'Legend: A Dragon Ball Tale' a Fan Film Is An Incredible Tribute To The Classic Anime Dragon Ball Z

Legend: A Dragon Ball Tale is no less than a record-breaker!!!!

Dragon Ball is no less than a blessing to the anime world. The series has been around for years now and is counted as the OG anime, for which you'll find a crazy fanbase. Goku and Vegeta have become mascots for the industry as a whole, and it is hard to imagine how shonen would be without the two. That obviously means the series has countless tributes. But this tribute, Legend: A Dragon Ball Tale outshines all of them.

Opening the film with a message to fellow “Dragon Ball” fans, Pasha writes: “To every child who believed that they could train in 100 times the Earth’s gravity, and to every artist who taped Dragon Ball Z and paused it to draw their favorite heroes, this is dedicated to you.” The animated project borrows from all parts of Toriyama's classic series as fans follow Vegeta in a world where he oversees his people as king. The royal is called to Earth where Goku is fighting in another tournament after reports come in about Broly's outrageous power levels. And as the movie goes on, well – your jaw will hit the floor once its animation gets going in full.

Pasha and his team, Studio Stray Dog, released a “fake trailer” on July 18, 2018, after being disappointed that “Dragon Ball Super,” the most recent animated installment of the “Dragon Ball” franchise, “only ALMOST gave us a great Vegeta.”

After the official drop of the trailer, Pasha started to tease fans with the storyboard images and animation cels for what would be the completed project. Now, nearly four years later, Pasha has released the full project. The action-packed short, which has garnered over 200,000 views as of this writing, is filled with stunning, fluid animations that complement several intense fights. 

Fans took no time to take it to social media. The appreciation for the project will leave you speechless. The Twitter and Reddit communities have been celebrating the film for quite a few days now, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. The film continues to trend on social media and garner thousands of views.

“This fan animation is beyond words,” one fan commented on YouTube. “Stray Dog did an incredible job after all these years. The voicing is awesome and the characters brought fourth [sic] new possibilities in this film. Major props to the subtle Easter Eggs in this as well. I legit love this!”

“I'm literally walking laps around my house to calm myself down from the overwhelming hype! I'd support you financially if I could, but I'm broke af right now so I'll just sub and share this with as many people as I can,” another fan wrote in part.

The Dragon Ball fanbase is unanimously expressing their appreciation for the fan-made film, whereas recent official franchise projects have been highly divisive. This is an interesting point to note because the film has managed to unite a fanbase that usually boasts a variety of strong opinions. Some are even asking for a sequel, which is very clearly set up based on the film’s ending moments. Regardless of whether Naseer and their team decide to pursue a sequel, the film’s legacy has already been cemented in the hearts of fans everywhere.

A project like this is no simple task to see through, and Legend: A Dragon Ball Tale is the perfect love letter to Toriyama's beloved series. And if you'd like to see more from Studio Stray Dog, you can support the team on Patreon right here.