Unlike the mainline Dragon Ball anime, the Super Dragon Ball Heroes mini-series isn't obligated to tell an especially unique or compelling story. Instead, it focuses on showing off new and old Dragon Ball characters fighting each other. The goal is to compel viewers to buy the cards and play the Dragon Ball Heroes video games.
A glorified commercial sounds like a cash grab, but it actually leads to some great opportunities for Dragon Ball fans. The non-canon nature of SDBH means it can get away with things not seen in the anime. Old characters get new looks, the Dragon Ball lore is expanded upon and all sorts of fights not in the anime take place in this mini-series. Here are some of the best "what-ifs" that only Super Dragon Ball Heroes has managed to pull off.
The Time Patrol Adds Goku, Vegeta & More to Its Ranks
If non-canon stories aren't a valid excuse for messing around with Dragon Ball's story, there are always alternate timelines. While the Time Patrol isn't an official part of the anime, it plays a big role in video games like Dragon Ball Online and Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Super Dragon Ball Heroes contributes to this trend by providing new looks and powerups for the characters.
There are now "Xeno" versions of not only time-traveling veteran Trunks, but also Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Goten and even Pan. It also turns out that the Supreme Kai of Time has a Time Power Unleashed State, while Tokitoki has a God Bird form. All of these additions to the Time Patrol are exclusive to Super Dragon Ball Heroes.
The Demon Realm Is Finally Revealed in SDBH
Perhaps SDBH's greatest contribution to Dragon Ball is its expansion of the Demon Realm. This mysterious part of the franchise's lore only exists as whispers between the anime and the video games. There are only a few known residents like Dabura and Towa, and they hardly even mention the place.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes, however, puts the Demon Realm is on full display, with several of its inhabitants formally introduced to Dragon Ball fans. They even have unique powerups called Demon God forms, Dabura and Towa get cool new designs, and they have goals that range from altering the flow of time to restoring their world's former glory. The Demon Realm may never be visited in the anime, so it's nice of SDBH to give fans a long-awaited look at what they've been missing out on.
Pretty Much Everybody in Dragon Ball Gets New Forms
Besides the designs and form changes mentioned above, Super Dragon Ball Heroes features a lot of new transformations not seen anywhere else. Xeno Vegito, Xeno Gohan and Broly all achieve Super Saiyan 4 while Xeno Trunks attains Super Saiyan God. Obscure movie-only villains like Janemba and Dr. Wheelo also appear with new looks and powerups, and even Frieza's brother Cooler gets Golden transformations for both his 5th form and his Meta Cooler state.
As a primary antagonist, Fu especially gets a number of changes to his look. It's also thanks to SDBH that fans have confirmed that Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, like Super Saiyan, has a third stage that can be accessed with enough power. These transformations and many more are available for fans to see thanks to these non-canon possibilities.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes Features Unique Fighting Matchups
The absolute best thing about Super Dragon Ball Heroes' lack of continuity is that they can have anyone fight anyone else without worrying about Power Levels. By combining this factor with time travel, it even becomes possible to watch Super Saiyan Blue Goku fight his Super Saiyan 4 self. One noteworthy matchup pits Goku, Jiren and Hit against Zamasu: a fight between the strongest mortals and the strongest antagonist of Dragon Ball Super.
Again, with Fu being used as a primary antagonist, he gets several fights not seen anywhere else in the franchise. SuperDragon Ball Heroes isn't necessarily an accurate depiction of which Dragon Ball characters would win in a fight, but it's still fun to see matchups that would never happen under normal circumstances.
