DIY Dragonball: Fan Fiction for Personal Liberation
How creativity can fix all your favorite things that the suits are messing up
I went to see Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero in theaters as a treat for my elementary school self and bought the full-blown, 4D MAX HYPER ULTRA EXPERIENCE™. Getting thrown around in a vibrating chair and sprayed with funky-smelling mist and smoke aside, it wasn’t terrible. But I was left left me with the sensation that any fan could do better.
For starters, it gave me a fresh epiphany. It happened when one of the characters was pile driving another through the clouds into concrete and steel secret base:
Every media property of sufficient longevity eventually devolves into pro wrestling, which is to say, pop opera. (shoutout to Randy)
How Your Favorite Show Caught Wrestlemania*
Once upon a time, there was this sense that the show you’re watching would end one day and you would have to say goodbye to all these characters who are as familiar as old friends. Then the 21st century happened. And the minds of the entertainment industry went scared and braindead. Nowadays, you never really say goodbye to any remotely popular characters. They keep coming back, if not as a remake or reboot then in a reunion episode.
Which is kind of how it is with pro wrestling. You have characters who go through story arcs, from heel (bad guy) to face (good guy) and back again, told through the major mechanic of the medium. In wrestling and Dragon Ball, it’s choreographed fighting and lots of yelling. In Sherlock Holmes, they solve mysteries. At first you’re drawn in by this mechanic, you tune in to see the heroes beat the obstacle of the week.
Over time, it’s your investment in the characters that pulls you along. A synchronicity occurs between character development and the evolution of the central mechanic. You notice the clever ways the episodic obstacle symbolizes the heroes’ own internal conflicts. Finally, the characters achieve their final forms, and you come back for the reunion episodes to see how everyone’s been and to bask in the old nostalgia. This is the current state of Dragon Ball. Every movie is really a reunion episode and a chance to sell merch.
The stakes have long been pulled out (earth’s been destroyed, the universe has almost been destroyed, and literally every character has died at least once: there’s just no way things aren’t going to turn out okay at this point). We still come back for the spectacle, just as WWE fans still turn up when Ric Flair or the Rock decide to saunter into the ring. We can’t resist the question, “What would [insert favorite property] look like if it was made with today’s tech?” But no matter what the creators do, somebody’s not going to be happy.
Only One Person Can Save the Dragon Ball You Cherish
People came to the series broadly for the same reasons–fantastic worlds and epic fighting–but there were also a number of specific needs and expectations that cannot be fulfilled. The previous entry in this new generation of Dragon Ball movies, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, featured a good half-hour or more of explication, character setup, etc. followed by a good 40 minutes of reality-bending action. This latest outing kept what worked about that move, but addressed the “too much fighting” gripes of the last outing with more goofiness, more subterfuge, more screen time for other beloved heroes and villains, and more cute kids.
Still, the nerds weren’t happy. But what’s interesting about the criticism coming from today’s fandom isn’t so much that the work doesn’t feel original, it’s that it doesn’t feel authentic. That is to say, it doesn’t contain the precise combination and quantity of ingredients as the Dragon Ball they remember.
However, we continue coming back, like addicts chasing the dragon.
Well, there’s only one way to get our wish, and it isn’t by continuing to consume the hackneyed output of a kids’ show viciously guarded by a merchandising conglomerate. What you want isn’t in Dragon Ball, it’s in you.
Why You Love This Kids Show So Much
The now-defunct “Dao of Dragon Ball” blog once posted an article about how the show helped a lot of young people become adults:
Some received life lessons from Goku. They learned how to fight and protect themselves from bullies at school or on the street. They became inspired to work out hard in the gym, at sports, or in their studies. And they learned how to persevere through hardships, endure setbacks, and overcome challenges.
The creators understand that these are the themes the majority of fans continue to want to see. It will forever be a show for youngsters. Perhaps what dissatisfies you about the show now is the fact that you are older, the villains you face are more complex. The themes you want your media to address, the occult details you want the show to impart, and the relationships between the characters you love, are no longer at your level. You’ve grown up, but the show can only grow so much. This is why, after the collapse of the comic book collecting economy, so many middle-aged men still buy comics yet never remove the plastic wrapping. The cover art evokes an ideal story that only exists inside their heads.
Unless.
Unless you start putting more of yourself into the show, unless you stop being a consumer and become a creator, you will never get the episode of Dragon Ball that you so desperately crave.
Simply put: It’s time you made your own stories.
Fan Fiction is a great place to start. We have all the building blocks, and we have some pretty good ideas of what the perfect story we’ve seen a million times “should be”. All that’s left is to tell it.
Start at the Tail End
The best part about picking a property like Dragon Ball is that it’s been done to death, so you’ve got a million examples of what not to do. And once you start getting good, you’ve got a homegrown audience that will actually appreciate your efforts. Dragon Ball Kakumei is a great example of this. A handful of talented French nerds decided to tell a bloodier, more mature Dragon Ball story than what’s been airing lately, so they got together and created a webcomic whose every installment is eagerly awaited by hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide.
And if you hate all the new stuff and just want to poke fun at the cartoons you grew up with, you can always retell the original series. That’s what Team Four Star’s Youtube channel did with Dragon Ball Z Abridged, which redubbed the most memorable moments of the Dragon Ball Z series. Over time, they were able to fill in plot holes, add nuance and even improve upon the original story. Many grownup fans will even tell you that they prefer the snappier fan-made DBZA to the official version.
Lastly, you can also just make it about you. Influencers like Brolygainz and Gokuflex use the show’s aesthetics to supercharge their own content.
The Recipe OR “That Part of Every Food Blog That You Actually Care About”
Here’s the unofficial Dragon Ball movie formula. This will allow you to mix and match the necessary elements to create your own Dragon Ball property, and just about any prized media property to be honest.
Remember Me? At least some time will be spent with a character you haven’t seen for a while. Try to include a funny reason for why said characters have been long-forgotten by the show’s creator.
Explained In An Interesting Way There’s a lot of catching up and scene-setting to do, so make sure something’s happening while the characters do it. Maybe they’re visiting an alien planet, gorging themselves on comical amounts of food, or training (see Asian Work Ethic).
Let Him Tell You How Awesome I Am Unlike in real life, most of the characters rarely sing their own praises. Also unlike real life, there are plenty of characters around to do it for them. This makes for more interesting dialogue.
Karma is Comic At least one person who takes himself way too seriously will be made to look foolish.
Yay Cultivation! At least one character is getting a transformation or upgrade.
Asian Work Ethic! Hilariously unorthodox martial arts training methods have been with the show since Drunken Master was in theaters.
Fan Service! Include a cute female (or male, if that’s your preference) character with some personality so it’s not too obvious what they’re there for.
Plans A and B Never Work Because if they did, there’d be little dramatic tension or room for a 3rd act.
Beam Wars: When qi collides, the whole planet is going to feel it. Show reactions for maximum effect.
Yay Buddhism! At least one of the villains turns out to be not so bad and befriends the good guys.
Buddhism Ain’t for Everybody 😢 At least one of the big bads is so bad that he can’t be redeemed and must be killed.
The More Things Change… Once the struggle is over, it’s nice to see what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how the cast are adapting to the new normal.
That’s it. All the ingredients you need to make a successful Dragon Ball are right here. If you’d like more, check tvtropes.org is a great resource. Now it’s up to you to decide how much or how little you want to include. I can’t guarantee the end result will be any good. If it’s your first time making something, it will likely be a disappointment. But I can guarantee that seeing this adventure through will allow you to go beyond rage posting and transform into the creator you were destined to be.
"I was left with the sensation that any fan could do better."
"…the criticism coming from today’s fandom isn’t so much that the work doesn’t feel original, it’s that it doesn’t feel authentic."
Isn't this the crux of the matter? Companies don't care if they're true to the story or characters. They flatten them out for reliable tropes. Hence, your comparison to pro-wrestling.
That's always the challenge for us as creatives, isn't it? The question of being broad versus true might be a false dichotomy, but the producers still act as if it's one or the other.