Unfortunately, a key aspect of Dragon Ball Z would make an accurate live-action adaptation seem almost unfeasible. A movie based on the characters in Dragon Ball’s world did happen in 2009, albeit to disastrous results. However, it’s important to note that Dragonball: Evolution was a live-action take on the original Dragon Ball anime. Its much more popular sequel series, Dragon Ball Z, has yet to get the same treatment.
Given that they occupy the same universe, it stands to reason that a live-action interpretation of Dragon Ball Z would be beset with many of the same challenges that held back Dragonball: Evolution. But as evidenced by other projects that have brought anime characters to life, like One Piece, it is possible to do justice to their style of comedy and action if they embrace it fully. This sort of approach could avoid a repeat of the Dragonball: Evolution situation, but there are elements of Dragon Ball Z that will make this complicated nonetheless, namely the various Super Saiyan transformations.
Dragon Ball Z’s Super Saiyan Hairstyles Would Be Very Difficult To Pull Off In Live-Action
Super Saiyan Hair Would Pose A Massive Challenge In Live Action
Since “Super Saiyan” is a concept that the franchise doesn’t explore until the events of Dragon Ball Z, the 2009 film never had to embark down this road. For a Dragon Ball Z movie, on the other hand, it would most likely need to be tackled. Theoretically, a movie could avoid it by only covering the Saiyan Saga, but to go any further – perhaps in a sequel – would require the movie to come up with a workable method of adapting the Super Saiyan form, which changes the color of Goku’s hair, gives it a shiny look, and makes it grow and rise into the air by several inches.
Characters in Dragon Ball boast all sorts of different looks when it comes to their hair, and for many of these, these could be tackled by a live-action Dragon Ball Z movie with heavy use of hair gel and color dye. Super Saiyan forms, though, would be far more complicated due to their luminescent look and how they seem to defy gravity. With that in mind, CGI would be the only way to pull it off.
This is the route taken by Aquaman and Captain Marvel, with the former using CGI for the hair of its characters during aquatic scenes. Captain Marvel also employed a great deal of visual effects to Carol Danvers’ hair when it created her Binary form. But while both examples are similar, neither is an exact representation of what Super Saiyan Goku or Super Saiyan Vegeta would look like.
Goku And Vegeta’s Hairstyles Would Be Tricky To Recreate Even Without SSJ Forms
Most Dragon Ball Hairstyles Would Be Difficult To Depict Accurately
Regardless of whether a Dragon Ball Z movie even reaches the point in the story where Goku becomes a Super Saiyan to beat Frieza, hair designs are most certainly going to be an issue for the film to overcome. Though it doesn’t glow or stick as high off his head when he’s not in his Super Saiyan form, Goku’s hair is completely untethered from reality. As for Vegeta, his hair would also be without the golden glow, but goes against gravity even when he’s not using one of his transformations.
Due to the unique nature of the hair designs in
Dragon Ball
and lack of live-action anime adaptations, there are few instances where this particular concern has been relevant.
Due to the unique nature of the hair designs in Dragon Ball and lack of live-action anime adaptations, there are few instances where this particular concern has been relevant. Because of this, there aren’t any obvious solutions to the problem that a Dragon Ball Z movie can look to in order to ensure that their hair doesn’t come across as ridiculous.
Dragonball Evolution Had An Awful Solution To The Live-Action Goku Hair Problem
Dragonball Evolution Tried To Pay Tribute To Goku’s Iconic Hair
Taking inspiration from Dragonball Evolution would also be ill-advised. In an effort to provide a real-world explanation for Goku’s trademark hair, the movie saw Justin Chatwin’s take on the character apply hair gel to keep his hair in place, but it resisted, popping up again. By having his hair stick up, the movie tried to pay homage to Goku’s iconic hairstyle. But this wasn’t enough to mimic the anime character’s look. Trying to ground Goku in reality by giving him normal hair that simply sticks a bit doesn’t work because there’s nothing realistic about his classic design.
What’s arguably at the crux of the problem with a Dragon Ball Z adaptation is the fact that its entire aesthetic was developed for an animated universe. The planet’s mix of human and anthropomorphic citizens, wild power-ups and attacks, occasionally bizarre character designs, and of course, Super Saiyan transformations, were clearly not made with possible live-action adaptations in mind. Trying to make Goku work in a world that’s anything like real life, like what Dragonball Evolution did, would never be in a great position to succeed.
