DC K.O. Takes a Page From Dragon Ball For Its Latest Eye-Popping Issue

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DC K.O. is a massive event for DC Comics, and the biggest battles are still to come! Last year, DC announced that characters from different universes would clash with the Justice League and their enemies. This includes popular figures like Homelander from The Boys, Annabelle from The Conjuring, Vampirella from Dynamite Comics, and Sam from Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees. Surprisingly, the fight to create a new universe has even pulled in elements from Dragon Ball, which is sure to surprise many fans.

Heads up! This article contains spoilers for DC K.O. Issue #3, so if you haven’t read it yet, be careful! The latest issue forces the remaining heroes and villains to team up and choose partners to battle their enemies. The pairings are a nod to Darkseid’s history of forming alliances with unlikely characters, and the results are surprising. Here’s how the teams shook out: Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan versus Superman and Captain Marvel, Lex Luthor and Supergirl against Aquaman and Hawkman, Wonder Woman with Big Barda taking on Cyborg and Green Arrow (Connor Hawke), and Zatanna partnering with John Constantine to fight the Joker and Mr. Myxyzptlk.

During a battle with the Green Lanterns, Superman and Shazam are pushed to their limits. Superman is weakened by a plant-like weapon created by the Lanterns, and Shazam is overwhelmed by Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. In a last-ditch effort, Shazam uses a risky move – sharing his powers with Superman, giving the Man of Steel the abilities of Shazam. While it’s not quite the same as the fusion dance from Dragon Ball, this DC team-up clearly pays homage to Vegito, as you can see in the following content.

DC K.O.’s Dragon Ball Potarra Connection

Superman has a new look, combining his powers with those of Shazam! While he still has the iconic “S” shield, it now includes a lightning bolt design inspired by the Wizard, and his cape has been updated. Interestingly, this new version of Superman is also wearing earrings that strongly resemble the Potara earrings from Dragon Ball. These earrings, first seen during the Majin Buu storyline in Dragon Ball Z, allow two fighters to permanently fuse together – though there are limited ways to separate them. The most famous fusion created with these earrings was Vegito, the combined power of Goku and Vegeta, who battled Buu and later reappeared in Dragon Ball Super to fight Zamasu.

Superman’s victory in this team-up means he joins Wonder Woman, the Joker, and Lex Luthor as characters who could drastically change everything. The final scene is a surprise: powerful, ultimate versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are gearing up for a fight, alongside a grown-up Booster Gold. With Shazam out of the picture, this combined character probably won’t return, but we can anticipate even more unexpected events in future issues of DC K.O.

Past DC Fusions

Combining Superman and Captain Marvel isn’t new – DC heroes have often merged their powers. A recent example is in the comic Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, where a Green Lantern ring caused Batman and Superman to share a single body, creating “SuperBat.” This combination was unusual, but they faced a powerful enemy: a fusion of the Joker and Lex Luthor who became a formidable opponent.

DC Comics has sometimes combined its characters in ways that weakened the Justice League, most notably with the Batman Who Laughs. This villain came from a dark alternate reality as a twisted combination of Batman and the Joker, and he was followed by other dark versions of Batman, each with traits of villains like Doomsday, Cyborg, Aquaman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman. Character fusions aren’t new – we even saw a return of these concepts recently with the Deadpool/Batman crossover that reintroduced Dark Claw, a mix of Batman and Wolverine. While a direct showdown between DC heroes and the characters from Dragon Ball has never happened, many fans have hoped to see Superman and Goku face off to determine who is the stronger hero.

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2026-01-16 00:16