Based on the manga Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, Dragonball Evolution failed to honor the source material and live up to the legacy of the world-famous anime it spawned. Actor James Marsters, who portrayed Lord Piccolo in the film, described Dragonball Evolution as "offensively bad" in an interview on Inside Of You with Michael Rosenbaum. This review is apt when Dragonball Evolution has become one of the most reviled movies in the Dragon Ball timeline and one of the most hated live-action anime adaptations of all time.
✕ Remove Ads
Surprisingly, a lot of good did come out of such a disappointing film, as it led to Marsters voicing Zamasu, the main villain in the "Future Trunks Saga," in Dragon Ball Super. Marsters portraying the evil Supreme Kai was very much an act of redemption; he got to play the villain in the story he hoped to deliver with Dragonball Evolution, making it one of the best things to result from the film's dramatic failure.
James Marsters Wanted To Redeem Himself Among Dragon Ball Fans After Evolution
Marsters Secretly Voiced Zamasu As An Apology To Fans For Dragonball Evolution
Because Marsters is a long-time Dragon Ball fan, playing Piccolo in a Hollywood-produced film based on the manga and anime should have been a dream come true. However, the actor said on Inside Of You that he was appalled by the lack of people going to see it in theaters. On the other hand, Marsters claimed that Dragonball Evolution was so bad that the "one good thing" about it was that not many people had seen it.
✕ Remove Ads
Fortunately for him, when Dragon Ball Super was looking for an actor to voice Zamasu, Marsters had found a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of fans. However, the actor starred in the anime under the name "David Gray" to surprise fans at conventions by revealing that he played Zamasu as an apology for Dragonball Evolution. In a way, Marsters got a second chance at playing Piccolo as Zamasu, as the two villains share several similarities.
Zamasu helped Marsters deliver the story that fans should have gotten in Dragonball Evolution.
✕ Remove Ads
Both characters are deities who began as warriors for good before starting a quest to destroy humanity. They also both have evil versions of Goku working with them at some point (Zamasu has Goku Black, while Piccolo has the Oozaru). The heroes in Dragon Ball Super even use the Evil Containment Wave to attempt to seal Zamasu away like Piccolo. For these reasons, Zamasu helped Marsters deliver the story that fans should have gotten in Dragonball Evolution.
Marsters Voicing Zamasu In Super Is One Of The Few Good Things To Come Out Of Evolution
Marsters Helped Bring One of Dragon Ball's Best Villains To Life As Zamasu
As an actor, Marsters didn't have the best introduction to the Dragon Ball universe, but it opened the door for him to gain the role he was born to play. By voicing Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super, Marsters captures the refined but sinister gravitas of the fallen Supreme Kai as he wages war on all mortals. One can practically feel Zamasu's arrogance and misguided morality burn through in Marsters' voice.
✕ Remove Ads
Related
1 Upcoming Live-Action Anime Adaptation Risks Being Worse Than Dragonball Evolution
An upcoming anime adaptation needs to replicate the tonal balance of the original if it has any hope of not repeating Dragonball: Evolution's flaws.
With much better material to work with in Dragon Ball Super than he had playing Lord Piccolo, Marsters was able to bring one of the most compelling villains in Dragon Ball history to life through his performance as Zamasu. The wicked Kai has since become one of the franchise's most popular villains, with Joseph Ocasio from CBR calling him one of the best characters introduced in Dragon Ball Super and likening him to Marvel's Thanos.
Dragonball Evolution's Failure Caused A Bizarre Butterfly Effect In The Dragon Ball Franchise
Akira Toriyama's Disappointment With The Film Led To Him Rebooting The Dragon Ball Franchise
✕ Remove Ads
Marsters' performance as Zamasu wasn't the only good thing to come out of Dragonball Evolution. In fact, before the movie's release, Toriyama was nearly finished with the Dragon Ball and had no creative input in the production. However, after the disastrous failure, a disappointed Toriyama realized that he had to save the Dragon Ball franchise, as it would have fallen apart without its creator. When Toei Company was developing the film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Toriyama revised much of the script. He then continued to oversee the development of the franchise until his death in 2024.
Related
I Thought Nothing Could Be Worse Than Dragonball Evolution Until This 2023 Live-Action Movie Proved Me Wrong
Dragonball Evolution was the worst live-action anime adaptation of all time for over a decade, but a 2023 film was sadly just as bad, if not worse.
4
✕ Remove Ads
Toriyama eventually reinvigorated the franchise's popularity with the sequel anime Dragon Ball Super, expanding the story with new characters like Beerus and Zamasu while bringing back fan favorites like Frieza, Future Trunks, and Broly. On top of all that, by exploring new concepts with Super Saiyan Gods and Ultra Instinct, Toriyama helped create some of Dragon Ball's best fights in recent memory.
But had the film not been so disappointing, Dragon Ball Super wouldn't exist the way it is today.
Marsters may have hated his first foray into the Dragon Ball franchise, but it only made his experience voicing Zamasu more meaningful. By bringing to life one of the franchise's best villains in Zamasu, the actor also got to fulfill fans' expectations that Dragonball Evolution shattered. But had the film not been so disappointing, Dragon Ball Super wouldn't exist the way it is today. Failures like Dragonball Evolution can lead to exciting new opportunities, and the franchise is the better for it.
✕ Remove Ads
Source: Inside Of You with Michael Rosenbaum, CBR
Your Rating
Rate Now 0/10
Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
2.3/10
Dragonball Evolution
PG
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Thriller
Dragonball Evolution is a live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga and anime series Dragon Ball. Directed by James Wong, the film stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, who embarks on a quest to collect the seven Dragon Balls and prevent the evil Lord Piccolo from destroying the world. The movie diverges from its source material, offering a modernized take on the beloved franchise.
- Director
- James Wong
- Release Date
- March 12, 2009
- Studio(s)
- World Film Magic , Dune Entertainment , Star Overseas , Big Screen Productions , Ingenious Media , 20th Century Fox
- Writers
- Ben Ramsey
- Cast
- Justin Chatwin , Chow Yun-Fat , Joon Park , Jamie Chung , Emmy Rossum
- Runtime
- 85 Minutes