Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is essentially a Dragon Ball movie

Goku from Dragon Ball and the giant radioactive lizard Godzilla have one thing in common: their irrepressible fighting spirit. Both have been around for decades and have starred in sprawling franchises full of rotating adaptations and remakes. But in each new incarnation they are ready to prostrate themselves at the slightest provocation. This means that in their lives they defeat countless opponents with superpowers that are a little too big for them. The latest Godzilla film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empiretakes the comparison one step further, with a plot that feels like a kaiju version of a Dragon Ball story.

The meatiest piece of connective tissue here is in the title: Godzilla and King Kong team up to defeat a bigger villain, even if neither of them necessarily wants to. This is far from the first time Godzilla has assembled a tag team with a former rival: Mothra, Rodan and Anguirus are all huge creatures that Godzilla initially wanted to beat to death and later allied with.

By the same token, characters like Yamcha, Piccolo, and especially Vegeta entered the Dragon Ball mythos in search of Goku’s head and were struck down in a way that led them to the conclusion that Goku is actually pretty cool. In the Dragon Ball series, when someone gives you enough of a headache, you start to respect them.

Image: Toei Animation/Crunchyroll

Did Vegeta ever agree with Goku? No, he’s far too murderous for that. But when it comes time for Godzilla and Kong to defeat this Scar Kinga monkey that makes Kong look cuddly, and pit, an ice-breathing reptile, know that being with them makes things easier. And when guys like Frieza, Cell or Broly threaten the Earth, Goku and Vegeta understand what it’s about. When the world ends, they can no longer beat each other to a pulp. Oh, and some people they love might die. There are The as well as.

Speaking of Skar King, Kong facing a monster that’s basically him except meaner is pure Dragon Ball. At the beginning of the Dragon Ball anime sequel, Dragon Ball ZGoku must face Raditz, the brother he never knew he had – a guy who looks like Goku, but taller, stronger, and with a more questionable haircut.

It’s satisfying to see Kong finally get another doppelganger – he hasn’t seen one like this since the fight Mechani-Kong in the 1967s King Kong escapes, while Godzilla was able to take on a Space Godzilla and at least five different incarnations of Mechagodzilla in the same time frame. Godzilla has his own fitting antagonist New empire Also: Shimo’s ice powers seem to be a cool counterpoint to Godzilla’s atomic fire. A big bad guy with minions whose characteristics perfectly match those of the good guys? This is also a typical example of Dragon Ball – and a feature of many other battle anime stories.

The New empire Heroes also have the necessary anime-style power-ups. Godzilla has gotten some sort of pink upgrade, while Kong sports a robotic hand alongside his cool axe. In battle anime logic, this obviously causes him to hit much harder. Power-ups like this are a big part of it Dragon Ball Z also: “Going Super Saiyan” has entered the broader cultural lexiconThis typically results in a change in hair color, a widening of the biceps and an increase in strength. The series Dragon Ball Super even introduced a “Super Saiyan Rose” form with pink hair. Is the new Godzilla coloring a direct reference? We can hope.

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Finally, New empire reveals an entire race of Kongs in the Hollow Earth, a monster-populated dimension at the center of the world. Seemingly unique heroes discovering they are not alone are also a staple of the Dragon Ball series. Goku spends the entire original Dragon Ball Anime believes he is the only hero with a monkey tail and a penchant for punching. Then, at the beginning of the Dragon Ball Z

And in Dragon Ball ZIn the next story arc, Piccolo travels to the planet Namekian and meets other Namekians like him. Only time will tell if we’ll get this kind of storyline in a Godzilla movie at some point – but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that when Godzilla encounters another member of his species in the MonsterVerse, he makes him one doughy little tiny thing again. Finally, Kong gets his own little monkey buddy The New Kingdom, and Goku’s best friend was Krillin, a guy who only comes up to Goku’s waist. Everyone needs a little friend to cheer them on.

Although both Goku and Godzilla have had many human supporters over the decades, in the Godzilla films, humanity is not as enthusiastic as Goku’s friends when Godzilla begins to achieve his glowing “final form.” And despite being knocked down only to get back up, Kong still has to go through the long training arc that makes up the majority of Goku’s schedule. Yet the spot in the middle of the Venn diagram between the two worlds is crowded. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a far cry from Godzilla’s nuclear nightmare beginnings, but it’s perfect for fans of kaiju drops and the enlightened folks who believe Toonami is the pinnacle of humanity.