Dragon Ball Super
Dragon Ball Super is a popular Japanese anime television series that continues the martial arts adventures of protagonist Son Goku and his friends after the events of Dragon Ball Z. The series primarily focuses on intense battles against increasingly powerful villains and explores new realms and divine beings within its expansive universe. It falls under the Shonen genre, characterized by action, adventure, and themes of friendship, perseverance, and personal growth. The show's narrative often revolves around Goku's continuous pursuit of strength and the protection of Earth and other universes from formidable threats. While maintaining a core fan base, the content is generally geared towards an older child and teen audience due to its prevalent action violence and some mature themes.
Concerns
Violence
HighDragon Ball Super features frequent and intense animated fantasy violence, including extensive martial arts battles, energy blasts, and large-scale environmental destruction. While blood and gore are often minimal in the TV series, associated movie adaptations can include more graphic injuries and implied deaths, making the overall violence level high.
In the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, there are numerous graphic fight scenes where characters are brutally attacked. For example, Cell Max appears as a 'demonic robot zombie' and in the final battle, his hand is severed before he is 'shot through the head with electricity and explodes'. The series consistently shows intense combat where characters like Goku and Vegeta engage in hitting, punching, kicking, and slamming, with energy forces causing widespread destruction, such as smashing through trees.
Scary & Intense Content
HighDragon Ball Super features intense and at times frightening content, particularly during its major battles and when introducing powerful, monstrous antagonists. Some scenes may be disturbing or overly intense for younger viewers.
The Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie introduces frightening creatures like Cell Max, described as a 'demonic, robot zombie with red, glowing eyes,' who is 'vicious, terrifying and relentless.' This character's appearance and actions are noted as potentially disturbing for young children. An intense scene in the movie involves the abduction of young Pan from preschool, where she is later forced to witness her father, Gohan, being 'beaten and brutally attacked,' which could be distressing for children aged five to eight.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
MediumThe Dragon Ball Super TV series itself does not explicitly feature confirmed LGBTQ+ characters or themes in the provided search results. However, the broader Dragon Ball franchise has a mixed history of LGBTQ+ portrayal, with some past negative stereotypes, but has recently introduced gender-fluid characters in a subsequent series, Dragon Ball Daima.
Historically, the Dragon Ball franchise included negative or stereotypical portrayals, such as General Blue from the original Dragon Ball, who was hinted to be gay with his reaction to Bulma's advances and his character playing on outdated stereotypes. Another example from Dragon Ball Z is Otokosuki, whose orientation is treated as a joke and who borderline sexually harasses Trunks. More recently, in Dragon Ball Daima, the Glinds (the race of the Kais) are confirmed to not have defined genders, with Shin clarifying that they exist on an asexual, gender-fluid, or nonbinary spectrum, marking an evolution in the franchise's approach to LGBTQ+ representation.
Romance and Sexual Content
MediumRomance and sexual content in Dragon Ball Super are generally mild and not explicit. The series includes some suggestive humor, implied attraction, and instances of non-explicit nudity or characters in revealing outfits, particularly noted in its movie adaptations.
In the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, a character expresses attraction by looking at a young woman's size and saying, 'I like this.' Another scene involves a woman making a wish for a buttock lift to 'college age plumpness' along with other cosmetic enhancements. Non-explicit nudity includes a character's bottom being repeatedly exposed after their pants are ripped, and a scene where the camera focuses on a woman's clothed buttocks as she bends over.
Profanity
MediumDragon Ball Super contains occasional mild to moderate coarse language. This typically includes various insults and some common expletives, which are present in both the subtitled and dubbed versions.
Examples of coarse language noted in the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie include terms such as 'Moron(s), Geez, Damn and Damn it, Crap and Holy Crap, Screw it, Fool, Brat, Dumb and Dumbass, Idiot, Satan, Nerd, Turd, Roly-poly little twerp.' Mainstream reviews also indicate the presence of 'rude insults' in the series.
Witchcraft & Occult
MediumThe Dragon Ball Super universe prominently features supernatural powers, deities, and beings from other dimensions, which can be interpreted as magical or occult elements. These powers are integral to the fantasy-sci-fi setting rather than traditional witchcraft or occult rituals.
The core of the Dragon Ball franchise involves the Dragon Balls themselves, which are magical artifacts capable of summoning a wish-granting dragon upon collection. Characters such as Beerus, the God of Destruction, and Whis, his angelic attendant, possess immense supernatural abilities including energy manipulation and reality-altering techniques, which are inherent to their divine status within the series' cosmology.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumCharacters in Dragon Ball Super occasionally display disrespect and rebellious attitudes through sarcastic remarks, backtalk, or defiance against authority. While present, such behavior is generally situational and not a central theme promoting extreme rebellion.
Reviews for the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie indicate the presence of 'rude insults.' Protagonists like Goku often prioritize their personal growth and fighting instincts, sometimes leading them to disregard conventional rules or formal authority when it conflicts with their martial arts training or desire for powerful fights. This can manifest as a subtle form of rebellion against societal expectations or established hierarchies.
Substance Use
LowSubstance use is minimal within Dragon Ball Super, with the primary instances being occasional depictions of characters smoking.
In the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, the character Magenta is 'frequently seen smoking cigars.' This is also cited as a descriptor for the movie's PG-13 rating.
Anti-Christian Themes
LowDragon Ball Super does not contain direct or explicit anti-Christian messaging or themes. The series operates within its own distinct fictional cosmology, introducing its unique pantheon of gods, angels, and other powerful beings as part of its fantasy narrative, rather than offering a critique or opposition to Christian beliefs.
The Dragon Ball universe establishes its own divine hierarchy, including Gods of Destruction like Beerus and angelic attendants like Whis, along with Supreme Kais. These figures are foundational to the fictional cosmic order and are presented within the context of a fantasy story focused on martial arts and adventure, without engaging in theological debate or criticism of real-world religious doctrines. There is no evidence of scenes or dialogue mocking Christian symbols, figures, or beliefs.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Parental guidance is recommended for ages 10 and up. This recommendation is based on the frequent animated fantasy violence, intense battle sequences, occasional mild suggestive content, and some coarse language present in the series and its movie adaptations. While the core themes often promote teamwork and perseverance, the intensity of conflict and depictions of menacing creatures may be too frightening or overwhelming for younger children.
Additional Notes
Parents should be aware that while the TV series often features less explicit graphic content than its movie counterparts, the overall tone and themes of intense combat remain consistent across the franchise. The focus on power levels and continuous fighting can be a major draw for older children and teens, but also the source of parental concern regarding violence. The evolution of LGBTQ+ representation in the broader Dragon Ball franchise, particularly in Dragon Ball Daima, indicates a shift that parents may wish to be aware of for future installments.
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