Superman fuses with Shazam in DC K.O. #3 — a Vegito-style nod to Dragon Ball

In Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson’s DC K.O. #3, Superman briefly fuses with Shazam after Shazam transfers his powers, creating a magically enhanced Man of Steel that explicitly evokes Dragon Ball Z’s Vegito. DC K.O. is a five-issue limited series in which a newly omnipresent Darkseid throws Superman, Wonder Woman, Guy Gardner, Cyborg, Zatanna, Aquaman, Lex Luthor, and the Joker into the brutal “King Omega” tournament.

In the issue, Superman and Shazam team up to face Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan. When the two Green Lanterns come close to winning, Shazam transfers his power to Superman, giving him additional magic-based strength, speed, stamina and wisdom. The Dragon Ball influence goes beyond the fusion itself: Superman’s round earrings in the sequence are a clear nod to the Potara earrings that fuse Goku and Vegeta into Vegito.

Polygon’s piece traces those echoes to earlier crossovers in tone and origin, from Toriyama reworking Goku as an alien Saiyan to anime-style touches in Adult Swim’s My Adventures With Superman and Dragon Ball nods spotted in James Gunn’s 2025 Superman. Polygon also notes historical ties, including Ocean Productions’ 1996 DBZ dub shaping early American impressions, and later Dragon Ball material (Dragon Ball Minus and Dragon Ball Super: Broly) revising Goku’s origin to more closely mirror Superman’s.

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