Dragonball Evolution remains the biggest single stain on the legacy of Akira Toriyama’s iconic series. Released in 2009 and starring Justin Chatwin as Goku, the film was a critical and commercial disaster that damaged the Dragon Ball brand and reinforced the belief that Western anime adaptations were doomed to fail. This was a shocking misstep for one of Japan’s most successful franchises, which has sold over 260 million manga copies worldwide and inspired decades of beloved anime. Yet, ironically, only recently—thanks to Netflix’s hit One Piece series in 2023—has the perception around live-action anime adaptations begun to shift.
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