Over four decades ago, Akira Toriyama revolutionized the shonen manga world when Dragon Ball debuted in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The series quickly became one of the most famous and influential shonen franchises ever, inspiring iconic titles like One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach.
Dragon Ball gained fame not only for its thrilling battles but also for its beloved characters spanning generations. After the original Dragon Ball anime premiered in 1986, the story continued with Dragon Ball Z in 1989. Since then, the franchise has expanded continuously with numerous spin-offs, sequels, movies, anime, and video games.
However, not every Dragon Ball project has been well received. Especially, anime adaptations not directly based on the manga often spark debate. Among these, Super Dragon Ball Heroes is considered one of the most disappointing series in the franchise. Although the anime ended two years ago, many fans have yet to watch it.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes remains the most disappointing Dragon Ball series
Super Dragon Ball Heroes began airing in 2018 and quickly drew attention, though not in a positive way. This spin-off is related to Dragon Ball Super and was created mainly to promote the card game and related video games.
Over about six years, the anime released a total of 56 episodes and officially concluded on August 8, 2024. The story primarily adapts the Prison Planet arc from the game. It takes place after the Tournament of Power, when Fu, a character created for the game, kidnaps Future Trunks to lure Goku and Vegeta to Prison Planet.
Fu creates a testing ground that gathers powerful warriors from various planets and eras. These characters are trapped in a brutal competition, forced to collect special Dragon Balls if they want to survive and escape.
The main issue is that Super Dragon Ball Heroes focuses heavily on fan service and promoting the game, while its storyline lacks cohesion. Numerous characters, transformations, and battles are included mainly for spectacle, but this does little to make the story engaging.
The animation quality also drew criticism. The first 50 episodes used 2D animation by Toei Animation, while the remaining episodes were handled by Dimps and switched to 3D CGI, featuring many models and assets taken directly from the Super Dragon Ball Heroes arcade game.
This shift sparked debate over the series’ visual quality. Despite a vast world and many familiar characters, the anime failed to capture the appeal expected from the Dragon Ball name.
After concluding in 2024, Super Dragon Ball Heroes left a lasting impression as one of the least convincing projects in the franchise. So if you haven’t watched this series, you probably haven’t missed anything crucial to the main Dragon Ball storyline.