Dragon Ball's "perfect ending" may belong to the most hated installment

Modified Nov 05, 2024 08:30 GMT

Dragon Ball might have already produced its best ending (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball GT has been historically criticized for a wide variety of creative decisions, and its status as non-canon has often undermined its good in the eyes of some fans. However, there is a consensus in the community that the series' ending, which, at the time, was considered by many as the definitive conclusion of the franchise, was a masterstroke.

As Goku flies into the sunset with Shenron to make up for the excessive use of the Dragon Balls, the series ends in a bittersweet manner by paying tribute to the franchise's main characters and celebrating the protagonist's legacy. It has been praised for its emotional touch in concluding the story and for how definitive it feels, especially in the final moments of the last episode, when Goku says goodbye.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series and reflects the author's opinions.

Most Dragon Ball fans agree that the GT ending was a masterstroke

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GT has often been regarded as the worst installment of the series because of underwhelming writing, wasting several side characters such as Gohan, Goten, and Uub, and a disappointing execution of interesting contexts, such as the Shadow Dragons. According to general online consensus, this series's saving graces are the villain, Super Saiyan 4, and the ending.

The ending of GT sees Goku becoming one with Shenron and flying away from his loved ones as a way to compensate for constantly relying on the Dragon Balls. Moreover, the ending has him meeting some of his closest friends, such as Piccolo in hell, or sparring one last time with Krillin as their master, Roshi, is washing and remembering when they were kids.

Then there is the time-skip into the future where Goku and Vegeta's descendants are fighting, and an older Pan sees his grandfather walking away as the episode replays some of the franchise's greatest moments. It has an air of conclusion and emotionality that has become iconic in its own right, so many fans feel that this ending should become canon in some shape or form.

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Ultimately, this ending also has a key element: celebrating the series' legacy, as evidenced by Goku's last sparring match with Krillin. The scene of him visiting his descendant also touches on the franchise's everlasting theme of succession and how the protagonist's actions are never forgotten, which is shown by the statue he has in the Martial Arts Tournament.

While GT, in isolation, had some issues, which should be criticized in a constructive manner, the ending does work as a conclusion for the entire franchise, and Toei Animation did a great job in that regard. It feels like a perfect sendoff for Dragon Ball when Goku says goodbye as he flies away in his Flying Nymbus.

"I don't care if people hate GT, this ending sequence with this song just bring tears to my eyes," someone said.

"I remember crying so hard as a kid with this episode lmaooo I thought I would never see db again," another person said.

"GT not being canon is the only thing stopping it from being perfect," someone else said.

It is a fitting conclusion for Goku and his friends' journey, and it is shown by the fact that this ending still has a lot of fans even to this day.

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Edited by Shreya Das