The first "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION The first "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION"──The live-action version of Son Goku was the most powerful character, with the same level of cruelty as Vegeta, the same level of vengeance as Frieza, and the same level of sexuality as Kame-sennin!

Japan is experiencing an unprecedented anime boom in 2025. In the world of live-action films, the presence of anime- and manga-based films is increasing even more than before.

On the other hand, many people may have the unfortunate impression that live-action movies based on anime or manga are "ah, so it's a live-action movie. ......

However! Are live-action movies based on anime and manga really all disappointing? Are you just following the opinions of those around you and making up stories based on images without having seen the full-length films?

In this three-part series, we will re-evaluate some of the most controversial anime and manga-based live-action films of the past.

In this first installment, we will take a look at the latest "Dragon Ball" movie, "Dragon Ball Super Super Hero," which is currently a blockbuster hit. The first installment is "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" (produced in the U.S. in 2009), a live-action version of the manga series!

The 1st DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION

Akira Toriyama's nationally popular battle manga "Dragon Ball. Due to its popularity, various media mixes have been made in the past, one of which is the live-action movie "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" released in 2009. Like most Japanese manga, "Dragon Ball" is a difficult work to visualize, and much attention was paid to how it was adapted into a live-action film.

The story of "Dragon Ball" can be roughly divided into the boyhood and adolescence of the main character, Son Goku. In his youth, Goku travels around the world in search of the Dragon Balls, which are hidden treasures that will grant him any wish if he collects seven of them. From his youth onward, the story is more of a battle against powerful aliens, artificial humans, and demons that even the gods themselves can kill.

It is not difficult to imagine how difficult it would be to make a live-action version of either of these two periods, given the length of the story and the scale of the special effects required. In the 2018 animated film "Dragon Ball Super Broly," the battle between Goku and his foes takes place as they fly freely through the air, exchanging air bullets and blows, and even destroying planets. However, the visualization of "Dragon Ball" requires that much enthusiasm and manpower from the creators. In short, it takes a lot of passionate people to make a film of "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION.

When "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" was first released, it was pointed out that there were many differences from the original, such as Kame-Sen'nin not carrying a shell, Goku not riding Suito Cloud and not voiced by Masako Nozawa. Some even said that the live-action version made in Taiwan, "New Seven Dragon Balls" (naturally, unauthorized), still conformed to the original work.

However, one of the most important points in this film is the "misinterpretation" of the characters. A "misinterpretation" refers to the difference between the image of a character held by the sender and the receiver. In "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION," this misinterpretation of Goku's character is taking place. In the original story, Goku as a young boy is a fastidious man in pursuit of strength and adventure. On the other hand, Goku in "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" is a mental monster who has the good-naturedness of a Turtle Hermit, the evilness of the early Vegeta, and the vengeance of Frieza-sama.

In "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION," Goku is a high school senior (17-18 years old) who sets out on a journey to find the Dragon Ball after his grandfather Gohan is killed by Piccolo Daimaou.

In this film, Goku attends a high school in the city while training in Kempo with Gohan, but he is not a member of the community. He believes in a superstitious tradition that Gohan taught him (the battle between Piccolo Daimaou and the warriors in the past on Earth), and even when he is shamed, he follows Gohan's commandments and does not fight back, so he is completely ignored by the students. He is also distant from his classmate Chichi, whom he adores, and spends his days spying on her in class and fantasizing about her.

Goku is invited to her birthday party after using his "ki no kyoku" to save Chichi. Chichi also knew about the "power of chi," and felt a kinship with Goku. At the birthday party, Goku is embarrassed, but finally breaks Gohan's commandment and destroys the bullies with his kenpo bodywork. Goku gets close to Chichi, but sensing something is amiss, he interrupts their romance. When he rushes home, he finds his house in ruins. Gohan was also attacked by Piccolo Daimaou, and he died soon after. Yes, the lore Gohan had told him was true. Goku sets out on a journey of training and searching for Dragon Balls in order to seal Piccolo the Great Demon King.

In the original story, Goku as a boy is a pleasant boy who treats women without any ulterior motives or evil intentions, as mentioned above. He lived with his grandfather in the countryside and was not even sure of the difference between men and women, but his straightforwardness and impetuousness evoke laughter and empathy.

On the other hand, Goku in "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" is a life-size high school student. He is more interested in a girl than his schoolwork, skips his grandfather's birthday party, and sneaks out of the house to visit his girlfriend. At the party, he does not directly touch the bullied boy, but invites him to self-destruct, and in doing so, he intentionally wrecks his car with his car. As a character, his behavioral principles and priorities of humanity are very different from those of the original story, and his general teen aspect is more strongly felt. Whereas the early "Dragon Ball" films had a fairy tale adventure aspect, "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" is more teen-focused.

In this film, Goku is a nerd in the school caste. He is "the one who is different from others," and "only he knows the truth hidden in the world (the battle between Piccolo Daimaou and the warriors). He "has a hidden power, but he is forbidden to wield it recklessly, and its value is not understood by others. However, "only the heroine understands the power hidden in him, and this power brings them closer together." "When he releases his hidden power, even the gymnastic bullies lose their grip on him, and the school caste is no match for him. These are just a few of the parts that make up the story, and it is easy to see that the story is set on the high road of teen entertainment.

In contrast to the universal theme of the original story, in which an energetic boy runs around the world on a great adventure, this is the royal road of teen entertainment.

Now, fans of "Dragon Ball" will have already noticed that the themes depicted in Goku in "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" have already been sublimated in a smarter way. Yes, it is the school days of Goku's son, Gohan, in the original story. At this time, Gohan attends an ordinary school and hides his powers from those around him. Although he is treated as an eccentric by those around him, he is a hero who once saved the world by fighting Cell, can fly, and can even unleash the Kamehameha when the situation calls for it. At times, he is a mysterious hero, the "Great Saiyaman," punishing evil, but he is in a bit of trouble with his classmate Mr. Beadle, who tries to find out his secret.

This film is also packed with the aforementioned teen entertainment tropes, but with a refreshingly comical quality that allows the viewer to empathize with Gohan. Gohan is the kind of student I wanted to be when I was a student, the kind of person I longed to be.

Thus, why do the original work and "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" look so different, even though they use similar parts?

It is nothing but character creation. Gohan does not have the inward-looking character of Goku in "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION," and he is a "Great Saiyaman," a man who is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. He is basically a simple, wooden man, and he does not have the vengeful spirit that compelled bullies to destroy his car, as Goku did in "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION. This allows the reader to feel emotionally involved in the theme of "how to deal with the world when you are a little different from the people around you.

In "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION," Goku tries to master the Kamehameha under the guidance of Kame-Sen'nin. The key here is sex appeal. Goku is given the task of "lighting five lanterns on fire with the Kamehameha Wave," and is disappointed that it is impossible. Then Chichi appears and offers him a game: "Every time you succeed in lighting a lantern, you get one step closer to yourself. Goku's concentration increases, and his Kamehameha becomes more powerful. Each time he lights a fire, Goku gets closer to Chichi ......, and they end up kissing passionately. Goku's happiness at becoming intimate with a woman through his hidden inner power is truly a misinterpretation. It is not the behavior of a "Dragon Ball" character, but rather a teenager's dream in the real world. Moreover, it is the kind of black-history fantasy that one realizes how embarrassing it is when one thinks about it in junior high school.

Another misinterpretation is that Goku in "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" does not choose any means. There is a scene in which Goku has to cross a pond of lava to obtain the Dragon Ball. In the original story, Goku would be able to jump across the lava pond using either the Suji Douun or the Mai-Ku-Jutsu, but at this point, he does not have such a device. What he does, then, is to throw the monsters under the control of Piccolo Daimao into the lava and use them as footholds. However, even if he threw one or two of them into the lava, they would not be able to reach the Dragon Ball. Goku's "ingenuity" was very effective. Monsters have the ability to split up when they are hit, so Goku intentionally splits them up and throws them into the lava, then splits them up and throws them into the lava, and so on.

Then, like a bridge, he jumps over the bodies in a row. Not only does he deliberately split them up, but he does not hesitate at all, which makes him look like a psychopath. He is a terrifying Goku because he is able to do what Vegeta would have done in the beginning of the series without hesitation. Even though he is a monster born from the blood of Piccolo Daimaou, it is still pathetic to watch.

It may be ...... a good portrayal for the mental health of the fans, since it can be dismissed as a completely different thing rather than a misinterpretation.

In a sense, he may be more than Kame-sennin in his sex appeal in the face of a world crisis. The way he splits up the monsters under his control and throws them into the lava to use as footholds is as evil as the first Vegeta. When he punishes a bully, he goes out of his way to make his beloved car the collateral damage. A man who combines all these elements is strong and could stand up to the legendary Daimajo. However, this is a far cry from the character of Goku in the original work, and more like that of a dark hero.

However, while there are many misinterpretations, the cast and special effects do their best.

Piccolo the Great has become darker and more massive, and at first glance it is clear that he is the one who will destroy the world. He travels around the world in an airship, and when he drops a light air bullet from a high altitude, the village on the ground is obliterated and the lake is vaporized. It is truly a style befitting a great demon king.

The scene in which Goku is taught the Kamehameha is impressive with the amount of information only live-action can provide. When Kame-Sen'nin and Goku take a stance, glowing chi appears in their arms and swirls around them. Real people, just like us, create a mysterious light based on the martial arts concept of ki. It is a fusion of reality and fantasy, and brings back memories of reading "Dragon Ball" and thinking, "If I train myself, I might even be able to use ki and kamehameha! It brings back the excitement I felt when I read "Dragon Ball".

Kame-Sen'nin and his master are also impressive. The way he gives "Mahuuba" (the technique to seal Piccolo the Great Demon King) in anguish, knowing that his apprentice will die if he uses it, and the way Kame-Sen'nin releases Mahuuba in exchange for his own life, have a weight that only live-action can bring.

The Japanese dubbing is also worthy of special mention. Goku is played by Kappei Yamaguchi, whose cheerful voice and slightly nervous performance are well suited to Goku in this film. The voice of Piccolo Daimaou is played by Hochu Otsuka, and the Kame-Sen'nin by Tsutomu Isobe, all of whom are very talented voice actors.

Incidentally, this work has been made into a fighting game for the PSP. The characters who had little to do in the movie, such as Oozaru, Yamcha, Piccolo Daimao's men who are forcibly split up and thrown into a sea of lava, and Gohan, also play a major role in the game. Bulma performs a gun-kata with two guns, Piccolo shoots beams from his eyes, and the action is spectacular. Kame-Sen'nin's fierce battles with the same old man physique as in the movie were uniquely cool and made me realize how much I wanted to see more scenes like this in the movie.

Also, when Goku releases the Kamehameha Wave, his voice is pronounced "Kame-A-Me-Ha! but he does not fly forward and radiate his Ki like in the movie. In a sense, it is another "DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION" that could have been developed in this way.

Those who have seen the film may wonder why the screenwriter chose to interpret the story in a way that fans of "Dragon Ball" would never do. Actually, this mystery has been answered. Screenwriter Ben Ramsey issued an apology in 2015, seven years after the film's release, saying that he wrote the script because he was blinded by the paycheck even though he was not a fan of "Dragon Ball" ( #). He also had the idea that Goku would die at the beginning of the sequel ( #).

Watching this film, it is clear that we can feel emotionally connected to Goku as a teenager, and it is a little sad to see him die. In this sense, it is probably a good thing that a sequel was not made. The fact that there have been many good "Dragon Ball" films since then makes one wonder if this film has served as a role model for others. In this sense, this film has great significance as a film with an original story.

(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)