Spoiler warning: this covers all of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus episode 1. It also mentions, without detail, where the Battle of Gods story goes, which has been public since 2013.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus episode 1, "The God Who Destroys", is a strange thing to review. Almost everyone who will watch it has already seen this story, some of us twice: once as the 2013 film Battle of Gods and once as the opening of Dragon Ball Super in 2015. So the usual question, "is it good?", matters less than a narrower one: what has actually changed, and is that enough reason to sit through it again?
This is a first impression of one episode out of a planned 19, so the rating at the end is provisional. My short answer is that the episode is better than the one it replaces, mostly because of what it removes, and that the new material is thinner than the marketing suggested.
The short version
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus episode 1 folds the first two episodes of the 2015 series into one. It cuts the Goten and Trunks shopping trip and Vegeta's family holiday, redraws much of what is left, and adds one scene from the manga: Goku's image training against Frieza, Cell and Buu. It is tighter and better looking, but it is the same story. Provisionally, 7 out of 10.
What is Dragon Ball Super: Beerus?
It is what Toei Animation calls an "enhanced edition" of Dragon Ball Super: part remake, part remaster. Toei announced it in January 2026 as part of Dragon Ball's 40th anniversary. The original series ran for 131 episodes from July 2015 to March 2018, and its early episodes became famous for the wrong reason, with rushed, off-model drawings that were passed around as jokes.
The new version goes back to the start and rebuilds it. Reports put it at 19 episodes covering three arcs: Battle of Gods, Frieza's revival and the Universe 6 tournament. The original took more than 40 episodes to cover the same ground. Matsuto Seya directs and handles the series composition, Tadayoshi Yamamuro is the chief animation director, and Norihito Sumitomo returns as composer.
What happens in Dragon Ball Super: Beerus episode 1?
A few years after the fight with Majin Buu, Goku is working as a farmer because Chi-Chi wants a steady income. Goten brings him lunch. While he works, Goku drifts into image training, picturing fights against Frieza, Cell and Buu. Goten then loses control of the tractor and Goku breaks off to save him.
Mr. Satan's 100 million zeni reward for "saving the world" comes up, and Goku takes it once he realises the money could buy him time to train with King Kai. Vegeta, meanwhile, is alone in the gravity room at Capsule Corporation, still measuring himself against Goku.
The other half of the episode belongs to Beerus, the God of Destruction. He wakes from a long sleep with a dream stuck in his head about a warrior called the Super Saiyan God. He travels from planet to planet with his attendant Whis looking for a good meal, fights a transforming alien over some dinosaur meat, and wipes out half a planet because the food served to him was greasy. The episode ends with Beerus and Whis talking about where to find that warrior.
What changed from the 2015 Dragon Ball Super opening?
This is the part I could not find laid out in one place, so here it is, gathered from the reviews at CBR, But Why Tho and FandomWire and from the episode thread on the Kanzenshuu forum.
| Part of the episode | 2015 version | Beerus version |
|---|---|---|
| Length of the opening | Two episodes | One episode |
| Goten and Trunks buying Videl a wedding present | A full subplot | Cut |
| Vegeta's family holiday with Bulma and Trunks | Most of episode 2 | Cut; Vegeta appears only in the gravity room |
| Gohan and Videl's married life | Shown | Cut, according to But Why Tho |
| Goku's image training against Frieza, Cell and Buu | Not in the anime | Added, from Toyotarou's manga |
| Beerus and the alien fighting over dinosaur meat | Anime-original scene | Kept and redone, with new camera angles and a crimson aura |
| Narrator, eyecatch and next-episode preview | All present | None, according to forum viewers |
| Opening and ending themes | "Chōzetsu Dynamic!" and "Hello Hello Hello" | "Onogami" and "Kanpeki no Peki" |
Two things stand out. First, the change is mostly subtraction. CBR's review says the image training is the only notable addition, and I have not seen anyone find a second one. Second, the cuts are not purely "filler removal". The dinosaur meat scene was also invented for the 2015 anime, and it survived. What went was the family material: the kids, the wedding present, Vegeta being dragged on holiday. This version has decided that Dragon Ball Super is about Goku, Vegeta and Beerus, and it has trimmed everyone else to fit.
What works
The pacing is the clear win. The 2015 opening took two episodes to reach the point this one reaches in 23 minutes, and nothing that matters to the plot is lost. If you remember the original start as slow, that memory is correct, and this fixes it.
The image training is the best scene. It is short, but it does a job the 2015 version never did: it shows that Goku is restless. He is on a tractor and his head is in three old fights at once. The sequence is drawn with a rougher, aged look that sets it apart from the present-day scenes, and it gives the episode its only real burst of action involving the lead.
Beerus also benefits. With the comedy subplots gone, his scenes carry more weight, and the heavier shading makes him look like a threat and not a mascot. Destroying half a world over greasy food was always the character in one image. Here it has less noise around it.
What doesn't work for me
The animation is improved, not transformed. The drawings are far more consistent than in 2015, but movement is still stiff in places, and CBR is right that the fight choreography is well short of Dragon Ball Daima. Some forum viewers went further and said many shots barely look different from the old ones. That is partly because the first few episodes of the 2015 series were its better-looking ones. The real test of this project is the stretch around the original episode 5, where the old version fell apart.
I also think the Vegeta cut costs something. But Why Tho's review makes the point that the family holiday, slow as it was, showed a Vegeta who had changed since Dragon Ball Z. In this version he is back to shouting in a red room. That is fine for one episode, but anyone who knows this arc knows it leans on Vegeta caring about Bulma, and the remake has just removed the scene that set that up.
And the colours are a matter of taste. FandomWire found the heavy shadows distracting in places, and one forum regular called the palette desaturated. I like the darker look on Beerus and like it less on Goku's farm.
Music, themes and voices
The new opening is "Onogami" by Megatera-Zero and the ending is "Kanpeki no Peki" by VK Blanka. Early reaction to both on the Kanzenshuu forum was cool, with several viewers missing the original ending's simple walk into the sunset. I would not judge a theme song after one hearing, so I will leave that for a later episode.
The score mixes old and new. One forum viewer counted two new tracks alongside pieces reused from Dragon Ball Z Kai, the 2015 series and the Battle of Gods film. I have that from a single post, so treat the numbers as approximate. Several viewers liked that the quiet farm scenes now play with no music at all.
On the voices, sources disagree. Wikipedia's page for the series says in one place that performances were newly recorded and in another that the cast is heard through archived audio from the original. Forum viewers believe the 2015 recordings were reused. That would explain how cast members who have since died, such as Jōji Yanami as King Kai, are still credited. I cannot settle it from here.
Is Dragon Ball Super: Beerus worth watching again?
It depends on which viewer you are.
- You never watched Dragon Ball Super. Yes, start here. It is the shortest and best-looking way into the story, and you will not miss the scenes that were cut because you never saw them.
- You dropped the 2015 series early because of the pacing or the art. Yes. Those are exactly the two things this version was made to fix.
- You watched all 131 episodes and want something new. Not on the strength of episode 1. There is one short new scene here. Wait for the Frieza and Universe 6 arcs, which Toei has said get new animation.
- You liked Super for its slice-of-life comedy. You may actively prefer the original. This version is cutting that side of the show first.
I am in the second group, and for me the episode did its job. But I would not tell a friend who rewatched Super last year to make time for it yet.
Provisional rating: 7 out of 10
For this one episode, 7 out of 10. For comparison, CBR gave it 7, But Why Tho gave it 6 and FandomWire gave it 8. It is a cleaner, faster version of a story that was never the problem. The score can move in either direction once the remake reaches the episodes that needed fixing most.
Where to watch, and when episode 2 is out
In Japan the series airs on Fuji TV on Sundays at 11:15pm JST, which is 7:45pm IST, in the slot One Piece held before its break. Crunchyroll streams it with subtitles in India the same evening. ScreenRant listed the premiere for 8:15pm IST and Final Weapon for 9:30pm IST, so expect it between those times.
Netflix also carries the series, about six days behind: it was announced for 14 October in selected regions and 17 October in the United States. I have not found India confirmed in either group.
Episode 2 is due on Sunday 18 October 2026 and is listed as "The God of Destruction Heads to the Planet of the Kai". Going by the title, expect Beerus to reach King Kai's planet, where Goku is training. In the 2015 series their fight there did not come until episode 5.
FAQ
Is Dragon Ball Super: Beerus a remake or a new series?
It is a remake and remaster of the 2015 Dragon Ball Super, which Toei Animation calls an "enhanced edition". It retells the same story with redrawn scenes, some new cuts and a much shorter episode count.
What is Dragon Ball Super: Beerus episode 1 called?
Episode 1 is titled "The God Who Destroys". It first aired in Japan on 11 October 2026.
What is new in Dragon Ball Super: Beerus episode 1?
The main addition is Goku's image training against Frieza, Cell and Buu, taken from Toyotarou's manga. The fight between Beerus and the alien was also redone, and there are new opening and ending themes.
What was cut from the original Dragon Ball Super?
Goten and Trunks shopping for Videl's wedding present and Vegeta's family holiday are gone, along with scenes of Gohan and Videl's married life. Those scenes filled most of the first two episodes in 2015.
How many episodes will Dragon Ball Super: Beerus have?
Reports put it at 19 episodes, covering the Battle of Gods, Frieza's revival and Universe 6 arcs. Twelve of those have dates so far, running to 27 December 2026.
Do I need to watch Dragon Ball Z before Dragon Ball Super: Beerus?
It helps a lot. The episode assumes you know Goku, Vegeta and the villains Frieza, Cell and Buu, and it explains none of them.
Is Dragon Ball Super: Beerus on Netflix?
Yes, in some countries. Netflix was announced for 14 October 2026 in selected regions and 17 October in the United States, with episodes about six days after their first release. India has not been confirmed.
Where can I watch Dragon Ball Super: Beerus in India?
Crunchyroll streams it in India with subtitles on Sunday evenings, shortly after the Japanese broadcast.
When does Dragon Ball Super: Beerus episode 2 come out?
Episode 2 is due on Sunday 18 October 2026, at about 7:45pm IST on Japanese television and on Crunchyroll later that evening.
Does Dragon Ball Super: Beerus follow the manga or the anime?
Mostly the 2015 anime, with scenes from Toyotarou's manga added. Toei has described it as closer to the manga, but episode 1 keeps at least one anime-original scene.
Who made Dragon Ball Super: Beerus?
Toei Animation produced it. Matsuto Seya directs, Tadayoshi Yamamuro is the chief animation director and character designer, and Norihito Sumitomo wrote the music.
My verdict
Episode 1 of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is the 2015 opening with the slow parts taken out and one good scene put in. That makes it the version I would hand to a newcomer, and not yet the version I would ask a long-time fan to rewatch. The remake has shown that it can cut. It still has to show that it can add.
