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When Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was released, fans were in awe at not only how good it was but also how many surprises there were. From the relative lack of Goku and Vegeta saving the day to the confirmation of a long-held theory about Dr. Gero and the Androids, the film had longtime fans and lore buffs gleeful.
While there might have been more than a few things that fans guessed or were spoiled by marketing, there were plenty of other details that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero had that made fans' heads spin. This article will detail 10 surprises that longtime Dragon Ball fans get out of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Disclaimer: As this article deals with the film, it will contain spoilers for the entirety of the Dragon Ball franchise. Any and all opinions are strictly those of the author.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero- 10 surprises that left fans in awe
1) Goku and Vegeta taking backseats
When Dragon Ball comes up in conversation, Goku and Vegeta are usually at the top of character discussions or otherwise mentioned. They usually get top billing, are usually front and center in marketing, and the amount of merchandise that has them on the cover could fill several books.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero decides to buck that trend in order to center around Gohan and Piccolo. While this was teased in marketing, most fans expected this to be a bait and switch. It wasn't, as the film's main characters were Gohan and Piccolo, whereas Goku and Vegeta were in the background.
This hasn't happened since Broly: The Second Coming in 1994. Vegeta claimed victory over Goku once too, though both of them were too tired to truly acknowledge it post-credits.
2) Confirming Dr. Gero, Android 21, and Android 16's relationship
The Red Ribbon Army's return was practically spelled out by the movie's marketing. What was an even bigger surprise was confirming Dr. Gero, Android 21, and Android 16's relationship. Here's a bit of background: ever since Android 21 was revealed in the video game Dragon Ball FighterZ and her backstory revealed in that game, many people wondered if this would make it into the canon.
As the Dragon Ball games are usually not considered canon, most people didn't think this game-only story would fit at all into the canon. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero then canonized Android 21, named Vomi, and their son, named Gevo, whom Android 16 was modeled after.
This was a surprise, as normally the movies don't tend to canonize anything. It's a pattern Dragon Ball Super fans love: the movies make everything canon.
3) Bulma using the dragon balls for cosmetic surgery
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is as much a comedic movie as it is an action film. One of the funnier moments to come out of a serious moment involved Bulma and Shenron. In a move that made many chuckle and others groan, Bulma uses the newly upgraded Shenron's wishes for cosmetic purposes, specifically to enhance her backside and eliminate wrinkles.
This canonizes the fan meme that Bulma uses the dragon balls to make herself look younger. Whether fans found this funny or cringe-inducing is completely up to them, but it was nevertheless a huge surprise that caught many people off guard. Many jokes were made of it, with some joining in on the laughter.
Adding to the humor were Bulma and Piccolo arguing that they both forgot to use their wishes to beam Goku and Vegeta to Earth.
4) Krillin actually contributes to the final fight
Krillin is often misattributed as being this massive failure of a character by fans because of how often he's swatted aside in a fight or dies so much. This is a gross way to look at a character that's often outclassed but still tries his best. A case in point is Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
While he's treated like a joke at first, with Bulma even saying that she brought Earth's strongest heroes while adding "and Krillin too" sarcastically, when Krillin decides to dive into the fight, he contributes something major: a solar flare that blinds Cell Max long enough for Gohan and Piccolo to land the killing blow.
The other contributions will be detailed next; this was just one that fans were really excited by. It fits, given Krillin's reputation.
5) A story focused on everyone else
As it turns out, when the god characters are put away for a while, everyone's contributions are valid and helpful. This is especially the case in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, which features Piccolo infiltrating the Red Ribbon base, Dende upgrading Shenron to grant three wishes instead of one, and Gamma 2's sacrifice.
Even something as comical as Goten and Trunks' failed Gottenks fusion still helped crack Cell Max's head in the end fight. Likewise, Krillin let Piccolo know about his giant form, which aided Piccolo in fighting Cell Max. There's likewise Pan beating up Carmine and Dr. Hedo killing Magenta and joining the Capsule Corps.
Even Bulma collecting the dragon balls with her associates and the two Senzu beans Korrin gave, plus the Gammas getting a reality check on the red ribbon army, contributed to the good guys' victory.
6) Multiple callbacks and homages
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero can be seen as a love letter to Dragon Ball Z. There are so many callbacks, from the Red Ribbon Army returning to the homages to Gohan's explosive anger unleashing his super forms against Cell. This entry will mainly concern itself with all the continuity references that lore fans love.
One of the big ones was Gohan going beast after Cell killed someone he thought was a friend in front of him, referencing the Cell Saga. The other one was someone having to pin the main villain down so that someone else could make the kill shot. It's sure to trigger flashbacks to Dragon Ball Z's fight against Radtiz, where the same thing happens but it kills Goku.
There's also the kill shot on the villain, which is not a traditional Kamehameha or a Spirit Bomb, but a Special Beam Cannon.
7) The Special Beam Cannon
Speaking of Piccolo's signature technique, let's talk about how that's the finishing move in a Dragon Ball film. In every other Dragon Ball film, the kill shot or finishing move is either a Dragon Fist (from Wrath of the Dragon), a Spirit Bomb, or a Kamehameha. The Kamehameha is practically Goku's signature, so it's nice that Piccolo's technique is getting some love.
It also harkens back to the idea that Goku and Vegeta are absent. Gohan mentions at the end of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero that he's been practicing the Special Beam canon, which is a big point about the film: Piccolo and Gohan's relationship. They've gotten much closer than when they started, when Piccolo practically ground Gohan into the dirt to train him.
This leads to arguably the most shocking thing about the film: Pan and her relationships with Piccolo and Gohan are great to watch.
8) Pan's character made better
It's not a big secret that Pan doesn't have a whole lot of fans, given her reception in Dragon Ball GT. Pan there was a bratty, loud, often screwed over by the writing damsel in distress most of the time. So, it's really refreshing that Pan gets to be active in this movie's narrative.
Not only does Pan go along with the kidnapping, despite the fact that she and Piccolo could break out at any time, but she also helps Piccolo trick Gohan into going Ultimate against Gamma 2. Her finally learning to fly and her relationship with Gohan and Piccolo put many smiles on many faces by the end of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
The reason is very simple: there's finally a healthy family dynamic on display that isn't Krillin and Android 18. Likewise, Pan herself is strong and adorable at the age of three.
9) Beerus being calm and crushing on Cheelai
Broly and his crew from Dragon Ball Super: Broly are in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. They evidently moved so Broly could train alongside Goku and Vegeta under Whis and Beerus. While Goku and Vegeta are sparring, which lasts the whole movie, Beerus finds himself enamored with Cheelai, much to her chagrin and slight fear.
This was a rather humorous turn of events in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero since nothing barring food seems to make Beerus calm at all. But in this case, Beerus was calm and polite and even gave Lemo a job as their chef. Cheelai herself seems a bit put out by this, as one can imagine a God of Destruction seeing them as an object of infatuation would do that.
This likewise leads to why Goku and Vegeta didn't get involved: Beerus angrily threw a large empty ice cream tub on Weiss' scepter, and nobody bothered to look at it.
10) Orange Piccolo and Beast Gohan
Saving the transformation sequences for last is almost Dragon Ball fan blasphemy. Here's the thing, though: all the other shocking things on this list from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero are genuinely shocking or surprising. Characters getting new forms is the Dragon Ball equivalent of water being wet.
That doesn't cheapen Orange Piccolo, who looks a lot like Demon King Piccolo while maintaining his intellect and being vastly stronger, or Beast Gohan, who resembles a longstanding Dragon Ball fanart. The two have made quite the impression, despite the latter being in the film far shorter than the former.
To many fans, this felt like justice had been done to Gohan and Piccolo. Many fans, especially those that were tired of Goku and Vegeta, welcomed these transformations and the good writing with thunderous applause.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero had many shocking things within it. There's plenty more that could've been included: seeing Goten and Trunks as teens, the conspiracy theories by the Red Ribbon Army, Piccolo's plushie collection, etc. But these moments are only 10, after all.
Regardless, it's good to know that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has been widely accepted among the fandom. If any shocking moments in this film were forgotten, readers are encouraged to add to them in the comments.
