Film
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
A Dragon Ball film that shifts focus from the franchise's usual heavyweights to Gohan and Piccolo, stepping up when a revived Red Ribbon Army threatens everything they love. It's intimate character work wrapped in explosive action—proof that DBZ has room for stories beyond power-scaling. For longtime fans ready to see different heroes carry the story.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love long, bright shonen fight scenes where the choreography is the point, and you don't mind a franchise film that assumes you already know the characters.
Skip it if you need a self-contained story, since this leans on years of series history and gives little room for setup, or you find nonstop energetic battles tiring over a hundred minutes.
What it asks of you: A full hundred minutes of uninterrupted attention, with fast cuts and loud set pieces that seldom stop for quiet character moments.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Dragon Ball Super: Broly2018
A redemptive arc for a villain, staggering animation, and a chance to see the friendship between Goku and Vegeta genuinely tested. Both are at full strength and the fight sequences justify the runtime.
But If you're here for narrative depth rather than spectacle, the plot is familiar DBZ beats. Also demands you've watched Super to care about the character dynamics.

Jujutsu Kaisen 02021
A prequel that works as a standalone story, with animation that matches or exceeds Super Hero's impact. Centers a sympathetic character nobody expected to root for, exploring power and purpose before the series proper begins.
But The CGI stands out oddly in places. If you haven't seen the series, this will leave you wanting context, though it functions as an entry point.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes2018
Celebrates the importance of mentorship and legacy while delivering genuinely creative fight choreography. Deku gets his moment without overshadowing the adults, and the emotional stakes feel earned rather than inflated.
But The villain's motivation is thin, and the film follows a fairly predictable structure. It's comfort food rather than revelation.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Carole & Tuesday2019
Both feature characters (Gohan and Piccolo here; the titular characters there) whose entire arc is about choosing growth over the role others have written for them. Both suggest that maturity means changing your definition of what matters.
A romantic space-set musical series where the narrative engine is character growth and artistic expression, not combat. Shot anime-style but paced and scored like prestige television. Features an AI character who may be the most sympathetic in the show.
But It's unabashedly sincere—if cynicism is your default, the earnestness will read as naive. Also: the plot meanders and the final episodes rush to conclusions.

More like this (4)
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train2020
A film that justifies its existence in the canon by deepening a character you thought you knew. Breathtaking animation combines with genuine emotional gutting—rare for shonen cinema.
But The emotional payload only lands if you're attached to the character already. Pure spectacle watchers will find long stretches of talking between set pieces.

Bleach2004
A late-series course correction that restores animation quality and pacing to a franchise that had lost both. Treats its massive cast with actual care for the first time in years.
But You need the entire prior series to follow it. Even then, the early Bleach anime is workmanlike at best, so the investment to get here is substantial.

Akira1988
The film that proved animation could be cinema. Cyberpunk Tokyo is a character itself, the action sequences still astonish, and Kaneda and Tetsuo's dynamic holds weight decades later. A mandatory foundation.
But The plot collapses into abstraction in the final act. If you need crystal narrative clarity, the ambiguity will frustrate you.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica2018
Both are stories about characters stepping into new roles that terrify them, discovering that growth requires vulnerability and trust. Both suggest that the greatest power is having someone to fight alongside.
A coming-of-age story about four girls that treats their ambitions with absolute seriousness despite their youth. Every episode moves; the animation is smart and varied; and it understands that friendship is the actual power level that matters most.
But It's not action-driven—the stakes are emotional and interpersonal. If you're watching purely for spectacle, the modest animation budget in quiet scenes will feel like a step down.

People
Cast
Masako NozawaSon Goku / Son Gohan / Son Goten / Gotenks (voice)
Toshio FurukawaPiccolo (voice)
Yuko MinaguchiPan / Videl (voice)
Hiroshi KamiyaGamma #1 (voice)
Mamoru MiyanoGamma #2 (voice)
Miyu IrinoDr. Hedo (voice)
Ryota TakeuchiCarmine (voice)
Aya HisakawaBulma (voice)
Mayumi TanakaKrillin / Yajirobe (voice)
Ryo HorikawaVegeta (voice)
Takeshi KusaoTrunks / Gotenks (voice)
Koichi YamaderaBeerus (voice)
Directing
- Tetsuro KodamaDirector
- Hiroshi ShiraiSecond Unit Director
- Keigo TakenakaSecond Unit Director
- Masaki WatanabeSecond Unit Director
- Takuma SuzukiSecond Unit Director
- Tsutomu MurakamiSecond Unit Director
Writing
- Akira ToriyamaScreenplay
- Akira ToriyamaStory
Production
- Akio IyokuExecutive Producer
- Norihiro HayashidaProducer
- Hiromi KitazakiProduction Supervisor
- Takeshi HimiProduction Supervisor