Dragon Ballis easily one of the greatest anime franchises of all time,but that doesn’t mean that the series is perfect.There are a few components to the series that have let fans down over the years, making many wonder if there was any way to avoid them before they ever happened.
No series is faultless, and a series as long asDragon Ballis sure to have a few potholes on the way. None of the issues thatDragon Ballhas come across have completely tanked the series, but that doesn’t mean that fans accept them easily.
The biggest problems inDragon Ballaren’t always monumental, but they are frustrating at the very least. These issues get in the way of the quality of the series, from the beginning of the franchise until the end.
8Confusing Timeline
Dragon Ball Z’s Ending Creates an Odd Timeline
Dragon Ballhas always been a straightforward series. It’s a classic shōnen anime that stars Son Goku as a Saiyan who just wants to fight. He’s always looking for a challenge, and because he’s one of the strongest people around, he has no shortage of them. He’s always taking on tough enemies, getting stronger, and doing it all over again.
Dragon Ballgot a little complicated with the end ofDragon Ball Zand the introduction of its sequel series.Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super,andDragon Ball DAIMAdon’t exactly fit into the same timeline, andthe official explanations for where they all go don’t make much sense.
It’s a relatively frustrating aspect ofDragon Ballthat can’t be fixed any time soon. It’s not the end of the world, as fans still enjoy watchingDragon Balleven if they don’t really know where in the timeline events take place.
7Dragon Ball Super Skipped Major Arcs
There’s Still a Lot of Manga to Be Animated
After Akira Toriyama’s unfortunate passing, the future ofDragon Ballhas been cloudy. There are a lot of interested parties looking to continue the series where he left off, but the rights to the series are all over the place. Because Toriyama isn’t around to dictate the future ofDragon Ball,certain arcs fromDragon Ball Superhaven’t been animated.
Dragon Ball Superbrought Broly back to the canon in the amazingDragon Ball Super: Brolyfilm and then skipped some major arcs to animate the equally greatDragon Ball Super: Super Heromovie. The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga and the Granolah the Survivor Saga are two of the biggest and best arcs inSuper,but nobody knows when they’ll be animated.
6Death is Meaningless
Characters Dying Means Nothing in Dragon Ball
Dragon Ballhas no shortage of serious, emotional, heart-wrenching moments, but they’re getting less and less serious as the series progresses. In most anime series, death is final. It’s a stark reminder to take life seriously and to keep out of danger. InDragon Ball,death has no meaning whatsoever.
Most of the main characters inDragon Ballhave not only died once: they’ve died multiple times. They took quick breaks in the afterlife before returning to Earth as if nothing had happened. It’s a tough trope the series deals with that makes every fight feel a little empty.
Even if a Z Fighter loses their lives in a fight, do they really? With one wish of the Dragon Balls, they can be brought back to Earth in no time.
5Dragon Ball DAIMA’s Plot Holes
Daima Is Amazing, but It Creates a Lot of Unanswered Questions
Dragon Ball DAIMAis an amazing addition to theDragon Balluniverse. It’s a story that nobody was expecting, and it has plenty of moments that rank as some of the best in the entire franchise. From Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta to Super Saiyan 4 Goku,Dragon Ball DAIMAproved that there’s a lot more story to tell than anyone could have guessed.
Despite its strengths as a series,Dragon Ball DAIMAintroduced a lot of plot holes to the series that just don’t make sense.The most notable is the inclusion of Super Saiyan 4 andDragon Ball DAIMA’splace in the plot of the series.
IfDragon Ball DAIMAis supposed to happen afterDragon Ball Zand beforeDragon Ball Super,then why doesn’t Goku use Super Saiyan 4 during his fight with Beerus? It’s an odd fact that can’t be reconciled ifDragon Ball DAIMAis included in theDragon Ballcanon, but that doesn’t mean thatDAIMAisn’t a top-tier addition toDragon Ballas a whole.
4Dragon Ball Super’s Animation Quality
Dragon Ball Super Looks Pretty Bad
Dragon Ball Superwas a gift that nobody knew they were getting. AfterDragon Ball GT’sflop, most fans thought that the iconic series was finally over. Akira Toriyama still had more gas in the tank, bringing back The Z Fighters in a new story that felt fresher than ever.
Unfortunately, the anime adaptation was pretty bad.The animation quality, at times, was horrific.Dragon Ballhas never been a series that has prioritized animation, but the animation was never anything less than solid.
Dragon Ball Superhas several scenes that are rough to watch. The quality just isn’t there, making the entire series feel worse for it. TheDragon Ball Supermovies, luckily, are the exact opposite with some of the best quality that the series has ever seen.
3Gohan Became Useless
The Character with the Most Potential Didn’t Fulfill It
Gohan has always been known as the character with the most potential inDragon Ball.During the Cell Saga ofDragon Ball Z,he was actuallythe strongest character in the entire franchise. He was the first Saiyan to achieve Super Saiyan 2 and the youngest Saiyan to reach Super Saiyan 1 before Goten and Trunks beat his record.
Dragon Ball ZandDragon Ball Superdropped the ball with Gohan.Dragon Ball Zagain made Gohan the strongest character in the series during the Buu Saga, but Gohan’s arrogance once again proved to be an issue. During the first portion ofDragon Ball Super,Gohan is weaker than he’s been in years.
Luckily, the latest chapters ofDragon Ball Supersee the half-Saiyan reclaiming his title as one of the strongest characters in the series. Gohan Beast is one of the coolest forms the franchise has ever showed off, and it looks like Gohan is finally living up to his unreal potential.
2Dragon Ball GT
The Worst Entry in the Dragon Ball Canon
Dragon Ball GTshould never have existed. It’s a weird moment inDragon Ballhistory because most fans might have wanted moreDragon BallafterDragon Ball Zended, but nobody wantedGT. Dragon Ball GTtried to be so many things but failed so wholly thatit will always be a dark spot in an otherwise vibrant franchise.
Dragon Ball GTis flawed for a number of obvious reasons. First and foremost, series creator Akira Toriyama was barely involved. The studio behindDragon Ballwanted the series to keep making a profit, so they forced another iteration out ofDragon Ballwhen they shouldn’t have.
Second,Dragon Ball GTtries to be the originalDragon Balland fails desperately. The one aspect ofGTthat is good is the series' darkness. There’s noDragon Ballseries as dark asGT,and that’s one of the few reasons why the 64-episode series might be worth watching.
1Trunks' Hair
Trunks' Character Design is So Much Worse Now
One of the smallest frustrations in theDragon Balluniverse is actually one of the biggest. Future Trunks was one ofthe coolest characters in animewhen he first debuted during the beginning of the Cell Saga. He was the second character inDragon Ballto turn Super Saiyan, had an amazing sword, and turned Frieza and King Cold into dust within seconds.
His design was equally cool. He was ripped, had a cool half jacket, and had one of the best haircuts in the series. Trunks' purple hair is iconic, so why did they change it inDragon Ball Super? Dragon Ball Supergave Trunks blue hair to match his mother’s, but the series didn’t need to.
It’s a huge point of frustration because of how small the change is. Trunks' design looks childish inDragon Ball Super,and there was nothing wrong with his design inDragon Ball Zin the first place.The change feels like an unnecessary step backwards that never should have occurred in the first place.
