Dragon Ball Super as Ode to Found Family
Basically, Why Piccolo is Awesome
This summer, the highly anticipated animated film, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, premiered in the States. The movie focuses on Gohan, who is the son of the main Dragon Ball protagonist, Goku, and his mentor, Piccolo.
The Dragon Ball manga was authored by Akira Toriyama, which was serialized in the manga anthology, Weekly Shonen Jump. It is one of the most popular shonen titles in both its manga and anime adaptations, (if not the most popular, but I hesitate to say that with the beloved fan base One Piece has) and is often referred to as a “gateway" anime series, which usually refers to the series that introduced a viewer into anime.
My partner and I both watched Dragon Ball Z as children, so we went to watch Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero in the theatres. I’m not current with Dragon Ball1, but I wanted to watch and enjoy the characters I grew up with on screen with the love of my life.
I had the expectation of laughing and being in awe of new power-ups. But I’m surprised to say I can't tell you how many times I wanted to cry. Dragon Ball, as a franchise encompassing all its series and movies, holds such a soft spot in my heart.
As I grow older, I realize the things we loved in a childhood grow with us. Though I’m not up to date with the current events of Dragon Ball, my love for it and its characters remains because of the people and memories associated with it.
Dragon Ball means watching with my siblings and parents in our tiny room in the Cathay Drive house. It means watching my brother excitedly doing his “kamehameha dance” during the opening credits. It’s us going to our Uncle Dodo's house to watch with our cousin (because her dad downloaded it sailing certain seas...) Which is to say, Dragon Ball means family and cheering on Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo. I can't list all of the things I love. But all of this is to try to explain the warmth and feeling of home that I felt sitting in the theatre.
Near the end of the movie, there is a scene which redirects the audience into thinking Beast Gohan will use a kamehameha as his finishing attack. Instead, he does a special beam cannon.
As Beast Gohan is attacking Max Cell with this move, I found myself crying. Because special beam cannon is Piccolo's move. It parallels the time when Piccolo had to do special beam cannon on Raditz while Goku is holding him down. Knowing that that is Piccolo's signature move and then later learning Gohan had been practicing in secret says I love you in so many ways.
Seeing Piccolo still active in Gohan's life made my heart swell. All throughout the movie, Piccolo has been grumpily expressing his love: accepting the plushies Videl gives him as a thank you for picking up Pan, training Pan, supervising Pan. We meet Piccolo as a completely different person. And throughout this story, he has grown to be the kind of person to dote on his son and granddaughter, his son being Gohan. Because the hill I will die on is that Piccolo is Gohan's dad. He raised Gohan and continues to love and watch over him.
The relationship between Gohan and Piccolo is a perfect parallel to safety and protection in found family. Goku remains in Gohan’s life, and Goku’s presence doesn’t dilute Gohan and Piccolo’s relationship. Nor does the lack of blood relation between Gohan and Piccolo diminish its strength.
And it got me thinking, how can I show the love to the role models in my life? How can I special beam cannon a poem for the people I love in my life? Yes, love is communication and we express love through our words, but how can we express love through our actions?
I hope this essay inspires you to do three things:
Share your love to your found family
Start reading and watching the Dragon Ball series
Watch Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
And most importantly, know that you, too, are loved.
My knowledge of Dragon Ball lore ends with the Great Saiyaman Saga, where Videl learns to fly. I did watch GT, but I’ve learned this has been retconned. Of course, please feel free to correct me if my information is incorrect at any time in the comments, and I will edit!