In the Shonen genre, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has been seen as the staple series that has added to the fame of the anime industry. The franchise has been a massive hit, and for over four decades it has been inviting new viewers, making the global fanbase even bigger. Over the years, numerous series have been added that have felt like victories, where DBZ is the most popular of all.
However, on rare occasions, there have been some misses like Dragon Ball GT, which lacks the same engagement that Toriyama-Sensei brings out in his original storyline. The 1996 non-canon show was not only gravely flawed because of its poor plot developments but also featured flat characters that fans hated from the bottom of their hearts.
With the plot’s progress, the discontent grew to such an extent that it made the creative executives change the storyline and abandon a beloved villain to make his return to the show.
Dragon Ball GT abandons an iconic villain from DBZ over fans’ displeasure
Dragon Ball has built its reputation for featuring iconic antagonists, who would become the key highlight of the entire arc. From Demon King Piccolo to the God of Destruction, Lord Beerus, each villain has been unique and enthralling in their own way.
However, there have been times when the creative executives fumbled big time with the villains, who could have left a more lasting impact on the viewers. While fans have been hating on DAIMA, and Super for a disappointing plot development and broken characters, which made little to no sense at all.
However, Dragon Ball GT had it worse because they were bombarded with so much negative criticism from die-hard fans of the series that compelled the creative executives to alter the ending of the show.
During an exclusive interview via Kanzenshuu, Atsushi Maekawa, the screenwriter of GT, mentioned how last-minute changes were to be made, as the show was nearing its end, where they planned to revive everyone using the Dragon Balls.
He said,
At the time of the TV broadcast, in the midst of everyone coming back to life, I received the criticism from many fans, “It’s mean not to have No. 17 come back!”
Maekawa-San continued that the alteration was made in the episode due to “screen time constraints,” but originally Android 17 getting revived was present and even had dialogues. He added,
Certainly, while it was cut due to screen time constraints and wasn’t in the episode, at the scenario stage that scene was in there, complete with dialogue! If any of you were bothered by it, please understand it that way. (laughs)
Android 17 was not the only iconic character that was mistreated by the executives because Piccolo was also sidelined because of another creative decision, which somehow justifies the hate it receives from the fans.
Dragon Ball GT was forced to shelve a creative arc for Gohan
In the same interview via Kanzenshuu, the interviewer asked if the work featured some concepts that never made it to the screen. The writer mentioned how he was given “quite a bit of freedom” working on the project, making the ideas “limitless.”
This meant that each character featured in the 1996 show could have had their own “subplots,” but they “never made it to the screen.” He gave an instance of Gohan that revolved around his Ultimate Gohan form from Dragon Ball Z, where returning him to action would involve “quite a bit of drama.”
Maekawa-San went on to recall a shelved idea from the Super 17 saga that would mark his return as a “super warrior.” Thus, he wanted to ensure that his status as a character was heightened, adding an episode or two, showcasing his resolve to become the Saiyan Warrior that he was destined to be in the Cell Games Arc in Akira Toriyama’s DBZ.
Nevertheless, the writer emphasized that he can’t disclose everything, but in his opinion, GT was the “crystallization of all the ideas that were spun together,” which led to a mess of creative concoctions.
Dragon Ball GT can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
