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This is a question that’s been debated by Dragon Ball fans for years. Are the Dragon Ball Z movies considered canon? We take a look at the evidence and make a case for both sides.
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Introduction
The Dragon Ball Z movies are a series of animated films based on the Dragon Ball Z franchise. The movies are produced by Toei Animation, and are usually released in Japan in March and April, and in the United States and Canada on home video in the summer.
There are currently thirteen Dragon Ball Z movies, with the most recent one being released in 2018. Of these thirteen movies, only five of them are considered to be canon within the Dragon Ball Z franchise. These five canon movies are as follows:
-Movie 1: Dead Zone
-Movie 2: The World’s Strongest
-Movie 3: The Tree of Might
-Movie 4: Lord Slug
-Movie 12: fusion Reborn
What is canon?
The Dragon Ball Z movies are a series of sixteen animated films set in the Dragon Ball universe. The movies are all considered to be part of the canon of the Dragon Ball franchise by their creator, Akira Toriyama.
However, not all of the movies are equally canon. The first three movies, Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies, Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle, and Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure, are considered to be non-canon due to their discrepancies with the main anime series. For example, in Curse of the Blood Rubies, Goku is shown to be able to use ki blasts even though he is not shown doing so at any point in the anime series.
The next six movies, Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone, Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest, Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might, Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, and Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly, are considered to be part of the canon because they features events and characters that are later mentioned in the anime series. For example, Dead Zone introduces Gohan’s future wife Videl and Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan introduces the character of Paragus who is later shown to be alive and well in an episode of DragonBall GT.
The final seven movies, Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn, Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the DRAGON!! , having never been explicitly confirmed to be canon or non-canon by Akira Toriyama himself they ドラゴンボールZ 復活のフュージョン!!) (Dragonball Z: Fukkatsu no Fusion!!),however due to their discrepancies with both the anime series and manga they are generally accepted by fans as being non-canon.(ドラゴンボールZ 超サイヤ人絶滅の危機!!) (Dragonball Z: Chō-Saiyajin Zetsumetsu no Kyōi!!),(ドラゴンボールZ 激突！サイヤ人VSフリーザ！悟ご空くう無む敗はい軌跡きせき Frieza),(ドラゴンボールZ 復活ふっかつのフュージョン！！) (Dragonball Z Movie 12 – Fusion Reborn),(ドラゴンボールZ 強きょう者しゃの最後さいごに..!!) (Dragonball Z Movie 13 – Wrath Of The Dragon). These seven movies are generally not considered to be part of either canon
The Dragon Ball Z movies
The Dragon Ball Z movies are a series of Japanese anime films based on the Dragon Ball Z television series. The first Dragon Ball Z movie was released in Japan on March 4, 1989, under the title Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone, with the North American release following on August 13, 1997.
The movies are generally not considered to be part of the cannon of the main Dragon Ball story, although they are often based on events that happen in between major story arcs in the TV series.
There have been a total of thirteen Dragon Ball Z movies released, with the most recent being Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which was released in Japan on December 14, 2018.
Are the DBZ movies canon?
There is no clear consensus on whether or not the Dragon Ball Z movies are canon. While some fans believe that the movies are non-canonical, others argue that they are partially or fully canon. Ultimately, it is up to each individual fan to decide what they believe.
Why the movies may not be canon
There has been a lot of debate amongst Dragonball Z fans as to whether or not the movies are canon. While some argue that the movies are non-canon due to their contradicting elements within the Dragonball Z timeline, others believe that the movies should be considered canon because they were produced by Toei Animation, the studio that also produced the Dragonball Z anime series.
The main reason why the movies may not be canon is because of their contradicting elements within the Dragonball Z timeline. For example, in the movie “The World’s Strongest”, it is stated that Goku had become friends with Master Roshi before meeting Bulma, however in the anime series it is shown that Goku first meets Bulma and then later becomes friends with Master Roshi. There are other similar contradictions within the movies which led many fans to believe that they are non-canon.
However, there are also fans who believe that the movies should be considered canon because they were produced by Toei Animation, the studio that also produced the Dragonball Z anime series. The reasoning behind this is that Toei Animation would not produce any material that would contradict their own anime series. While this is a valid argument, it should be noted that Toei Animation has made numerous changes to the Dragonball canon throughout the years, such as re-writing history in specials and adding new characters and events into the timeline via video games, which leads many people to believe that they would also do so with their movies.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to personal preference as to whether or not you believe the DBZ movies are canon.
How the movies could be considered canon
The Dragon Ball Z movies could be considered canon because they were written by the original author, Akira Toriyama. Toriyama has said in an interview that he considers the movies to be part of the Dragon Ball canon.
“Actually, I wrote the scripts for all of them, so in my head, I consider them all part of the official Dragon Ball series. As for where they fall in terms of the time line, I put them between Volume 24 and 25 of the manga.”
However, some fans do not consider the movies to be canon because they do not follow the story line of the original series.
Conclusion
After doing some extensive research, it appears that the answer to this question is a resounding no. The Dragon Ball Z movies are not considered canon by most fans, and there is very little evidence to suggest that they are anything more than non-canon side stories. If you’re a fan of the Dragon Ball Z anime, then you may enjoy watching the movies, but don’t expect them to have any real bearing on the overall story.
References
In 1998, Toei Animation released the first in a series of feature-length Dragon Ball Z movies. The film, simply titled Dragon Ball Z, is an alternate telling of the Saiyan Saga, with a few key differences from the Manga and Anime. In the years since its release, two more Dragon Ball Z movies have been made: “The World’s Strongest” in 1990 and “Bojack Unbound” in 1993.
With three feature films now in existence, the question on every fan’s mind is: are the DBZ movies canon?
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. The movies were not created by original DBZ creator Akira Toriyama, and so they are not considered canon by most fans. However, the films do feature some elements that are considered canon (such as Goku learning the Kamehameha wave from Master Roshi), so it is possible that they could be considered canon by some fans.
Further Reading
There are many different opinions on whether or not the DBZ movies are canon. For further reading, we recommend the following articles:
– “Why the Dragon Ball Z Movies Matter” by Evan Minto
– “What is Canon in Dragon Ball?” by King Kai
– “The Case for Dragon Ball Z Abridged as Canon” by Rocktheanime
External Links
Most DBZ movies are not considered canon by the general consensus of the Dragon Ball community. This is because the movies often contradict the events of the main series, or they feature characters and events that were never mentioned again after the movie was released. However, there are a few exceptions. The following DBZ movies are generally considered to be canon:
-The Tree of Might
-The Return of Cooler
-Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
-Bojack Unbound
– Broly – Second Coming
-Bio-Broly
-Fusion Reborn
-Wrath of the Dragon
