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Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!
Movie

Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!

1992 • Animation, Action, Sci-Fi

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

The death of Dr. Gero at the hands of Androids 17 and 18 prompts the activation of Androids 13, 14, and 15. They try to kill Goku, who fights them with the help of Trunks, Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillin, and Gohan.

Overall Series Review

Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! is a non-canon entry focused almost entirely on high-stakes martial arts combat and spectacle. The plot is a simple 'villain of the week' scenario where a supercomputer, driven by Dr. Gero's single-minded revenge, unleashes three powerful Androids to kill Goku. The narrative is a straightforward good-versus-evil battle, defining characters purely by their fighting strength and willingness to protect the Earth, a clear example of universal meritocracy. The film features traditional Dragon Ball humor, which includes scenes of hyper-masculine posturing and non-PC sexual comedy, entirely avoiding modern 'woke' tropes. The primary conflict is physical, not ideological, with the focus remaining on Goku absorbing the Spirit Bomb to achieve victory. The content is characteristic of 1990s anime, prioritizing action over any form of progressive social messaging.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3/10

The core plot hinges entirely on character merit and power level, consistent with the original series. The only factor raising the score is the English dub, which characterizes the main villain, Android 13, as a 'redneck' stereotype who explicitly critiques humanity's history of 'segregation' and 'hatred,' putting the lecture on privilege/societal ills into the mouth of a villain coded to represent a vilified 'whiteness' stereotype.

Oikophobia3/10

The main action is entirely devoted to the heroes defending their civilization, Earth, from a destructive external threat (the Androids). The spirit of the film is one of sacrifice and protection. The villain, Android 13, explicitly makes an oikophobic statement, citing 'War, segregation, hatred' as the results of human free will, but this worldview is immediately defeated by the hero who protects the institutions.

Feminism1/10

The film contains overt gender humor, such as Master Roshi's perverted thoughts and a focus on a beauty pageant, which runs contrary to modern feminist sensibilities. Female characters like Chi-Chi are restricted to the traditional 'nagging mother' role, which celebrates the existence of the family unit, and no female character is presented as a 'Girl Boss' or 'Mary Sue' who instantly overshadows the male cast.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative adheres to a normative structure. The film does not contain any themes, characters, or dialogue that center alternative sexualities, deconstruct the traditional nuclear family, or engage with gender ideology. The focus is strictly on martial arts and fighting the villains.

Anti-Theism2/10

The movie operates within the established Dragon Ball universe where morality is objective (saving the world from destruction). The final attack, the Spirit Bomb, is a transcendent power source drawn from all life energy, which is a spiritual concept but does not target or demonize traditional religion, especially Christianity. The villains are artificial scientists/machines, not religious figures or moral relativists.