While it has since been erased from the Dragon Ball canon, the Dragon Ball GT anime was formerly the official sequel to Dragon Ball Z as it picked up years after the fan-favorite series came to a close. After GT’s storyline ended, fans were left with a hopeful conclusion since the main villains were defeated and the Dragon Ball heroes were seemingly able to live out the rest of their lives in peace, though one Dragon Ball spin-off story reveals that GT’s Z Fighters were far from having a happy ending as their future quickly turned into an absolute horrorfest.
Dragon Ball GT first aired in 1996 and it takes place between 5-10 years after the events of Dragon Ball Z. In the series, Goku is transformed back into a child after the villainous Emperor Pilaf fumbles a wish upon the Dragon Balls and accidentally forces Goku to undergo this unwanted transformation. Despite being a child, Goku unlocks Super Saiyan 4 which was his greatest power-up to date by unlocking Super Saiyan 4. Soon after, Vegeta is able to achieve this powerful transformation as well and together, the two Saiyan warriors are able to explore this new and incredibly high power level. The series’ final villain is an entity known as Omega Shenron who was created from all of the negative energy that was accumulated anytime mortals made a selfish wish upon the Dragon Balls throughout the course of their existence. In the end, Goku and Vegeta fused and became Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, and the power of their fusion was enough to beat Omega Shenron and save their universe.
In Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Dark Demon Realm Mission! Chapter 12 by Yoshitaka Nagayama, an interdimensional police force known as the Time Patrol–which consists of alternate versions of classic Z Fighters–travel to the world of Dragon Ball GT as they sense a dark presence in that reality. When they arrive, they witness the final battle between SSJ4 Gogeta and Omega Shenron, though right as Gogeta is finishing the villain off, everyone in GT gets taken over by the evil influence of the Dark Empire Army–soldiers from the Dark Demon Realm working to corrupt the multiverse.
Rather than the happy ending that was promised to the residents of the Dragon Ball GT universe, they are met with an army of demons who have taken over their minds and forced them to commit horrific atrocities. As if surviving Omega Shenron–an evil amalgam of dark energy–wasn’t enough, this whole universe was caught in the crossfire of an interdimensional war between the worst evil in the multiverse and those who committed themselves to maintain the proper flow of time and keep the Dark Empire at bay. Every GT character was corrupted during the battle, including Gogeta, who was transformed into a monstrous beast that nearly destroyed the Time Patrol themselves.
Dragon Ball GT’s legacy has a spotty reputation among fans, with some whole heartedly accepting its non-canon status out of utter disdain for the series while others who maintain that it was a worthy sequel to the original Dragon Ball saga. However, no matter where fans stand on Dragon Ball GT, the series earned its natural conclusion and the characters within that world deserved some much-needed peace time. Unfortunately, because of the time-altering Dark Empire in this Dragon Ball spin-off manga, Dragon Ball GT’s future held nothing but more tragedy following the series’ epic final battle–creating a future way darker than fans of the original anime realize.