Summary
The Dragon Ball Super manga is ahead of the anime, preventing spoilers.
The manga provides better character development than the anime.
Manga offers consistent power scaling and features underutilized transformations.
When the Dragon Ball series returned after a long hiatus with Dragon Ball Super, there was plenty of hype, as fans of the series were finally getting the new material they’d been craving. After all, Dragon Ball is by far the most popular anime franchise in history. The Dragon Ball Super anime was pretty popular but received a mixed reaction from its audience, with long-time fans and new fans at loggerheads over its quality.
Dragon Ball Super is one of the few instances where the manga had the chance to follow up on the anime, catch up to it, and eventually overtake it with its story arcs and progression. Because of this, it finds itself in a unique position where it could learn from the anime’s mistakes, make corrections to the story, and deliver a more consistent, linear plot. There are a myriad of reasons why reading the Dragon Ball Super manga is worth it.
The Manga Is Ahead Of The Anime
There’s No Need To Worry About Spoilers For The Anime
Chapter: 87
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Release Date: August 2022
Platforms: Shonen Jump, Viz
Unlike the norm when it comes to anime and manga series, the Dragon Ball Super manga began concurrently with the anime and occasionally fell behind it. This has changed, however, as the anime hasn’t aired a new episode since the Tournament of Power arc, while the manga has continued the story. Except for the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, the Dragon Ball Super manga has progressed a couple of story arcs beyond the Tournament of Power.
Reading the Dragon Ball Super manga is an opportunity to avoid spoilers from the anime, in the event the anime catches up again or airs the Moro and Granolah the Survivor arcs. There’s also the possibility that the manga continues, as Toyotaro builds on the late Akira Toriyama’s legacy.
No Filler In The Manga
Linear Pacing And Storytelling For Those Who Dislike Filler
Every anime adaptation of a manga has filler episodes where the story doesn’t progress. Such filler tends to have a mixed reception among fanbases, as some prefer consistent plot progression while others appreciate the breaks an anime takes for slice-of-life moments between characters. It all comes down to whether the anime executes its filler episodes well, but in an action-oriented series like Dragon Ball, where fans crave the next big fight, filler episodes can be particularly annoying.
That’s where the manga shines over the anime. The Dragon Ball Super manga has consistent storytelling, seamlessly flowing from arc to arc in a linear timeline, making it a great way to keep up with the series and its plot progression without unnecessary breaks.
Better Character Development
Improves On The Anime’s Notoriously Underwhelming Character Development
Chapter: 39
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Release Date: August 2018
Platforms: Shonen Jump, Viz
One of the major complaints fans have about the Dragon Ball Super anime is that the characters are one-dimensional and lack sufficient development. Another issue is that the anime largely focuses on Goku and Vegeta, while ignoring the other Z fighters. Even Gohan and Piccolo take a backseat for a long time, and only get some notable screen time during the Tournament of Power arc, alongside Android 17 and Frieza. Furthermore, Goku and Vegeta themselves are pretty shallow on their own, despite enjoying most of the screen time; they only seem to care about fighting and one-upping each other.
The manga takes a different approach, with characters other than Goku and Vegeta getting their big moments. Gohan is often treated as a disappointment by anime fans, mainly because he always drops his training and doesn’t live up to his fighting potential. In the manga, he defeats Kefla, a character who required Goku’s Ultra Instinct form to defeat in the anime. Furthermore, Jiren, the main antagonist of the arc, is not as bland in the manga as he is in the anime, where he’s depicted as a brute who only craves the ultimate strength no matter the cost.
Goku Isn’t An Idiot In The Manga
His Characterization In The Manga Is Noticeably Better
Chapter: 50
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Release: July 2019
Platforms: Shonen Jump, Viz
One of the most prominent critiques of the Dragon Ball Super anime is that Goku’s character is watered down to be the stereotypically stupid hero who only wants to pick fights and get stronger. He’s never serious and always jokes around, behaving as if he doesn’t even understand basic things, such as romantic connections. This version of Goku is a far cry from the Goku in Dragon Ball Z, where he’s shown to be a tactful fighter who deeply cares about his friends and family.
The Dragon Ball Super manga corrects this. Goku is a lot smarter and, on occasion, more serious than he is in the anime. For instance, during the Zamasu arc, he makes a tactical retreat, rescuing an unconscious Vegeta and piloting the time machine himself to return to the past when Zamasu overwhelms them. He also takes the fights against Moro, Granolah, and Gas a lot more seriously and has a strategic approach against characters who are clearly stronger than him to gain the upper hand.
Underutilized Transformations Get A Lot More Screen Time
Transformations Like Super Saiyan God Make More Appearances
The Dragon Ball series has always been about stronger transformations trumping weaker ones and replacing them as the primary form. However, despite stronger transformations existing, the weaker ones have also received their moments, even during the latter stages of Dragon Ball Z, such as Goku transforming into the first Super Saiyan form against Kid Buu to control the Spirit Bomb attack. This doesn’t happen often in the Dragon Ball Super anime.
For instance, in the anime, when Goku achieves the Super Saiyan God transformation against Beerus, it’s only seen once after that during the Tournament of Power arc against Dyspo. The manga gives this transformation its due credit, revealing it has better ki control and speed, and it proves to be useful against the likes of Zamasu, where even Vegeta achieves the form. It also proves to be useful against Hit’s timeskip attack, which otherwise catches a Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta off guard.
The Manga-Specific Arcs Are Excellent
The Two New Arcs Beyond The Tournament Of Power Are Brilliant Stories
Chapter: 60
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Release: May 2020
Platforms: Shonen Jump, Viz
While the anime hasn’t aired a major story arc beyond the Tournament of Power, the Dragon Ball Super manga has continued into two unique story arcs that the anime is yet to catch up to. These are the Moro arc and the Granloah the Survivor arc. These two arcs are excellent stories on their own, that delve into the planet of the Kais’ past, the Saiyans, and Frieza, in addition to developing Goku and Vegeta’s stories.
It’s unclear whether the Dragon Ball Super anime will air these arcs at this time, but if it doesn’t, they’ll remain exclusive to the manga. As has been the case with the manga, the pacing and storytelling with these arcs is excellent. Even the Z warriors get some respect during the Moro arc when the evil Wizard attacks the Earth and the Z warriors are called into action to defend it against his forces.
Power Scaling Is More Consistent
The Manga Scales The Characters’ Powers Much Better
Chapter: 60
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Release: May 2020
Platforms: Shonen Jump, Viz
The Dragon Ball Super anime is often criticized for its inconsistent power scaling. It’s almost always about Goku finding a new power-up after being pushed into a corner, facing insurmountable odds. It often results in fans being unsatisfied with some fights and wishing characters other than Goku were relevant. Vegeta almost always plays second fiddle to Goku, despite being the only other pure-blooded Saiyan from Universe 7, and the Universe 6 Saiyans are easily able to power up through Super Saiyan forms, despite only just learning about them. Almost every other character, other than Frieza, is rendered irrelevant in terms of their power levels compared to Goku, Vegeta, and whichever antagonist they come up against.
This is fixed in the manga, where it not only gives other characters their due in terms of power-ups, but also scales Goku and Vegeta much more respectfully. It also places an emphasis on learning and mastering unique techniques that aren’t simply connected to powering up and being stronger than the opponent, such as Vegeta learning the Spirit Fissure ability from the Yardrats during the Moro arc.
