Dragon Ballis one of themost famous and watched anime in history, and a huge 2025 blockbuster was secretly a live-action remake in disguise. It would seem thatJames Gunn’snew Superman movie has some surprising similarities to Goku that go beyond the basic premises behind the characters.
While Goku was based onSun Wukong fromJourney to the West,it is also easy to see thesimilarities between theDragon Ballhero and Superman, another alien sent to Earth to become its hero. However, Goku and Superman had one significant difference. That said,the 2025Supermanmovie copied Goku’s origin, eliminating the divide between them.
Superman (2025)’s Parents Twist Turns Kal-El’s Backstory Into Goku’s
What initially set Goku apart from Superman is that Goku’s parents sent him to Earth to prepare it for destruction.It has a similar origin toInvincible, whereOmni-Man was sent to Earthto prepare it for a hostile takeover. Five years after his rise as a fighter, Goku learned the truth about his mission.
As a child, Goku had a short temper and was prone to fighting, a Saiyan trait. A head injury made him more laid back and helped turn him into a hero. When Goku met his evil brother Raditz, he learned that his race was almost extinct, and they planned to destroy all life on Earth to prepare it for sale.
Goku’s discovery that he was sent to Earth as a destroyer, not a hero, was shocking, but he never changed and remained a hero. The same thing happened in theSupermanmovie, as Kal-El believed he was sent to Earth to be a hero, and then learned his parents wanted him to conquer and rule the planet.
WhileDragon Ballborrowed heavily from Superman’s story in the manga and anime series,DC’s movie seemingly drew inspiration fromDragon Ballwhen revising Superman’s Kryptonian origin story. Superman learned the truth, but refused to change the mission instilled in him by his adoptive parents.
It is important to note thatAkira Toriyama eventually retconned the Goku origin storyand changed the canon inDragon Ball Minus.In this story, Goku’s parents were kind people who sent him to Earth for his protection, much like Superman. It’s unknown if Superman will discover his parents did the same in future DCU movies.
Superman 2025’s Tone Is A Lot Closer To Dragon Ball’s Than Previous DC Movies
Not only did James Gunn’sSupermanmovie veer closer to Goku’s original originstory, but it also played out a lot closer toDragon Ballthan previousSupermanmovies. This is especially trueconcerning Gunn’s attempts to course correctfrom the overly dark version of the DC Universe that Zack Snyder created.
Gone were the dark and serious storylines that made Snyder’s Superman nothing like its comic book counterpart. Instead, James Gunn focused on classic DC Comics and the looser stories that put fun ahead of gritty drama. LikeDragon Ball,Supermanhas a lot more humor and a tone more similar to the anime.
Supermanalso has an emphasis on giant monsters and aliens, and it is very much a comic book movie. This makes the newSupermanmovie more of a live-actionDragon Balladaptation than a follow-up to any DC movie. However, it is also a love letter to fans of DC Comics, showing how Superman is supposed to act.
