Dragon Ball Fans Should Thank GT For Making Super More Interesting

Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball GT are two series that have thrown fans into passionate debates over which one is the true worthy successor to Dragon Ball (which includes DBZ). However, it’s all too possible that fans have been looking at these sequel series all wrong, as it shouldn’t be one or the other, but rather how one has/can enhance the other. In fact, even the most anti-GT Dragon Ball fan out there should be thanking the original sequel series, as it was arguably responsible for making Super interesting and unique.

The Dragon Ball GT anime was released in 1997, which means it was a direct sequel to the Dragon Ball Z anime, which ended in 1996. Not only did Dragon Ball GT come out right after DBZ with the direct involvement of Dragon Ball’s creator, Akira Toriyama, but it also picked up right where Z left off. Dragon Ball Z ended with Goku going off to train Uub, and Dragon Ball GT started with Goku completing Uub’s training before a new adventure was ready to unfold.

Dragon Ball GT’s storyline then proceeded to continue the Super Saiyan numbering progression with Super Saiyan 4, it brought back the importance of collecting Dragon Balls by making them the main focus of an entire season, and it tied the main villain – Omega Shenron – back to the very usage of those Dragon Balls from the original series. Basically, GT used up practically every sequel trope Z set up for it, which ended up being a good thing for Dragon Ball Super.

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Dragon Ball GT Allowed Super To Be A More Creative Series

While Dragon Ball GT takes place after the final chapter of Dragon Ball (known as End of Z), Super takes place immediately following the defeat of Majin Buu, making it a more direct followup to the main events of Dragon Ball Z. However, that doesn’t mean Super stayed on the same narrative trajectory as Z like GT did, as it didn’t hesitate to go off the wall with its storylines, characters, and transformations.

Super didn’t continue the Super Saiyan numbering progression, it instead opted to explore god ki by introducing transformations such as Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue. That then opened the door for other transformations that didn’t require one to be a Saiyan at all to achieve, like Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego. These transformations went hand-in-hand with the new characters as well, which included the likes of Lord Beerus, Whis, and Grand Zeno. Plus, Super introduced the idea of a multiverse in Dragon Ball canon with a tournament unlike anything Dragon Ball fans would have ever even imagined beforehand.

Dragon Ball Super Was Way More Unique Than GT – Because Of GT

While Dragon Ball GT definitely introduced some wild ideas – such as Machine Mutants, sentient Dragon Balls, and returning villains from the depths of hell – they were all in-line with things that probably would have happened in Z anyway if the series continued, including and especially Super Saiyan 4. Since GT was the stereotypical sequel, Dragon Ball Super was free to be a bit more unique. If GT never existed, and Dragon Ball jumped straight to Super from Z, it’s all too possible that Super would have included a number of ideas from GT simply by following the path of a faithful continuation, thereby potentially robbing Super of all its unique qualities.

Dragon Ball GT knocked out all the sequel tropes DBZ left open for it, forcing Super to be a series that embraced new, groundbreaking ideas and totally unpredictable transformations. Modern fans might have their gripes with Dragon Ball GT, but in reality, they should be thanking the original sequel series for quite literally paving the way for Dragon Ball Super to be the series that it is today.

Dragon Ball GT & Dragon Ball Super are available to watch on Crunchyroll.

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