Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Producers Didn’t Want the 3D CGI Animation

The Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie delighted a lot of fans back in 2022 when it came out, and the introduction of the 3D CGI animation was a game changer and a premiere for the series.

The action in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie revolves around Gohan and Piccolo as they struggle to save the day against new powerful androids created by Dr. Hedo under the revived Red Ribbon Army signature. Cell makes a comeback as well, meaning one of the classic Dragon Ball villains.

Was the 3D CGI animation a good idea?

Bounding into Comics reveals that Toei Animation’s recent reliance on 3D animation has caused production woes for their biggest franchise, Dragon Ball, as revealed by the film’s producer and animation director. Despite the high costs of producing Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero in 3D, the film was entirely computer-generated, much to the dismay of many staff members.

The animation director, Chikashi Kubota, managed to negotiate for some 2D animated sequences, resulting in a beautiful recap of relevant events from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z at the start of the film. However, the inclusion of the 2D sequence caused Kubota to regularly cut it close to his deadlines. The reliance on 3D animation resulted in a longer production time for the movie compared to other projects.

The introduction of Cell in Dragon Ball Z was a game-changer for the series. First appearing as an enigmatic, insectoid creature, Cell quickly proved himself to be a formidable opponent for Goku and his friends.

Cell was unique among Dragon Ball villains in that he was created from the DNA of some of the series’ most powerful characters, including Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Frieza. This gave him a variety of different abilities, from the Kamehameha Wave to the Special Beam Cannon, and made him an unpredictable and dangerous foe.

One of the most memorable aspects of Cell’s introduction was his eerie and unsettling demeanor. Unlike some of Dragon Ball’s more bombastic villains, Cell was calm, collected, and almost robotic in his approach. He even hosted an arena tournament to find the strongest fighters in the world, a move that seemed almost gentlemanly in its execution.

But despite his polite façade, Cell was anything but benevolent. He had a sinister agenda, one that involved absorbing the Androids and achieving his “perfect form.” This led to a series of epic battles between Cell and the Z Fighters, each one more intense than the last.