Goku is a happy-go-lucky guy, but he also knows when to get serious. That’s the result of the character growth and maturity he slowly developed from OG Dragon Ball through DBZ, but somehow that was lost in 2015’s original Dragon Ball Super anime.
Aside from its shoddy animation quality, one of the failures Dragon Ball Super became most infamous for is in its treatment of Goku’s character. Suddenly, DBS’ Goku had completely forgotten who he was, turning into a dense airhead who could barely remember the lessons of his 40 years worth of training. Thankfully, the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Beerus anime remake is subtly teasing that it’ll be reversing that big mistake.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus Is Reintroducing a More Serious Version of Son Goku
The latest trailer for Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, released on September 2, gave some great insight into the kinds of changes this remake will be making. Notably, there is already indication that some manga-only imagery will be added to the new anime, setting a promising precedent for the storyline cohesiveness ahead of the anime’s Moro Saga adaptation. But even more interesting are the small changes the series seems to be making to Goku’s overall demeanor.
Throughout the trailers, there’s virtually no instance of Goku joking around at inopportune moments as he does throughout Dragon Ball Super. In fact, there’s a new cut for one of Goku’s most serious and important scenes. In Dragon Ball Super Episode 8, Beerus is just about to destroy the Earth when Goku dramatically shows up at the very last second, standing on the tip of Bulma’s yacht, ready to save the day.
The scene shows up at the 47-second mark in the trailer. While similar to the OG, there’s a much more dramatic close-up of Goku’s expression in the new remake, emphasizing how he truly means business this time around.
Later in that same scene in the OG anime, Goku stumbles down the side of Bulma’s ship and proceeds to joke around with the group, much to their dismay. This scene has been heavily criticized by the Dragon Ball fandom in the past, in part due to how whimsical the soundtrack gets at this part of the story, supporting Goku’s immature treatment of this very dire circumstance. There’s still no confirmation about how the rest of this scene will play out in the remake, but the changes already showcased here indicate that Dragon Ball Super: Beerus may go a completely different direction with Goku’s demeanor.
Another reason it’s notable that this specific cut was changed is that it was actually one of the more well-drawn scenes in the original anime. It was only the scene after Goku’s arrival, where he stumbles onto Bulma’s yacht, that was criticized. By changing this lead-up, it seems that Toei may have far more substantial changes on the horizon.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus Has Already Confirmed Big Changes to the OG Anime
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Image via Toei Animation -
Toei -
Toei
Even in the original iteration of this scene in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Goku maintains a far more serious attitude when reasoning with Beerus, showing he understands the gravity of the dilemma his friends are in. It makes sense that Battle of Gods‘ version of Goku would be more consistent with DBZ‘s Goku than that of the DBS anime, because Akira Toriyama wrote Battle of Gods‘ script himself.
And the Dragon Ball Super: Beerus website has already confirmed this new remake will remain more consistent with Akira Toriyama’s original vision for the series, increasing the likelihood that Goku’s personality will see an overhaul with changed scenes (even if they’re done sparingly).
A more faithful and detailed reproduction of the original work by Akira Toriyama.
– Dragon Ball Super: Beerus website
There are also exciting changes happening for this remake unrelated to Goku’s personality. For example, fans have already noticed a scene in the trailer depicting Goku’s fight with Frieza that’s infinitely better-animated and choreographed than the original. Whereas the original version featured repetitive punches and a fixed camera angle, the newly remade fight is far more dynamic with more consistent drawings all around. There’s even an added scene where Goku goes Super Saiyan God during the fight with Golden Frieza, which is something that was never in the OG anime, further corroborating the idea that this remake will have genuine story changes, even if they’re minor.
From cooler fight choreography to an overall more mature and serious Goku, Dragon Ball Super: Beerus finally feels like a return to the DBZ era of Dragon Ball. At the very least, this new remake is fixing many of the biggest mistakes of the original, setting a promising precedent for what’s to come.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is scheduled to begin airing in Japan on October 11.
- Cast
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Sean Schemmel, Laura Bailey, Brian Drummond, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil
- Created by
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Akira Toriyama
- Latest TV Show
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
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