Dragon Ball Teams Up With Hans Zimmer To Deliver a Powerful Tribute

1 week ago 15

Published Jan 26, 2026, 6:20 PM EST

Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical.

Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history.

In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest.

You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia

Dragon Ball just had its biggest day in years with the Genkidamatsuri festival. Though the event was filled with massive announcements, such as two new anime series being in production, it was one of the smallest announcements that was the most emotionally charged.

Revealed at Genkidamatsuri and now available to watch on YouTube, the [Dragon Ball] 40th Anniversary Special Video is nothing short of stunning. The 5-minute video starts with Goku's origin as depicted in Dragon Ball Super, then transitions to showing his entire journey throughout Dragon Ball with 3D animation that truly brings Akira Toriyama's manga to life.

Perhaps the most moving part of the video, however, isn't the animation, but the music. The reason is that Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer was recruited to score the short video.

Dragon Ball's New 40th Anniversary Tribute Proves the Series' Powerful Legacy

Hans Zimmer is, of course, probably the most iconic composer in the history of cinema. Zimmer is best known for scoring award-winning films such as Inception, The Dark Knight, and the original trilogy of Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Zimmer has also notably won two Oscars. First, Zimmer won the Best Original Score Oscar in 1995 for The Lion King and then won it again more recently in 2022 for Dune.

Making his composition for Dragon Ball's tribute more impressive is knowing what the acclaimed composer has turned down. In 2022, Zimmer said he had turned down offers to compose for the MCU, making his contribution to Dragon Ball feel like a big deal.

Dragon Ball's New Anniversary Video Proves the Franchise's Future is Bright

Super Saiyan Goku with his arms outstretched from Dragon Ball's 40th Anniversary special movie.

With new anime like Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol and Dragon Ball Super: Beerus announced, it's clear that Toei Animation is putting all its effort into revitalizing the franchise after Akira Toriyama's passing.

While that might seem obvious given the massive size of Dragon Ball, some franchise missteps like the early episodes of Dragon Ball Super mean that fans had every reason to be skeptical.

By recruiting an award-winning composer like Hans Zimmer, Toei added an extra air of importance to their anniversary video and proved that they were willing to invest in big-name talent to give Toriyama's opus the kind of respect its cultural impact demands.

After years of uncertainty, fans finally have a good reason to be optimistic about the future of Dragon Ball

After years of uncertainty, fans finally have a good reason to be optimistic about the future of Dragon Ball. The two upcoming remakes are a huge sign of commitment from Toei, making the Dragon Ball 40th anniversary tribute video the cherry on top.