Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Blu-ray Movie Review

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero brings back the fan favorite characters who make up the world of Dragon Ball. The feature-film grossed close to 100 million at the box-office worldwide and was a massive hit. A callback to the original series while paving the way forward, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero once again brings back original manga creator Akira Toriyama for the production. Toriyama worked on the script and original character designs.

As created by Toriyama, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero features CGI animation produced by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z). Produced by Norihiro Hayashida (Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Toward the Terra) and Rioko Tominaga (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'), Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has a nice blend of new and old ingredients for a fun ride for series fans. Long time fans and newcomers alike will want to take a look at the new feature-film.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero brings back the Red Ribbon Army as the central opposition for the cast of heroes. Magenta (Volcano Ōta) leads the way forward with the Red Ribbon Army. Determined to shape up the army, Magenta recruits the mad scientist Dr. Hedo. As the tale unfolds, the scope of the threat builds: the arrival of Cell Max (Norio Wakamoto) causes chaos and destruction.

As the world’s strongest heroes suit up once more to fight Cell, the latest version of Cell is the deadliest and most super-charged threat for the heroes to date. Gohan and Piccolo lead the way for the defense. Bulma, Trunks, Krillin, and other heroes join forces in order to help fight Cell Max and save the world from destruction. Can Cell Max be defeated?

The new installment focuses more on Gohan and Piccolo and their journeys as super heroes. These fan favorite characters take the reign. Though there are appearances by both Goku and Vegeta, fans will certainly want to keep some expectations in check. Goku and Vegeta are not the lead characters in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and this installment gives more screen time to the supporting cast.

Exploring the strengths of Gohan and Piccolo in new ways, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero brings finds new ways to explore these action heroes. Both of these characters encounter new transformations in the new feature-film: Gohan transforms into Gohan Beast and Piccolo transformed into Orange Piccolo. These transformations amp up their power and help them to be better fighters when going up against the threat of Cell Max.

It is always nice to spend more time with the cast of characters in the Dragon Ball Z universe. This was one of the best elements of Dragon Ball Super and it is nice to see the franchise continue with new stories. Anyone who is a longtime fan of the series will appreciate seeing some nice callbacks. The characters are fun and one of the strengths of the saga. Gohan and Piccolo have always been some personal favorites of mine and it is nice to see Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero give them a bigger chance in the spotlight.

The action scenes are thrilling and intense. This is one of the best elements of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Featuring adrenaline-pumping action sequences, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero provides some thrilling escapist entertainment for franchise devotees. There is a lot of action-packed mayhem for audiences to enjoy. The battles are epic and the fights are over-the-top in the best way.

Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero isn’t perfect. The feature-film is the first Dragon Ball anime feature to heavily use CGI as a main part of the production. Under the art direction of Nobuhito Sue (El-Hazard: The Magnificent World, Super Cub) and featuring animation direction by Chikashi Kubota (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, One Punch Man), Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero looks artificial with many scenes. The animation simply doesn’t cut it during the character sequences and some of these moments look choppy and ill-conceived – like a prototype version of something that could be better. Disappointing.

The CGI direction by Jae Hoon Jung is one of the biggest issues. As the first major Dragon Ball Super film with extensive CGI, the animation could have used more focus and natural line art. The animation looks too artificial at times and it draws one out of the picture during the non-action scenes. These scenes are cheap looking and would have been better with simple hand-drawn animation or simply by sticking to the style of the previous Dragon Ball Super series. Though Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero tries to walk between CGI and traditional by attempting to resemble what came before, the sometimes jerky and choppy looking animation (especially in regards to facial features and the like) seems less authentic.

The score composed by Naoki Satō (Eureka Seven, Sword of the Stranger) is one of the more effective and pleasing aspects of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. The music is enjoyable and energetic. This is a rousing score with plenty of action- packed mayhem built in to the compositions. The score provides an excellent backdrop to the fight scenes and makes the filmmaking work better than it would with a less effective score.

The screenplay by Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', Dragon Ball Super: Broly) is one of the strengths and best takeaways of the production. Of course, Toriyama has a solid understanding of these characters to crank out something entertaining and fun for the core fanbase – even if Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero never quite reaches the heights of the saga at its best. Toriyama is a good storyteller and this is where the film excels. It is simply nice to be back with these characters again.

Directed by Tetsuro Kodama (Eiga Kuma no Gakkō: Patissier Jackie to Ohisama no Sweets, Yūki no Hana ga Hiraku Toki: Yanase Takashi to Anpanman no Monogatari), Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero isn’t a perfect installment and much of this can be contributed to the director at the helm. The director is responsible for the overall aesthetic of the production. Koda chose to work with CGI for the film animation and it was largely their choice to work in the medium for the new Dragon Ball Super production.

CGI can be good in the right hands but this was a misstep in my estimation. The animation often felt too choppy and it made the work seem like a Betamax version waiting to roll out updates in the future. The action scenes are good and the spectacle is sometimes enjoyable but if there is a fault it is director Kodama not mastering the craft of CGI implementation – or simply sticking to what works. As the saying sometimes goes: if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Crunchyroll, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is reasonably sharp and engaging looking throughout. The visuals look sharp and colors certainly "pop" with adequate detail. There are a few moments where the CG animation looks a bit softer than ideal and a few moments of light banding gradients, but the majority of the encode is impressive and won't leave anyone struggling to enjoy the presentation. The action scenes look uniformly impressive and that might be what matters the most.

Even though the release provides an impressive high-definition presentation, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is set to be released on 4K UHD in 2160p in late 2023. As of this writing, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is currently only being released on standard Blu-ray. It is worth noting that Crunchyroll plans to roll out a superior presentation in a matter of months and some fans may wish to simply hold out for the 4K option.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented with a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound (with English subtitles). The lossless audio is a worthwhile addition to the release. The sonic soundstage is impressive sounding and the music is well implemented in to the production. The action beats are more engaging because of the encoding and it makes the filmmaking more enjoyable. Either option will provide fans with a satisfying lossless sound experience.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes an o-card slipcover. The release includes a Blu-ray and DVD disc. The first print run in North America did not provide a limited edition steelbook option. It is worth noting that a steelbook edition is being released in the United Kingdom later in the year and may arrive stateside as well.

The release lists that it includes a special 2022 video alongside promo videos and trailers but only the following are included instead:

Promo Videos (HD, 5:27)

Trailers (HD, 4:31)

It is worth noting that the release is almost barebones and a special edition is planned for later on in 2023. The re-release due to arrive later in the year may include extra bonus features not provided on this release. Fans hoping to get the more extensive supplemental package may wish to hold out and purchase the release with more bonus features later on if this is important to you.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is entertaining and has some impressive callbacks for fans of the classic anime series. For nostalgia alone, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is easily well worth checking out. The film has a solid story and gives ample room for Gohan and Piccolo to shine. If there is any drawback to Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, it is the weak CGI animation.

The Blu-ray includes an impressive video and audio presentation. The set is almost barebones in terms of bonus features. It is worth noting that Crunchyroll plans to roll out superior Blu-ray and 4K editions later in the year. The re-releases will include superior 4K UHD disc options, steelbook packaging, and collectors editions with more extensive supplemental features and collectible swag. The first edition of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero might seem like a cash crab. A disappointing release in this context but it is otherwise a satisfactory disc if one wants to watch it now and doesn't feel like waiting for a 4K disc or collectors edition.