Why These 3 Animes Are Overrated

Dragon Ball. Death Note. Sword Art Online.

Why These 3 Animes Are Overrated

They're everywhere.

Dragon Ball Z posters dominate gym walls. Death Note quotes litter every self-proclaimed "deep" anime thread. Sword Art Online avatars are standard issue in toxic gamer forums.

You've seen them. You've likely even found yourself drawn to them.

But here's the truth they don't want you to understand: They're not legendary. They're loaded.

These aren't just popular anime series. They are ideological delivery systems. Soft-coded media weapons designed to condition how you perceive yourself, your culture, your power, and your adversaries.

Each one teaches a distinct lie. Together, they weave a dangerous pattern.

This is the DX dissection.

The Common Thread — Escape Without Evolution

All three series aggressively market the same toxic fantasy: "You can ascend without accountability."

That's the core blueprint destroying young minds.

In Dragon Ball, power is largely inherited—not truly earned. You're either born with god-tier potential, or you're not. In Death Note, morality becomes optional if you're deemed "smart enough." Intelligence is presented as justification for tyranny. In Sword Art Online, you're rewarded for isolation and escapism, not for integration and contribution in the real world.

These anime construct systems where growth doesn't equal genuine transformation, intelligence doesn't equal empathy or wisdom, and strength doesn't equal service or responsibility.

They subtly train boys and men to worship hierarchy unquestioningly, simulate morality without internalizing it, and avoid authentic, real-world challenges. They seduce you with the allure of power but condition you to fear depth.

[Level III: Execution]

This connects directly to what I teach about mastering your nervous system and breaking free from the programming that keeps you weak. These shows program you to accept fake strength while avoiding the real work of transformation.

The DX Triangle — Three False Hero Archetypes

1. Goku – The Inherited God

He teaches: "If you're born special, the universe will bend to your will."

Power is in your bloodline. Wisdom is portrayed as secondary, if not irrelevant. Emotion is often depicted as weakness.

This isn't a narrative of strength. It's eugenics wrapped in the guise of martial arts.

2. Light Yagami – The God Complex Savior

He teaches: "If you're intelligent enough, you are justified in controlling everyone else."

Justice is equated with domination. Guilt becomes a negotiable concept. Mercy is framed as a character flaw.

This isn't a showcase of intelligence. It's fascism armed with a supernatural pen.

3. Kirito – The Untouchable Escapist

He teaches: "The world is inherently against you until you become overwhelmingly overpowered."

Emotions are treated as mere accessories. Women are often positioned as rewards or support systems. Pain is presented as largely optional or easily overcome through power-ups.

This isn't a journey of healing. It's self-insertion fantasy achieved through simulation.

Savage Command: Question Every Idol

Stop accepting heroes who never truly struggle. Real power comes from overcoming real resistance.

How They Condition You

These narratives are not random. They are meticulously designed to encode specific belief systems.

Dragon Ball conditions you to accept notions of racial superiority and rigid hierarchy. Blonde hair and light eyes (Super Saiyan) equals ascended, god-like status. Certain Black characters historically depicted as caricatures or simplistic. Lineage trumps sustained, intelligent effort.

It frames inherent privilege as undeniable destiny. I've detailed exactly why Dragon Ball Z promotes dangerous ideologies that go far beyond simple entertainment.

Death Note conditions you to idolize control and systems of surveillance. Intelligence equals the right to dominate. Empathy equals interference or weakness. Women are often relegated to tools or pawns.

It seeks to replace genuine justice with cold, hard judgment. I've broken down exactly why Death Note fails as a psychological thriller and how it manipulates viewers into accepting fascist thinking patterns.

Sword Art Online conditions you to escape from failure rather than evolve through its lessons. Virtual world engagement over real-world problem-solving. False achievements within the simulation become core identity. Female characters frequently serve as healing stations or emotional support.

It replaces meaningful struggle with consequence-light simulation.

Together, these series function as emotional sedatives. They keep you docile while providing the illusion of empowerment. They give you swords, but no soul. Power, but no true purpose.

This is precisely why your training split doesn't matter if you're still operating from a weak mental framework. Physical training without mental sovereignty is just elaborate self-deception.

Who Benefits?

This isn't conspiracy theory. This is understanding strategy.

These anime aren't just popular because they're "good" storytelling. They are promoted and achieve widespread appeal because they reinforce existing power structures and hierarchies, reduce complex masculinity to simplistic dominance, often exclude or marginalize diverse identities, and train viewers to passively accept societal imbalance.

They are the anime equivalents of billionaire self-help manifestos that ignore systemic issues, idealized military recruitment advertisements, outdated colonizer mythologies, and AI-generated affirmations for men who harbor resentment towards women.

They serve the status quo. And that's precisely why you encounter them everywhere.

The Black and Brown Takeaway

Let's get brutally honest.

When Black and Brown youth watch these influential shows, we often don't see authentic reflections of ourselves. Goku's journey doesn't typically mirror the experiences of Black fathers or father figures. Light Yagami's brand of justice doesn't resonate with our ongoing struggles for true equity. Kirito's escapism doesn't reflect the way we navigate and overcome real-world pain and oppression.

But what do we instinctively do? We extract the valuable pieces.

From Goku: The discipline, the grind, the relentless pursuit of strength. From Light: The strategic thinking, the vision, the intellectual rigor. From Kirito: The adaptability, the survival instinct in hostile environments.

We salvage meaning from what is often propaganda. But this process still leaves scars.

Because we rarely see our bodies depicted with the same beauty, complexity, or heroism. Our diverse cultures are seldom, if ever, centered in these mainstream narratives. Our unique pain and resilience are frequently ignored or trivialized. Our victories, when shown, often feel borrowed or secondary.

Anime like these can train us to admire the sword but ignore the historical and cultural context from which it's drawn. They can become digital plantations with more sophisticated animation.

This relates directly to what I discuss about cognitive enhancement and the importance of programming your mind with the right inputs for sovereignty.

Visual Colonialism — The Aesthetic Problem

Let's talk about design. In all three series, character aesthetics often reveal the underlying agenda.

Dragon Ball: Mr. Popo represents a long-standing, problematic design rooted in minstrel caricature. Uub is positioned as a tokenized brown-skinned character for redemption arcs. Super Saiyan transformation idealizes specific light-featured traits as the pinnacle of power.

Death Note: Light's design projects an image of sanitized 'perfection' – clean-cut, and presented with an almost godlike stature that mirrors his deluded self-image. Misa is often hyper-sexualized, a fetishized doll-like figure. L represents the neurodivergent genius, but often portrayed as lacking social grace or deeper emotional connection, reinforcing certain stereotypes.

As I've analyzed in my comprehensive Death Note review, the visual hierarchy reinforces the same power structures the narrative promotes.

Sword Art Online: Kirito is the generic, "cool" male protagonist, often a blank slate for self-insertion. Asuna starts strong but is frequently reduced to a damsel or support role. Villains are often grotesque, overtly "evil" in appearance, sometimes embodying predatory traits, particularly towards female characters.

Ethnic and female characters are too often objects or plot devices, not agents with their own sovereignty.

Visual design itself becomes a hierarchy: White-passing or specific East Asian aesthetics equal the heroic default. Everyone else equals side quest, background noise, or stereotyped representation.

This is how art can inadvertently become a tool for digital eugenics, subtly reinforcing biased standards of heroism and importance.

DX Recon — How to Reprogram Your Perception

Here's how you, as a discerning individual, can take the power back.

Ask: Who truly benefits from this fantasy? If the primary answer is "those already in power," it's likely not your story.

Recast the Roles. Engage in a thought experiment: What if Goku was envisioned hailing from a culture whose mythologies and warrior traditions are rarely centered in mainstream epics, his powers and story rooted in those distinct traditions? What if Light Yagami was a Black child navigating generational trauma and systemic injustice? What if Kirito had to use his coding skills to navigate real-world oppression, not just a virtual game?

Reject Hierarchy-Based Power. Stop idolizing characters who win primarily because of birthright, prophecy, or unearned power-ups.

Study Characters Who Evolve Through Failure and True Struggle. Seek out narratives featuring sovereign characters. Think of Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho). Think of Kazuma Kuwabara (Yu Yu Hakusho). Think of Michiko Malandro (Michiko & Hatchin). Think of Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop).

These are sovereign characters. They lose. They bleed. They make mistakes. They grow. They don't just dominate their worlds; they survive them—and often, transcend them with genuine depth.

This connects to my philosophy on essential weight loss formulas and real transformation. True change requires genuine struggle, not fantasy shortcuts.

Savage Command: Build Your Own Mythology

Stop consuming other people's power fantasies. Create your own narrative of strength.

Self-Reflective Questions

Which specific elements from these (or other) popular series have shaped your personal view of power and success?

Do you find yourself idolizing raw strength... or true sovereignty and resilience?

Have you ever mistaken escapism for genuine evolution in your own life or goals?

Which characters, from any media, truly reflect the way you strive to move through the world, with all its complexities?

What will you do in the next 24 hours to stop consuming weak programming and start building real strength?

The Savage Verdict

Dragon Ball, Death Note, and Sword Art Online are not timeless classics deserving of unquestioning praise.

They are colonial frameworks repackaged as mass entertainment.

They teach young men, in particular, to chase domination rather than depth. They often present trauma without meaningful pathways to healing or resolution. They romanticize savior complexes and frequently erase the power of community and collective action.

They effectively sell oppression back to you... accompanied by a catchy theme song.

They feel overrated because the power they depict is often unearned, superficial, or devoid of real-world consequence. They're not just stories; they're simulations.

And the fact that they are so widely and uncritically beloved? That tells you how lost and unfulfilled many people truly are.

We need new myths. Myths that honor authentic pain and struggle. Myths that courageously challenge entrenched power. Myths that teach both strategy and soul.

You are not here to cosplay a fake god from a flawed narrative. You are here to become a real one in your own life. Built from your struggle. Forged by your losses. Crowned in your clarity.

Savage Command: Burn Their Thrones

You don't need their pre-packaged stories. You don't need their consequence-free simulations.

Build your own saga. Frame your own battles. Write the anime—the story, the life—you never got to see.

And let it be sovereign. Not just stylish.

If you're looking for a casual trainer or quick fixes, scroll on. This path demands commitment.

If you've read this far, your problem isn't lack of information—it's lack of strategic execution and uncompromising guidance.

You're not just hiring a trainer or buying a plan. You're declaring war on your weakness and investing in your sovereignty.

Resource Drop

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Ready to deploy? Access elite online training systems and strategic plans built for results, for both men and women, including specialized programs for pre/post-pregnancy and achieving your ultimate physique: DXTHEtrainer.com Plans & Pricing

For those in Houston, TX demanding the highest level of personalized weaponization, limited slots for in-person training are available with me, Xavier Savage, at VFit Gym, 5539 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX. This includes tailored approaches for all individuals. Serious inquiries can connect via dxthetrainer.com.

Final Self-Reflection Questions

What false narratives have you been consuming that keep you weak?

How will you reprogram your media diet to align with sovereignty instead of escapism?

What real-world challenges will you stop avoiding by hiding in fantasy?

When will you stop waiting for inherited power and start building earned strength?

What mythology will you create from your own struggle and victory?