Dragon Ball Z, alongside its long-running TV anime series, released 13 theatrical films during its initial run from 1989 to 1995. Some rehashed events of whatever arc the anime was currently adapting from Akira Toriyama’s ongoing manga, featuring threats similar to whoever was terrorizing the main timeline. Others attempted to tell stories unique to the world ofDragon Ball, pinning the already established cast against threats unique to the source material.Wrath of the Dragonis one of those stories.
While giant enemies were nothing new to the series at the time of its release,few were used as the final villain of an arc or film. The previous release,Fusion Reborn, toyed around with the concept in Janemba’s first form, but reverted him back to a normal size by the movie’s climax.Wrath of the Dragonbought into a giant final boss completely with Hirudegarn, portraying the ancient monster as a towering, unstoppable beast. In featuring this enormous creature,the series was also forced to move the battlefield, truly making the film stand out among the rest.
Wrath of the Dragon Changes the Battlefield
The Movie’s Final Fight Takes Place In a Crowded City
Dragon Ball, though starting as an adventure series, built its reputation through its fights as Goku entered adulthood. Often grand displays of overwhelming power and flashy ki blasts, so many of these battles take place in vast open spaces where the characters can really show off.Wrath of the Dragon,while making use of its giant antagonist,also moves the arena into a crowded city filled with innocent bystanders. The setting change not only gives way to thrilling scenes of mass destruction, but also forces fighters to interact with their environment.
Large open spaces allow for the fighting to be as over-the-top as possible, but given how powerful so many of the characters in the series have become, detailed fight choreography is sometimes sacrificed to showcase the scale of the battle. By placing characters in smaller, more intimate settings littered with obstacles,precision fighting becomes mandatory. This is showcased in Goku mapping out a strategy before unleashing his iconic Dragon Fist to put the battle to rest. And though he isn’t the star of the film, the city leads to one ofVegeta’s better momentsas well.
One of Vegeta’s Best Moments Comes During the Movie’s Climax
Vegeta Showcases His Development
Vegeta may never get to deliver the final blow to the main villain, buthe has enjoyed arguably the greatest character arcinDragon Ball, andWrath of the Dragonputs that arc on full display near the film’s final act. Fresh off his major transformation during the Buu Saga, Vegeta finds himself playing the support role once again during his fight with Hirudegarn, having perhaps the least amount of screen time of any major character. It’s used well, though, as the giant villain smacks him into a crowded building filled with other people.
Putting that newly completed character arc to good use, Vegeta instinctually picks himself up anddefends the crowded building from an oncoming attack, before collapsing to the ground. Just one arc earlier, he senselessly took hundreds of lives at the World Tournament, and here is showcasing just how far he’d come in so little time leading up to the film.
While not all ofDragon Ball Z’s original feature-length filmsare winners, a few have some genuinely interesting ideas and moments.Wrath of the Dragonis one of those, and is still worth watching just for its willingness to try something new as the series was nearing its close.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
