Is the Dragonball Super Remaster a Cash Grab or an Actual Attempt to Fix the Anime?

Why Are We Going Back to Beerus Again?

When Dragonball Super: Beerus was announced, I had two completely different reactions. On one hand, I was excited because the original Dragonball Super anime absolutely has things that could be improved. On the other hand, I couldn’t ignore the obvious question: why are we watching the Battle of Gods story again?

We’ve seen Battle of Gods as a movie. We’ve seen a version of it in the Dragonball Super manga. We watched Dragonball Super retell it as the opening arc of the television anime, and now Dragonball Super: Beerus is returning to that same story with new and redrawn footage, reworked visuals, new audio and a reconstructed narrative.

That is naturally going to make some fans call it a cash grab, especially when Dragonball Super: The Galactic Patrol is already in production to finally continue the anime beyond the Tournament of Power. However, I think there’s another possibility worth discussing. What if this isn’t simply about selling us Beerus again? What if the goal is to finally create a cleaner version of Dragonball Super that feels more consistent with Toriyama’s original vision?

If that’s the goal, I’m interested. But if they aren’t planning to revisit all of Super, then I have some questions.

The Original Super Anime and Manga Are Extremely Different

One thing that makes Dragonball Super unusual is that its manga isn’t simply the source material that the anime adapted in the traditional way. The anime and manga were developed alongside one another using Toriyama’s story material, which allowed them to interpret parts of his ideas differently.

That’s why comparing the two versions can sometimes feel like comparing two different stories that happen to reach similar destinations.

Characters fight differently. Certain transformations appear in one version and not another. Battles have different outcomes. The Goku Black storyline contains significant differences. The Tournament of Power is handled very differently. Even the way certain characters reach their major moments can change depending on whether you’re watching the anime or reading the manga.

That has created a strange situation within the fandom because when we discuss what “happened” in Dragonball Super, sometimes the immediate response has to be, “Which version?”

That isn’t necessarily bad. I’ve enjoyed having different interpretations of the same ideas. But I can also understand why the people controlling the franchise might want a more unified animated version going forward.

Dragonball Super: Beerus Is More Than a Simple HD Remaster

I think it’s important to clarify what we’re actually getting because calling Dragonball Super: Beerus a “remaster” can make it sound like they’re simply taking the old episodes, cleaning up the picture and releasing them again.

Officially, much more is being changed.

The Dragonball Official Site describes Dragonball Super: Beerus as an “ENHANCED” edition with extensive new cuts, revisions to existing scenes, re-rendered footage, newly recorded dubbing, additional music and sound effects, and a reconstructed story. The official announcement also specifically says the goal is a more faithful and detailed representation of Toriyama’s original work.

That last part is what interests me the most.

If you’re reconstructing the story itself, then this isn’t only about making the old animation prettier. You’re making choices about what the definitive version of this story should look like.

And that’s where the manga conversation becomes unavoidable.

Could This Finally Make Super More Consistent?

If Dragonball Super: Beerus starts incorporating ideas that bring the anime closer to Toriyama’s intended story, then I can understand the purpose of revisiting old material.

Imagine having a version of Super where the earlier arcs feel more consistent with the material that eventually leads into the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga. Instead of asking anime-only viewers to jump directly from the 2015 to 2018 television series into a modern adaptation of the Moro storyline, you could create a refreshed path through the earlier material.

That could also fix one of my biggest problems with the original Super anime: inconsistency. The animation could be more consistent. The pacing could be tightened. Unnecessary material could be removed. Character moments could be adjusted. Certain story decisions could be brought closer to Toriyama’s concepts, and the entire production could benefit from not having to operate under the same conditions as the original weekly anime.

If that’s what they’re doing, then I don’t consider the project pointless at all.

But Then You Have to Address Goku Black

This is where my concern begins.

There have been reports and rumors suggesting that the enhanced project may revisit Beerus, Resurrection F and the Universe 6 material before moving its attention toward the new Galactic Patrol anime, rather than immediately remaking the Goku Black and Tournament of Power arcs.

To be clear, that does not currently mean those arcs are officially confirmed to be permanently skipped.

But if that does happen, I have to ask: what’s the point?

The Goku Black arc is exactly the type of storyline that could benefit from another adaptation. The manga and anime versions contain major differences, and if one of the purposes of this enhanced project is to create a version closer to Toriyama’s original work, why would you stop before reaching one of the places where those differences become the most interesting?

That’s the arc I would want to see reconstructed.

The Tournament of Power Creates the Same Problem

Then there’s the Tournament of Power.

The anime version of the Tournament of Power became one of the biggest events in modern Dragonball history. Ultra Instinct became a worldwide phenomenon, and some of the final episodes contain incredible animation. I’m not arguing that everything needs to be thrown away and recreated simply because it’s old.

But the manga tells that tournament very differently. If the entire purpose is creating a more cohesive Super adaptation, shouldn’t the Tournament of Power also be part of that conversation?

You can’t tell fans that you’re rebuilding earlier Super material to create a more faithful presentation and then potentially jump over two enormous arcs before adapting Moro. If you’re trying to establish a cleaner continuity, I want to see that continuity carried all the way through.

Otherwise, the project starts feeling less like a definitive Dragonball Super adaptation and more like selected arcs receiving upgrades.

Those are two very different things.

I Don’t Think Calling Daima a “Toy Commercial” Tells the Whole Story Either

I’ve seen similar criticism directed at Dragonball Daima. Because the characters were made smaller and the series introduced new designs, transformations and merchandise opportunities, some fans immediately reduced the entire project to something designed to sell toys.

I think that’s too simplistic.

A Dragonball project can be commercially valuable while still having legitimate creative intentions. Those ideas aren’t mutually exclusive. Daima can create merchandise while also representing a story Toriyama was heavily involved with. Dragonball Super: Beerus can generate new products while simultaneously attempting to improve an anime production that had obvious limitations the first time around.

We shouldn’t pretend the business side doesn’t exist, but we also shouldn’t assume that making money automatically means nobody involved cares about the story.

Maybe the Real Answer Is Somewhere in the Middle

Personally, I don’t think Dragonball Super: Beerus is either a shameless cash grab or a completely artistic attempt to preserve Toriyama’s vision.

I think it’s probably both business and creativity.

Dragonball makes money. That’s not going to change. A new Beerus anime gives the franchise something familiar to market while The Galactic Patrol prepares to take the animated story somewhere fans have been waiting years to see. At the same time, the amount of work officially being described for Beerus suggests they’re doing considerably more than simply upscaling old footage and selling it again.

That’s why I’m willing to give the project a chance.

What will ultimately determine my opinion is what happens afterward.

Final Thoughts

I actually like the idea of Dragonball Super getting another opportunity. The original anime and manga developed so differently that creating a more cohesive animated version could solve a lot of problems. Better animation is great, but I’m more interested in the reconstructed story, the possibility of greater consistency with Toriyama’s work and how all of this eventually connects to Dragonball Super: The Galactic Patrol.

But if we’re talking about making Super more faithful and more consistent, I want that philosophy applied beyond the arcs we’ve already seen multiple times.

Give me Goku Black.

Give me the Tournament of Power.

Show me what those stories look like under this new approach before moving completely into Moro.

Until we know whether that will happen, I’m somewhere in the middle on the “cash grab” debate. There’s clearly money to be made by selling fans another version of stories we’ve already watched, and I’m not naive enough to ignore that. But there’s also a legitimate opportunity to fix some of the biggest problems with the original Dragonball Super anime.

Whether Dragonball Super: Beerus becomes a meaningful reconstruction or simply another way to repackage familiar material depends on what they actually do with that opportunity.