Ive talked about how I hated anime as a kid in my DMC review and how I outgrew it. However this movie was instrumental in my development as an animewatcher. I used to have no opinion on Dragon Ball seeing it as an obnoxious powerscalers favorite plaything. It seemed like a shallow and chaotic mess of a franchise I had no interest in. This was worsened on October 9th 2023 when one of my favorite Villains Megatron lost to Frieza on Death Battle. I was a brat about it. However my brother wanted to see a Dragon Ball movie being rereleased in theaters for its tenth anniversary: This very movie. On October 18 2023 I binged The history of Dragon Ball I guess from Catharus Dojo and studied up just in time to watch this movie. I had low expectations hell even bias against it going in. ...But as it turns out I actually had a really good time. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods revitalized a franchise dead in the water in the late 2010s and hyped up every former fan hoping it would bring back the magic of the Z era. For many people it failed not living up to their expectations. But to me? The mindlessness I was expecting was existent yet emotionally grounded. The plot follows the Z fighters struggle against Beerus the God of Destruction of their universe as they try to either convince him not to destroy their planet or stop him from doing so something theyre not ready for. Beerus is an entertaining as hell antagonist. Having not read the manga or watched Dragon Ball Super this character based off of the movies Ive seen is an intimidating and showstealing threat. He lives in a giant tree floating in space with an attendant voiced by Ian Sincalir in the dub so that already steals him many points in my book. Beerus wakes after having a vision a dream of a rival that can match even his power that of a Super Sayain God. However his terrifying presence is often hampered by his comedic scenes which I still enjoyed. Beerus is a great villain and one I enjoyed getting acquainted with back as a total newbie. I still dont care about Goku though. Hes a perfectly fine character and I know hes a great father contrary to his public image Thanks TFS thats my only problem with you guys. However in this movie hes focused determined and still humble great qualities of a hero. I cant accurately describe how visceral that I will not let you destroy my WOOOORLD was in a movie theater. By the time the next Dragon Ball Death Battle rolled around it was Goku I was rooting for in Goku vs Superman I had become the very thing I once hated: Someone who liked Dragon Ball. However for me Vegeta stole the show. Other than Gohan Vegeta is my favorite Dragon Ball character. Hes fleshedout tragic empathetic obnoxious and redeemable. A character once defined by his loneliness and pride now getting his pride and strength from the ones he loves. That My Bulma scene is my favorite in the movie. Even for just that moment he was stronger than Goku. His love for his family made him stronger than he ever was alone and thats beautiful. For someone who hated Vegeta Toriyama really made him a fantastic character and this movie is a great example why. So when Goku learns how Vegeta put aside his pride he does the same and accepts the help of his friends and family. Thanks to them he soars to previously unknown heights and rises to meet that power himself afterwards still. Despite that he still isnt enough to beat Beerus. However Gokus pure heart is enough to sway Beerus into not destroying his world. It should feel like a copout ending but it feels earned and genuine as if its not pity its respect for a worthy rival and a good person. I find that wonderful. All in all this movie shouldnt work for me. Its short it has a basic plot often cookiecutter characters yet I still love the hell out of it. It has subtle character arcs vibrant colors and good action. What isnt there to love about a wholesome product like that? I can blame this movie for being my first real anime movie other than Ghibli and the source that would push me to watch JJK a few months later and fully sink into the anime world. Its not lifechanging like KnK was to me but it was simply... fun. Thanks Battle of Gods you may be mid on paper but youll always be a B+ in my heart. ...Though the line A mere Super Sayain pisses me off even though I havent seen Z. Power Scalers are still annoying when it comes to Dragon Ball.