A Film by Hashimoto Mitsuo (AKA Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan Son Goku)
Today I’m going to be looking at one of the more controversial entries in the already controversial Dragon Ball film series. Not only does this movie, which was blatantly called “Super Saiyan Goku” in its original Japanese title, predate the finale of Goku fighting Frieza in the original comic, but the depiction of this ultimate form ended up vastly different than what was later shown. This has led to all manner of canon gymnastics to make this at least stand on its own. Terms like “Pseudo Super Saiyan” litter wiki pages all over the internet, with vague examples from other parts of the show tenuously used to support this. To me, I don’t really care and just accept it as any other Dragon Ball Z movie, it’s “not canon” to some, but it’s just random dudes online gatekeeping what “canon” even is. As long as there are cool fights I don’t mind.
This movie is also controversial to sub purists as the English version is perhaps one of the most “out there” localizations the franchise had with a crazy soundtrack featuring all the top nu-metal hits from 2001 you can imagine. Seeing Goku stop Lord Slug’s punch while Disturbed’s Stupify plays in the background is pretty wild, and definitely sets the tone for the vibe that Dragon Ball Z had in that time period in America. This was the show for dudes with chain wallets and JNCO pants, guys with spiked hair and Korn T-Shirts. Every Dragon Ball anime music video was seemingly set to Linkin Park Music at one point to drive this point home. I’m not mocking it, that’s just sort of how it was, I should know I was one of those guys!
Here’s the soundtrack for those wondering:
- Finger Eleven – First Time
- Dust for Life – Dragonfly
- Dust for Life – Step Into the Light
- American Pearl – Free Your Mind
- Deftones – Elite
- Boy Hits Car – I’m a Cloud
- Finger Eleven – Drag You Down
- Dust for Life – Seed
- American Pearl – Automatic
- Disturbed – Fear
- Boy Hits Car – The Rebirth
- Disturbed – Stupify
- Breaking Point – Coming of Age
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug, the fourth film in the Dragon Ball Z movie series, actually debuted in Japan a full TEN YEARS earlier in 1991. This film, known for its darker tone and intense battles, and introduces the formidable villain Lord Slug, an ancient Namekian who threatens Earth with his quest for eternal youth and power. This movie has the tried and true “Z fighters almost die fighting the villain until Goku shows up late” trope that a lot of the show has, so it does feel a lot like a more serious episode of those early episodes.
Dang! I’m just now posting the synopsis!
“Gohan and Piccolo are peacefully playing when they sense a powerful entity approaching Earth. It soon reaches everyone’s ears that this entity is in fact a small planet on a deadly collision course with Earth. The small planet reveals itself to be a vehicle for what seems a large army that emerges out of the structure and declares that the planet is now in possession of Slug, king of the universe.”
As the Z Fighters mobilize to save the planet, they encounter Lord Slug and his minions, leading to a series of high-octane confrontations. These fight scenes are actually pretty great, and in my opinion rival some of the battles seen in “canon” sections of the show. You can tell a concerted effort was made to make this movie feel BIG, and I’m sure this was REMARKABLY successful as a festival screening back in 1991. A lot of the Western cynicism about stuff like this is done in pure hindsight. These henchmen play a significant role as formidable adversaries for the Z Fighters and are some of the best I’ve seen in these films so far. Each of these minions has unique abilities and characteristics and are very memorable.
Aside from a whole army of cannon fodder guys that the Z fighters beat the hell out of, Lord Slug has four generals he sends out that nearly wipe our heroes out. These guys are Angila, Wings, Metamatcha, and Zeeun. Angila is a pale-skinned and somewhat “handsome” henchman, and apparently the right-hand man of Slug himself. He has long blonde hair, horns, and wears a toga for some reason. Angila’s primary ability is to stretch his arms allowing him to attack from a distance as well as standard energy blasts that many characters have. Next up is Wings, who looks a lot like a Gargoyle from the popular Disney cartoon of the same name. Wings is large, and as his name suggests, he has the ability to fly with Pterodactyl-like wings and a whole arsenal of energy attacks.
Medamatcha is a frog-like alien with a distinctive, amphibious look. He is shorter in stature compared to his fellow henchmen but is no less dangerous. Medamatcha has the unique ability to create and control smaller, green clones of himself, which he uses to swarm and overwhelm his opponents. These clones can sap energy from their targets, making Medamatcha a particularly tricky and resourceful combatant. Finally, the last of these four generals we see is Commander Zeeun. He is a beastly-man who isn’t in the film too long because he makes Slug angry and is brutally murdered by Slug himself.
Finally, we have the battle between Goku and Lord Slug himself, with Slug revealing that he is an ancient Namekian at one point. Lord Slug is insanely powerful and just about kills Goku in pretty short order. They make him look far more formidable than even Frieza, and if it were not for Goku turning “Pseudo Super Saiyan” he would have died, and Slug’s remaining men would have turned the Earth into an ice ball for whatever reason (that was their plan).
Rather than gaining yellow hair, like the standard later on, “Pseudo Super Saiyan” is characterized by a yellow energy radiating from Goku’s body, white eyes, and a reddish hue to his body. The reason this is so different is elaborated on in notes that eventually got released in an encyclopedia in 1996:
“The “Particulars Dictionary” section of Daizenshuu 7 notes that Toriyama came up with the idea of having Goku’s hair stand up in his “Pseudo Super Saiyan” form. Toriyama would later incorporate this idea into his finalized version of the transformation for the manga, however he opted to also change the hair color for more practical reasons.”
Visually, Lord Slug showcases the high-quality animation that fans have come to expect from Dragon Ball Z films, this stands in sharp contrast to the TV show, which sometimes was made in a fairly cheap way (as Toei does), which makes the great animation the main reason to seek these out. The fluid fight choreography, vibrant color palette, and detailed backgrounds just make this film look special. The final fight scene alone, surrounded with neon signs and other urban backdrops, is a far cry from the typical barren wastelands the show usually utilizes for big fights.
This movie successfully balances the action, drama, and humor of the main show delivering a well-rounded and engaging film. I liked how a lot of the other Z Fighters got time to shine, even for a moment, and had some big character moments. Gohan got to be silly with his pet dragon again, and showed his trademark bravery he always had in his younger years. Piccolo’s stoic determination was on point, making him almost always my favorite character when he is on screen. Krillin even got to do some stuff, not simply being relegated to a joke side-character. The film’s pacing ensures that there is never a dull moment, throwing the audience straight into action almost immediately, and keeping viewers engaged from start to finish.
The only real thing I didn’t like about this movie is how Goku’s transformation is handled. When the main show finally gets Super Saiyan, it’s an intense emotional scene punctuated by Goku becoming almost terrifying. Here, when he transforms, it’s cool, but it’s just sort of underwhelming. King Kai has to pop on the screen and tell the audience what is happening, and honestly it sort of just falls flat. I wish this would have been saved for the main show, but at this point the manga was likely running slowly, and they needed something to get those extra book sales and a great hook for the movie’s tagline.
In conclusion, Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug stands out as a memorable entry in the Dragon Ball Z movie series, thanks in part to its excellent English dub and the electrifying nu metal soundtrack, this was a HUGE hit back in 2001 in America. I think the next movie did some of the same localization things, so stay tuned for that. I did watch this both ways (sub and dub), and honestly each version has pros and cons. I have always liked the English cast more, but the music in the original is usually better (unless we’re talking the music from the Cell Saga, where Bruce Faulconer kicked ass).
The film’s cool fights and stellar animation make it a must-watch for both dedicated fans and newcomers to the franchise. The US soundtrack definitely makes this a time capsule for what was cool in 2001, and from a historical perspective, it’s somewhat interesting in its own right. Aside from a bland ending, this might just be my favorite one so far!