Fans Are Divided On Who Had The Worst Story Arc In Dragon Ball Super
In 1984, Akira Toriyama debuted "Dragon Ball," a loosely inspired "Journey To the West" manga full of comedy, adventure, and plenty of martial arts action. "Dragon Ball" soon blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon that has spawned numerous anime adaptations. Fans can't seem to get enough of Goku, his son Gohan, and the rest of the Z Fighters, and that's great as there is still plenty of "Dragon Ball" to go around. The latest anime adaptation, "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero," is another continuing tale of the newest saga within the "Dragon Ball: Super" universe.
Since its anime return in 2015, the "Dragon Ball" franchise has presented some of the most memorable and impressive stories for the series with "Super." So far, we've seen the return of nefarious villains such as Frieza, Broly officially becoming canon, and of course, new Super Saiyan transformations. With that being said, like Goku's travels on Snake Way, the journey with "Super" hasn't been without its unfortunate hiccups. For instance, the anime series has featured a few unpleasant retcons that have definitely stirred debate among fans. And the use of multiple universes has added more confusion for even longtime "Dragon Ball" devotees. We'd hope that at least the stories in "Super" were entirely perfect. Instead, fans on Reddit recently debated on a few story arcs they considered the worst.
The Golden Frieza and Beerus Sagas didn't thrill some fans
A post on the r/dragonball subreddit asked fans what they thought was the worst story arc within "Dragon Ball Super." And while some of the answers had some interesting contenders, like the introduction of Goku Black and Copy Vegeta, two arcs consistently kept getting mentioned. Fans took issues with the "Golden Frieza Saga," which is the anime series version of the "Resurrection 'F'" movie. During the arc, Frieza returns to life, gets a new form, and nearly takes out Goku in a surprise twist towards the end, despite him and Vegeta dominating him for most of their battle. It should have made for an exciting point in the series. Yet some fans found that it couldn't quite deliver. " 'RoF' by far," one Redditor said. "Ignoring the bad animation in both film and series, the story is underwhelming. Frieza resurrects because of fanservice, gets a new form without development, and comes to Earth."
The anime series version of the "Golden Frieza Saga" had an opportunity to expand and fix story issues in the original movie. But as u/GOLDEN_GROOD pointed out, besides a few additions and changes, "Super" really dropped the Dragon Ball. And perhaps "Super" would have been better off from adapting films because some fans weren't also impressed with the "Beerus Saga." The story arc is the first one in "Super" and attempts to adapt the "Battle of Gods" movie. "As someone who liked 'Super,' all I can say is 'Battle of Gods' existing is a crime and not a good way to start 'Super,'" u/SuperThanosBros posted. Much like "Golden Frieza," some fans agreed that the anime retelling of that film contributed nothing to an already shaky story.
Fans were divided over the Universe 6 Saga
Perhaps the most divisive saga discussed in the "Dragon Ball" subreddit was the one that started the discussion in the first place. The "Universe 6 Saga" places Goku and his friends against combatants from another universe over the Super Dragon Balls. It's a setup for the grander "Tournament of Power" arc, but to some fans, it felt more like filler with bland new characters. However, the "Universe 6 Saga" had as many detractors as it did those that loved it, despite its apparent flaws. "The U6v7 tournament is a fun aside that knows exactly what it is and doesn't pretend to do more, feeling like a complete, singular, well-expressed thought, all the meanwhile sadly attempting to drag the series out of its literal production meltdown that it never fully recovered from," u/VegettoEx posted.
It's fitting that the production in "Super" got mentioned as many fans know that the animation quality infamously suffered throughout the series. Due to this, it's believed that the "Super" anime even faced a bit of scrutiny from Toriyama. Per Attack of The Fanboy, in the "Dragon Ball 30th Anniversary Super History Book," Toriyama commented that he found himself complaining about the quality of "Super." That wasn't the first time that Toriyama has criticized adaptations of his legendary manga. In fact, Toriyama was so angry over the panned "Dragonball: Evolution" that it caused him to return to the franchise.