Both DC and Dragon Ball Z have formed passionate fanbases over the years, though the former has had a lot longer to do so than the latter. The DC mythology launched in 1938 with the introduction of Superman in Action Comics #1, written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Joe Siegel. Akira Toriyama began the Dragon Ball saga in 1984, which surged in worldwide popularity during the Dragon Ball Z era.

Cut to the present day, both franchises are still going strong. Various upcoming DC movies and TV shows are either slated or in development, and the anime projects Dragon Ball Super: Beerus and Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol are coming up following Toriyama’s passing and the conclusion of Dragon Ball Daima. There’s also significant overlap between the two franchises, which isn’t surprising considering they both revolve around mighty heroes defending Earth from the forces of evil.

As such, it’s fitting that DC has unveiled the perfect Dragon Ball Z tribute through one of its TV shows. This is thanks to the newest episode of My Adventures with Superman season 3, titled “Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” In this chapter, the Adult Swim series’ newest protagonist made his full debut, and he’s modeled after one of Dragon Ball Z’s most popular characters.

Warning: spoilers are ahead for My Adventures with Superman season 3, episode 4!

This Superboy Is Clearly Modeled After Future Trunks

After cameoing at the end of “All’s Fair in Love and W.O.R.M.S.,” Darren Criss’ Superboy fully entered the picture in “Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” This version of Superboy is Jon Kent, the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, rather than Conner Kent, a clone of Clark and Lex Luthor. At the end of the episode, Jon informed Lois that he was sent back in time to save the world from Hank Henshaw, a.k.a. Cyborg Superman.

It’s abundantly clear that My Adventures with Superman’s take on Superboy is modeled after Future Trunks from Dragon Ball Z. Both characters are the sons of lead characters from their respective franchises. Both characters come from dystopian futures where machines have killed the majority of humanity, and are sent to the present to prevent these robotic threats from emerging. They even both wear cool jackets, as Jon donned a black leather jacket similar to the one the Conner Kent version of Superboy wore in the 1990s comics.

Unfortunately for Superboy, he was already too late in stopping Henshaw’s full turn to villainy. After overcoming Luthor’s fail-safe against him and taking control of the Kryptonian drones in Luthor’s office, “Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” ended with Henshaw rampaging through Metropolis and demanding that Superman fight him. This is reminiscent of how Trunks failed to prevent Dr. Gero from activating Androids 17 and 18 in the present, though Cell would ultimately become the bigger threat.

My Adventures With Superman Has Pulled From Dragon Ball Z Before

Adult Swim

“Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” isn’t the first time My Adventures with Superman has been inspired by Dragon Ball Z. This was arguably best shown visually before Superboy’s introduction through the civilian outfit Kara Zor-El first wore resembling Android 18’s clothes from the Androids Saga. There was also the variant cover of the tie-in comic book My Adventures with Superman #5 calling back to Dragon Ball Z Volume 10 and Dragon Ball Chapter 17. However, the Dragon Ball Z influences run much deeper under the surface.

In an interview with IGN, My Adventures with Superman co-creator Jake Wyatt said that Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan arc was “a particular source of inspiration” for the season 1 storyline. There’s also the various ways Clark resembled Goku in season 1, like getting stronger and gaining new abilities as he fought powerful villains, as well knowing almost nothing about his Kryptonian origins, similar to how Goku didn’t initially know he was a Saiyan. Additionally, co-creator Josie Campbell had the DC show’s writers watch Dragon Ball Z while they were plotting the first batch of episodes.

New episodes of My Adventures with Superman air Sundays at midnight ET on Adult Swim, and can be streamed afterward on HBO Max. While this show continues to pull from Dragon Ball Z, it’s been confirmed that the upcoming spinoff My Adventures with Green Lantern is influenced by Sailor Moon, another popular anime.

Release Date

July 7, 2023

Network

Adult Swim

Showrunner

Jake Wyatt

Directors

Diana Huh, Jen Bennett, Kiki Manrique

Writers

M. Willis, Angela Entzminger, Aman Adumer, Brendan Clogher, Cynthia Furey, Jake Wyatt, Josie Campbell