Dragon Ball Z is one of the most popular anime ever, ranking close to MyAnimeList's top 100 anime more than 40 years after its release. But are the rumors of a Dragon Ball Z Netflix live-action in 2025 founded at all?
On the 1st of January 2024, a TikTok video started a rumor that misled some fans. Let's explore this together:
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The Infamous Dragon Ball Z 2025 TikTok
Early in 2024, a TikTok post began trending. It claims that a Netflix Dragon Ball Z adaptation will come out in 2025.
The TikTok video depicts a supposed Dragon Ball Z Iive-action poster with the Netflix logo.
It features an older character, presumably Dr Gero judging from the bald metalic head and mustache.
Either way, no announcement from Netflix or from a reliable Dragon Ball source backs up the TikTok video's claims. While the TikTok trended for a bit, it is unfounded.
Let's explore why:
Who Posted the Dragon Ball Z 2025 TikTok and What Does Netflix Say?
The Dragon Ball Z live-action rumor was posted by a TikTok user with a limited following, who does not seem affiliated with Netflix or the world of anime in any way.
Netflix has not commented on the trending video but no official announcement can be found on the streaming service's website or social media accounts.
The Dragon Ball Z anime itself has been in and out of Netflix like many other anime.
Moreover, Netflix is known for other anime live-action adaptations, including but not limited to the 2023 One Piece live-action.
This might have led some people who scrolled through the misleading TikTok post to momentarily believe it.
With software like Canva making online poster design easy for any internet user, the simple presence of Netflix's logo isn't enough to confirm a rumor.
Fans should make sure that the social media posts they see come from reliable sources, such as the official account of a creator, studio, or streaming service.
Is There a Dragon Ball Live-Action Adaptation?
A live-action film titled Dragon Ball Evolution came out in 2009. This American adaptation was poorly received, so don't worry if you've missed it.
Earlier on, in the early 1990s, two unofficial Dragon Ball live-action movies, one from Korea, and one from Taiwan, saw the light of day.
While it's hard to comment on unofficial media that never became too popular anyway, the official Dragon Ball Evolution movie is generally despised to the point of giving anime live-action a bad rap.
For years, fans have assumed that any anime live-action is bad, and the sentiment is at least partly derived from this soulless Dragon Ball adaptation.
Of course, the recent success of other live-action across genres, from One Piece to My Happy Marriage, suggests a revival that makes Dragon Ball fans hope for a superior adaptation one day.
This day has yet to come, but a new anime series, Dragon Ball Daima, is scheduled to be released in Fall 2024.
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