Top 10 Ways Dragonball Evolution Got Everything Wrong

In the original “Dragon Ball,” Mai is a henchwoman for the gag villain, Emperor Pilaf, often acting as the straight woman for his comedic bumbling, though she’s pretty goofy herself. “Dragonball Evolution” meanwhile, turns her into the servant of Piccolo instead, even giving her the power to shapeshift, for some inexplicable reason. Granted, she does briefly serve King Piccolo in the anime, but if they were going to use her name and rough appearance, but nothing else about her, then why bother? That’s like trying to turn Jessie from Team Rocket into a generic henchwoman without James or Meowth!

The demise of Gohan, Goku’s adoptive grandfather, forever made an impact on the young Saiyan. He names his son after Gohan, after all. Not only does this death occur before the series starts, but Goku is also the one responsible for it, having accidentally crushed his gramps when he transformed into his Oozaru form during a full moon. Having Gohan being killed by Piccolo isn’t only inaccurate and removes so much of the critical character drama, but Goku barely seems to care that he’s dead – certainly not enough to use his wish to bring him back to life!

Look, we’re not saying that original Bulma isn’t a badass, at least in her own way. She’s intelligent and resourceful and has stood up to beings who are way more powerful than she is; though granted, it takes her a while to get there. But the “Dragonball Evolution” version tries way too hard to be more of an action girl archetype. While it’s understandable that the filmmakers would want her to be more proactive, by shoving Bulma into a role that doesn’t fit her character, she loses that quirky charm that makes her who she is! She doesn’t need to duel wield to be important or cool!

The villain of the tail end of the original “Dragon Ball”, the Hollywood adaptation changed plenty about his backstory, completely erased all his musical instrument themed children, but one of the biggest changes is his death, or lack thereof. In his final confrontation with Goku in the anime, Piccolo is straight up killed by the young martial artist. Granted, we can see how adapting the part where the villain spits out an egg from his mouth containing his son, who is also his reincarnation, might be tough for theatergoers to swallow, but having the alien get patched up by a random lady he spared is far less interesting.

So “Dragonball Evolution” got the Dragon Balls wrong! No big deal – it’s not like they’re in the title or anything! Also, Dragon Ball – two words, not one! Their whole backstory is changed in the movie. Instead of being the creation of Kami, Piccolo’s good half, the film instead opts for a vague and confusing backstory of having them be crafted by seven sages who also sealed Piccolo away…or something. They also briefly show Goku future events, which they shouldn’t be able to do. Oh, and Bulma calls them Promethean Orbs, for some reason.

The world of “Dragonball Evolution” just feels wrong! And we don’t just mean the fact that Goku attends high school, though that bugs us too. Where are the dinosaurs, or the flying clouds, or the talking animals? Granted, even if those were too expensive to implement, the whole tone of the setting feels off, like it’s drawn from another property instead. They could at least have tried for the pseudo futuristic, timeless look that the world of “Dragon Ball” has. As it is, “Dragonball Evolution” feels like a cross between present day and a second-class “Mortal Kombat.”

For as much as this flick gets wrong, it does contain most of the main characters from the series, in name only, at least…although there’s one notable exception – Krillin. Goku’s longtime best friend and early training buddy is absent entirely from the movie. The bald, diminutive fellow is a welcome source of comic relief throughout the franchise, and “Dragonball Evolution” could certainly have used more humor! We could see leaving him if they were pressed for time or didn’t have any extraneous characters, but come on! They left Yamcha in! Yamcha!

Sure, the Oozaru (or Great Ape) transformation has always been pretty much the “Dragon Ball” equivalent of a werewolf, but “Dragonball Evolution” really heightens the similarity with its alterations to ridiculous degrees. Namely, the size. Goku’s transformation into the demonic primate is on a much smaller scale in the movie, such that he looks like a gorilla crossed with the Wolf Man. In addition, its origins are far more convoluted, with Oozaru being a god who aids Piccolo in world conquest...only for it to somehow bond with Goku after he becomes an adult, instead of being a part of Goku’s biology. Plus, it only appears during an eclipse, instead of a full moon, just to tick off the hardcore fans.

The signature technique of Goku and Master Roshi, the Kamehameha is as identifiable with the franchise as Goku or the Dragon Balls. Naturally, “Dragonball Evolution” managed to get it completely wrong! In the film, the technique is referred to as being a component of airbending, like it’s out of freakin’ Avatar! It’s also used for healing, on one occasion, which is beyond stupid. There’s also the fact it just looks terrible, resembling a cloud of gas, instead of the powerful beam of destruction that everyone who even remotely knows a thing about Dragon Ball would recognise!

So many of the faults of “Dragonball Evolution” could have been easier to deal with if the protagonist was likable and at least somewhat accurate. Sadly, this was not the case. Instead of an otherworldly little boy with a tail obsessed with martial arts, this version of Goku is a normal human teenager obsessed with girls and being popular at school. Rather than the happy go lucky, innocent Saiyan we all love, we were saddled with a whiny, brooding, unfunny knockoff who couldn’t ride the Nimbus if he tried! Truly the first and final nail in this film’s coffin. No offense Justin Chatwin.