Dragon Ball's greatest movie of all time is undoubtedly Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Despite controversial retcons and fan service transformations, this film absolutely broke the mold when it came to telling Dragon Ball stories and allowed the franchise to begin catching up on decades of stagnation. Not only that, but Dragon Ball Super: Broly canonically gave fans a glimpse at the single most powerful Saiyan transformation to date.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly was released in 2018, set canonically after the events of the Universe Survival Arc that had just recently aired. The film combined elements of an older series known as Dragon Ball Minus, which imagined a retelling of Bardock's origin, and the much older movie Dragon Ball Z: Broly-The Legendary Super Saiyan. Despite both of these projects having been steeped in controversy in the past, Dragon Ball Super: Broly was a much-needed step forward when it came to Dragon Ball's storytelling ability. For decades, fans have lodged complaints about Dragon Ball's seeming inability to deliver a genuine plot and explore character progression. Dragon Ball Super: Broly, while by no means perfect, manages to at least get the Dragon Ball franchise on the right track again. From its heartfelt story about Bardock's lonely rebellion to Broly's torture at the hands of his father and Frieza, this film allows for a depth of emotion that Dragon Ball had certainly been lacking up until that point.
While the film certainly made ground getting Dragon Ball back to emotional storytelling, it also absolutely delivered on the sheer spectacle of its battles. The reintroduction of long-time fan favorite character Gogeta and his duel against the single most powerful Saiyan alive at that point was brilliant. Taking two of the most beloved characters from Dragon Ball Z's older slate of films and bringing them together in one movie was a moment of pure genius. The movie also managed to cement Broly as potentially the strongest Saiyan in history, granting him the ultimate Saiyan transformation- The Legendary Super Saiyan. With its distinct lime green hair and overwhelming stature, this form was iconic when it first appeared in Dragon Ball Z's set of Broly movies and it seems Dragon Ball Super has given the transformation new life.
Goku, Vegeta, And Broly In Dragon Ball Super: Broly's Movie Poster
With the ability to battle Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta after already battling Frieza for an hour straight, Broly is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters in the franchise's history. His Legendary Super Saiyan form represents the summit of Saiyan potential, a power that completely draws out all latent ability. Though it remains unconfirmed, it was strongly hinted that Broly is a mutant among Saiyans, with his extraordinarily high potential even from birth. Thus, the Legendary Super Saiyan form is likely exclusive to him alone, granting Broly a power that has yet to be rivaled by any nonfused or divine character. He is the pinnacle of Saiyan nature and encapsulates the species' natural rage and thirst for battle. As far as purely Saiyan transformations go, his Legendary Super Saiyan form is without a doubt the ultimate Super Saiyan transformation.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly received positive reception upon its release thanks to its extremely polished art style, a reinvigorated attempt at storytelling, and its successful reinvention of timeless characters like Broly and Gogeta. Future Dragon Ball movies should no doubt look to this chapter in the franchise and seek to follow its footsteps to even greater heights.