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Even thoughDragon Ballcarries a majorly male-centric narrative and target audience, it has still come to attract fans of all demographics. So, there is this one major aspect of it that has remained absent for a very long time: the lack of a female Super Saiyan.
Unfortunately,Dragon Ball GTmissed a golden opportunity to revolutionize its character roster and adhered to generic tropes with a male-centric main cast. Fans were denied the iconic moment of witnessing a powerful female Super Saiyan, Pan, emerge from the Earth’s ranks.
Pan’s Deliberate Resemblance to Bulma Couldn’t Make Her a True Female MC
In a resurfaced interview, Atsushi Maekawa, who was the scriptwriter forDragon Ball GT, explained that the idea for creating the character of Pan came from a core nostalgia. According to him, they wanted a character like Bulma in the early series to accompany Goku on his journey.
“I wanted to spend one or two episodes showing that level of resolve”: Dragon Ball GT Planned a Gohan Redemption Arc That Puts Super to Shame
However, they thought it would be unrealistic for Bulma, who is already in her older age, to join Goku on his adventures. This led to the creation of Pan, who was meant to embody the spirit of the young Bulma. According to Maekawa,
If you think about it that way… she herself didn’t stand out very much in the series…
Although based on Bulma, Pan’s character development was minimal, only to a supporting role. Maekawa and his team deliberately made Pan share characteristics of Bulma, like being strong-willed and resourceful. Still, Pan was always a side character in the series, never reaching the level of prominence that Bulma achieved in the originalDragon Ballseries.
Dragon Ball GT Producer Chose to Stick With The Traditional Shonen Formula
The producer ofDragon Ball GT,Kōzō Morishita, also saidthat he chose to continue the old-school formula where Pan is there only to set up events while Goku serves as the star of the resolution. This pattern was first seen during episodes such as the transformation of Pan into a doll.
“I remember even the staff being really conflicted about it”: Real Reason Dragon Ball GT Chose Trunks Over Gohan for a Critical Arc
Introducing Pan as a Super Saiyan would have totally disturbed the pattern, and Goku wouldn’t have remained the main protagonist. However, this alternative could have brought more intricacy to the series. Certainly, a golden opportunity was missed there!
Dragon Ball GT has an episode where Pan is turned into a doll, but that episode established the pattern of “Pan sets the incident in motion while Goku resolves it”. So it would break that pattern to make Pan a Super Saiyan and strong.
DespiteDragon Ball’smassive franchise status, introducing a female Super Saiyan would have generated significant backlash and criticism. However, this bold move could also have attracted new fans and reinvigorated the series. By playing it safe, the producers missed a chance to create a groundbreaking moment in anime history.
TheDragon Ballseries is available to watch onCrunchyroll.
Diganta Mondal
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :741
Diganta Mondal is an avid Content Writer at Fandomwire, specializing in anime and pop culture-related stuff. With over 600 published articles, he boasts his knowledge on this beloved media and strives to connect with fellow anime enthusiasts all across the globe.Despite having a non-journalism educational background, his love for shows like Vinland Saga, Violet Evergarden, and other Naoki Urasawa works constantly inspires him to share informative news, theories, and recommendations on almost all anime genres, aiming to create a shared platform for nerdy discussions.
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