Movie

Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming

Name: Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming
Released: 1994

1994 • Animation, Action, Adventure

Woke Score

out of 10

Plot

Seven years have passed since Goku's defeat of Broly, which culminated with Broly being blasted to Earth and frozen over while in a coma. Now, Gohan has grown up, Goten is born, and Goku has died. While Goten, Trunks, and Videl are looking for the dragon balls, they come across a village that is being terrorized by a monster. They decide to help, but as they are waiting for the monster to appear, the sound of Goten's crying causes Broly to regain consciousness, seeking revenge! But, how will the Z warriors repel his might without Goku?

Overall Series Review

The film centers on a straightforward action narrative where the younger generation of Z Fighters, primarily Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Videl, must overcome the overwhelming, purely physical threat of the revived Broly. The story begins with a localized conflict where the heroes expose a corrupt village shaman and defeat a simple monster before encountering the main antagonist. The ensuing conflict is a battle of raw power and inherited fighting spirit, culminating in a combined effort known as the Family Kamehameha. The narrative emphasizes martial arts prowess, family unity, and the necessity of individual strength to defeat an apocalyptic foe. There are no underlying political lectures, and the characters' effectiveness is directly proportional to their training and Saiyan biology.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

Characters are judged solely by their individual power level, martial skill, and courage in the face of an existential threat. The conflict is based on an alien Saiyan's irrational hatred and immense power, not on any Earth-based intersectional lens or immutable characteristics. There is no historical race-swapping or vilification of any demographic group.

Oikophobia2/10

The narrative features a minor subplot where a remote village’s corrupt shaman is exposed and exiled for manipulating the people with a false monster threat. The world at large and the Earth's civilization are presented as the home and institution worth protecting from the alien menace, which respects the gratitude and desire for stability.

Feminism1/10

The main female protagonist, Videl, is a competent human fighter at first, but she is quickly and utterly defeated by the male Saiyan villain, Broly, adhering to the established power hierarchy of the universe. The final victory is achieved through the 'Family Kamehameha,' an ultimate display of the protective power of the male-centric family unit (Goku, Gohan, Goten), celebrating natalism and male strength.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie exclusively focuses on action, martial arts, and traditional family bonds, which are championed in the climax. There is a normative structure throughout the film, and no presence of alternative sexual ideologies or deconstruction of the nuclear family.

Anti-Theism1/10

Spiritual elements like the Dragon Balls and the temporary appearance of Goku from the afterlife (a spiritual realm) function as positive or helpful forces to the heroes. The antagonist is a purely physical, psychopathic monster-figure with no connection to traditional religious villainy, and the narrative acknowledges higher moral laws in the form of protecting the innocent.