Shōnen is the most recognisable branch of anime for the simple fact that it's the most marketable. Throw a couple of quirky characters together, give them superpowers or some special skills and a villain who's tens of thousands of times stronger than they are, and you've got yourself a typical shōnen. However, back when anime was first becoming popular outside of Japan, the formula was still being put together. Shows like Naruto, One Piece and Bleach were shaping the landscape of modern anime, establishing tropes that would go on to define shōnen for years to come. Before their rise, though,Dragon Ball Z had already captivated audiences throughout the United States with action-packed battles and a captivating story.

Dragon Ball is a monumental franchise. It started way back in 1984 at the hand of manga artist Akira Toriyama and is still one of the most talked about anime today, largely due to yearly video games and a huge fan following gained by many now young adults watching the show as kids. It is recognised almost instantly across the world, even by those who aren't followers of anime, so much so that Goku, the protagonist of the series, was nominated as the mascot of the 2020 Olympic Games, set to take place in Japan. However, this article isn't to talk about the wide reach of the series, tempting as it may be. I'm here to focus on the latest incarnation of the worldwide phenomenon, Dragon Ball Super.

The much anticipated sequel to the blockbuster anime premiered on July 5th, 2015, and as initially met with mixed responses. Of course, due to a large number of fans being used to the FUNimation dub of the show, with iconic voices such as Sean Schemmel and Christopher Sabbat behind Goku and Vegeta, respectively, many didn't tune into the show until approximately December of the following year, when the English dub of the show premiered. Notwithstanding this, though, the show has copped a fair bit of criticism for a number of reasons, some of it justified, but some of it outrageous and simply ridiculous. However, with Dragon Ball Super ending in March, I thought that today I would list out some of the most common complaints about the show and reason out why things are not as bad as they seem with the series.

1. Bad Animation

A side by side look at the animation of Dragon Ball in different eras

Early episodes of Dragon Ball Super were not animated very well. The first four episodes were all right, but episode five quickly became notorious for having some of the worst animation the series had ever seen. Pictures from Goku's battle with Beerus and with Frieza were captured and laughed at across the web. Fans were appalled at the apparent callousness the studio was showing, and this was enough to turn many fans away from the show right from the get go. I have two problems with this. Firstly, the first two arcs (up to episode 27) are merely retellings of the two movies that came out soon before the series released (Battle of Gods and Resurrection F). The movies are good enough to watch and understand everything that happens in the arcs. Not an excuse for bad animation, but definitely a reason for everyone to not totally flip and complain so much about it like there’s no other alternative where they could watch the same thing and get all the enjoyment out of it. I started watching Super properly after the first two arcs, and it has been fantastic thus far.

Secondly, news flash: DBZ had bad animation, too.

Obviously it wasn't as bad as Super, but if you freeze frame scenes from the show, I'm pretty sure you're bound to come across a bad frame or two. However, because Dragon Ball Z has gained a cult status in today’s society, everyone glosses over its flaws such as this. Bad animation is not a problem exclusive to Super, and in fact, you can make it even broader and say that its a problem of anime as a whole. Besides, every single episode after these initial 27 are very well animated, particular standouts being episodes 57, 66, 109, 110, and 122. So it's not a problem ANYMORE.

2. Power Scaling Problems

Beerus and Goku

For all you non-hardcore anime fans out there, power scaling is essentially comparing how strong one character is in relation to another character. A lot of people seem to have a problem with power scaling in this show because it seems that characters who were previously too weak could go toe to toe with the most powerful fighters in the series. I’m going to be addressing two key issues in this point:

Firstly, many fans have cited specific scenes as evidence that the power scaling is messed up. One of the more common talking points is Frieza being able to beat Goku after only four months of training. If that's the case, take into account that Frieza at 100 percent power gave Super Saiyan Goku trouble way back on Namek, without training a day in his life. His raw strength was so much so that he never had to train to confront anyone stronger than him—at the time, he was the strongest in the universe (Beerus and Majin Buu were asleep) so it makes sense for him to be that strong.

Secondly, I’ve seen a lot of people say that characters like Gohan and Android 17 were able to make Goku go Super Saiyan Blue so they must be at god-level strength. This is not the case because Goku’s Blue form does not have a rigid power level. Since it depends on perfect ki control, Goku can modify his energy output so as to not go all out and destroy people or even planets. Come on guys, are you seriously telling me that Goku was going 100 percent on Gohan and 17? If he wanted to, he could have easily wiped the floor with them in an instant. If you’re saying that Goku went to Blue because these characters were THAT strong, then explain to me why Blue wasn’t effective against Zamasu at all? Or why Vegito—arguably the strongest character in the entire franchise—had to be formed to stand a chance of beating him? There’s no other explanation other than Goku holding back.

As far as Caulifa and Kefla go, I agree that the power scaling is a bit wonky in that we don’t know HOW these Saiyans got so much power, but if you consider that these Saiyans are so different from U7’s in that they were never enslaved by anyone and thus probably had the potential to train and unlock their base form to the highest extent possible, it's not a stretch to imagine that their Super Saiyan strength will be augmented b y quite a bit. You have to understand that there might be an explanation for that—perhaps it's not revealed as of yet. However, with Super ending soon, we might not get our answers immediately.

3. The Goku Show

Gohan as a Super Saiyan 2

A lot of people call Dragon Ball Super the "Goku Show" because of how much it focuses on Goku’s adventures. While this isn’t entirely wrong, there is also the argument that, whenever there is something happening with the show, it involves both Goku and the other characters. Think of the episode where they needed all their wishes fulfilled from Shenron (right after the Future Trunks arc) or the one where Goku dies from being assassinated by Hit, etc. To say that it only focuses on Goku isn’t fair because the other characters are present. However, at its core, Dragon Ball IS about Goku's adventure. He is the reason the series started and the series will mostly be about him. Its like saying "Why does Naruto have to appear in EVERY SINGLE EPISODE?"

Because the show is about HIM, not everyone else in the Hidden Leaf Village.

While I'm here, I'm also going to address Gohan’s character development, which is STILL somehow a huge talking point for the series.

Let me make this clear. Gohan is not a Saiyan—he is a half Saiyan. Gohan never liked fighting. He never reveled in it. From the get go, he has always tried to resolve things peacefully and without conflict. He only fought because he was forced to, not because he WANTED to. So WHY people are complaining about the fact that he’s not kicking butt on screen every other episode is beyond me. He was NEVER meant to fight. He wanted to just live a normal life as a student. He’s doing something now in the latest arc, which is great to see for nostalgia purposes, but if you're going to say that Dragon Ball Super is a bad show because Gohan isn't fighting, then you really need to reconsider how well you know the series in the first place.

4. Fan Service Complaints

All together, now!

I just don’t get it. You want Gohan to come back and fight—saying that you missed the old him and that he should be with Goku because he’s so incredibly powerful. Then, when it actually happens, it's a "cheap move" to appeal to fans and it's discredited as "fan service."

Super presented us with an intriguing villain with a new backstory and an insane amount of power, with arguably the darkest storyline in Dragon Ball history, and you say "having an Evil Goku is fan service because there have been so many fan theories about it and Toriyama is unoriginal" (same goes for having Trunks back, as well).

Frieza, one of the most beloved villains of the series and a genuinely interesting character, was brought back to the show as more than just a villain, and again, it's labeled as fan service.

Understand the distinction between fan service and presenting something new and different. They are not the same thing. While it is true that the show has relied a lot on the nostalgia of Z, it has also been sure to make sure that it's distinct from its predecessor in many aspects.

The end of a Dragon Ball anime is always sad because the series has cemented itself as iconic in the eyes of so many people around the world. Even with one as convoluted as Super, I feel like a friend is moving away to another country and I'm not certain when I'll ever see him again. Dragon Ball is a fantastic series that I'm sure I'll never be able to let go of completely, and it makes me happy knowing that Super is not the end of this fantastic world. There's a movie that is set to come out that tells the story of the first Super Saiyan God, Dragon Ball FighterZ just released to immense success, and above all, there are still two months of Dragon Ball Super left to enjoy.

Thanks for the memories, Goku. Until we meet again!