This Dragon Ball Z And Justice League Mash-Up Is Painfully Funny
"Dragon Ball Z" is among the most iconic and influential anime ever produced. Created by Akira Toriyama, the series is a spin-off of "Dragon Ball," and it reset the kung-fu fantasy origins that sees young martial artist Goku seek out magical orbs. As the series evolved, it gained a new name and became a science-fiction tale, mixing in cyborgs, time travel, and aliens along the way.
Meanwhile, the Justice League is DC's ultimate superteam of heroes and vigilantes. Regular members include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman. Like Marvel's The Avengers or X-Men, the team has gone through many different permutations over the decades.
Fans have long speculated over who might win in a battle between Superman and Goku, the strongest characters in each of the respective universes. Meanwhile, other comic and manga enthusiasts imagine a world that might combine the two into a single entity. Cartoon Hooligans on YouTube, for example, did just that in one of their most popular videos.
Mixing Dragonball Z and the Justice League is hilarious
The Cartoon Hooligans YouTube video from March 2018 starts off with an easy laugh. Aquaman takes on the Yamcha role, meaning he is totally useless and dead before the fight even begins. Other characters are superimposed into one another in humorous ways as well, like Piccolo becoming Martian Manhunter and Chi-Chi ascending into Wonder Woman. The destruction of Krypton and the Saiyan planet are also smartly juxtaposed here.
The mash-up amusingly parodies "Dragon Ball Z" by having the first episode end without a single attack having been exchanged. Instead, the entire episode is an overly long monologue from the villain while the Justice League characters respond with incredulity and rage. Hilariously, the next episode also ends without anyone exchanging a single blow, as Darkseid evolves into a Frieza-like surrogate.
Cartoon Hooligans drags the anime from here, with the show jumping four more episodes ahead while Darkseid continues to transform. Since the anime adaptation of "Dragon Ball Z" was being produced at the same time as the manga was being written, the show was often forced to stall for time with tactics like this to keep things going (via Anime News Network).
Honestly, the parody gets even funnier as it goes along. If you're a fan of the source materials and are familiar with both worlds, you should definitely put aside some time to watch this video. It's a fantastic skewering of "Dragon Ball Z" with the more recognizable Justice League characters in Goku and company's stead.