Dragon Ball’s very first anime adaptation is nearly 40 years old, originally premiering on Fuji TV in Japan on July 10, 2025. Akira Toriyama’s original manga, which saw the iconic Goku grow from a mysterious tailed boy to Earth’s greatest defender, debuted inShōnen Jumpon June 17, 2025. In the decades since,theDragon Ballbrand has become one of the most successful in entertainment history, and continues with no signs of slowing despite Toriyama’s passing in March 2024.
With the passage of time, however, comes the inevitability thataspects of the franchise will age. Though Toriyama’s masterpiece manga is still largely as fresh as it was during its serialization, the same can’t be said ofDragon Ball’s TV anime adaptations. Outdated, though undeniably still pretty, visuals and pacing issues plague both 1986’sDragon Balland 1989’sDragon Ball Z. The recent trend of anime remakes has fans around the world calling for updated versions of Goku’s many adventures, and as it turns out,one of the series' legendary animators is all-in on the idea.
Dragon Ball’s Anime Adaptations Are Showing Their Age
One of the Most Popular Anime Franchises Could Use an Update
For years,Dragon BallandDragon Ball Zacted asgateways into the world of anime for countless viewers around the world. Breaking onto television in the west in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Goku and company inspired generations of soon-to-be fans. 2009’sDragon Ball Z Kaitook the series and gave it a fresh coat of paint, cleaning up its visuals and redubbing dialogue, while axing much of the filler that extended its length to nearly 300 episodes.
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Even with the update, however,Dragon Ball Zshows its age. Fluid animation during major fights is rare to come by and, though the vintage aesthetic is pleasing,the series lacks the flash of a modern shōnen action anime. The 1986Dragon Ballanime was never given the ‘Kaitreatment’, and is only available, warts and all, to watch in its original state. While both series retain their charm,Akira Toriyama’s masterful mangawould be well served by a modern adaptation, and one animator believes a remake is inevitable.
Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru Wants In on a Dragon Ball Remake
The Animator Lent His Talents to Dragon Ball From the Very Beginning
Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru began work on the originalDragon Ballanime as a young artist breaking into the industry,and only just recently wrapped up his work on 2024’sDragon Ball Daima. Throughout the franchise’s entire history in animation, Nakatsuru was involved. Sitting down to discuss his role in the series withFrench YouTube channel DBTimes, the topic of a remake came up, and the animator was surprisingly willing to dive into the topic. In fact, he expects it to happen someday.
When asked if he would like to participate in a potential remake, Nakatsuru said,“If I could contribute something and be useful in some way, I would love to.“Fans of the series should be delighted by his answer, seeing as Nakatsuru was trusted and held in high regard by creator Akira Toriyama.In a 2003 interview, Toriyama stated several times that he would often confuse the animator’s work for his own, and was always delighted when Nakatsuru would assist with his own illustrations for cover art or promo images.
Adding to the topic of a potential remake, Nakatsuru also said, “This would probably offer new possibilities… Since I think (a remake) will happen one day, I also think whether I participate or not is not that important.” While this is not any confirmation of a plannedDragon Ballremake, it is incredibly promising thatsomeone so deeply involved in the series is so open to the idea. And though he says otherwise, any studio spearheading a remake would be wise to bring Nakatsuru into the fold.
The Recent Trend of Anime Remakes Is a Positive for Dragon Ball
Other Classic Shows Are Finding Success In Remakes
Discourse within the anime community regarding remakes can be somewhat divided. Some enjoy it when a classic series is given new life, while others believethe original work will always be the bestway to enjoy a production. Remakes typically work best when they aren’t meant to replace a work, but rather stand alongside it as another entry in a franchise,ultimately functioning to compliment already existing shows. Nevertheless, it seems remakes are the newest trend in the anime industry, which is a positive forDragon Ball.
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The recent success of MAPPA’sRanma 1/2and the announcement of anupcomingOne Pieceremakeopened the door for a full remake ofDragon Ball, and 2024’sDaimagave fans a small glimpse ofwhat an adaptation might look like with modern visuals. Though some in the community may not be fully on board with the idea of remakes in general, it’s undeniable bothDragon Ballanime series would benefit from an update.
A Dragon Ball Remake Can Fix Many of the Franchise’s Anime Wrongs
Though They Are Iconic, Dragon Ball’s Anime Series Have Their Issues
Both 1980sDragon Balladaptations often soar to incredible heights,but they also suffer their share of lows. Airing alongside the serialization of Akira Toriyama’s original manga, the adaptations often had to slow their pacing to a crawl in order to not catch up to the source material. They also made use ofa great deal of fillerto avoid the same problem, which would stretch battles or sections of the series to frustrating lengths. A remake would have the opportunity to more closely adapt the manga, scrapping filler and keeping the pace tight.
Dragon Ball’s anime adaptations still offer quite an enjoyable viewing experience, but it’s difficult to deny that they’ve suffered from aging. Some may not be fans of remakes, but revisiting the series with modern visuals and a closer attention to the original mangacould help to usher in an entirely new generation of fans, just as the original shows did decades ago. Whenever the time comes for a remake, the legendary Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru is on-board, and the studio in charge would be wise to include him.
Sources:DBTimes (translation by Venixys on X), TV Anime Guide: Dragon Ball Z (translation by Kanzenshuu)
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
