In an era where an anime fan is bombarded with the most diverse updates, sagas, reboots, and remakes, it’s normal to feel cornered. Therefore, many end up resorting to the past, to the feeling of nostalgia, to take a break from this frenetic pace.
Dragon Ball GT is a great example of a work that is highly sought after by the most assiduous fans of the Dragon Ball saga. However, every time this saga is revisited, the same question always appears: is Dragon Ball GT canon? Let’s break down if the series can be considered canon.
What Is the Story of Dragon Ball GT?
Dragon Ball GT begins a few years after the events of Dragon Ball Z when Goku leaves with Uub — the good reincarnation of Kid Buu — so that both train together. Once Goku realizes that the boy is ready, he calls the training off and plans his return home. The first saga begins when Emperor Pilaf and his allies Shu and Mai invade the temple where the Dragon Balls are. Pilaf ends up being captured by Goku who wishes him to be turned into a child, so Goku returns to his age and appearance from the Classic Dragon Ball, and the Dragon Balls spread again, starting the adventure.
In these years that Goku has been away, his family and friends have obviously changed a lot. Pan, his granddaughter, is now a teenager; Gohan and Goten have retired from the life of warriors and lead a normal life; and Trunks is the new President of Capsule Corporation. The trio Goku, Pan, and Trunks go in search of the Dragon Balls, facing new enemies around the universe, until they need to return and defend their planet from new threats.
Dragon Ball GT Transformations
Even in his child form, Goku manages to perform his Super Saiyan transformations, including level 3, the only difference is that maintaining the transformations in his child state has become much more difficult. Fans were also presented with what would be considered Goku’s most powerful and badass transformation: the Super Saiyan 4.
This is a point much discussed by fans, after all, chronologically Dragon Ball GT takes place after Dragon Ball Super and as every fan knows, DBS has unlocked numerous powerful transformations that raise the levels of Goku and Vegeta, but we do not see any of them in GT. Of course, this is because, at the time GT was written, the new DBS transformations had not yet been created, but this stark difference in power makes fans question canonicity.
There Are Chronological Discrepancies
Other issues related to the lack of linearity and chronology put the validity of this continuation to the test. For example, in Dragon Ball Super (which takes place three years after the Majin Buu Saga), the villain Frieza appears in his final golden form, demonstrating that he has already reached even greater levels of power. In Dragon Ball GT, Frieza appears but does not reach this golden form, which is currently the most powerful.
Another point of chronological discrepancy is that Pilaf and his followers appear quite old in DBGT, but apparently, in Super, they regained their youth. It doesn’t make much sense that they appear so elderly in the events of the other saga, after all, not even a decade has passed, which is yet another point pointed out by fans as “a flaw in the script, removing canonicity.”
A Dragon Ball GT Screenwriter’s Opinion
Dragon Ball GT follows the events of the previous anime, but with an all-new story that was not fully created by Akira Toriyama. Despite the author being present in the project, many claims that the anime is not part of the canon exactly because it does not adapt a story created by the mangaka. The discussion about the work has been going on for many years, and one of the anime’s screenwriters gave his opinion.
Asked on Twitter if Dragon Ball GT was the official sequel to Z or not, one of the anime’s screenwriters, Takao Koyama, commented that the work is part of the canon. Of course, his statement is not definitive, since he does not decide what is canon or not in the work, but the comment was enough to make Dragon Ball GT fans happy. Takao Koyama worked on Dragon Ball Z for almost the entire series, from 1989 to 1996, but did not return for the other anime.
Now with a completely different point of view to debate the subject: Within this deeper context involving Toei Animation, Weekley Shonen Jump, several screenwriters, and creator Akira Toriyama, the issue of Dragon Ball GT being canonical is much deeper. The quick answer is that yes, in that context, Dragon Ball GT is canon.
The Property Owners May Have Final Say
There is a difference between the people who create a work (authors) and the people who own those works (companies who buy their rights). Akira Toriyama is the creator of Dragon Ball, but the true owners of the franchise are Toei and Shonen Jump, Akira is just on the payroll of the companies.
That is, despite the fans’ agreement or disagreement, whether Toriyama participated in the creation, those who decide what is or is not canonical are the owners of the properties. Canon material is everything based on a continuity that is officially confirmed by the owners, so in that respect, Dragon Ball GT is, technically, canon, even if the events of the Super disturb the logic from time to time.
Canon or non-canon, in the end, it makes no difference. Dragon Ball GT, even with its questionable narrative, provided fans with good characters, new transformations, and great battles, or all the elements needed for a memorable Dragon Ball saga. What remains for fans of the franchise is to enjoy.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
