Why Most Dragon Ball Movies Are Purposely Made As NON-SERIAL FILMS

 

It's no secret that I'm such a nitpicker -- to the point that my own storywriting falls apart! It's already known that I'M NOT A PROFESSIONAL WRITER. I wrote my own assessment as to why the Dragon Ball Z movies aren't canon. I watched the Dragon Ball Super: Broly film and thought about how Broly is now supposedly canon now (due to the late Akira Toriyama's involvement). This reminds me back when I borrowed some VHS (back when they were still the thing) and VCDs of Dragon Ball movies. For example, I watched Dragon Ball Mystical Adventure and Dragon Ball The Sleeping Princess. I remember criticizing Dragon Ball Mystical Adventure for its creation of Emperor Chiaotzu and having Tien (who was made a royal servant) kill Master Shen (to defend Chiaotzu) with a Kikoho. However, that's not how the events unfolded in the actual Dragon Ball series. Master Shen was somehow never heard from again. The last Tao Paipai was show was during the Cell saga -- being too scared of Gohan -- a commentary as to why several characters are practically SHELVED for more powerful characters!

TV Tropes describes the Non-Serial Movie as:

Non-Serial Movie is when The Movie not only has nothing to do with the Myth Arc but is so divorced from the ongoing work that it practically comes across as an Alternate Continuity.

Very common with popular anime series, as they often spawn not only OVAs but also shorter theatrical movies. A reason why this happens is that often the movie is being made while the series is still in production. Many of these films, especially in anime, serve less as self-contained narratives and more as an advertisement for their current slate of properties, often being screened at festivals or conventions. While they generally have enough sense not to ignore anything that's happened up to that point, due to Production Lead Time a show may have had the story developed into something quite different since the movie began production. This is an especially big concern with a Long Runner that relies on a Driving Question or story-ending MacGuffin. While it is possible to set up a prequel this runs counter to promoting the work as it currently is, resulting in the movie feeling grossly outdated because they are using elements that are So Last Season.

The easy way out of this is to make sure the movie is officially out of continuity. Nonetheless fans sometimes establish a general sense of when a movie should logically take place, with various degrees of shoehorning. The only real rule is Non-Serial Movies usually have a "feel" for whatever season they were closely released in but nothing concrete, which allows casual viewing for those who don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the characters and plot points. Often, the storyline in progress in the series will begin with a certain status quo and end with a new status quo, but the movie will use the status quo during the middle of the storyline. If the series is on the episodic side of Season Fluidity,note  it could be considered Loose Canon so long as there are no contradictory elements. Otherwise, it's as if the characters went on a side-quest during an end-of-the-world crisis.

There are a few bonuses to this technique. The movie is designed so those with only a basic sense of the series can still enjoy it, minimizing the risk of Continuity Lock-Out. The relative simplicity of a 1-2 hour movie can make it a Gateway Series to the larger franchise, whereas diving into the original may incite Archive Panic. It also allows for the inclusion of more creative and fleshed-out One-Shot Characters in the story (especially a Filler Villain). The right director can put a creative spin on a series with an otherwise strict concept. And, of course, lots of gratuitous Big Budget Beef-Up.

A major negative of not being in continuity is it is usually not referred to in the show's later episodes to avoid plot conflicts, nor can it make any long-term changes (e.g. Killed Off for Real) to any characters not original to the movie. This causes the fans to endlessly debate on the Continuity Snarl that has occured. This trope is generally avoided when the movie justifies its story via Whole Episode Flashback or Prequel. Effects of the trope can be mitigated by being more explicit in the change, being stylistically similar to the ongoing one but clearly divorced due to visual designs, recasts, or exploration of What If? scenarios. Another complication can arise depending on the original (for a given value of "original") creators' personal influence in the story, or lack thereof, causing creators to distance their own continuity from the work or admit they aren't concerned about its canon status. In extreme or badly received situations, the fandom may even symbolically reject the work even if it could reasonably fit into canon.

I could remember all the criticism I had -- until I checked the release dates of Dragon Ball Z movies vs. the episode release dates. Basically, I couldn't get my wish for Super Saiyan Goku to destroy Turles or for Super Saiyan Goku to defeat Lord Slug. I end up irritating people whenever I discuss about non-canonicity and I get told, "JUST ENJOY IT!" I've had that same criticism with Super Sentai even if I don't like Power Rangers. What I didn't realize was that the Power Rangers timeline is tearing itself out. The Super Sentai VS. Movies have always been meant to be What If scenarios. The same can be true for Dragon Ball movies. They are a couple of What If scenarios. 

Think of them like Marvel Comics' What If (Comics) series. These stories have been set to reimagine certain scenarios without disrupting the flow of the actual Earth 616 continuity. However, recent DOUCHEBAG MOVES by Disney have been doing a lot of nonsensical retcons -- such as getting rid of DECADES LONG development for Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch as Magneto's children. Toei had a history with Marvel. It's possible that Toei took inspiration from the What If (Comics) and decided to create their own series of What If Dragon Ball films. Come on, what do you expect from creating Future Trunks as some kind of stand in for Cable. Except that Cable was actually a time-displaced child who returned to his own time -- now much older than his parents! The Future Trunks timeline might just be based on the Days of Future Past plot in X-Men aside from the Terminator franchise.

I heard that the Dragon Ball films are shown during festivals. What I realized (the hard way) was that these movies were better off left as What If scenarios. For example. it could actually derail the actual continuity if Turles were canon. Okay, maybe they could've made Turles "canon" by naming Goku Black as Turles. I thought Turles' concept as a What If Goku was evil -- worked. Another one is the first Broly film The Legendary Super Saiyan could've easily tipped off the scale of the Cell games. Cell would've been blown up faster than what Gohan in his Super Saiyan 2 form could go. Android 13 might've added some conflict. However, Android 13 was probably meant to be a What If the writers decided to kick in another Android than the genetically engineered abomination that's Cell. Since Cell himself is actually NOT AN ANDROID but a composite clone of several characters like Serpentor was in G.I. Joe. Cooler written in as Frieza's older brother, was most likely meant to be a What If. Giving Frieza an older brother in canon was probably NOT in the best interests of Toriyama. Instead, that's why the events of the Cooler films (and I remember watching the licensed edit composed of the two films, called The Greatest Rivals, with a hilariously bad dub) were given so many contradictions. They definitely weren't MEANT to go with the TV narrative!

The same could explain why Super Sentai crossovers have that same treatment. Several events are purposely made to say, "This isn't canon to the TV series." Later crossovers even go as far as to Break the Fourth Wall and say, "This is just a special." That would explain why certain Megazord configurations happen between the two teams. In actuality, several events in Super Sentai entries would show why they weren't meant to operate with a timeline -- unless specified. Production schedules would probably not allow the movies to be checked if they're canon material or not. Instead, they were set as What If movies. In fact, GoGoFive vs. Gingaman made its too evil to be regularlized villain, Darkness King Gill, as the eldest son of Grandienne from GoGoFive. In reality, making Gill canon would disrupt the actual flow of GoGoFive. Gill, like Cooler, are badass villains, but were never meant to fit with the TV series canon. Instead, they become What If villains. 

Trying to make the Dragon Ball Z movies fit into the TV series is easier said than done. Production schedules would've probably made it HIGHLY UNLIKELY to coordinate. For example, I thought about how to make Cooler or Broly canon. However, it could be VERY DIFFICULT to coordinate a scene where Cell has to be involved in The Legendary Super Saiyan and in The Return of Cooler. Later on, Dragon Ball Super: Resurrection of F was made non-canon -- as its events were later rewritten for the TV series. The same could happen to Dragon Ball Super: Broly which would render the movie non-canon and Broly as canon. 

As I get told, "Dont' think too much and just enjoy it for what it is."