DRAGON BALL Z WAS WAR, SUPER IS A PLAYGROUND: 10 WAYS TO FIX A DYING FRANCHISE

WHATS UP, ULTIMA ULTEAR NATION! Your favorite ultimate influencer, the admin of the most unhinged corner of the anime-sphere, is back with a take so hot it’ll make a Final Flash look like a damp firecracker.

Listen, we all love Goku—he’s the literal godfather of Shonen—but we need to have a serious come-to-Kami talk about what’s been happening since Dragon Ball Super (DBS) dropped. While some of you are out here glazing every frame of the Tournament of Power, the real ones know that Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) wasn’t just a show; it was a visceral, bone-crunching, soul-shaking phenomenon that Super is desperately trying to cosplay.

If you think Super is "peak fiction," you might have been hit by a stray Guldo time-freeze, because the reality is that Super feels like a diet version of the original soda—the flavor is there, but the fizz is gone. We’re looking at a soft reset for a generation that can't handle a little blood or a protagonist who actually knows what a kiss is. I’ve scrubbed through every Reddit thread, every technical art breakdown, and every "what-if" scenario to bring you the definitive list of 10 things DBZ had that Super needs to borrow—no, steal—right now to stop looking like a sanitized Saturday morning cartoon.

"Buckle up, because we’re diving into the grit, the gore, and the actual brain cells that Goku used to have before Toei decided to turn him into a radish-farming simpleton."

TL;DR: The Z vs. Super Showdown

Trait	Dragon Ball Z (The GOAT)	Dragon Ball Super (The Mid)
1. Stakes	Universal Dread / No Safety Nets	Zeno Button / Whis Time-Rewind
2. Violence	Visceral / Broken Bones / Blood	Sanitized / Saliva & Sweat only
3. Goku	Serious Martial Arts Master	Flanderized / Childish Toddler
4. Art Style	Organic Cel / Rugged Shading	Plastic Digital / Dipped in Oil
5. Villains	Scene-Stealing Divas (Cell/Frieza)	Boring Bricks (Jiren)
6. Female Cast	Fighters & Geniuses (Videl/Bulma)	Housewife Tropes / BBL Gags
7. Fights	Grounded / Strategic Choreography	Mid-air Voids / Light Shows
8. Scaling	Earned / Emotional Triggers	Palette Swaps / Park Ranger God-Tier
9. Teamwork	Crucial Secondary Cast (Z-Fighters)	The Goku & Vegeta Training Show
10. Narrative	Consequential / Seamless Flow	Disconnected Arcs

1. Existential Dread and the Preservation of Stakes

The biggest L Super ever took was the total erasure of narrative tension. In DBZ, when a villain showed up, you didn't just worry about the fight; you worried about the literal existence of the universe. From the Saiyan Saga to the end of Buu, the Z-fighters were perpetually the underdogs fighting against overwhelming, malevolent forces. There was a pervasive sense of "dread" that made every special attack feel like a last-ditch effort for survival.

The "Zeno Button" as a Narrative Assassin

In Super, the stakes are as flimsy as Yamcha’s win record. We have divine safety nets everywhere. Why worry about Zamasu when Goku has a literal "Delete Universe" button in his pocket to call Zeno? The intervention of deities like Whis, who can literally rewind time if things get too spicy, has completely castrated the tension. In Z, death was a heavy cost; characters like Krillin or Future Gohan felt impactful because the means of revival were often compromised. In Super, death is basically a joke, replaced by a "Disney sanitized" version of conflict where we know everyone is coming home for dinner.

Era	Primary Conflict Driver	Stake Level	Perception of Danger
Dragon Ball Z	Survival against malevolent conquerors	Existential/Total Annihilation	High/Pervasive
Dragon Ball Super	Competitive tournaments and divine training	Performance-based/Restorative	Low/Safety nets present

Look at the Future Trunks arc: it was a literal disaster of writing. After a grueling struggle, Zeno just poofs the entire timeline out of existence. It rendered everything Trunks did "worthless." To improve, Super needs to get rid of the divine bailouts and return to the DBZ model where the heroes’ victory is earned through physical and emotional transcendence, not divine convenience.

2. The Aesthetic of Violence: Bring Back the Blood

Let's be real: Z was raw. It was visceral. It was "grown up" in a way Super is terrified to be. In Z, battle damage wasn't just a cosmetic choice; it was a narrative device that showed the progression of a fight. We’re talking broken bones, severed limbs, and people literally exploding. Super’s anime has replaced blood with saliva and sweat because it airs in a 9 am Sunday morning slot for kids.

The Psychological Impact of Scratched Armor

When characters in Super emerge from a massive ki blast with their clothes perfectly intact and their skin looking like it was polished with turtle wax, the impact of the attack is lost. Z used lines and shading to show depth to impact. Super’s fights often feel like "mock punches" because there’s no visual evidence of pain. Comparing the Namek saga—where Frieza was getting wounded and bloody—to Super, where Goku struggles against Krillin in Blue form without a single scratch, the logic just collapses. We need the grit back.

3. Character Consistency and the "Goku Problem"

In DBZ, Goku was naive, sure, but he was also a mature martial arts master who understood gravity. In Super, they’ve turned him into a "legendarily stupid" toddler who doesn't even know what meditation is, despite using it his entire life. He acts more "childish and goofy" than he did in the OG Dragon Ball. This "flanderization" makes it impossible to take him seriously.

Trait	DBZ Goku	DBS Goku
Maturity	Serious/Strategic	Childish/Airheaded
Intellect	Tactical Savant	Forgets basic concepts
Motivation	Protection of Family	Radish-farmer trope

4. Artistic Integrity: Traditional Cel Style vs. Plastic Digital

The transition to modern digital production under Tadayoshi Yamamuro has been a disaster. Modern Yamamuro designs are "stiff," "blocky," and "clunky." The overuse of highlights makes the characters look like "cardboard cut-outs" or "cheaply-produced bootleg action figures." Fans describe it as characters being "dipped in olive oil."

Contrast that with Naohiro Shintani’s work on DBS: Broly. His designs were "looser" and "anatomically accurate," capturing the "organic imperfection" of the 90s. Super needs to ditch the "shiny" look and get back to the "rugged" aesthetic.

5. Villain Charisma: The Jiren Fatigue

A hero is only as good as their villain. In Z, Frieza was a "royal wine-drinking" tyrant; Cell was a "terrifying" bio-android with a drive for perfection. Then we get Jiren. He’s been described as a "giant slab of power with less personality than a brick." He’s "horribly generic" with "no special abilities" other than being "super duper strong." Z villains were "scene-stealing divas" with eloquence; Jiren just meditates in the middle of a battle like an "ape-stupid moron."

6. Female Character Agency: The Housewife Epidemic

Videl got absolutely robbed. In Z, she was a "badass" fighter and a part-time cop. In Super, she’s been "sanitized" into the "housewife trope" along with Chi-Chi and 18. While Super introduced Kale and Caulifla (the "back tingles" hot take), the original female cast has been relegated to spectators. Even Bulma is used mostly for gags about her "BBL" or wanting to "look five years younger" with the Dragon Balls.

7. Grounded Choreography vs. Aerial Light Shows

In Z, especially during Namek, there was "ground work" which helped distance feel "easier to grok." You could see the impact of a fighter hitting the dirt. In Super, battles are often "two characters punching each other for three frames repeated for 10 seconds" in a mid-air void. It’s all ki blasts and "atatarararara" punching without real choreography. We need the fights back down to earth.

8. Power Scaling and the Meaning of Transformation

The power scaling in Super is basically fan-fiction tier. In Z, Super Saiyan was an "absolutely crazy" event triggered by "stress" and "emotional pain." In Super, transformations are "lazy recolors." "God Ki" was supposed to be a game-changer, yet Android 17 (a park ranger!) keeps up with SSB Goku. Because Super "rushes to new forms" for the sake of selling action figures, the hype is diluted.

9. Mentorship and the Utility of the Z-Fighters

Z was a story about a team. Mentorship was crucial (Gohan/Piccolo, Goku/King Kai). In Super, if you aren't a Saiyan with God Ki, you’re a background extra. The show has "zero stakes" for the secondary cast. When they do bring characters like Roshi in, it feels like an "asspull" because the power growth makes no sense. Z's "team effort" made the world feel alive.

10. Narrative Flow and the Weight of Consequence

Z sagas flowed into each other naturally: Saiyan → Namek → Androids. Super feels like a series of "winged" stories that don't connect. In Super, the status quo is back by the next episode. Even after the Zamasu arc, everyone just "packed their bags and went home." There were "no lasting repercussions." Super needs to stop being a "Disney sanitized" loop.

The Cultural Divide

To truly understand the fracture, look at the "soft reset." DBZ "grew up with the audience," becoming "dark and edgy." Super was marketed towards a "younger generation," hence the lack of blood. Critics argue "Super fans will gaslight you" like Taylor Swift fans, defending average quality while Z is "nostalgic peak" you cannot mess with.

We also have to talk about the "Animation Sweatshop Reality." One reason Super’s art was "crap" early on was production being "rushed to meet deadlines." Animation was "outsourced to their Philippine headquarters," leading to the infamous "bad frames."

Finally, remember Toriyama's roots as a "gag mangaka." Whenever he has full control (Buu, Super, Daima), things get silly. The "Z era" was unique because editors pushed for "darker and more gruesome" themes. Super is returning to Toriyama's "heart," but fans who grew up on the intensity of the King Piccolo/Saiyan/Frieza/Cell saga feel betrayed.

Listen, Super isn't "trash"—it’s "stupid fun." But compared to the "peak" that was Z, it’s clearly lacking in storytelling, art, and soul. If Super borrowed these 10 Z-era traits—the grit, the logic, the stakes—it could be the greatest of all time.

COMMENT BELOW: Is Super Saiyan Blue just a lazy palette swap, or am I being too hard on the "Park Ranger" power levels? Should Videl pick up the gloves again? Let’s spark a riot in the comments! STAY UNHINGED! ✌️🔥✨