Back to the topic of Frieza and his revival. Resurrection 'F' once again has original Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama, on board as screenwriter and guiding the myth that's been going since 1984 with the Dragon Ball manga featuring young Goku. Last year's Battle of Gods was also written by Toriyama and was so successful that it led to Resurrection 'F' and the aforementioned DBZ Super series already airing in Japan. Battle of Gods introduced us to the god of destruction, Lord Beerus, as well as the notion of a Super Saiyan God. Battle of Gods was more of the homecoming for creators, fans, and characters alike as we all were invited to Bulma's B-Day bash. This year's Dragon Ball Z Resurrection 'F' is the main event! It brings Dragon Ball back in a big way, in preparation for the new series, with the rematch of a lifetime in Frieza vs. Goku.
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' definitely succeeds in making any fan want to see more. Another great thing Resurrection 'F' does, like Battle of Gods before it, is create an access point for new viewers to jump on board. That's not an easy task with a franchise that dates back to a 1984 manga and expands to two series with 5 and 9 seasons each in addition to 17 other features not counting Battle of Gods or Resurrection 'F'. New fans? Look at this latest feature as your chance for indoctrination into the Dragon Ball mythos. Seasoned viewers? No problem, we got your Dragon Ball right here!
Resurrection 'F' sees the return of most characters familiar to the series. Some, like Buu, Chi-Chi, the Ox King, and Yamcha are absent this time around in comparison to a large portion of characters making an appearance in Battle of Gods. Remember though that Battle of Gods was the first truly new DBZ material in almost two decades so it was represented with more of that homecoming feeling mentioned before. What Resurrection 'F' does is grab a juicy piece of Dragon Ball history to play with. Goku's battle with Frieza on the planet Namek was not only epic with the death, albeit temporary, of characters like Vegeta, but the entire planet is eventually destroyed in the melee. The battle against Frieza also marked the first time the level of Super Saiyan was achieved and fans got their first look at a golden-haired Goku. DBZ Resurrection 'F' takes that rich piece of the past and attaches it to Dragon Ball's present with future ramifications. Both Goku and Vegeta are able to reach a variation on the Super Saiyan God level and use that new power to defeat the revamped Frieza. Fans are also given hints that sometime in the future Goku and Vegeta may have no choice but to work directly together. Their growing abilities may also at some point put them at odds with the god of destruction himself, Lord Beerus, whose mere presence frightened Frieza.
Aside from the big-ticket fights themselves, Resurrection 'F' is sprinkled nicely with humor coming from ol' crabby himself, Vegeta, to Beerus and Whis, Frieza, and even Shenron in all his majesty. The touches of humor play nicely with the larger, more violent elements and add to the character interactions. Have no fear though, Resurrection 'F' is all about those title card matches. It goes without saying that the Goku vs. Frieza battle is the main event but some of the smaller matches have their own rewards. The training session between Goku, Vegeta, and Whis is a blast along with Vegeta's turn with Frieza. Perhaps the most fun though might be when the Z Fighters (Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, Tien, and Master Roshi) are joined by Jaco of the Galactic Patrol. They all have a great 300 Spartan army moment as the six of them are forced to contend with about 1,000 of Frieza's soldiers biding time while they await the arrival of Goku and Vegeta. Sounds like fun, right? Well it is, so grab a strawberry sundae and indulge alongside Beers and Whis in all the title card matches and the main event while we all prepare for more adventures continuing the Dragon Ball franchise.
The Guy in the Hat