10 Essential Superhero Anime That Reinvent The Genre
6. Dragon Ball
The king of epic anime fights and the very definition of the super-saiyan genre, Dragon Ball toes the line of superhero and god-like fantasy character, while still following in the footsteps of overpowered heroes that came before it, and inspiring the superheroes with equally immense power sets that came after it.
Superman-esque in his undefinable potential, Son Goku's adventures in training in martial arts and seeking the mystical Dragon Balls, eventually levelling up and continuously surpassing his own limits in order to become the universe's most powerful hero, were influential not only to Japanese audiences, but to audiences around the world.
The anime itself is credited as being one of the most important titles that pushed Japanese anime to Western mainstream, and the many unique features of the anime, both in its delightful cast of characters and its format, would be copied and parodied for years in other shows.
Though not strictly a superhero compared to others on the list, Goku and his friends and allies do often save the world from villains bent on destroying it and him, and his resemblance to and influence on super-powered protagonists of past and future cannot be denied.