Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s story means the franchise must stop disrespecting its human Z-Warriors. For too long, characters like Krillin, Tien, and especially Yamcha have been criminally underused. The more the anime focuses on the adventures of Goku and Vegeta, the less viewers see of the other main characters.
Goku and Vegeta progressed so much in their training that most of the Z-Warriors eventually lost their relevance. Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power took a step toward fixing that by utilizing a wider range of characters. It also succeeded in redeeming Gohan and making him a force to be reckoned with again. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is confirmed to continue even further on that course by shifting away from Goku and Vegeta and shining the spotlight on Gohan and Piccolo. Apparently, it will be up to the two of them to save the Earth from the android creations of the Red Ribbon Army, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2.
What’s been established about the plan for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero means that Chiaotzu, and Yajirobe as well.
In fact, not letting the human Z-Warriors have a hand in a story about Earth would be a major disservice to the characters. They’ve all been taking a backseat to Goku and Vegeta so long that Super Hero feels like their best chance to finally make an impact again. It’s fitting for Goku and Vegeta to sit this fight out, particularly since both have been spending so much time away from Earth anyway. The movie’s emphasis on Earth makes Gohan, Piccolo, and the human Z-Warriors much better fits for the story.
It remains to be seen if Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will actually go down this road. Concept art and the announced voice cast have confirmed the inclusion of Krillin, but how much he’ll get to do is unclear. As for Tien and Yamcha, there’s no word on their involvement yet. Yamcha, perhaps more so than the others, is in great need of a meaningful arc, particularly since he didn’t participate in a single fight in Dragon Ball Super. If the movie finally ends the franchise’s disrespect of these characters, all three should end up taking a stand with Piccolo and Gohan against the Red Ribbon Army’s androids.