Dragon Ball has appeared in several different shapes and forms throughout its long and celebrated history. The original manga series by Akira Toriyama is one of the most influential to ever grace the pages of Weekly Shōnen Jump, while its two major adaptations helped deliver anime to Western mainstream audiences in the early 2000s.
In the years since Goku first emerged as a mysterious, tailed boy in the mountains, he and the rest of Dragon Ball‘s heroes have appeared in countless different TV anime series, manga continuations, spin-offs, and video games. The most underrated entries in the franchise, however, might be its movies.
Since 1986, there have been 24 full-length theatrical films based on Dragon Ball, of which, many were unavailable on major streaming services until very recently. Most of those movies are now considered non-canon works, but there’s one that might just be the best the franchise ever released.
Wrath of the Dragon Is Dragon Ball’s Most Underrated Movie
Dragon Ball’s 16th Movie Might Just Be Its Best
The original Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z anime series are littered with filler and anime-original content, and once or twice a year during their initial run, they would take breaks while a new movie was released in theaters. Though anime-original content is one of the more divisive topics in the anime community, Toei didn’t do it without reason.
Both anime series ran concurrently with Akira Toriyama’s manga, and in order not to catch up with or surpass the source material, filler content and original films would be released to stall for time. A number of those movies were little more than rehashes of the recent events of the series, just with painted-over villains who fill the same role.
A villain like Cooler was Frieza’s obvious counterpart, while Janemba was the stand-in for Majin Buu. It was rare that a Dragon Ball movie told an entirely original story, but there were a couple of instances where that was the case. Most famously, Broly was disconnected from the events of the series, while Wrath of the Dragon went entirely off the board with its narrative.
The 1995 film mainly followed Trunks, who came into contact with a mysterious warrior named Tapion. The once-trapped hero wasn’t pleased with his release, revealing that inside him was a terrifying monster named Hirudegarn, who would now be released at any moment.
Tapion is a unique character for Dragon Ball, incredibly mysterious and tormented by a dark past, and Wrath of the Dragon is a unique movie for placing such a large focus on him. Rather than Goku taking center stage, Trunks and Tapion carry the load throughout the movie, and eventually share a compelling and rather moving relationship.
By the time Wrath of the Dragon was in production, Toriyama’s manga had just about ended, and it’s clear the team at Toei were having fun doing something a little different.
Goku does eventually land the final blow, as anyone might have expected, but the film does well to place importance elsewhere. By the time it was in production, Toriyama’s manga had just about ended, and it’s clear the team at Toei were having fun doing something a little different.
Dragon Ball Has Always Worked in Movie Format
Some of Dragon Ball’s Most Underrated Stories Came in Its Movies
Quite a few of Dragon Ball‘s movies have been historically underappreciated. They weren’t all winners. A film like Dragon Ball Z: Bio Broly is a mostly miserable affair that was created solely for the purpose of profiting on the villain’s name. Others like Lord Slug and The World’s Strongest add little to no value to the franchise, and aren’t all that enjoyable.
However, movies like Fusion Reborn, Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, and Boujack Unbound introduced interesting villains and explored its characters in a way the original series never did. Dragon Ball Z‘s movies were largely hit or miss, but the best of the bunch are still worthwhile watches today.
Modern Dragon Ball, on the other hand, has taken the quality of its movies to the next level. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods kicked off a renaissance for the franchise that took its fighters down a path of divine power, while Dragon Ball Super: Broly reworked one of the series’ most iconic villains and finally made him a canon character.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a bit more divisive among fans of the franchise, but it did place the focus largely on Piccolo and Pan, two characters who would rarely, if ever, have the spotlight in either the manga or anime series. The most underrated of all Dragon Ball movies, though, Wrath of the Dragon, still stands above simply for the different approach it took.
Following the passing of Akira Toriyama in 2024, the future of Dragon Ball has become largely uncertain, though exploring the series through standalone films would be an effective way for the franchise to step into a new era. If that’s the route taken, Wrath of the Dragon should be the blueprint for how to move forward.
- Created by
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Akira Toriyama
- First Episode Air Date
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April 26, 1989
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.
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