The creators of Dragon Ball GT failed to introduce a strong female lead, despite deliberately designing Pan as a modern Bulma-esque character.
SUMMARY
Dragon Ball GT missed a golden opportunity to revolutionize its character roster, introducing a female MC.
According to GT’s scriptwriter, the team wanted a character like Bulma to accompany Goku on his journey, which led to the creation of Pan!
Dragon Ball GT producer maintained the traditional Shonen formula, where Pan’s role was reduced down to just setting events in motion.
Even though Dragon Ball carries a majorly male-centric narrative and target audience, it has still come to attract fans of all demographics. So, there is this one major aspect of it that has remained absent for a very long time: the lack of a female Super Saiyan.
Pan from Dragon Ball GT | Credits: Toei Animation
Unfortunately, Dragon Ball GT missed a golden opportunity to revolutionize its character roster and adhered to generic tropes with a male-centric main cast. Fans were denied the iconic moment of witnessing a powerful female Super Saiyan, Pan, emerge from the Earth’s ranks.
Pan’s Deliberate Resemblance to Bulma Couldn’t Make Her a True Female MC
Pan | Credits: Toei Animation
In a resurfaced interview, Atsushi Maekawa, who was the scriptwriter for Dragon Ball GT, explained that the idea for creating the character of Pan came from a core nostalgia. According to him, they wanted a character like Bulma in the early series to accompany Goku on his journey.
However, they thought it would be unrealistic for Bulma, who is already in her older age, to join Goku on his adventures. This led to the creation of Pan, who was meant to embody the spirit of the young Bulma. According to Maekawa,
If you think about it that way… she herself didn’t stand out very much in the series…
Although based on Bulma, Pan’s character development was minimal, only to a supporting role. Maekawa and his team deliberately made Pan share characteristics of Bulma, like being strong-willed and resourceful. Still, Pan was always a side character in the series, never reaching the level of prominence that Bulma achieved in the original Dragon Ball series.
Dragon Ball GT Producer Chose to Stick With The Traditional Shonen Formula
Kid Pan | Credits: Toei Animation
The producer of Dragon Ball GT, Kōzō Morishita, also said that he chose to continue the old-school formula where Pan is there only to set up events while Goku serves as the star of the resolution. This pattern was first seen during episodes such as the transformation of Pan into a doll.
Introducing Pan as a Super Saiyan would have totally disturbed the pattern, and Goku wouldn’t have remained the main protagonist. However, this alternative could have brought more intricacy to the series. Certainly, a golden opportunity was missed there!
Dragon Ball GT has an episode where Pan is turned into a doll, but that episode established the pattern of “Pan sets the incident in motion while Goku resolves it”. So it would break that pattern to make Pan a Super Saiyan and strong.
Despite Dragon Ball’s massive franchise status, introducing a female Super Saiyan would have generated significant backlash and criticism. However, this bold move could also have attracted new fans and reinvigorated the series. By playing it safe, the producers missed a chance to create a groundbreaking moment in anime history.
