The Dragon Ball Live-Action Movie’s Biggest Crime Was Ignoring The Anime’s True Hero (2024)

Dragonball Evolution got a lot of things wrong, but the live-action Dragon Ball movie’s biggest mistake was to ignore one of the anime’s greatest characters. Before projects like One Piece and The Last of Us showed that there could be great live-action adaptations of beloved franchises that respect the source material while doing something new, Hollywood had a terrible track with the genre. Dragonball Evolution continues to be regarded as the worst live-action anime adaptation of all time 15 years later, which is unfortunate given how much Dragon Ball means to millions of fans around the world.

I understand that a 2009 movie with a not-so-big budget would struggle to cover the fantastical, action-packed world of Dragon Ball. However, after watching Netflix’s One Piece season 1, I cannot help but wonder what a proper live-action Dragon Ball film with a suitable budget and a solid creative vision would have looked like. As awful as the movie is, it can be fun to revisit Dragonball Evolution and look at the strange creative decisions the film made. Turning Goku into a high schooler was odd, but omitting Krillin altogether was somehow even weirder.

Dragonball Evolution Completely Ignored Krillin

Krillin Was Neither Featured Nor Teased In Dragonball Evolution

Dragonball Evolution technically covered Dragon Ball’s first couple of arcs, going from the death of Grandpa Gohan to Goku’s fight against King Piccolo. While Krillin was not very prominent in this portion of the story – he dies at the beginning of the King Piccolo arc – the character became synonymous with the original Dragon Ball manga. As Dragon Ball grew into Dragon Ball Z and continued to introduce several powerful characters, Krillin became a nostalgic reminder of when Goku and his best friends were just kids. Therefore, any Dragon Ball story without Krillin is incomplete.

Dragonball Evolution was not trying to be faithful to the source material, meaning there would be no problem bringing in Krillin earlier and having him be part of the team that searched for the Dragon Balls and fought King Piccolo. The fact that the first and so far only live-action Dragon Ball movie did not include one of the anime’s most beloved characters perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with Dragonball Evolution. It also speaks to how the film perceived the characters – most of them served as nothing but plot devices.

For example, most of Master Roshi’s lines in Dragonball Evolution were purely exposition about the Dragon Balls, Oozaru, and Piccolo. Likewise, the friendship between Goku and Bulma is almost non-existent, with the latter working as a plot device to get the hero from point A to point B in the search for the Dragon Balls. Even Yamcha, who joins the heroes ahead of the third act, is virtually just a comic relief. None of them truly connect to Goku in the way they did in the anime, making it difficult to imagine what Krillin would have been like in the film.

Would Krillin Have Saved Dragonball Evolution?

A Proper Krillin Could Have Helped Dragonball Evolution

On the one hand, having Krillin in Dragonball Evolution could have helped the film. A well-cast Krillin with enough charisma to portray the fan-favorite character could have brought some much-needed heart to the film and even improved Goku’s live-action character as a result. Some of Goku’s best scenes in Dragon Ball involve Krillin, and their friendship is one of the pillars of the story created by the late Akira Toriyama. Krillin could have been a good comic relief too, but only if written properly. However, nothing in Evolution suggests it would have gotten Krillin right.

There are arguably no redeemable qualities about the live-action Dragon Ball film. None of the characters could live up to their anime counterparts, starting with Goku. From strange casting choices to poor characterization and writing, Dragonball Evolution did not come close to doing its characters justice. The decision to adapt Dragon Ball instead of Dragon Ball Z made sense for the first movie, but not even the relatively small-scale aspect of the series’ first 196 chapters could help Dragonball Evolution. The film ditches most of the manga’s story and introduces new, original concepts about Piccolo and Goku.

Maybe It’s Good That Krillin Was Not In Dragonball Evolution

Dragonball Evolution Didn’t Get Any Of Its Characters Right

See Also

5 Things You Should Know About Krillin

Krillin’s absence from Dragonball Evolution was questioned when the movie was announced and the first pieces of promotional material were released. However, in hindsight, I’m relieved that Krillin was not in the Dragon Ball live-action movie. Considering that the film failed Goku, Bulma, Piccolo, Master Roshi, and all the story elements from the manga it tackled, it is safe to assume that Krillin would not have been treated well. Krillin has gone through a lot in Dragon Ball, but he is always written with a lot of respect and care, even during his many deaths.

Master Roshi and his dynamic with Goku didn’t work in Evolution. Additionally, it’s hard to believe that Evolution would have gotten the humor and the silliness that comes with Krillin. While translating anime’s humor for an adaptation is difficult no matter what, Dragonball Evolution did a particularly poor job in that aspect. The film tried to be a classic 2000s coming-of-age high school film, yet it could not be as funny as the best entries in this genre. Dragonball Evolution’s version of Krillin could have gone terribly, even if the casting was somehow on point.

Krillin Must Be In The Next Dragon Ball Movie (If It Ever Happens)

Krillin Is The Heart Of Dragon Ball

As of now, there are no plans for another live-action Dragon Ball movie. A few years after the Evolution disaster, the Dragon Ball franchise returned with a theatrical movie that led to a brand-new series, Dragon BallSuper. Since then, Dragon Ball has entered a new successful era of theatrical movies and anime series. Therefore, it seems like a live-action project is not a priority. However, considering how popular the IP is, I would not be surprised if another Dragon Ball live-action movie happens eventually. If it does, it needs Krillin.

After Dragonball Evolution, I would be interested to see whether a new Dragon Ball movie from Hollywood would try to cover Goku’s initial adventures as a kid, or if it would jump right into Dragon Ball Z. Either way, Krillin would be very important. More than a sidekick to Goku, Krillin is arguably the heart of Dragon Ball and helps keep the series grounded despite all the aliens and gods that the heroes encounter. Krillin is often the strongest human at any given point in Dragon Ball, and I would love to see his fighting style in live-action.

Dragonball Evolution

0.5

PG

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Science Fiction

Thriller

Dragonball Evolution is a live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga and anime series Dragon Ball. Directed by James Wong, the film stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, who embarks on a quest to collect the seven Dragon Balls and prevent the evil Lord Piccolo from destroying the world. The movie diverges from its source material, offering a modernized take on the beloved franchise.

Director

James Wong

Release Date

March 12, 2009

Studio(s)

World Film Magic , Dune Entertainment , Star Overseas , Big Screen Productions , Ingenious Media , 20th Century Fox

Cast

Justin Chatwin , Chow Yun-Fat , Joon Park , Jamie Chung , Emmy Rossum

Runtime

85 Minutes

Main Genre

Action