Dragon Ballmight be one of thebest anime franchises in history. It’s so iconic thatDragon Ballhas essentially becomesynonymous with anime itself. It all started with the originalDragon Ball,spawning an excellent sequel inDragon Ball Z,thenDragon Ball GT,thenDragon Ball Super,with the latestDragon Ball Daimafinally putting Goku front and center once again. Out of all the entries in the franchise, it’s widely agreed thatDragon Ball GTis the worst of the lot.
WhileGTcertainly has a few strengths,it might have more weaknesses.There are a few key areas whereDragon Ball GTdropped the ball, very much unlike every other entry in theDragon Ballfranchise. While it’s not the worst anime around, and some may not even consider it a bad entry in famed creator Akira Toriyama’s universe, there are a few mistakes that can’t be overlooked.
Dragon Ball GT Copied Dragon Ball’s Tone Too Much
Transforming Goku Into a Child to Recreate Dragon Ball’s Whimsy
WhenDragon Ball GTfirst came out,they copied the originalDragon Ball.Dragon Ball GT’screators at TOEI, not Akira Toriyama himself, didn’t know what to do with the successDragon Ball Zhad left them with. They wanted to continue the franchise and decided to try and copy the originalDragon Ball’sfun and lighthearted tone unsuccessfully. One of the biggest differences betweenDragon BallandDragon Ball Zwas Goku himself. He was a child for most ofDragon Balland became a lot older and wiser inDragon Ball Z.
To recreate the whimsy thatDragon Ballwas known for, the creators behindDragon Ball GTturned Goku back into a childthrough a wish made by Pilaf on the Dragon Balls. It wasa forced, frustrating changeof pace that the series probably didn’t need. It also showed that the creators behindGTdidn’t have powerful ideas that could carry a series and turned to Toriyama’s other work for ‘inspiration’.
GT Copied Too Many of Dragon Ball Z’s Villains
More Androids and an Evil Vegeta
Not only didDragon Ball GTcopyDragon Ball’stone, buta lot of the villainsfelt like they were takenstraight out ofDragon Ball Z.While all the villains were original, bar the episode where Frieza, Cell, and more villains fromDBZcame back to life, most of them felt like derivatives of characters from the original series. Characters like Dr. Myuu, Super 17, and Baby all had direct comparisons to other characters already found within the franchise.
Dr. Myuu had a direct comparisonto Dr. Gero. They’re two mad scientists with a penchant for evil and a near-eternal grudge against Goku. They both made robotic creatures focused on destruction. Super 17 was yet another android created by a mad scientist. While he was a vicious villain in his own right, it felt weird to see a newly reformed Android 17 go back and become an evil character even if it was against his own will.
Dragon Ball GT Gave Goku’s Ultimate Finisher a Cosmic Upgrade
Goku’s Spirit Bomb is his ultimate finisher move in DBZ, and in Dragon Ball GT, it gets a cosmic upgrade during his final fight with Omega Shenron.
Baby was another pretty cool villain with a lot of positives, but when he took over Vegeta’s body,it felt too similar to Majin Vegeta.While all the villains inDragon Ball Zwere exceptional, ifDragon Ball GTwere to be its own series, it needed to do it through new villains. Reusing old tools from a previous entry reminded everyone of just how good it wasn’t. Showing off another series' strong points withinGTdidn’t help it like the creators initially thought.
Some Villains and New Forms Were Great
The Shadow Dragons and Super Saiyan 4 Are a Highlight of the Series
Dragon Ball GTmight have its flaws, but it also hasa ton of strong points.Some of its strongest points come from the Shadow Dragons, a unique set of villains with an interesting concept behind them, and thelegendary Super Saiyan 4 form. There were multiple Shadow Dragons inDragon Ball GT,each with their own unique personality and set of abilities. Haze Shenron’s abilities are based on pollution and gas attacks, while fellow Shadow Dragon Rage Shenron’s abilities are based on fire.
The arguably best villaininDragon Ball GTis Omega Shenron.He comes from a misuse of the titular Dragon Ballswhich is a very interesting concept. In most of theDragon Ballfranchise, the Dragon Balls are totally good with no negative side effects. InGT,however, the overuse of the magical items has spawned terrible villains that have forced the heroes of the series to ascend to new heights to take them on.
Dragon Ball GT Made Goku’s Deadliest Technique Even Stronger
Out of all Goku’s attacks, one stands out as being the most dependable when it comes to killing his enemies, and that attack was upgraded in GT.
WithoutDragon Ball GT, Goku and Vegeta would never have reachedthe incredible Super Saiyan 4transformation. It’s one of the coolest, most iconic transformations in the series that spawned a bunch of fan theories about a possible Super Saiyan 5 and more. Goku and Vegeta condense the Great Ape form into a smaller, more mobile, yet equally dangerous form that gives them a fighting chance against the Shadow Dragons and Omega Shenron. They were also forced to fuse in order to defeat Omega Shenron, creating the red-hairedSuper Saiyan 4 Gogetain the process.
Toriyama’s Absence Was Too Notable in Dragon Ball GT
One of the World’s Greatest Mangakas Wasn’t Involved in the Story
To call Akira Toriyamaa legend in the world of mangaand anime would be an extreme understatement. He revolutionized art and storytelling in manga, creating the most popular franchise in the genre, which spearheaded anime’s takeover of the entertainment industry.He’s been involved in every part ofDragon Ball,including the brand-newDragon Ball SuperandDragon Ball Daimaseries which have also received an outpouring of love.
Unfortunately,he had little to do withDragon Ball GT.He designed a few characters and some other features that benefited the series, but that was it. He wasn’t involved in the story at all, leading to a lot of the pitfallsDBGTsuffered. If Toriyama had been more involved in the story, or involved in any capacity whatsoever, the series would have been much better for it.
It’s rare for a series captained by a single individual to reach the same level of success when taking the original creator out of the picture.Dragon Ball GTis a great example. It’s safe to say that, more than two decades after its airing,Dragon Ball GTremains an odd entry in theDragon Ballfranchise, one that lacks a lot of the elements that made the original series resonate so much with fans.
Dragon Ball GT
Cast
Dragon Ball GT is the third series in Akira Toriyama’s most famous anime franchise. However, it is the first one not to adapt a manga storyline. Set after the events of the Buu Saga, Dragon Ball GT sees Goku and the Z-Warriors battle powerful villains such as Baby, Super 17, and the Shadow Dragons. 18 years after the 64-episode show was met with a lukewarm reception, Dragon Ball Super replaced it in the anime’s official continuity.
