Dragon Ball Superthe modern sequel to Dragon Ball Zhelped to rejuvenate Dragon Ballof the brand when it was needed most. The 131-episode anime chronicles the continuing adventures of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and the rest of Earth’s greatest heroes as they face unprecedented peril in the form of gods, evil doppelgangers, and a rich multiverse of enemies and allies. Dragon Ball Super also marks the heroes’ introduction to divine ki, which includes several revolutionary new transformations that elevate Goku and Vegeta to incredible places.
Dragon Ball Super is still the canonical Dragon Ball the anime set furthest back in the franchise’s timeline and fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the ongoing manga after its long hiatus. More Dragon Ball Super and an inevitable clash against Black Frieza are guaranteed, but in the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to revisit each of the Dragon Ball Superof the central sagas in order to evaluate how they conclude all of their respective stories.
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10 Dragon Ball Super’s Copy-Vegeta Saga Is A Lazy Way To Put Goku And Vegeta Back Into Battle
Episodes 42-46
Dragon Ball SuperThe Copy-Vegeta Saga is a five-episode interlude between Universe 6 and the Trunks “Future” saga, both of which represent some of the anime’s strongest elements. The Copy-Vegeta Saga feels like frivolous filler material that chronicles Goten and Trunks’ journey to the planet Pot-au-feu, where a superhuman sentient liquid, Commeson, is running amok. Commeson can create duplicates of individuals he encounters, and he runs the risk of permanently stealing that person’s powers if they fail to defeat Commeson in time. This dilemma hits Vegeta, resulting in Vegeta’s superficial threat double.
The battle against Duplicate Vegeta only lasts three of the saga’s five episodes, and it’s not particularly memorable. It’s exciting to add Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks back into the mix, but the end of the saga revolves around a showdown between Goku and Duplicate Vegeta that lacks originality. To make matters worse, Vegeta is forced to nurse a pacifier-like object during all of this to help ward off Commeson’s power-stealing skills. The Copy-Vegeta Saga embarrasses Vegeta and goes into a generic battle that’s easy to ignore.
9 The Golden Frieza Saga Features Diminishing Returns and a Manipulative Finish That Goes Too Far
Episodes 16-27
Dragon Ball Superof Golden Frieza Saga, which adapts and expands on the events of Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ marks the return of one of the franchise’s fiercest enemies. There’s genuine excitement that comes from Frieza’s rebirth, not to mention a new transformation in tow, but it all comes across as pretty lazy storytelling. Even Frieza’s new Golden Frieza form is just a fancy palette swap of his fourth form, rather than a truly creative and innovative transformation. There are still some strong moments throughout this saga, like the return of Captain Ginyu, but there are some definite pacing issues that are particularly glaring in the later episodes.
The Golden Frieza saga could have ended on a satisfying and cathartic note if Dragon Ball Super just let Vegeta take out Frieza. Instead, Vegeta’s ego gets in the way and buys Frieza enough time to blow up the Earth. Certainly, the visual of Earth’s destruction is truly shocking and Dragon Ball Super deserves credit for getting this far. However, the resolution in which Whis literally rewinds time with his divine temporal recasting ability is deeply frustrating and sets a dangerous precedent for what is possible with angels. The spectacle of Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta giving their all against Frieza isn’t enough to redeem a lackluster finish.
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8 The Beerus Saga, Super’s God of Destruction, Ends an Exciting New Story on a Dull Note
Episodes 1 to 15
Dragon Ball SuperThe very first story arc of, the God of Destruction Beerus saga, adapts the exceptional Dragon Ball Z movie, Battle of the Gods. This is a formative story arc that introduces the concept of the Gods of Destruction and Angels, but also the next level of Super Saiyan strength: the Super Saiyan God. Goku’s transformation into Super Saiyan God is breathtaking and he engages in a gripping battle against Beerus. The problem with this saga is that it ends without a proper or logical conclusion. Goku fearlessly intercepts Beerus’ ultimate Sphere of Destruction attack, causing him to revert to his base form.
Beerus, as the victor of the battle, remains committed to his promise to destroy Earth as punishment. However, Beerus becomes distracted by Earth’s delicious cuisine and ends up falling asleep before he can launch his attack. It’s a very convenient ending with no consequences. This doesn’t mean that Goku should have won this fight or that Earth should have been destroyed. Beerus could have just set slightly different settings so it doesn’t feel Dragon Ball Super completely cheats your way out of an ending. A godly villain who can’t destroy his opponent because he’s too busy sleeping isn’t exactly an exciting resolution to a story.
7 Dragon Ball Super’s Broly cinematic saga ends with brutal Saiyan brawl
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Dragon Ball Superthe first feature film returns to some of the Dragon Ball ZThe most popular cinematic material by correctly canonizing Broly, the legendary Super Saiyan. Most of the larger beats surrounding Broly and his father, Paragus, are the same between Dragon Ball Z And Dragon Ball Super: Broly. However, there are crucial differences in Broly’s story that make him a much more sympathetic character, more of a tragic victim of circumstance than a brutal tool of destruction. Dragon Ball Super: Broly also canonizes Gogeta, Goku, and Vegeta’s Metamoran fusion dance form, leading to a heightened climax.
Fans were excited to see Gogeta Blue go all out against Broly, but the film wisely keeps its villain alive thanks to a well-timed Dragon Ball wish. Broly survives the events of the film and there is an extremely sweet conclusion where Goku has a heart to heart with the manipulated Saiyan. The two are able to bond over their complicated pasts and the history of their people. Goku’s demand that Broly call him Kakarot is the culmination of decades of character development and a surprisingly strong note on which to go out.
6 The Universe 6 saga ends with a strong mix of strength and surprises
Episodes 28-41
Dragon Ball Super introduces audiences to the concept of gods of destruction, angels, and other divine beings, but the Universe 6 saga expands these principles to include alternate dimensions in the form of a multiverse. Universe 6 is Universe 7’s sister kingdom and its two gods of destruction – Beerus and Champa – gather their strongest fighters to compete for the Super Dragon Balls. The Tournament of Destroyers is a successful precursor to the Tournament of Power, which builds heavily on the concept of the multiverse. Each of the tournament battles features creative fights and some minor revelations. The final fight against the Hit of Universe 6 is particularly tough.
Goku’s Time-Skip technique is so debilitating that it prompts Goku to combine the strength of Super Saiyan Blue and the power of Kaio-Ken. This showdown hits all the right notes and Dragon Ball Super shows enough restraint to make Goku lose. The final showdown of the Tournament of Destroyers pits Hit against Monaka, a lowly pawn that Beerus used to manipulate Goku and Vegeta into training harder. Hit’s loss to Monaka is insincere, and this simplistic finish may frustrate some fans. However, this comedic conclusion, compared to the excellent battle against Goku that precedes it, still builds up to a strong ending.
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5 The superhero saga ends triumphantly with Gohan’s rise to Dragon Ball Super’s strongest hero
Chapters 88-103
Dragon Ball Super has taken a unique approach with its Super Hero Saga, which is currently the most recent material in the franchise. Dragon Ball SuperThe manga didn’t bother to adapt the previous film, Dragon Ball Super: Brolybeyond a single combat flyleaf. However, Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes was made into a longer manga saga containing original material that precedes and follows the events of the film. The superhero saga begins with a three-chapter prequel, the High School Saga, which depicts Goten and Trunks’ high school exploits as Saiyaman X-1 and X-2, as well as the less successful Android experiments of Dr. Hedo before creating Gamma 1 and 2.
The battle against Cell Max ends with Gohan and Piccolo’s totem transformations into Gohan Beast and Orange Piccolo. A victory led by Gohan and Piccolo is enough to ensure that the end of the superhero saga touches the public. However, the manga takes it a step further and tests Gohan Beast’s enhanced power against Broly, Vegeta, and Ultra Instinct Goku. It’s a magical ending that celebrates what makes Dragon Ball so special, and it’s incredibly touching that Akira Toriyama’s finale Dragon Ball The manga chapter celebrates the bond between Goku and Gohan.
4 Granolah The Survivor Saga Pulls a Surprising Bait and Switch With Frieza
Chapters 67-87
THE Dragon Ball Super The manga’s Granolah the Survivor Saga returns to some tried-and-true ideas, like previous victims of Saiyan violence coming out of the woodwork to seek revenge. Granola and his quest to seek revenge on the Saiyans for the destruction of his Cereal people makes for compelling storytelling, especially when he is willing to exploit a flaw in his planet’s Dragon Balls to become the strongest in Universe 7. Granolah naturally transforms from villain to ally once. the Heeter Force – particularly Gas – emerge as the real villains. The Granolah the Survivor saga expands on Bardock’s story and introduces True Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego to audiences. That being said, the biggest surprise comes at the end of the saga.
After several chapters of the heroes’ combined efforts continuing to fail against Gas, Frieza appears out of nowhere and casually destroys the threat with his new Black Frieza transformation. An ending in which a character randomly appears to solve a problem can be extremely complicated, but that gamble pays off when it involves someone like Frieza. Freiza explains that he trained for a decade in a hyperbolic time chamber-like pocket dimension that gave him impossible power. The Heeter Force is decommissioned, but the threat of Black Frieza looms over the heroes’ heads and risks fueling itself. Dragon Ball SuperThis is the next saga when the manga finally returns.
3 Super’s “Future” Trunks Saga Puts Future Trunks in the Spotlight Before Zeno Saves the Day
Episodes 47-76
Future Trunks was one of Dragon Ball Z‘s most popular characters, so it’s incredibly exciting to see him return in Dragon Ball Super. Future Trunks, despite all the good he does Dragon Ball Zonce again finds his timeline in crisis and needs the help of powerful reinforcements. Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks combine their power to take on Goku Black and Future Zamasu before the deadly duo realizes their plan to eliminate all mortals from existence. Goku Black and Future Zamasu use the Potara Earrings to fuse into Fused Zamasu. This exciting complication brings back Goku and Vegeta’s Potara Earring fusion, Vegito, who channels the strength of Super Saiyan Blue to cause irrevocable damage to Fused Zamasu. It would be easy to achieve an ending where Vegito Blue eliminates Fused Zamasu. However, the “Future” Trunks saga understands why it’s important to put its time-displaced Saiyan hero in the spotlight.
Future Trunks ascends to Super Saiyan Rage status and activates a spirit bomb-like power in his signature blade so that it transforms into the Sword of Hope. Future Trunks cuts Fused Zamasu in half and technically triggers the villain’s defeat. The Fused Zamasu transforms into Infinite Zamasu, posing a danger so overwhelming and impossible that Future Zeno must wash his hands of the entire timeline and erase it. Future Zeno’s intervention rings false to some fans, but Future Trunks is still treated as the big hero and a villain so extreme that his destruction requires erasing an entire timeline is as big as it gets.
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2 The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga pushes Goku’s honed ultra-instinctive powers to their peak
Chapters 42 to 67
Dragon Ball SuperGalactic Patrol Prisoner Saga is the manga’s first original story arc, following the conclusion of the anime’s Tournament of Power. The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga covers a lot of ground and benefits from its extremely powerful magical threat, Planet-Eater Moro. This saga makes excellent use of its supporting cast and even Buu plays an important role in the proceedings. The final fight against Moro features inspired teamwork between Goku and Vegeta, the latter having previously trained on the planet Yardrat to master advanced spirit control skills, such as Forced Spirit Fission.
Goku, with the help of Angel Merus, also finally masters the Perfected Ultra Instinct force. The final confrontation involves Moro fusing against Earth itself and using the planet to attack Goku, while the Saiyan uses a giant energy avatar to defend against Moro’s heightened state. Vegeta’s forced spiritual fission provides energy to Goku – including a contribution from Uub – so that he is strong enough to defeat this ancient evil. It’s an exciting show that gives everyone their moment in the spotlight.
1 Dragon Ball Super’s Universe Survival Saga Elects Surprising Fighter As Worthy Winner
Episodes 77-131
Dragon Ball is no stranger to martial arts tournaments, but the Tournament of Power is unlike anything that has ever been seen in the franchise. This free-to-play battle royale between the most powerful fighters in the multiverse puts enormous pressure on not only Universe 7, but everyone. It is entirely reasonable that a tournament of this magnitude where the existence of every universe is at stake would be Dragon Ball Superthe longest saga. That being said, it’s quite shocking that the Universe Survival saga – with the recruitment process and training included – is over 50 episodes long and over a third of the length of the anime.
The Universe Survival Saga features constant battles and reveals exciting new transformations, like Ultra Instinct Goku and Super Saiyan Blue Evolved Vegeta. Dragon Ball Super telegraphs from the start that Universe 11’s Jiren is destined to be Universe 7’s adversary. Dragon Ball Super finds a creative way to subvert expectations after Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, and Android 17 give it their all against Jiren. When the dust settles, Android 17 emerges as the winner of the Tournament of Power. It’s a real surprise, and the hero’s kindness leads to the revival of the rest of the erased universes.
With Majin Buu’s defeat six months prior, peace returns to Earth, where Son Goku (now a radish farmer) and his friends now lead peaceful lives.
- Release date
- January 7, 2017
- Cast
- Masako Nozawa, Takeshi Kusao, Ryô Horikawa, Hiromi Tsuru
- Seasons
- 5