OK K.O.! Let’s be heroes: Cartoon Network’s Dragon Ball parody

Cartoon Network’s newest animated series is a really good parody of the Dragon Ball franchise.

The idea of Cartoon Network airing an anime parody series might sound irritating to the network’s longtime fans, due to both the continued existence of Teen Titans Go! (a parody of the original Teen Titans series) and anime being relegated to late Saturday nights. However, unlike Teen Titans Go!, this show does not rely on previously established characters or locations for its humor.

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes is Cartoon Network’s latest original animated series. Created by Ian Jones-Quartey, who has previously worked on Adventure Time and Steven Universe, it is based on his 2013 short Lakewood Plaza Turbo. It originally premiered last year as a series of shorts along with a mobile game titled OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo.

The series is about K.O., a boy who wants to be the world’s greatest fighter. He works at Gar’s Bodega alongside his friends Radicles and Enid. They deal with their boss Mr. Gar while also fighting the evil Lord Boxman, who hates friendship and often sends out his robots to destroy the plaza.

The first two episodes, “Let’s Be Heroes” and “Let’s Be Friends”, do a great job of establishing the show’s universe and characters. The former establishes the setting and protagonists while the latter introduces the main antagonist. Both episodes are funny, have decent pacing, and really good.

The show’s most direct connection to Dragon Ball is through voice actor Stephanie Nadolny, who voices K.O. and previously voiced the younger versions of Goku and Gohan. The show’s most notable Dragon Ball references are Radicles (who looks like a blue Namekian) and characters possessing hero levels (which are somewhat reminiscent of the franchise’s power levels).

Additional anime influences show up in the bright and colorful animation, such as each episode’s title card showing up after the episode has begun, characters sporting distinct hair colors, and exaggerated reactions. Every single character has a unique design that allows them to stand out from one another. It is very refreshing to see a Cartoon Network series that does not look either like it recycled animation from another show or generic.

K.O. is voiced by two actors, the aforementioned Nadolny and Courtenay Taylor of Regular Show. Nadolny appears to be using her young Goku voice in the role, while Taylor does a good impersonation of Nadolny. Jim Cummings, in a rare main role for a non-Disney production, voices Lord Boxman with a great over-the-top performance. Ashly Burch of Attack on Titan voices Enid, series creator Ian Jones-Quartey voices both Radicles and robot villain Darrell, Kate Flannery of The Office voices K.O.’s mother Carol, and David Herman of Futurama voices Mr. Gar.

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes is a great addition to Cartoon Network’s animated lineup. Only time will tell if the show may either be as successful as the aforementioned Steven Universe or flop like Bunnicula.

The first two episodes are currently available for Free on iTunes, with four additional episodes available for purchase on iTunes. The series will premiere Tuesday, August 1st on Cartoon Network.

What do you think about this show? Is it a good parody of Dragon Ball or just as bad as Teen Titans Go!? Feel free to respond down in the comments section.