I’ve Found Dragon Ball’s Perfect Live-Action Goku Actor After Watching Their 2 Biggest Roles

A live-action Dragon Ball adaption is an inherently tricky thing to bring to live-action, but I think Hollywood has already found the perfect Goku. Recent years have seen several live-action adaptations of famous anime. While some (like Death Note, Ghost in the Shell, and Cowboy Bebop) have been found lackluster by fans and critics alike, the best anime live-action movies and shows have been met with a more positive reception. Although flawed in their own ways, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece have proven the concept can be done well.

While Dragon Ball has one of the most infamous examples of poor anime adaptations thanks to Dragon Ball Evolution, it doesn’t mean the concept should be completely dismissed. A live-action Dragon Ball, especially one that covered the events of Dragon Ball Z, could easily be a massive hit if the right cast and creatives were assembled. The lead role of Goku already has the perfect candidate too, with their recent lead roles in major TV shows highlighting the versatility and skill necessary to play the character.

Manny Jacinto’s Biggest TV Roles Prove He’s A Perfect Live-Action Goku

Manny Jacinto’s Range Proves He Could Bring Goku To Life

Manny Jacinto’s most notable TV performances have convinced me he’d be a perfect Goku in a new live-action Dragon Ball. Jacinto had minor roles in shows like Bates Motel and iZombie before his big break as Wing Lei in The Romeo Section. This was followed by The Good Place where he played Jason Mendoza, one of the four humans in the afterlife. One of his most recent performances has been at the heart of The Acolyte, where he plays the mysterious Qimir. The roles of Qimir and Jason are drastically different, highlighting Jacinto’s range as a performer.

Both of these roles highlight very different skill sets that would be crucial to any good live-action adaption of the Dragon Ball franchise, ranging from comic timing and dramatic chops to genuinely impressive fighting skills. There’s a natural balance to the way Goku’s long-time English voice actor Sean Schemmel shifts between goofy and serious, something that was missing from Justin Chatwin’s version in Dragon Ball Evolution. I believe that flexibility to shift from intense to silly is crucial to any Goku performance. Given Jacinto’s biggest two roles, I think he’s the unique performer who could nail that aspect of Goku.

Manny Jacinto’s The Good Place Role Highlighted His Comedy Chops & Lovable Innocence

Jason Mendoza Is One Of Modern TV’s Best Comedic Dopes

Even among a stacked cast, Manny Jacinto was a comic highlight of The Good Place. While the show benefited from a wacky tone and stellar performances across the board, Jacinto was often a comic MVP that could be deployed in any situation. A cartoonishly dumb but surprisingly sweet crook from Florida, Jason turned out to be the deceptive heart of The Good Place. I was incredibly impressed with Jacinto’s performance in the show, especially his sweet romance with D’Arcy Carden’s Janet. It showcased a willingness to go big and broad that is at the heart of Goku as a character.

Goku has never been the most cerebral character, often being portrayed as a food-loving and dim-witted hero with a noble streak. He’s quick to turn enemies into allies, which would be easy to replicate the kind of energy found in the overly friendly Jason. We’ve all seen Jacinto fully commit to a broad gag, and he’d be more than capable of replicating Goku’s charm. Both shows also thrive off a sense of comedy that remains character-based despite the surrounding bizarre circumstances, proving Jacinto could fit well into the cartoonish world of Dragon Ball.

The Acolyte Proves Manny Jacinto Could Handle Dragon Ball’s Action

The Acolyte Gave Manny Jacinto A Real Impressive Action Showcase

On the other end of the spectrum, Jacinto’s performance in The Acolyte has been a terrific showcase for what the actor can do in action sequences. I was a little suspicious of Jacinto’s Qimir in the first few episodes of the Star Wars series but it all came to a head in “Night,” the fifth episode of the show. After revealing himself to be the mysterious master teaching Mae of the dark side, Qimir gets the chance to go up against an entire group of Jedi and slaughters them in one of modern Star Wars‘ best fight scenes.

It proves to me how adept Jacinto can be at action, which is a very important aspect of any good potential Dragon Ball adaptation. Combat is one of the key draws of Dragon Ball as a franchise, with plenty of explosive action sequences that demand a speedy but powerful physical performance. Jacinto’s fight scenes as Qimir are incredibly impressive in The Acolyte, especially his one-on-one duel with Sol. It’s a quick-paced and wide-ranging fight that Jacinto is great throughout, with enough brutal touches that could be used to recreate the harder physical crunch of a live-action Dragon Ball fight.

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Why Goku & Dragon Ball Are So Tough To Bring To Live-Action

Dragon Ball Has A Tricky Tone To Bring To Live-Action

Dragon Ball (and Goku in particular) is a deceptively tricky concept to bring to live-action. The most prominent previous attempt, the infamously bad Dragon Ball Evolution, starkly highlighted this. It failed to replicate the bright elements of the source material and tried to filter the very unique cast into more standard character types. It tried to apply a grittier filter to the concept, which runs in stark contrast to the colorful world and bombastic action of Dragon Ball Z and the rest of the franchise.

Goku specifically is a character that requires a very versatile actor to get right. It requires a performer who can do the hard physical stunts of Dragon Ball without being too blunt or bland. There’s an inherent charm to Goku as a character, a well-meaning (if dim-witted) and determined innocence that makes him easy to root for. It requires an actor good at comedy, who can still bring a harsher edge when the story gets serious — and Jacinto is perfect for that.

Manny Jacinto Could Be The Key To A Great Live-Action Dragon Ball Z

Taking Cues From A Silly But Capable Goku Could Make A Live-Action Dragon Ball Z Terrific

I believe Manny Jacinto would be perfect as a live-action Goku in any potential live-action Dragon Ball. Jacinto’s range of skills would translate perfectly to a new on-screen version of Goku. This could help establish the bright and thrilling tone of a live-action Dragon Ball Z that replicates the energy of the source material. This would keep any prospective adaptation from becoming needlessly dramatic like Dragon Ball Evolution. Manny Jacinto is a very talented performer and has the talent to justify more space in the spotlight.

Taking the lead role in a hypothetical Dragon Ball Z adaptation could make Jacinto a huge star. He’s the right age and has the right build to play Goku as he first appears in Dragon Ball Z. The actor also hails from the Philippines, which would afford the casting a better sense of authenticity by having an actor of Southern Asian descent play Goku instead of having a Caucasian performer take the role. While there doesn’t seem to be any current Dragon Ball live-action adaptation in the works, I believe the perfect Goku is already out there.

Dragon Ball

From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest TV Show

Super Dragon Ball Heroes

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

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