The AI teaser focuses on character design and fan-casting, and some of the choices it makes are interesting, to say the least. While Reynolds is no doubt a fascinating choice as Goku, it’s worth noting that the clip features precious few Asian characters for a work based on an anime franchise — in fact, Gemma Chan, Jackie Chan, and Jason Momoa are the only people present with Asian or Pacific Islander heritage. The maker of the video, Stryder HD, addressed some of their choices in a YouTube comment.
“In terms of Piccolo’s skin color for this video, I tried the green in the A.I. and it wasn’t coming out right at all, but I truly think he’d be great for the part,” they wrote about Idris Elba’s Piccolo design. “Also in terms of the ethnicities of most characters in the Dragon Ball universe, especially Earthlings (Krillin, Chi-Chi, Tien Shinhan) I really didn’t know whether they’d be Asian or Caucasian, so please allow for some creative space.”
While whitewashing would normally guarantee a spot on a list of the worst Hollywood adaptations of all time, it’s worth noting that no one’s actually making this particular movie. Like the “Barbenheimer” AI trailer, the fake “Dragon Ball Z” teaser simply reimagines and pays homage to the source material. Since “Dragon Ball” creator and famed manga artist Akira Toriyama died on March 1, it’s no surprise that people are choosing to celebrate his most beloved works. And even though this particular AI teaser was released before Toriyama’s death was announced, it certainly puts in the effort to honor the master’s work.
