Harnessing the power of Gods and fighting epic battles in lava — sounds like a typical "Dragon Ball Super" experience! This is what you may not know about "Dragon Ball Super: Broly."
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Harnessing the power of gods and fighting epic battles in lava sounds like a typical
00:05Dragon Ball Super experience.
00:07This is what you may not know about Dragon Ball Super Broly.
00:12Like the two preceding Dragon Ball Z films, 2013's Battle of Gods and 2015's Resurrection
00:17F, Broly is written by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama.
00:21The legendary creator had grand plans for the 2018 film.
00:24In an interview with the official Dragon Ball site, director Tatsuya Nagamine revealed that
00:29after storyboarding Toriyama's original script, the movie was projected to run for twice the
00:34intended length.
00:35Broly was planned to run for approximately 90 minutes, with Nagamine feeling that the
00:40script Toriyama had written was enough to cover two feature films.
00:44Nagamine worked closely with the producer and the rest of the production crew to trim
00:48down Toriyama's script to a more manageable 100-minute runtime while retaining the Dragon
00:53Ball creator's vision.
00:55Nagamine has been a prominent animator and filmmaker with Toei Animation for years, working
01:00not only on Dragon Ball Super, but also on the long-running One Piece anime series and
01:04several of its films.
01:06With Broly possessing its own animation style, Nagamine recruited two of his prior collaborators
01:11from the 2012 anime film One Piece Film Z to work with him on the Dragon Ball Super
01:16project.
01:17In the Dragon Ball official site interview, Nagamine cites both background animator Nobuhiro
01:22Tosu and animation director Naohiro Shitani as prominent past One Piece colleagues he
01:26brought on to work with him for Broly.
01:28While the animation team brought their own visual flair to the production, they were
01:32keenly aware that iconic imagery such as Super Saiyan transformations and the Kamehameha waves
01:38were firmly established in fan expectation.
01:41Nagamine instructed the animators to feel free to use modern technology rather than
01:45rely entirely on traditional methods to bring the movie to life.
01:49Nagamine reasoned that, just as Goku has evolved and grown over the course of Dragon
01:53Ball, so too should the visuals behind the franchise.
01:57Though Toriyama wrote the screenplay for Broly and provided character designs for the film,
02:02his contact with the production crew was limited.
02:05According to the theatrical program for Broly distributed with the Japanese release of the
02:09film, Nagamine spoke with Toriyama only once during a private advance screening for the
02:14film's staff.
02:15Nagamine admitted he did not consult with Toriyama before starting production on Broly,
02:19feeling he had Toriyama's tacit blessing to do the provided script justice.
02:23Prior to Broly, Nagamine adapted Toriyama's work with the Dragon Ball Super anime series
02:28and the 2007 short film Dr. Slump.
02:31Nagamine felt that these experiences helped him understand Toriyama's storytelling nuances
02:35and stylistic sensibilities, and kept them in mind during production.
02:39Though Broly's past appearances in the franchise had been considered non-canonical to the overarching
02:44The legendary Super Saiyan had become a significant fan-favorite character.
02:49In an interview with the official Dragon Ball website, Nagamine revealed he felt a special
02:53responsibility as his mentor, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, directed Broly's debut in the non-canonical
02:581993 film Dragon Ball Z Broly, The Legendary Super Saiyan.
03:02This led to the production crew taking a careful and methodical approach in animating Broly's
03:07action for his canonical introduction to the franchise.
03:11Nagamine sought to evoke the feeling of raw power and strength that Broly exuded in his
03:16prior appearances.
03:18Nagamine worked on many of the action sequence's storyboards himself, and estimated that 300-400
03:25storyboards were created for Broly's actions and movements alone.
03:29This thorough attention to detail made for a carefully designed legendary Super Saiyan,
03:34with every action meticulously plotted out as he battled the heroes in the film.
03:40While Toriyama provided character designs for a long line of non-canonical Dragon Ball
03:44Z anime films, his input on their productions was limited at best.
03:49While he helped design Broly for Legendary Super Saiyan, he admitted in a tweet years
03:53later that he wasn't really involved in the production.
03:56When an editor suggested incorporating Broly into the Dragon Ball Super era as the centerpiece
04:01of the 2018 movie, Toriyama had to re-watch the character's prior appearances as he had
04:06forgotten important details about the stories he was involved in.
04:09In revisiting Broly's past appearances, Toriyama saw an opportunity to reintroduce a different
04:15version of the character that was more closely linked to the Saiyan's tragic history with
04:20Frieza.
04:21Toriyama kept the classic image of Broly in mind from these non-canonical films while
04:25setting out to create a more fascinating version of the character.
04:29Broly has historically towered over his opponents, overpowering them with the sheer might of
04:35his brute strength, and that remains true for his redesign in the movie.
04:39In the promotional program for the film's Japanese theatrical release, Shintani recalls
04:43receiving the designs for the new Broly, feeling they were noticeably different from his previous
04:49appearances.
04:50With all of the character designs that he received depicting Broly in armor, Shintani
04:53added his own touch to the redesign and wanted to get him out of his armor.
04:58Shintani revealed that the only design directive he received from Toriyama was not to depict
05:02Broly as, quote, "'overly macho'' in the final film.
05:06Taking that note in mind, Shintani strove to depict Broly as physically imposing as
05:10possible without going overboard in demonstrating the Saiyan's overwhelming power.
05:15In the finished film, in contrast to his bare-chested prior appearances, Broly maintains his armor
05:23through his fights against Vegeta and Goku before losing it in a fit of rage at the end
05:28of the movie.
05:30With the battle against Broly lasting for most of the film, the clash begins in an arctic
05:34location on Earth before the snowy environment is completely destroyed.
05:38The fighting only intensifies, however, with exposed magma burning below the combatants
05:44before the skirmish begins to shatter the walls to reality.
05:47Though this changes up the visual aesthetics of the movie's environments and the fight
05:52itself, Nagamine had even more ambitious plans for the film's climactic bout.
05:56In the theatrical program for Broly's wide release in Japan, Nagamine revealed that he
06:01had considered having the fight progress into outer space near the Earth's sun or deeper
06:05within the planet's core.
06:07In addition to changing up the scale of the battle, the settings would be a clear homage
06:11to similar sequences in the non-canonical anime film Dragon Ball Z Broly Second Coming.
06:17However, these plans were dropped to accommodate the final film's 100-minute runtime.
06:22Frieza plays a prominent role in Broly after being resurrected at the end of the Dragon
06:26Ball Super anime series in exchange for his assistance during the Tournament of Power.
06:31The late voice actor Christopher Ayers provided the English dub performance for Frieza in
06:35the film, reprising the role he had held since the 2010 anime series Dragon Ball Z Kai.
06:41Tragically, Ayers' performance in Broly would be the last time he portrayed the character
06:45before passing away in October 2021.
06:48Ayers endured end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and underwent a double lung
06:53transplant to treat the serious condition prior to playing Frieza in Broly.
06:58The procedure and disease left Ayers with 11% lung capacity, meaning the actor had to
07:03bring two to three oxygen tanks with him to recording sessions.
07:07Ayers would take himself off of his oxygen supply long enough to record a handful of
07:11lines as Frieza before taking a break to resume his oxygen intake.
07:16However, this is proving to be far too interesting to pass up."
07:21This arduous process would similarly be used by Ayers to record the final episodes of Dragon
07:26Ball Super, underscoring his dedication to the role.
07:31Nagamine is a credited co-director on the anime series Dragon Ball Super for the latter
07:35half of its run, working with fellow co-director Ryota Nakamura.
07:38While the last stretch of episodes was produced concurrently with Broly, Nagamine intended
07:43to maintain his full directorial responsibilities, helming both projects simultaneously to see
07:49Dragon Ball Super through to the end.
07:51Nagamine's intentions were overruled by Toy Animation, however, who had him instead focus
07:56his primary efforts on directing Broly rather than the television series.
08:00In an interview with the official Dragon Ball website, Nagamine admitted he wanted to finish
08:04what he had started with Dragon Ball Super, but felt Nakamura did a good job closing up
08:09the series.
08:10With the show also ending in 2018, several months before Broly's release, Nagamine was
08:14able to give the feature film project his full attention, while Nakamura worked diligently
08:19on the series.
08:21In the Dragon Ball manga and anime, Bulma's home and the headquarters of her family's
08:26company, Capsule Corporation, are based out of West City.
08:29Broly features an early scene set at Bulma's seaside home as she entertains Beerus and
08:33Whis while Goku and Vegeta spar nearby over the ocean.
08:37When designing this second home for Bulma, Nagamine was personally inspired by a recent
08:41family vacation he had taken on the coast of Italy to add to the film's varied environments.
08:46An early design for Bulma's coastal home noticeably resembled the Amalfi Coast in Italy, where
08:52Nagamine and his family had visited.
08:54Eagle-eyed Dragon Ball fans noticed the scenic inspiration from the film when the background
08:59artists shared an early look at several environments for Broly months ahead of its premiere.
09:05As Vegeta's duel against Broly escalates, the Saiyan Prince transforms into a red-haired
09:10Super Saiyan God to even the odds against the legendary Super Saiyan.
09:15The movie marks the on-screen debut of Vegeta making the transformation, despite him using
09:20the significantly more powerful Super Saiyan Blue form throughout the anime series Dragon
09:25Ball Super.
09:26In Episode 27 of Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta shows off his ability to reach the Super Saiyan
09:31Blue transformation, surprising everyone but a proud Goku.
09:36Yeah, and unlike me, Vegeta didn't have the benefit of absorbing the energy from the Saiyan
09:41ritual.
09:42He had to figure it out all from scratch.
09:44Vegeta's use of the Super Saiyan God transformation in Broly finally shows him unveiling the form
09:49in action before Goku steps in to continue the fight.
09:53Before Goku and Piccolo teach Vegeta how to perform the fusion dance so he and Goku can
09:57join together to form Gojira, they maneuver Broly into attacking Frieza to buy themselves
10:02time.
10:03Though no specific time frame is given for the skirmish in the film, Piccolo reminds
10:07the two Saiyans that each fusion lasts for 30 minutes before they separate and can perform
10:12the dance again.
10:14With Goku and Vegeta botching the fusion dance twice before finally mastering it, this means
10:19Frieza battles Broly alone for over an hour before Gojira arrives on the battlefield.
10:25Whereas the film only provides glimpses of the fight between Frieza and Broly, the battle
10:30is expanded upon in the manga adaptation.
10:32In his golden form, Frieza is able to actually deliver some palpable hits on Broly that are
10:38enough to briefly stagger his opponent, though he still finds himself outmatched by the Saiyan's
10:43raw fury.
10:45In contrast, Frieza endures the beating of his life before Gojira steps in to finish
10:50the fight for good.
10:52Broly saw the feature film debut of voice actor Aya Hisakawa in the iconic role of Bulma
10:57for its Japanese-language track.
11:00Hiromitsuru, who had been voicing Bulma since the original Dragon Ball series in 1986, passed
11:06away in November 2017 from an aortic dissection.
11:09Broly marked Hisakawa's full debut in the role, as the character only silently appeared
11:13in the Dragon Ball Super series finale over the end credits sequence.
11:18Following Broly, Hisakawa has continued to play Bulma in the franchise, including the
11:22film's 2022 sequel, Dragon Ball Super Super Hero.
11:26As Goku — and later Gojira — fight against Broly, the announcer is heard eagerly hyping
11:32up the proceedings over the film's soundtrack.
11:36The decision to include this auditory flair was inspired by Nagamine observing the lengths
11:41Mexican fans went in their unauthorized promotion of the Dragon Ball Super series finale.
11:46Goku's climactic bout against Jiren in the anime series was publicly broadcast while
11:50mock-up posters hyping up the fight were produced.
11:53In an interview with MyNavi, Nagamine revealed that these unsanctioned fan promotions inspired
11:58him to add a fight announcer to Broly to evoke a similar sense of energy.
12:03Nagamine felt that the addition enhanced the enjoyment of the fights and encouraged audiences
12:08to revisit them to reignite that thrill in repeat viewings.