The first Dragon Ball Z flick in 16 years saw its Japanese release last year, but American fans will finally feast their eyes on the next installment in the series: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. A new threat has aligned itself against Earth and the Z-Fighters–Beerus, the God of Destruction, and Goku must ascend to the level of legendary Super Saiyan God to face him.
There must be actual Dragon Balls somewhere in the world, because DBZ has never failed to wish itself back into existence, even after a few ill-fated, live action, American blasphemies along the way (or just one, thankfully). This all-new feature film, you’ll be happy to hear, is helmed and drawn by the famed series creator, Akira Toriyama himself.
It picks up after the television series ended in 1996 with the defeat of Majin Buu, when across the universe, Beerus, the God of Destruction, catches rumors of a saiyan warrior who managed to defeat the mighty Frieza, all the way back when. Determined to test his mettle against this upstart, Beerus journeys to Earth, and the Z-Fighters must band together again to intercept him . . . but c’mon, we all know who’s going to be the real ace in the hole. If Super Saiyan just didn’t seem colorful, extreme, mullet-y, and muscular enough for you, prepare your body for the next stage in Goku’s evolution – LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN GOD. I expect you’ll need 3-D glasses to witness the hyperchromatic hues in this transformation’s new hair color.
Check out the trailer below–what do you think of the CG spliced in there? I would’ve preferred they stick to the traditional hand-drawn style completely, but as long as it’s got action faster than human eyes can follow, I’ll be there, squatting in the theater with my fists clenched, and pupils darting left and right.
