Dragon Ball: Why do fans hate Dragon Ball Evolution?

Dragon Ball is one of the most popular anime ever. Its cool characters, action-packed fights, and fun story have won fans all over the world. But when the live-action movie Dragon Ball Evolution was released in 2009, fans were disappointed.

Why do fans hate Dragon Ball Evolution? Because the movie completely failed to capture what made Dragon Ball special, leading to one of the worst adaptations in anime history. From the very beginning, the movie made changes that annoyed fans.

Dragon Ball is filled with unforgettable characters that have become a part of anime culture. Whether it’s the upbeat energy of Goku, the intelligence of Bulma, or the perverted sensei status held by Master Roshi, each character brings something special to the series. Unfortunately, the film felt like it took everything fans loved about these characters and turned them to nothing.

Dragon Ball Evolution turned Goku into an insecure high school senior who gets picked on and has a crush on Chi-Chi. Such is a far cry from the original Goku, who was a socially awkward but sweet kid, who never cared how popular or cool he was. The fans were annoyed because Goku was never an average teenager. He was always more focused on martial arts, friendship, and adventure, not high school drama.

Bulma, another important character, was also changed in strange ways. In the anime, she is a brilliant inventor from Capsule Corp with a wild personality and her iconic blue hair. Her relationship to Capsule Corp is poorly defined in the movie, and she hardly looks like she has blue hair. She is more serious, less fun, and therefore less recognizable to longtime fans.

Master Roshi, a character best known for his old age and perverted humor, was de-aged in the movie and stripped of his 'comic trait.' While most fans might would agree that removing his pervert jokes was necessary, they were disappointed to see that his humor and wisdom were largely missing, too. He became a background character with little charm.

Remember Yamcha, a fun and a bit goofy character in the anime? He was changed in the movie to behave more like a 'cool guy.' This just felt completely wrong. Furthermore, characters such as Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu were not in the movie. Fans were surprised that a lot of important characters didn't make it.

The villain, Piccolo, was another major disappointment. In the anime, Piccolo has a rich backstory, complex motivations and even goes through major character development. In the movie, he was turned into a simple evil villain with no depth, just looking for the Dragon Balls to gain power.

---

Dragon Ball Evolution didn’t just change the characters — it also butchered the story. The movie’s plot was weak, full of holes, and poorly written. Fans noticed that the story barely followed the anime’s original plotlines.

For instance, Goku never attended high school in the anime. He studied martial arts under his grandpa Gohan as a boy in the mountains. However, in the movie we see Goku having parties, dealing with bullies, and attempting to get Chi-Chi’s approval. This is just more of a bad teenage drama and less of the action-packed martial arts epic it should have been.

Another glaring issue was how the film characterized the core components of the Dragon Ball world. In the anime, the Kamehameha is a strong ki attack that Goku learns the first time he sees Master Roshi use it. In the movie, it is shown as a kind of airbending skill that the characters need to spend the entire film learning how to perfect. Fans were frustrated because the movie clearly didn’t understand the source material.

The Great Ape (Ozaru) transformation was also mishandled. In the anime, only Saiyans with tails can turn into Great Apes during a full moon. In the movie, Goku changes into Ozaru even though he has no tail, which breaks the Dragon Ball rules. Small things like these showed fans that the people making the movie didn’t really care about getting it right.

Even the visual side of Dragon Ball Evolution failed to impress. Fans were upset with the bad CGI and boring fight scenes. The anime is known for its exciting fights, with characters flying, using strong energy attacks, and showing great power. The movie’s fights, on the other hand, were dull and did not feel as exciting as the anime. Instead of fans' jaws dropping owing to the beauty of a fight sequence, they dropped because of how absurd and boring the fights were with their cheap-looking effects.

The casting choices in Dragon Ball Evolution also upset fans. In the anime, the characters are known for their special designs and personalities. But the actors in the movie did not match the look or spirit of the original characters.

Many fans felt the casting was wrong and that it added to the overall disappointment of the movie. The casting mistakes made it even harder for fans to enjoy the film or take it seriously.

Critics and fans alike agreed that Dragon Ball Evolution was a mess. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a very low 15% score. Reviewers noted the film has bad writing, weak dialogue, and no fun at all. Fans on sites like Reddit and Quora agree, calling it,

“the most wrong movie ever” and “one of the worst versions ever made.”

---

One major reason fans were so angry is that Dragon Ball means a lot to them. It’s not just an anime. It’s a big part of their childhood and teen years. Watching something they love get turned into a lazy, badly made movie really hurts.

The creator, Akira Toriyama, was so disappointed with the movie that he decided to get more involved in Dragon Ball projects. Thanks to his involvement, better movies like Battle of Gods and Resurrection F happened. It’s a strange twist that the movie's flopping may have helped bring the series back to life. It still doesn’t give the movie a pass for the pain it inflicted on the franchise’s fans.

Of course, not everyone completely hates the movie. A few people enjoy watching it as a So Bad It’s Good experience, similar to how some people enjoy old cheesy superhero movies. For them, it’s fun to laugh at the bad dialogue, poor effects, and ridiculous story. However, even these viewers admit it’s a bad movie, though they just happen to enjoy watching bad movies for fun.

Some fans have wondered if the movie would have worked better if it hadn’t tried to be a Dragon Ball movie at all. Without the Dragon Ball name, maybe it could have been a harmless, forgettable fantasy-action film. However, because it tried to attach itself to such a beloved franchise, fans couldn’t help but compare it to the original, and it failed at every step.

It’s a warning sign to Hollywood studios: While adapting beloved anime or manga, respect the source material. Fans aren’t just asking for flashy fights or cool effects. They want stories that honor the characters, themes, and magic that made the original popular. Dragon Ball Evolution’s failure proves that without this respect, even the biggest franchises can fall flat.

Even today, over a decade later, fans talk about Evolution mostly as a joke or as a painful memory. It stands as a reminder of how bad adaptations can go wrong when studios chase profits without understanding what makes the original special. While the series has recovered and even thrived in the years since, fans will never forget the time Hollywood completely missed the mark.

---

Akira’s thoughts on Dragon Ball Evolution

There was a message attached from Akira before the release of the movie, which goes as follows:

“As the creator, as far as the scenario and characterization are concerned, I get a feeling of 'Whaa?,' but the director, everyone in the cast, and the crew on-set are ultra high-caliber. Maybe it’s correct for both me and all the fans to appreciate this as a 'new Dragon Ball' in a separate dimension. With the power on-set, perhaps it will even have become a great masterpiece! I am greatly anticipating it!!”

In an interview with Asahi Shimbun Digital after the film was made public, this is what he had to say about it:

“Also, at the time of the Hollywood movie, the live-action Dragon Ball, the script had too little of a grasp on the world and its characteristics, and on top of that, it had a conventional content that I couldn’t find interesting, so I cautioned them, and suggested changes; but in spite of that, they seemed to have a strange confidence, and didn’t really listen to me. What came out in the end was a movie I couldn’t really call a Dragon Ball that lived up to my expectations. That being the case, there were parts where I wanted to show some spine, with a world and story only the creator could draw.”

(Both translations are from a Dragon Ball fan website.)

When the creator, Akira Toriyama, spoke badly about the movie, it showed just how bad it really was. Luckily, later anime projects like Battle of Gods were made, and fans liked those much more.

---

In conclusion

Dragon Ball Evolution is considered such a colossal failure as it abandoned everything that made the series special. Instead of the beloved characters, the story, or the world, the filmmakers delivered something unrecognizable. Fans wanted something to honor the heart and soul of the anime they adored and instead got a crass, half-hearted mess.

It failed to respect the characters, the story, and the world of Dragon Ball. It failed to deliver good action or effects. It failed to connect with both old fans and new viewers. Regardless of the movie, the franchise still continues today, and that can be enjoyed.