I'm just going to be upfront—if I were to take pure subjectivity into this review, I think Dragon Ball Super is just as good as Dragon Ball Z, maybe even better in some ways. At the very least, I consider it a way better sequel than Dragon Ball GT.

However, even I can admit that objectively, Dragon Ball Super is very flawed, and there's a reason it's probably the most controversial Dragon Ball media of all time. GT is mostly disliked, with a handful of people who heavily defend it, while Super seems to have just as many loud fans as it does loud detractors, plus a bunch of people who are mixed on its execution.

That said, this is my review, so I'm going to start with what I personally love about it.

I really enjoy the tone correction that Toriyama and the writers continued from the Buu saga—bringing back the mix of OG Dragon Ball’s lighthearted comedy with the more serious, over-the-top fighting of Dragon Ball Z. Unlike GT, which tried to copy Toriyama’s goofy humor and failed, Super actually nails it. A lot of the jokes feel like something Toriyama himself would write, which makes sense since he supervised the series.

While the animation quality had some issues early on, by the later arcs, it looked fantastic, especially in some of the fight scenes. The fact that Super stays true to the original Dragon Ball art style but modernized it really worked for me.

Now, let’s go over my thoughts on each major arc.

I don’t think it was a great idea for Super to retell Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', especially since they stretched the stories and made some scenes weaker than in the movies. However, if you never watched the movies, these arcs work as fun alternatives. Some added scenes, like the lead-up to Battle of Gods, were enjoyable. I liked that the arc took place on Bulma’s private ship, even if it meant losing the god-tier bingo scene from the movie. I also preferred the TV version of the Super Saiyan God transformation—it felt more epic and drawn out.

The Resurrection 'F' arc gets a lot of criticism, often called the worst or most skippable Super arc. I can see why, but I personally never had an issue with it. I probably still consider it better than Battle of Gods as a whole. Super Saiyan Blue could have used better buildup, but I always liked it as a form, even if it's as Frieza put it—Super Saiyan with blue hair dye. I prefer its simplicity and emphasis on calmness over the busy, furry Super Saiyan 4. This arc also marked the return of secondary characters to battle, which was nice, even if Master Roshi got powered up a little too much and Krillin’s fear of some goons was questionable. I also liked that Goku and Vegeta were so powerful that they didn’t even take Frieza seriously at first.

Moving on to the original content, the Universe 6 Tournament arc was the first full tournament we've had since the Piccolo Jr. fight way back in Dragon Ball. Some parts were weak, like Monaka being a joke, Piccolo getting screwed over by bad luck, and the first of many instances of Majin Buu being written out for convenience. But overall, I loved this arc because it fully embraced Super's tone—balancing OG Dragon Ball's campy humor with Z's badass fights. Expanding the story to include alternate universes was a great way to introduce antagonists who weren’t just villains. I mentioned in my Dragon Ball Z Kai: Final Chapters review that I was getting tired of every Dragon Ball antagonist just being a power-hungry villain. This arc gave us a tournament with something of stakes, but its main purpose was a petty sibling rivalry, allowing Goku to still seek out strong opponents without major repercussions.

The Future Trunks/Goku Black arc is the one arc in Super that felt fully serious like Dragon Ball Z. It’s easy to see why it’s a favorite for many. Goku Black could have been a generic evil Goku, but his backstory was surprisingly engaging, and he had just the right amount of camp while still carrying Goku’s instincts. Bringing Future Trunks back was also great, and Goku and Vegeta had some sick moments. Unfortunately, the arc had a few big issues, like Trunks getting an absurd power boost and ultimate ability out of nowhere. Worst of all, the ending was easily the worst in any canon Dragon Ball arc. I get that Toriyama likes to throw curveballs, but I have no idea why this one needed to be so depressing and anticlimactic. I don’t know anyone who likes it.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed a lot of Super's filler episodes. Goku running from Chichi on a tractor instead of helping Mr. Satan, the baseball match between Universes 6 and 7—some of the funniest Dragon Ball episodes ever. I wasn’t big on the Copy-Vegeta arc, but it was fun just to hear Brian Drummond voice Vegeta again for a bit in the Funimation dub.

Now, onto the Tournament of Power… Oh boy. If this arc were its own season, I would likely give it a 100/100 on AniList. Does it have flaws? Sure. The buildup could have been shorter. Some middle fights could have been trimmed. More universes should have eliminated each other instead of it mostly being Universes 7, 6, and 11 taking out everyone.

But I’m just going to be real. The Tournament of Power is my favorite Dragon Ball arc, period—yes, even more than anything in Z. It has everything I love about Dragon Ball in one package. It’s a tournament arc, which Dragon Ball does best, but with a twist—it’s a team-based battle royale, allowing for side battles and even fake alliances. This arc fully realizes the potential of the Dragon Ball multiverse. I loved almost every fight, even ones that didn’t involve the main cast. People complain about Ribrianne being annoying, but I actually found her whole crew entertaining and very much in line with Toriyama’s humor. Maybe it’s because I like magical girl shows, but I enjoyed their presence.

Jiren gets criticized for being a boring antagonist, but I didn’t mind Super shaking things up by making him a stone wall—a near-invincible powerhouse who wasn’t actively seeking to be the strongest. They could have revealed his backstory earlier, but I liked how he only got involved in fights when he felt it was necessary.

But let’s be real—the fights are what make this arc legendary. Every member of Universe 7 gets a cool moment. Sure, Krillin got taken out early, and Tien and Piccolo didn’t have the most graceful exits, but they still had their moments. Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, 17, and even Gohan and Roshi all got amazing scenes that fit their characters. And yeah, every Ultra Instinct fight is a top 10, if not top 5, fight in the entire series for me.

Now, despite my love for Super, I have to address its flaws, and because of them, I can’t quite give it a 90 on Aniilist.

Goku’s personality regressing to be more immature gets overblown, but yeah, the writers took it a bit too far—especially with that dumb “he’s never kissed before” moment. Super also suffers from the “Goku does everything” problem. Vegeta gets great moments, but he always gets robbed of major wins. Outside of Goku and Vegeta, most characters barely get to do anything outside of Resurrection 'F' mooks and the Tournament of Power.

Some say Super feels like a bunch of disconnected arcs, but I liked that it shows the world post-Z without forcing a single overarching villain. It proves there are still ways to create tension without constantly escalating villain power levels.

So yeah, Dragon Ball Super is messy. The retold arcs drag, silly power creep continues, most characters are just there outside a few arcs, and some comedy falls flat. But for me, it’s the perfect sequel that captures the tone I’ve wanted Dragon Ball to have for years. On some days, I even think it’s better than Z.