The following article contains spoilers for Dragon Ball and related media, especially Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Daima.
Dragon Ball GTis still a controversial topic among theDragon Ballfan community. Loved by some, hated by others, the series has generally been regarded by many as a non-canon saga that is not worth watching.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues withDBGTis that, as a sequel toDragon Ball Z, fans were expecting something huge and less like the originalDragon Ballanime. In any case, despite the hate that this anime sometimes gets,GTactually introduced many great ideas to theDragon Balluniverse.
Original run
1996–1997
Number of episodes
64
Dragon Ball GTis perhaps the most underrated animeof the franchise. While there may be very questionable plot choices in the anime, it is still a fun adventure that doesn’t deserve the amount of hate it has gotten over the years. It is usually simply labeled as filler content and discarded by fans, even though sometimes the same fans love filler content fromDragon Ball Z, such as the Other World Saga.
That said, fans can have their own opinions, but even though the whole concept ofDragon Ball GTstarted because Toei and Shueishawere worriedDragon Ballwas coming to an end, there are still amazing concepts introduced in this anime.
Omega Shenron Is An Amazing Idea
The most remarkable concept ofDragon Ball GTis theintroduction of Super Saiyan 4, a transformation that, untilDragon Ball Daima, was not considered canon by a considerable number of fans. As far as we know, Akira Toriyama wasn’t deeply involved in the production ofGT, and since he had never used SSJ4 in any otherDragon Ballmedia, it was taken as a concept he disliked. However, there are other ideas introduced in the anime that are so good they should be reused in other media. One of them isOmega Shenron, also known as Syn Shenron, the main antagonist of the story.
He was born from one of the most selfless wishes made using the Dragon Balls, but his personality is quite the opposite: he has absolutely no compassion and perhaps might be even more cruel than Frieza. Back in the Namek Saga, Mr. Popo used the Dragon Balls to revive everyone killed by Frieza on Namek, a wish so powerful that even Shenron wasn’t sure whether he would be able to grant it.
This isn’t a game, and how dare you criticize your own creation! We’re here because of you. All the Shadow Dragons were born because you misused the Dragon Balls, remember? It all started with you. Your world is crumbling because of your actions. You were warned about the overuse, but you didn’t listen; this is all your fault. Hmm…a noble monkey? If you feel so bad about it, then maybe death should be your penance.
— Syn Shenron/Omega Sheron
Wishes end up producing negative energy, and this was such a tremendous wish that it produced an immense amount of negative energy, makingSyn Shenron extremely powerfuland evil. What’s so amazing about the concept ofOmega Shenron is that it gives a sense of consequence for the overuse of Dragon Balls in the story.While the Z Fighters usually rely on them to undo the harm every big battle causes, the existence of Omega Shenron means there is something at stake every time they use the Dragon Balls.
Has Dragon Ball Daima Turned GT Into Canon?
Dragon Ball Daimamakes several nods toDragon Ball GT, starting with the main characters being turned into kids, an idea that many fans hated inDBGT. Additionally, as mentioned, the series reintroduced the SSJ4 form. However, even though Toriyama used many ideas fromGT, the story would still hardly fit within theDragon Ball-Dragon Ball Daima-Dragon Ball Supertimeline, meaning that it would likely have to be set in a separate chronology or universe (which is not completely impossible).
Recently, Toyotaro, the co-creator ofDragon Ball Super, stated that he considers every piece ofDragon Ballmedia as canon or, at least, valid.Dragon Ball Daimaproducer Akio Iyuko also gave statements nodding to the possibility of the existence of multiple chronologies in theDragon Balluniverse. While none of these statements may represent how Toriyama saw the multiple stories spawned from his creation (and the inconsistencies between many of them), these might be indicators that Dragon Ball will take a multiverse approach in the future (and we will likely see homages to many other series inDragon Ball Superif Toyotaro ever resumes it). In sum, it might be time for fans to abandon the utopia of a canonical, cohesive universe and embrace the idea of multiple different stories expanding the possibilities of the universe created by Toriyama.
What’s Next for Dragon Ball?
Since the death of Akira Toriyama in 2024, the future of Dragon Ball has become unclear. There have been reports of litigation between Shueisha and Capsule Corporation Tokyo over the rights to the franchise, but no news about a potential agreement has surfaced. If the rights toDragon Ballare still in dispute, this may hinder the creation of new anime or new manga in the near future.
Nonetheless, it seems that Shueisha still wants to keep publishingDragon Ball Super, even though the future of this manga is also unclear for now. Toyotaro mentioned that continuing it would be hard, but not impossible. Meanwhile,V-JUMPeditor Victory Uchida stated multiple times thatSuperwon’t return this year. Whether the hiatus is related to the litigation or to other factors remains unclear. On the other hand, Akio Iyuko, founder and president of Capsule Corporation Tokyo, suggested that more Dragon Ball content would be coming within the next few years, but no information about any new production has surfaced. It seems that fans can’t help but wait for more concrete information for now.
Dragon Ball GTisavailable to watch on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed in English.
