Brolyhas always been a rather divisive character within theDragon Ballfandom. The monstrous Saiyan initially debuted in 1993’sDragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, and was beloved by viewers who enjoyed the muscle-bound showdowns ofDBZ. In the years that followed this film, however, the narrative surrounding Broly changed, and a large portion of the fanbase relegated the Saiyan legend to nothing but a mindless meathead.
Nothing further spread that narrative thanthe reimagined Broly’s return to the series in 2018’sDragon Ball Super: Broly. Now a more sympathetic character, with an innocence and gentleness taken from Gohan’s playbook,the new Broly stole the admiration of fans straight from his former self’s hands. However, many of the common criticisms surroundingDBZ’s Broly are largely misplaced, and some can even be more accurately placed onSuper’s Broly.
10 Biggest Differences Between Dragon Ball Z Broly and Dragon Ball Super Broly
Broly may be the strongest Saiyan, but his character in Dragon Ball Z is very different from his canon appearance in Dragon Ball Super.
Criticisms like being a boring character with nonsensical motivations were targeted towardsDragon Ball Z’s Broly. And while his few appearances following the original 1993 movie did nothing to help change that narrative,many fans forget justhow entertaining and interesting Broly was during his beatdown of the Z Fighters on New Vegeta.
Despite What Fans Think, The Original Broly Was More Entertaining
One of the more commonly discussed upgrades fromDragon Ball Z’s Broly to his newer counterpart is a supposedly better personality. And whileSuper’s Broly has a more fleshed-out backstory and sympathetic character, for the most part, this notion is just false. At some point in time since Broly’s initial debut, his personality was boiled down to that of a meathead who could only scream “Kakarot”. And while that’s mostly true of his second appearance, inBroly - Second Coming,that description couldn’t be more false in the first movie.
In particular, the English dub ofBroly - The Legendary Super Saiyancontains some of thebest lines in the series, mainly spoken by the titular Saiyan himself. When asked for a handicap, Broly replied with, “Is that another word for a coffin?”, and while Gohan hung from the side of a building, badly beaten, he asked Goku, “Kakarot, how much do you love your son?” After transforming and taking on his Legendary Super Saiyan form,Broly had a kind of edge and sass that made him extremely entertaining on screen.
Interestingly, whenSuper’s Broly transforms,he takes on the personality that most fans have ascribed toDBZ’s version of the character. He rampages against any person in sight, including Frieza and Whis, while being able to do nothing but scream and power up. Before the two characters take on their Super Saiyan forms,DBSBroly has more personality in an innocent, caveman sort of way. But after they transform and begin to fight,Dragon Ball Z’s Broly is far more entertaining.
DBZ Broly’s Anger Is Largely Misunderstood
Broly’s Hatred For Goku Goes Beyond Crying Babies
The other most common criticism of Broly is that his main motivator for becomingthe most fearsome Saiyan in the galaxyessentially boils down to thathe’s angry that Goku cried a lot when they were babies. While that is a pretty laughable reason to hate Goku to the point that he becomes uncontrollable,it also isn’t really the reason for Broly’s anger. As shown through flashback sequences, King Vegeta attempted to have Broly murdered in that very same crib next to Goku.
It can be inferred through what is shown that Broly’s reaction to Goku likely had to do with what was done to him while that loud crying was happening. Being spurned by his own people, marked for death before he could even speak a word, and having to survive his planet being blown up all before he could even walk,Broly likely associates these misfortunes with Goku’s presence.
Even if that isn’t the case, a line of dialogue spoken by background characters during the flashback may also explain Broly’s hatred. They say about Goku, “…he even made Broly cry, his battle power may be low, but Kakarot has guts!”
It’s possible that even as an infant, he felt intimidated by Goku and his absolute lack of care for how strong Broly was. Whatever the reason, like most ofDragon Ball Z’s Broly’s characterization, it’s a bit deeper than fans have come to believe.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
