Ball average tournament, nice to look at but nothing great.
9 Fukkatsu no F
Mediocre on the level of the old 45 minute DBZ movies, not a bad movie in my opinion but too weak to call it successful or good.
There's not much to say here Goku finally masters Ultra Instinct, Vegeta gets a worthy redemption arc, the villain that is Moro is cool and has an awesome first goat design. Gohan and Piccolo get a joint combo for 73, Yamcha returns to action and the rest of the team gets some spotlight.
2 TOP
I have a lot of nostalgia for this tournament and also I myself really hyped about Ultra Instinct and the raw power that Jiren has, the relationships between the characters are also worth noting:
Vegeta -> Cabba
Goku -> Caulifla
Goku -> Jiren
Gohan -> That guy from universe 10 whom he eliminated in an honorable fight for survival
Toppo -> the rest of the pride troopers
Caulifla -> Kale
In addition to the fights themselves, the tournament was based on the interactions between characters that had their climax during the tournament, which was a cool variety during the tournament.
3. Broly
The revamped Broly character which got a fresh start was well received, the animated film delivered and was a very good and at times charming actioner.
4. future Trunks saga
Super introduction, good development and controversial ending. I liked the motivation of Black and Zamasu and their charisma and Black's attraction to rose, and the fights but those were better in the manga. It's cool to see Trunks again after years and his farewell in the anime with Gohan flying to him to say goodbye.
5. Battle of Gods
A cool re-introduction to the universe and also a fantastic introduction towards a new adventure.
6. Granolah the Survivor saga
Completing Vegeta's redemption arcs from the Moro saga is a big plus, Goku continues his training, Granolah has a brilliant relationship with Vegeta and coolest of all Goku remembered his parents.
7 Super Hero
A fun movie and manga saga with a manga prequel having a balance between seriousness and slice of life.
8. Universe 6
Typical Dragon Ball average tournament, nice to look at but nothing great.
9 Fukkatsu no F
Mediocre on the level of the old 45 minute DBZ movies, not a bad movie in my opinion but too weak to call it successful or good.
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capsulecorp
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Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
1. Battle of Gods: A highlight of the entire series. it introduces the wonderful Whis and Beerus and its hilarious. The original series ending was brilliant but this would also have been a fine point to end on.
2. Broly: Probably the visual highlight of DBS. Great action, cool music, somehow managed to make Broly sympathetic and all the new characters are a blast.
3. (tied) Resurrection F/Super Hero: Lots of great humor in both of these. In Resurrection F we get to see Jaco and cool scenes with the Z fighters are cool. I don't like the ending of either film, but that's true of everything that follows as well.
4 (tied). Moro / Granolah: These arcs have the same strengths and weaknesses. Some great action in both, the buildup is cool, but they're overly sentimental and referential that feels more like fanfiction than Dragon Ball. Still, we got to see Buu fight...
5. Tournament of Power: It's hard to separate what this arc actually is from how it was hyped up by Toei. Really disappointing and anti-climatic non-ending, plus the vast majority of the new characters are uninspired tropey nonsense. Still, some great moments, especially in the anime.
6. Universe 6: Honestly I barely remember this one, I think it was harmless but boring.
7. Zamasu arc: A low point of the entire series for me. Meandering, incoherent and just not much fun. This one really does feel like amateur fanfiction in the worst way ("What if there was an evil Goku??").
2. Broly: Probably the visual highlight of DBS. Great action, cool music, somehow managed to make Broly sympathetic and all the new characters are a blast.
3. (tied) Resurrection F/Super Hero: Lots of great humor in both of these. In Resurrection F we get to see Jaco and cool scenes with the Z fighters are cool. I don't like the ending of either film, but that's true of everything that follows as well.
4 (tied). Moro / Granolah: These arcs have the same strengths and weaknesses. Some great action in both, the buildup is cool, but they're overly sentimental and referential that feels more like fanfiction than Dragon Ball. Still, we got to see Buu fight...
5. Tournament of Power: It's hard to separate what this arc actually is from how it was hyped up by Toei. Really disappointing and anti-climatic non-ending, plus the vast majority of the new characters are uninspired tropey nonsense. Still, some great moments, especially in the anime.
6. Universe 6: Honestly I barely remember this one, I think it was harmless but boring.
7. Zamasu arc: A low point of the entire series for me. Meandering, incoherent and just not much fun. This one really does feel like amateur fanfiction in the worst way ("What if there was an evil Goku??").
Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
My own list is remarkably similar. I tend to choose which version entertained me more over which was more logical when it comes to DBS, though I do prefer strength scaling and abilities in the manga most of the time. The only ones I'd switch around are 4, 5, and 6. Uni 6 and RoF are about the same for me and both are dead last. Uni 6 was mad boring and had no feels to it. There's some good stuff in there like Vegeta/Cabba & Beerus/Champa but the execution let me down hard. Frost could have had a much bigger role for instance. It's totally toothless as an arc and it promised things that it still hasn't paid off.Yuji wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2023 7:28 am It's been a while since Superhero released and now that the manga is covering the movie, it seems there's a few months left until we get new Super content. I'd wager this is a good time to reflect on Super and rank the arcs from best to worst.
To avoid differing continuities, take your personal best and favourite adaptation of the story for your ranking. For me:
1. Battle of Gods (movie) - it's crazy to think the first story from modern DB is still the best one, but Battle of Gods really does stand on its own as a great story. While I like some of what the anime did in regards to Beerus' character, the movie version is a more concise, faster-paced version of what is essentially a perfect mix of Dragon Ball's humorous roots with its action set pieces. It does wonders for Goku's character while setting up new horizons with its ending, and can serve both as the start of a new series or a conclusive ending to Z, however you see fit. It's pretty much the only piece of Super material I could compare directly to the original series and say it holds its own.
2. Superhero (movie) - Coming in at a distant second, but very much above third place. Verdict's still out on the manga adaptation but for now I find the movie the more visually interesting - props on the manga for the prequel arc though, that was fun. Not a fan of Gohan feeling shoehorned into an otherwise Piccolo-centric movie, and every scene on Beerus' world felt out-of-place, but besides that, it's the most fun I've had with Dragon Ball for a literal decade.
3. Tournament of Power (manga) - If I were ranking the anime version of this arc, it'd come in dead last due to how much of a contradictory mess it is, but I come to appreciate the manga version more and more as time goes on. Kudos to Cipher and Magnificent Ponta for their outstanding posts on this arc. It really is very well structured, nicely paced, everyone feels purposeful and the themes of the arc are well set-up and developed.
4. Future Trunks (manga) - I'd say this is probably the one arc the anime could have gained an edge over the manga, and mostly (almost exclusively) because of how much better and more engaging of a character Goku Black is there. Ultimately though, the manga's attention to detail, logical plot progression and more accurate characterization wins me over.
5. Broly (movie) - It's a shame the movie had to be bogged down by the first acr on planet Vegeta because the rest of it is great. It's a pretty standard and simple story, very much like Super's version of the Saiyan arc to an extent. I'm not as high on it as some others though, because once you get past its extraordinary action, it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to its characters, which I find the other arcs excel in.
6. Moro/7. Granolah - I'll group these two together because I keep going back and forth on which arc I prefer the most. Both have some pacing issues, but I find the Granolah arc more agreeable on rereads. Personally however, Goku is the most interesting character in the series for me, and I find his role in the Moro arc more engaging - I think that's the defining factor.
8. Universe 6 (manga) - I feel bad for ranking this arc so low because truthfully it has done nothing wrong. It's probably the most well-written Super arc in the sense that it achieves precisely everything that it tries to do. But it feels unambitious, safe, predictable and just outright underwhelming so I can't in good conscience rank it above other arcs that may have screwed up more but excelled in at least one thing.
9. Resurrection 'F' (anime) - Finally to nobody's surprise, F comes in at dead last. What may surprise some people is that I rank the anime over the movie. While the anime's terrible animation is definitely a slight against it, it also removed or fixed a lot of the nonsensical lines and character moments from the original movie. Also, it's not like the movie was visually interesting to begin with, so not much was lost on that front. Just overall a complete miss.
For RoF, I find that it squandered the picture perfect setup of BoG into a new series in a ton of ways. The worst is the concept of god ki being special or the next level was totally invalidated by Frieza. U6 doubled down on that with the inclusion of the mortal SSJ forms. A simple solution would have simply been to give Frieza god ki (there's a myriad of methods to do so) and make the mortal SSJ forms unnecessary. Less forms = less bloat and confusion.
1. Battle of Gods (movie) - Really good intro to a new series. Nearly a perfect setup.
2. Super Hero (movie) - One of the most fun DB movies that puts fan favorite characters back in the spotlight.
3. TOP (anime) - Gave lots of screen time for characters to have great moments. This arc finally made Super iconic in its own way.
4. Moro - Equal parts good and bad as an arc. It has fantastic highs and disappointing lows but never stops being entertaining.
5. Trunks (anime) - While the manga is better written, I can't really enjoy this arc without Nozawa's superb GB acting and the arcs overall theatricality.
6. Broly - Textbook case of losing the plot. Loved this until the plot completely hit a brick wall. I loved the spectacle of the fight and the fantastic art and animation on display, but this is probably the worst case of a fight having virtually no connection to the plot. DB's at its best when the fight is advancing the plot or pushing characters forward in some way. Since Vegeta and Gogeta had no interest in Broly, perhaps it would have been better if it was just Goku fighting him. I would have preferred it if Broly didn't completely lose his personality or got a new sadistic one so we could have had some kind of dialogue exchange.
7. Granolah - An overall mess of an arc. Lots of unnecessary and long fights. And the Heaters were a complete disappointment, but I can't say I hated it. I just found it goofy in a lot of ways with the two Dragon Balls to grant a wish and Granolah and Gas becoming Xenoverse Create-a-Characters with the max stats cheat activated.
8. RoF (movie) / Uni 6 (manga) - explained above. Not sure which one is worse but I always pick one of these 2.
Big fan of the characters of Dragon Ball, all of them, especially formerly prominent sub-characters. -__-
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SupremeKai25
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Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
1) Future Trunks arc (Anime)
Zamasu carries this arc. He is the best villain in Dragon Ball, with the most unique origin (Supreme Kai gone rogue) and the most interesting motivation (he is motivated by a desire for peace, unlike all other villains). Yet, despite his originally-good motivations of peace, he becomes a very hatable villain. He is a villain who is hated, so he accomplished his purpose. He killed Goku and his family, killed Bulma, ruined Trunks' happy life, killed his master thrice, he is twisted, corrupted, and hypocritical. He is a very controversial character, but this means that he succeeded, because villains are meant to be controversial and hated. The fact that people care enough about Zamasu to hate him proves that he succeeded in his job of being a memorable villain; memorable in being utterly despicable and hatable (he is the villain, after all). The ending is also very ambitious, finally an arc ends without the Dragon Balls just fixing everything and resurrecting everyone. I applaud Toriyama for upping the stakes and not giving Trunks a happy fairy tale ending.
2) ToP arc (Anime)
The idea of hosting a battle royale between 80 fighters is genius and unprecedented, this arc had massive world-building as it created unique aesthetics, powers, and personalities for all the universes, and the fights were ground-breaking. The anime was breaking streaming sites and being live-streamed in front of huge audiences during this arc, it was truly a perfect send-off for the show.
3) BoG movie
The most important storyline, it revived Dragon Ball with the expansion of the God hierarchy, revealing that there are Gods even stronger than the Supreme Kais. But it does so in a way that feels organic; Beerus does not feel like an asspull or retcon, a God who came out of nowhere, because he is immediately established as a lazy and slouching deity, so it makes sense that he never bothered to do anything in DBZ. Plus, DBZ already introduced the mystery of who sealed the Supreme Kai inside Z sword. It's actually very hard to introduce Gods in an organic way that does not feel like asspull/retcon, just look at what a failure the Otsutsuki were in the Naruto franchise. So it's impressive that Dragon Ball manages to introduce Beerus in a way that feels organic and coherent with the original material.
4) Broly movie
Amazing art and animation, amazing fights, the new Broly is much more complex than the original one, the flashback was also enjoyable.
5) Super Hero movie
This movie would have been better as a Piccolo-only story. Gohan is shoehorned in and his new form is just ugly. I understand that it's meant to troll the Cell saga Gohan fanboys, but it's still ugly and just a waste of time. What Gohan even adds to this movie? He just repeats his usual story arc that he doesn't want to train or fight until his family is literally in danger. This movie would have been way better if it was just about Piccolo. The scenes on the Beerus planet also feel like they come out of nowhere and have no story purpose... it's clear that those scenes exist just so that people look at Goku/Vegeta/Broly and get hyped for this movie, because Piccolo is not nearly as popular as them.
6) Destroyer Tournament arc
This is just a forgettable arc outside of the Goku vs. Hit fight and the Vegeta and Cabba dynamic (even though his intention of visiting Planet Salada still hasn't gone anywhere). The other fighters feel like borderline filler characters. The ToP also had many borderline filler characters, but this was out-weighted by the high number of cool and entertaining fights. This arc did not have any "major" fight aside from Hit vs. Goku, so it was just boring and forgettable.
7) RoF movie
I obviously rank this above the Anime since it at least did not look ugly, this movie doesn't deserve anything else. It is just pure nostalgia bait. Broly movie at least introduces a new recurring character in Broly, this movie is just nostalgia bait for the people who loved the DBZ Namek saga. It begins with Frieza dead and it ends with Frieza dead, nothing changes, nothing moves forward, nothing is altered. It's also stupid how Toriyama just baits the Vegeta fanboys, surely the ending of that fight could have been written in a way that doesn't give false hope to the Vegeta fanboys that their prince will finally get revenge first-hand.
I don't want to judge the Manga-only arcs until we get an Anime adaptation (if we ever get it), because maybe if the Anime can fix some of the major flaws of these arcs, My opinions of them will change. As it stands now, both the Moro and Granolah arcs are a mess. Moro is hyped up as a "sorcerer" but all he does is absorb people like Cell and Buu did. Granolah arc hypes up Granolah the Survivor, but then he gets relegated to a side character IN HIS OWN ARC by the Heeters and Bardock.
Zamasu carries this arc. He is the best villain in Dragon Ball, with the most unique origin (Supreme Kai gone rogue) and the most interesting motivation (he is motivated by a desire for peace, unlike all other villains). Yet, despite his originally-good motivations of peace, he becomes a very hatable villain. He is a villain who is hated, so he accomplished his purpose. He killed Goku and his family, killed Bulma, ruined Trunks' happy life, killed his master thrice, he is twisted, corrupted, and hypocritical. He is a very controversial character, but this means that he succeeded, because villains are meant to be controversial and hated. The fact that people care enough about Zamasu to hate him proves that he succeeded in his job of being a memorable villain; memorable in being utterly despicable and hatable (he is the villain, after all). The ending is also very ambitious, finally an arc ends without the Dragon Balls just fixing everything and resurrecting everyone. I applaud Toriyama for upping the stakes and not giving Trunks a happy fairy tale ending.
2) ToP arc (Anime)
The idea of hosting a battle royale between 80 fighters is genius and unprecedented, this arc had massive world-building as it created unique aesthetics, powers, and personalities for all the universes, and the fights were ground-breaking. The anime was breaking streaming sites and being live-streamed in front of huge audiences during this arc, it was truly a perfect send-off for the show.
3) BoG movie
The most important storyline, it revived Dragon Ball with the expansion of the God hierarchy, revealing that there are Gods even stronger than the Supreme Kais. But it does so in a way that feels organic; Beerus does not feel like an asspull or retcon, a God who came out of nowhere, because he is immediately established as a lazy and slouching deity, so it makes sense that he never bothered to do anything in DBZ. Plus, DBZ already introduced the mystery of who sealed the Supreme Kai inside Z sword. It's actually very hard to introduce Gods in an organic way that does not feel like asspull/retcon, just look at what a failure the Otsutsuki were in the Naruto franchise. So it's impressive that Dragon Ball manages to introduce Beerus in a way that feels organic and coherent with the original material.
4) Broly movie
Amazing art and animation, amazing fights, the new Broly is much more complex than the original one, the flashback was also enjoyable.
5) Super Hero movie
This movie would have been better as a Piccolo-only story. Gohan is shoehorned in and his new form is just ugly. I understand that it's meant to troll the Cell saga Gohan fanboys, but it's still ugly and just a waste of time. What Gohan even adds to this movie? He just repeats his usual story arc that he doesn't want to train or fight until his family is literally in danger. This movie would have been way better if it was just about Piccolo. The scenes on the Beerus planet also feel like they come out of nowhere and have no story purpose... it's clear that those scenes exist just so that people look at Goku/Vegeta/Broly and get hyped for this movie, because Piccolo is not nearly as popular as them.
6) Destroyer Tournament arc
This is just a forgettable arc outside of the Goku vs. Hit fight and the Vegeta and Cabba dynamic (even though his intention of visiting Planet Salada still hasn't gone anywhere). The other fighters feel like borderline filler characters. The ToP also had many borderline filler characters, but this was out-weighted by the high number of cool and entertaining fights. This arc did not have any "major" fight aside from Hit vs. Goku, so it was just boring and forgettable.
7) RoF movie
I obviously rank this above the Anime since it at least did not look ugly, this movie doesn't deserve anything else. It is just pure nostalgia bait. Broly movie at least introduces a new recurring character in Broly, this movie is just nostalgia bait for the people who loved the DBZ Namek saga. It begins with Frieza dead and it ends with Frieza dead, nothing changes, nothing moves forward, nothing is altered. It's also stupid how Toriyama just baits the Vegeta fanboys, surely the ending of that fight could have been written in a way that doesn't give false hope to the Vegeta fanboys that their prince will finally get revenge first-hand.
I don't want to judge the Manga-only arcs until we get an Anime adaptation (if we ever get it), because maybe if the Anime can fix some of the major flaws of these arcs, My opinions of them will change. As it stands now, both the Moro and Granolah arcs are a mess. Moro is hyped up as a "sorcerer" but all he does is absorb people like Cell and Buu did. Granolah arc hypes up Granolah the Survivor, but then he gets relegated to a side character IN HIS OWN ARC by the Heeters and Bardock.
Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
1) Broly movie
It's funny, entertaining, the fights are amazing, the art is crazy. I never liked Z Broly, but this Broly I love. The soundtrack is amazing.
2) ToP
With its ups and downs, the good outweighs the bad. The final episodes make up for the entire arc being hit-n-miss. And the art, that new shades they introduced was a good choice.
3) SH
Cracked me up. It's cute, too, everything with Pan and even Hedo with his Oreos and his SH suit. The fighting isn't something to write home about, but Piccolo and Gohan getting new forms is good enough for me. And that 3D thing that people were so worried about ended up being unnoticeable, and those beam attacks at the end look fantastic.
4) BoG
It hasn't aged that well in my eyes, but is still an entertaining movie. The soundtrack is boring, the art is meh (too greasy) and the fighting is unremarkable. But I love the new characters, can't hate something with Beerus on it.
5) Zamasu arc
It has a great start, the villains are hella cool, but it never hits the notes it hit in the beginning. I see a decline as the story progresses, and I hate the ending. Black alone makes up for everything, though.
Also, sountrack. Amazing.
6) U6 arc
I never found it as funny as other people, most of the new U6 characters are boring and unappealing to me. Except for Hit. Frost bored me a bit, but I did love what the anime did, making him a poser instead of the boring route chosen in the manga.
Monaka was nice, but can't say much more. It's the arc that save DBS.
7) RoF
By far the worst thing that DB has produced, second only to DB MinuSuperman.
It's incredible to me that the fandom has finally reached a consensus in regards of what's the lowest point of the franchise. I rate this slightly above SDBH, and greatly behind GT, Z, and the rest of DBZ.
And boy does this movie look awful, even greasier than BoG. Not even Jaco's antics are saving this.
It's funny, entertaining, the fights are amazing, the art is crazy. I never liked Z Broly, but this Broly I love. The soundtrack is amazing.
2) ToP
With its ups and downs, the good outweighs the bad. The final episodes make up for the entire arc being hit-n-miss. And the art, that new shades they introduced was a good choice.
3) SH
Cracked me up. It's cute, too, everything with Pan and even Hedo with his Oreos and his SH suit. The fighting isn't something to write home about, but Piccolo and Gohan getting new forms is good enough for me. And that 3D thing that people were so worried about ended up being unnoticeable, and those beam attacks at the end look fantastic.
4) BoG
It hasn't aged that well in my eyes, but is still an entertaining movie. The soundtrack is boring, the art is meh (too greasy) and the fighting is unremarkable. But I love the new characters, can't hate something with Beerus on it.
5) Zamasu arc
It has a great start, the villains are hella cool, but it never hits the notes it hit in the beginning. I see a decline as the story progresses, and I hate the ending. Black alone makes up for everything, though.
Also, sountrack. Amazing.
6) U6 arc
I never found it as funny as other people, most of the new U6 characters are boring and unappealing to me. Except for Hit. Frost bored me a bit, but I did love what the anime did, making him a poser instead of the boring route chosen in the manga.
Monaka was nice, but can't say much more. It's the arc that save DBS.
7) RoF
By far the worst thing that DB has produced, second only to DB MinuSuperman.
It's incredible to me that the fandom has finally reached a consensus in regards of what's the lowest point of the franchise. I rate this slightly above SDBH, and greatly behind GT, Z, and the rest of DBZ.
And boy does this movie look awful, even greasier than BoG. Not even Jaco's antics are saving this.
Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
I will actually try and divide my personal list into manga/movie/anime adaptations, as they may differ quite a bit for me. The only things I won't count is BoG manga version (as it really is more of a slide-show if anything else for me), RoF manga version (as it is mostly just advertising) and Super Hero manga, which I haven't read yet.
1. Broly (movie)
After thinking this one through I think this is the most enjoyable story from modern DB for me. While not being the most galactic impact, world shattering, or full of plot twists it just hits all it's marks right. It plays on the strength off all of the main characters - Goku's love for fighting and thrust for challenge, Vegeta's cockiness and love of dominating his opponet, Frieza manipulation and sadism, Broly's innocence and submission parred with fury and unimaginable power.
It's like the movie has all the characters where it wants to and plays with them. While some may think the retrospectives part is too long and the action part is just mindless action, I don't mind this split. Fighting is on great level, does not bore me and it's interesting to see Broly learning new heights of power. The retrospectives are nice - they broaden Saiyan and Frieza lore, which I like and even makes Dragon Ball Minus less unbearable.
I love the animation, the music, the whole "go big or go home" look of the movie and the style is hands down the best for me in all of Super.
I find it hard to see a fault in the movie - maybe that would be the Piccolo scene but that's not enough to make me like it less.
2. Battle of Gods (movie)
This one falls behind Broly but not by much. As a first movie of modern DB (technically not Super yet) it does so many things right.
The characters, the world building, the comedy. It forever broadens the lore of DB universe and it does it so naturally, one can think Gods and Angels were always part of Toryiama's world. Beerus is a very enjoyable character and also fits the antagonist role perfectly as you can feel the terror he represents at that time.
The movie gives us more lore, more character interactions, more comedy, more Vegeta look inside (his father's backstory, the dance and stuff he comes up, "My Bulma" scene), great Goku characteristics (his sincere modesty before Beerus and the fact he just cannot win, his "I won't let you destroy my world" scene, his somewhat hesitancy to God ki and the way he earned it).
I love the fact Pilaf becomes a child (just to poke on GT), the fact Gohan gets drunk, Bulma slapping Beerus - these are all little but very fun additions.
The animation is okay but not on the level of Broly and CGI used is more noticeable here.
The only real cons I can think of this movie is the fight - which in all honesty - isn't nothing to write home about upon closer inspection, also quite short for a DB movie.
We also see first glimpses of "Super stupid Goku" of who I am not a fan off.
3. Super Hero (movie)
A different movie than the last two with a bit of experimentation in it but I feel it pays off. Centering the movie around Gohan and Piccolo is a smart idea and seeing those two is honestly fun. We finally get to see an older Pan and she is an adorable character there, with her relationship with Piccolo being no less adorable.
I enjoy the animation and like the CGI used. The movie has a different style - sometimes even differing from DB - but it never got me out of the movie.
I like seeing RR again - it feels like the return of an old foe much more than in the Android saga.
While I have mixed opinions about Cell max, the Godzilla like fight is really well done and not an often sight for DB.
I like seeing all of the other characters - Krilin, 18, Goten and Trunks (who finally, FINALLY look like teens).
Unfortunately one major thing spoils the movie for me. I don't care for Beast Gohan. The design is okay enough, I just don't buy it. I don't buy the leap in power, don't really understand what it is (because the movie does not tell me) and most certainly hate the reason why Gohan transforms. All of this feels like a cash grab to me, where Toei just needs to have another transformation so they connect the dots to be there.
Not really fond of Goku/Vegeta scenes too.
4. Moro Arc
Moro arc is actually the first arc from Super, in which I honestly felt the "spirit" of Dragon Ball, which I felt always when reading/watching DBog, Z, or even GT.
Many things from it are a rehash or elements mixed from the past (Piccolo Daimao, Frieza, Cell) but I don't mind this too much, most of DB is stuff used before but mixed up in new ways.
I feel 3 things mainly are used for the arc to be so great:
Moro is a good villain, he does things we never had seen before and basically doesn't beat around the bush (he slaughters Namekians without a hint of remorse, destroys Goku and Vegeta and so on) and while it's true he gets less interesting as times goes on, he never becomes ubearable to watch.
The story reaches to old DB lore, which I like. The stuff about Grand Kai, Buu, the mithology is fun and the first time, when Super actually decided to use it's existing lore and broaden it rather than coming up with new stuff every weekend.
Goku and Vegeta also shine in this one. Vegeta especially is very interesting to watch, when for the first time he really interacts with Namekians after his actions in Namek saga and we see his shame, we can see this man has a good heart now. We can see he is willing to go past the comfort zone, travel to Yardrat, learn techniques he doesn't really want to and become the hero for once.
Goku mastering UI and trying to find his own way, interactions with Meerus is also enjoyable, however Toyo could throw the Senzu part out.
All in all good story, sometimes maybe could be bettered, but for a DB arc very all right (and as for a Super arc one of the most enjoyable).
5. Granolah arc
There is something in this arc that greatly resonates with me and I had to think if this, or Moro would be higher. Finally I decided Moro has just the better story structure out of the two.
Granolah starts out great but has many hiccups along the way.
The arc actually continues what Moro started - reaches to old DB lore and uses it, of which, like I said, I am fan off.
Granolah itself is a fun character to observe and the arc seems to be the best when it focuses on particular character's strength and interactions (kind of like what Broly did) - Granolah's naivity but also unpredactibility, Goku's pushing himself further and struggling to find a way with UI and off course Vegeta's Ultra Ego - finally a transformation for him that isn't shoe-horned in and has a meaning to his character. It even builds up on his shame from the previous arc.
The story at the begining has a structure of a drama, at least kind off. You know no one will destroy each other and the whole thing is a big misunderstading and manipulation from the Heeters but you're not sure how the situation is going to be resolved.
After that more shades of black and white come along with Gas and I feel this is where the arc loses it's momentum.
The stuff with Bardock and Gas is interesting and has good story beats but is badly introduced, too long and doesn't flow well enough with what was before it.
If you called it then and there "Gas arc", or "Bardock arc" you wouldn't be that wrong honestly. A little bit of planning, a little less of strecthing fights with Gas or Bardock flashbacks and it could be one of the best arcs on the list.
And there is off course... Black Frieza. On whom I am really torn.
On one hand he is great here. Cunning and sadistic like always and once he shows up, we all know he knows more than we know.
His kill is the most brutal thing we've seen in Super so far and his sheer domination of our heroes is schocking and puts him right up the food chain again.
On the other hand I am not sure this is even his arc and should he be here even. The moment he arrives, whole plot feel is different and it doesn't feel natural.
The reasoning for his black form is veeeery lazy, random RoSaT from nowehere and 10 years of training, I don't buy things like that.
6. Ressurection F (movie)
I know many fans list it as their lowest point but I can't bring myself to not like this movie.
Maybe that's nothing deep, maybe I just enjoy seeing all of characters here again, maybe it's my nostalgia speaking seeing Goku, Vegeta, Freeza, Roshi etc in new roles. I can't help it. I enjoy this movie. I know it isn't very deep, not very ground breaking but I am just having fun.
Nothing here irritates me or makes me want to quit watching. I like Frieza's character, I like the Z fighter's battles, I like seeing Roshi in action (as nonsensical as it is), I like Goku clashing with the tyrant, I love Vegeta humiliating him and beating him up, after "the prince of no one" line.
Even Golden form does not seem as bad as Black one to me - 4 months of training seems very much like an ass pull but what if Freeza really has that much potential and what if he really just needed to push himself once? It's a stretch but I can live with it.
The movie has problems - the ending is honestly a bag of horseshit, lesson for Goku is an asspull and even SSJ Blue is underwhelming (if I recall correctly the movie did not even properly explain it).
All in all though it is a watch that I definetly more like than not like if that makes sense.
7. Goku Black arc (manga)
Goku Black story standing on it's own is a fairly enjoyable DB plot but with no fireworks to write home about. However when comparing manga to anime, I wholeheartedly like this version better. The premise is the same but I think this version makes everything faster, better, more to the point with 50% less bullshit.
Zamasu isn't a groundbreaking villain for storytelling and certainly nothing to write home about but for DB his a bit of a fresh blood.
It is also interesting seeing his deeply hidden sadism manifest itself, especially in pair with his effusive and exalted words.
Goku Black himself is effective and dangerous and we want to see more of him, while reading.
Trunks is used intelligently in this version - his important and prominent without ass pulls, Goku and Vegeta further their fighting skills and come up with creative ideas for battle.
Actually the biggest reason I am so fond of this version is beacuse it cuts out all the nonsensical bullshit from the anime - but lets talk about it, when we get to this.
8. Tournament of Power (manga)
In general a good arc for me. And again, this version is better for me than the anime but not in all concepts. I really like the flow of the tournament better here, it cuts everything we can feel as "filler" and gets straight to the point. We don't have to wait through tons of Ribraines, bugs, robots just to see Jiren, Kefla, Frost, Frieza, UI.
I like the speed of it. I like seeing Roshi "reminding" Goku of what martial arts are about, I like character interactions.
What I don't like is when the pacing (of which I am quite fond off) goes to far and everything is sped up to fast (talking bout you, Kale).
I also think UI was generally better done in the anime, as was the last battle.
And I am very dissapointed that in pre-tournament everyone is gathered practically of screen.
9. Tournament of Power (anime)
I love tournament arcs in Dragon Ball, I really very much do but unfortunately this doesn't feel very much like that for me. It may be a good watch, depending on our expectations but certain points can drag the whole thing down immensely.
One of the most unberable things for me was watching episode after episode of fighters I don't care or have zero interest about.
Dragon Ball Super has unimaginable potential but never uses it for me. We see some robots, some Sailor Moon parody and some bugs.
If Toei made the characters even interesting I would probably sit and watch with intense satisfaction but I feel my IQ going down when I hear all the time "love, love, love" from Ribraine or "Justice is everything" quickly followed by "Justice is nothing".
Jiren is very flat and uninteresting and his backstory is a joke for shonen standards.
All of this basically made me quit the arc 4 times until I finally gritted my teeth and finished it.
The other thing I don't like is the overall lazy feel of it sometimes. These are rather small things but it's like the writers half baked an idea and went with it (To my mind comes Android 17's wife and kids who we never see - the scene in which 17 shows Goku their photo is particularly histerical in how the show doesn't let us see it. Or things like Jiren's evildoer not even getting a name).
The good thing about the arc is that when it gets to the stuff it wants to tell, it becomes interesting. All of UI, fights with Jiren, fight with Kefla is very enjoyable. Interactions with Frieza and Frost. Hit. Roshi.
UI is hands down the best transformation we have seen in modern DB and is one of the things I feel the anime version does better.
There are also many sprinkles of nostalgia once and again and I am torn on them.
Some of them are quite creative and intelligent (Goku relieving his fight with Gohan at Baba's, Freeza giving Goku energy, Gohan saving Piccolo doing a much better job with the scene then the atroucious scene in RoF).
Then there are the ones I really don't like (Vegeta's "sacrifice"). And speaking of Vegeta, SSJB Evolution is something I don't like. The form, the transformation and reasons for it are very poor for me. And why in the world they thought they had to do something like this when Spirit Fission or UE was just around the corner is beyond me.
More positives I can think about is the animation, which is the first time Super's animation does impress me. The music is superb and the final fight has a very epic, Dragon Ballish feel, which even Zamasu, Moro, Granolah pale in comparison.
Last but not least - I don't know how many people recall it now but at the time of airing most of use honestly thought there will be something more to the arc and different story directions will be taken. Grand Priest going evil, or our heroes rebelling on the idea of destroying universes. And it seemed really possible. The scene with Gohan lamenting over Universe 10 destruction seemed like a promise of something more. Whole Super up to this point was about God and mortals interactions in which the Gods are somewhat too decisive, every arc from BoG, through Universe 6 up to Zamasu had Gods making their own selfish decisions, which took a great toll on everyday mortal's lifes. I thought this is going somewhere.
But whether these were our wild expecations or something the writers planned but had to back off due to time constraints (?) we got what we got, a rather standard. safe and schematic story - still, not a bad one.
10. Zamasu arc (anime)
Like I said in the manga section, Zamasu is a fun villain though nothing to write home about. In this version he is still used effectively, though I prefer the manga version of him and Black a bit more. On the other hand this version gives us more scenes, more motivation and generally more fights. I wish Zamasu's identity was kept as a secret a bit more and wasn't so easy to find out but maybe this wasn't the focus.
There are 3 things that especially spoil this version for me.
The very thing this arc takes place in Future Trunk's timeline, reduces the stakes of our own timeline and world (even if at the end Sky Zamasu is shown taking a toll on our timeline - this does nothing for the plot before it).
And that wouldn't be an issue if our characters were stranded in the future, all alone and had a high possibility of dying. As it turns out, when situation got hard, the only thing they needed to do is run away to the present. This becomes a really easy quick way out for the plot.
And one time is okay but they do it two times. This was actually fixed in the manga where they believabely travel to the future, got their ass handed by Zamasu, run away, train and return to fight.
Here Goku fights Zamasu, then they go to the future, get their asses handed to them, run away, return, get their asses handed to them, run away, train and prepare, return... And see their preparation was for nothing beacuse Goku is an idiot.
This is the second thing. After manga lecture I was left with Goku's character as being fairly smart and creatibe in fighting.
After viewing this, I see Goku as an idiot. Writers either need to do tention but do not know how, so they sacrifice Goku yet again or use him for being "funny" (kiss scene, or his stalking of Zamasu). This just leaves a bad taste.
The third is use of Trunks and many ass pulls along the way. I know this is supposed to be his saga and he must be crucial to the plot or fights but the manga found a way to use him withoiut this feeling force upon.
The ending does not bother me that much to be honest - it's basically a "bad guys wins" type of ending of which DB can let it to be.
But I still feel bad this happened to "our" Future Trunks. The one who already lived a horror of the world destroyed by Androids, the lesson of going back, become stronger and defend his own world. Here everything this is wasted - the timeline is doomed either way.
Maybe if this was a different version of Trunks this would feel better?
11. Universe 6 arc (manga and anime)
This is an important arc. It marks the first compeletly original story for Super. It shows us universe 6 for the first time. And it's a frickin' tournament. In DB.
So why does all of this feel so uninspired?
The arc as a whole really doesn't do anything bad the way some former had issues. It doesn't do anything epic either.
It's kind of just there.
Yeah, it's cool to see Frost and his forms, it's cool to see Kabba going SSJ, it's cool to see Kaio Ken, it's cool to see Piccolo fighting.
All of it is cool but nothing more.
It isn't a bad watch but it's very "meh". You can view it in two evenings an be like "okay, I watched it". When DB for me should make your jaw drop to the floor and make you wish it never ended.
The animation and music for the arc is also nothing to be inspired from. It still didn't leave it's "medicore" state.
12. Battle of Gods arc (anime)
I very much appreciate the BoG movie. Taking this good movie and forcing it to be a 15/16 episode plot was a bad idea from the start.
It was a bad idea, bad premise and unfortunately has a bad execution.
I don't care about "they wanted to connect the dots, or show more niuances" explanation. They could easily release some sort of movie Director's Cut or extended version.
The arc is painfull to watch. It's slow, it's ugly, it's not inspired. The pacing is so bad it sometimes drops beneath the level of Namek Saga in Z (but then they had a good reason to do it, what's the excuse now?)
Goku and Beerus yelling at one another for a whole episode, Ulong's rock paper scissor game for a whole episode.
This isn't good writing.
And for all the nonsense it had to have, they threw away things, which I appreciated (like the explanation why Pilaf is a child all of a sudden, or Goku being somewhat reluctant to use God ki).
And we cannot forget the elephant in the room. While we all should know by now, what happened with episode 5 is not the animators' fault, it took a toll on overall quality. And it isn't only the art. All of the animation is stiff, lifeless, the attacks feel like they have no impact.
As the beginning of the first modern big DB thing, it's unfortunately slow and boring. I can't imagine any shonen fan (who doesn't already love DB) to be invested in it.
13. Ressurection F (anime)
1/10
1. Broly (movie)
After thinking this one through I think this is the most enjoyable story from modern DB for me. While not being the most galactic impact, world shattering, or full of plot twists it just hits all it's marks right. It plays on the strength off all of the main characters - Goku's love for fighting and thrust for challenge, Vegeta's cockiness and love of dominating his opponet, Frieza manipulation and sadism, Broly's innocence and submission parred with fury and unimaginable power.
It's like the movie has all the characters where it wants to and plays with them. While some may think the retrospectives part is too long and the action part is just mindless action, I don't mind this split. Fighting is on great level, does not bore me and it's interesting to see Broly learning new heights of power. The retrospectives are nice - they broaden Saiyan and Frieza lore, which I like and even makes Dragon Ball Minus less unbearable.
I love the animation, the music, the whole "go big or go home" look of the movie and the style is hands down the best for me in all of Super.
I find it hard to see a fault in the movie - maybe that would be the Piccolo scene but that's not enough to make me like it less.
2. Battle of Gods (movie)
This one falls behind Broly but not by much. As a first movie of modern DB (technically not Super yet) it does so many things right.
The characters, the world building, the comedy. It forever broadens the lore of DB universe and it does it so naturally, one can think Gods and Angels were always part of Toryiama's world. Beerus is a very enjoyable character and also fits the antagonist role perfectly as you can feel the terror he represents at that time.
The movie gives us more lore, more character interactions, more comedy, more Vegeta look inside (his father's backstory, the dance and stuff he comes up, "My Bulma" scene), great Goku characteristics (his sincere modesty before Beerus and the fact he just cannot win, his "I won't let you destroy my world" scene, his somewhat hesitancy to God ki and the way he earned it).
I love the fact Pilaf becomes a child (just to poke on GT), the fact Gohan gets drunk, Bulma slapping Beerus - these are all little but very fun additions.
The animation is okay but not on the level of Broly and CGI used is more noticeable here.
The only real cons I can think of this movie is the fight - which in all honesty - isn't nothing to write home about upon closer inspection, also quite short for a DB movie.
We also see first glimpses of "Super stupid Goku" of who I am not a fan off.
3. Super Hero (movie)
A different movie than the last two with a bit of experimentation in it but I feel it pays off. Centering the movie around Gohan and Piccolo is a smart idea and seeing those two is honestly fun. We finally get to see an older Pan and she is an adorable character there, with her relationship with Piccolo being no less adorable.
I enjoy the animation and like the CGI used. The movie has a different style - sometimes even differing from DB - but it never got me out of the movie.
I like seeing RR again - it feels like the return of an old foe much more than in the Android saga.
While I have mixed opinions about Cell max, the Godzilla like fight is really well done and not an often sight for DB.
I like seeing all of the other characters - Krilin, 18, Goten and Trunks (who finally, FINALLY look like teens).
Unfortunately one major thing spoils the movie for me. I don't care for Beast Gohan. The design is okay enough, I just don't buy it. I don't buy the leap in power, don't really understand what it is (because the movie does not tell me) and most certainly hate the reason why Gohan transforms. All of this feels like a cash grab to me, where Toei just needs to have another transformation so they connect the dots to be there.
Not really fond of Goku/Vegeta scenes too.
4. Moro Arc
Moro arc is actually the first arc from Super, in which I honestly felt the "spirit" of Dragon Ball, which I felt always when reading/watching DBog, Z, or even GT.
Many things from it are a rehash or elements mixed from the past (Piccolo Daimao, Frieza, Cell) but I don't mind this too much, most of DB is stuff used before but mixed up in new ways.
I feel 3 things mainly are used for the arc to be so great:
Moro is a good villain, he does things we never had seen before and basically doesn't beat around the bush (he slaughters Namekians without a hint of remorse, destroys Goku and Vegeta and so on) and while it's true he gets less interesting as times goes on, he never becomes ubearable to watch.
The story reaches to old DB lore, which I like. The stuff about Grand Kai, Buu, the mithology is fun and the first time, when Super actually decided to use it's existing lore and broaden it rather than coming up with new stuff every weekend.
Goku and Vegeta also shine in this one. Vegeta especially is very interesting to watch, when for the first time he really interacts with Namekians after his actions in Namek saga and we see his shame, we can see this man has a good heart now. We can see he is willing to go past the comfort zone, travel to Yardrat, learn techniques he doesn't really want to and become the hero for once.
Goku mastering UI and trying to find his own way, interactions with Meerus is also enjoyable, however Toyo could throw the Senzu part out.
All in all good story, sometimes maybe could be bettered, but for a DB arc very all right (and as for a Super arc one of the most enjoyable).
5. Granolah arc
There is something in this arc that greatly resonates with me and I had to think if this, or Moro would be higher. Finally I decided Moro has just the better story structure out of the two.
Granolah starts out great but has many hiccups along the way.
The arc actually continues what Moro started - reaches to old DB lore and uses it, of which, like I said, I am fan off.
Granolah itself is a fun character to observe and the arc seems to be the best when it focuses on particular character's strength and interactions (kind of like what Broly did) - Granolah's naivity but also unpredactibility, Goku's pushing himself further and struggling to find a way with UI and off course Vegeta's Ultra Ego - finally a transformation for him that isn't shoe-horned in and has a meaning to his character. It even builds up on his shame from the previous arc.
The story at the begining has a structure of a drama, at least kind off. You know no one will destroy each other and the whole thing is a big misunderstading and manipulation from the Heeters but you're not sure how the situation is going to be resolved.
After that more shades of black and white come along with Gas and I feel this is where the arc loses it's momentum.
The stuff with Bardock and Gas is interesting and has good story beats but is badly introduced, too long and doesn't flow well enough with what was before it.
If you called it then and there "Gas arc", or "Bardock arc" you wouldn't be that wrong honestly. A little bit of planning, a little less of strecthing fights with Gas or Bardock flashbacks and it could be one of the best arcs on the list.
And there is off course... Black Frieza. On whom I am really torn.
On one hand he is great here. Cunning and sadistic like always and once he shows up, we all know he knows more than we know.
His kill is the most brutal thing we've seen in Super so far and his sheer domination of our heroes is schocking and puts him right up the food chain again.
On the other hand I am not sure this is even his arc and should he be here even. The moment he arrives, whole plot feel is different and it doesn't feel natural.
The reasoning for his black form is veeeery lazy, random RoSaT from nowehere and 10 years of training, I don't buy things like that.
6. Ressurection F (movie)
I know many fans list it as their lowest point but I can't bring myself to not like this movie.
Maybe that's nothing deep, maybe I just enjoy seeing all of characters here again, maybe it's my nostalgia speaking seeing Goku, Vegeta, Freeza, Roshi etc in new roles. I can't help it. I enjoy this movie. I know it isn't very deep, not very ground breaking but I am just having fun.
Nothing here irritates me or makes me want to quit watching. I like Frieza's character, I like the Z fighter's battles, I like seeing Roshi in action (as nonsensical as it is), I like Goku clashing with the tyrant, I love Vegeta humiliating him and beating him up, after "the prince of no one" line.
Even Golden form does not seem as bad as Black one to me - 4 months of training seems very much like an ass pull but what if Freeza really has that much potential and what if he really just needed to push himself once? It's a stretch but I can live with it.
The movie has problems - the ending is honestly a bag of horseshit, lesson for Goku is an asspull and even SSJ Blue is underwhelming (if I recall correctly the movie did not even properly explain it).
All in all though it is a watch that I definetly more like than not like if that makes sense.
7. Goku Black arc (manga)
Goku Black story standing on it's own is a fairly enjoyable DB plot but with no fireworks to write home about. However when comparing manga to anime, I wholeheartedly like this version better. The premise is the same but I think this version makes everything faster, better, more to the point with 50% less bullshit.
Zamasu isn't a groundbreaking villain for storytelling and certainly nothing to write home about but for DB his a bit of a fresh blood.
It is also interesting seeing his deeply hidden sadism manifest itself, especially in pair with his effusive and exalted words.
Goku Black himself is effective and dangerous and we want to see more of him, while reading.
Trunks is used intelligently in this version - his important and prominent without ass pulls, Goku and Vegeta further their fighting skills and come up with creative ideas for battle.
Actually the biggest reason I am so fond of this version is beacuse it cuts out all the nonsensical bullshit from the anime - but lets talk about it, when we get to this.
8. Tournament of Power (manga)
In general a good arc for me. And again, this version is better for me than the anime but not in all concepts. I really like the flow of the tournament better here, it cuts everything we can feel as "filler" and gets straight to the point. We don't have to wait through tons of Ribraines, bugs, robots just to see Jiren, Kefla, Frost, Frieza, UI.
I like the speed of it. I like seeing Roshi "reminding" Goku of what martial arts are about, I like character interactions.
What I don't like is when the pacing (of which I am quite fond off) goes to far and everything is sped up to fast (talking bout you, Kale).
I also think UI was generally better done in the anime, as was the last battle.
And I am very dissapointed that in pre-tournament everyone is gathered practically of screen.
9. Tournament of Power (anime)
I love tournament arcs in Dragon Ball, I really very much do but unfortunately this doesn't feel very much like that for me. It may be a good watch, depending on our expectations but certain points can drag the whole thing down immensely.
One of the most unberable things for me was watching episode after episode of fighters I don't care or have zero interest about.
Dragon Ball Super has unimaginable potential but never uses it for me. We see some robots, some Sailor Moon parody and some bugs.
If Toei made the characters even interesting I would probably sit and watch with intense satisfaction but I feel my IQ going down when I hear all the time "love, love, love" from Ribraine or "Justice is everything" quickly followed by "Justice is nothing".
Jiren is very flat and uninteresting and his backstory is a joke for shonen standards.
All of this basically made me quit the arc 4 times until I finally gritted my teeth and finished it.
The other thing I don't like is the overall lazy feel of it sometimes. These are rather small things but it's like the writers half baked an idea and went with it (To my mind comes Android 17's wife and kids who we never see - the scene in which 17 shows Goku their photo is particularly histerical in how the show doesn't let us see it. Or things like Jiren's evildoer not even getting a name).
The good thing about the arc is that when it gets to the stuff it wants to tell, it becomes interesting. All of UI, fights with Jiren, fight with Kefla is very enjoyable. Interactions with Frieza and Frost. Hit. Roshi.
UI is hands down the best transformation we have seen in modern DB and is one of the things I feel the anime version does better.
There are also many sprinkles of nostalgia once and again and I am torn on them.
Some of them are quite creative and intelligent (Goku relieving his fight with Gohan at Baba's, Freeza giving Goku energy, Gohan saving Piccolo doing a much better job with the scene then the atroucious scene in RoF).
Then there are the ones I really don't like (Vegeta's "sacrifice"). And speaking of Vegeta, SSJB Evolution is something I don't like. The form, the transformation and reasons for it are very poor for me. And why in the world they thought they had to do something like this when Spirit Fission or UE was just around the corner is beyond me.
More positives I can think about is the animation, which is the first time Super's animation does impress me. The music is superb and the final fight has a very epic, Dragon Ballish feel, which even Zamasu, Moro, Granolah pale in comparison.
Last but not least - I don't know how many people recall it now but at the time of airing most of use honestly thought there will be something more to the arc and different story directions will be taken. Grand Priest going evil, or our heroes rebelling on the idea of destroying universes. And it seemed really possible. The scene with Gohan lamenting over Universe 10 destruction seemed like a promise of something more. Whole Super up to this point was about God and mortals interactions in which the Gods are somewhat too decisive, every arc from BoG, through Universe 6 up to Zamasu had Gods making their own selfish decisions, which took a great toll on everyday mortal's lifes. I thought this is going somewhere.
But whether these were our wild expecations or something the writers planned but had to back off due to time constraints (?) we got what we got, a rather standard. safe and schematic story - still, not a bad one.
10. Zamasu arc (anime)
Like I said in the manga section, Zamasu is a fun villain though nothing to write home about. In this version he is still used effectively, though I prefer the manga version of him and Black a bit more. On the other hand this version gives us more scenes, more motivation and generally more fights. I wish Zamasu's identity was kept as a secret a bit more and wasn't so easy to find out but maybe this wasn't the focus.
There are 3 things that especially spoil this version for me.
The very thing this arc takes place in Future Trunk's timeline, reduces the stakes of our own timeline and world (even if at the end Sky Zamasu is shown taking a toll on our timeline - this does nothing for the plot before it).
And that wouldn't be an issue if our characters were stranded in the future, all alone and had a high possibility of dying. As it turns out, when situation got hard, the only thing they needed to do is run away to the present. This becomes a really easy quick way out for the plot.
And one time is okay but they do it two times. This was actually fixed in the manga where they believabely travel to the future, got their ass handed by Zamasu, run away, train and return to fight.
Here Goku fights Zamasu, then they go to the future, get their asses handed to them, run away, return, get their asses handed to them, run away, train and prepare, return... And see their preparation was for nothing beacuse Goku is an idiot.
This is the second thing. After manga lecture I was left with Goku's character as being fairly smart and creatibe in fighting.
After viewing this, I see Goku as an idiot. Writers either need to do tention but do not know how, so they sacrifice Goku yet again or use him for being "funny" (kiss scene, or his stalking of Zamasu). This just leaves a bad taste.
The third is use of Trunks and many ass pulls along the way. I know this is supposed to be his saga and he must be crucial to the plot or fights but the manga found a way to use him withoiut this feeling force upon.
The ending does not bother me that much to be honest - it's basically a "bad guys wins" type of ending of which DB can let it to be.
But I still feel bad this happened to "our" Future Trunks. The one who already lived a horror of the world destroyed by Androids, the lesson of going back, become stronger and defend his own world. Here everything this is wasted - the timeline is doomed either way.
Maybe if this was a different version of Trunks this would feel better?
11. Universe 6 arc (manga and anime)
This is an important arc. It marks the first compeletly original story for Super. It shows us universe 6 for the first time. And it's a frickin' tournament. In DB.
So why does all of this feel so uninspired?
The arc as a whole really doesn't do anything bad the way some former had issues. It doesn't do anything epic either.
It's kind of just there.
Yeah, it's cool to see Frost and his forms, it's cool to see Kabba going SSJ, it's cool to see Kaio Ken, it's cool to see Piccolo fighting.
All of it is cool but nothing more.
It isn't a bad watch but it's very "meh". You can view it in two evenings an be like "okay, I watched it". When DB for me should make your jaw drop to the floor and make you wish it never ended.
The animation and music for the arc is also nothing to be inspired from. It still didn't leave it's "medicore" state.
12. Battle of Gods arc (anime)
I very much appreciate the BoG movie. Taking this good movie and forcing it to be a 15/16 episode plot was a bad idea from the start.
It was a bad idea, bad premise and unfortunately has a bad execution.
I don't care about "they wanted to connect the dots, or show more niuances" explanation. They could easily release some sort of movie Director's Cut or extended version.
The arc is painfull to watch. It's slow, it's ugly, it's not inspired. The pacing is so bad it sometimes drops beneath the level of Namek Saga in Z (but then they had a good reason to do it, what's the excuse now?)
Goku and Beerus yelling at one another for a whole episode, Ulong's rock paper scissor game for a whole episode.
This isn't good writing.
And for all the nonsense it had to have, they threw away things, which I appreciated (like the explanation why Pilaf is a child all of a sudden, or Goku being somewhat reluctant to use God ki).
And we cannot forget the elephant in the room. While we all should know by now, what happened with episode 5 is not the animators' fault, it took a toll on overall quality. And it isn't only the art. All of the animation is stiff, lifeless, the attacks feel like they have no impact.
As the beginning of the first modern big DB thing, it's unfortunately slow and boring. I can't imagine any shonen fan (who doesn't already love DB) to be invested in it.
13. Ressurection F (anime)
1/10
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capsulecorp
- Beyond-the-Beyond Newbie
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Re: How do you rank the Super arcs and movies?
I know this is a rhetorical gimmick and you don't mean it literally but, for what it's worth, the "fandom" hasn't reached a consensus at all - you can read this very thread to see a variety of people with differing opinions.