The fact modern Dragon Ball has split itself between two different adaptations has posed something of a problem for fans looking to get into the series. Not even considering the films that served as the groundworks for Dragon Ball Super, there are massive differences between Toei’s anime and Toyotaro’s manga that go beyond just their mediums. When it comes down to it, neither version of Dragon Ball Super is really comparable with each other.

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Tragically, this isn’t because of the manga and anime’s many differences, but due to the fact that the former cannot stand as its own complete work. The Dragon Ball Super anime might be on a lengthy hiatus, but at least it told a complete story without skipping arcs like the manga. It can be argued that much of what the Dragon Ball Super manga chooses not to adapt is filler– and in some cases, it otherwise would be– but the manga genuinely cuts major chunks of Dragon Ball’s narrative.

For as much as the Dragon Ball Super manga has improved throughout the Moro arc, it’s impossible to ignore all the holes in the story. Toyotaro’s manga, for all the good it brings to the table, skips far too much to shine as a proper sequel to the original series. A shame as it does a better job at embodying the spirit of Dragon Ball better than the anime.

4 Resurrection F

Dragon Ball Z- Resurrection ‘F’

In the manga’s defense, Toyotaro actually had penned a Resurrection F manga in the past. While the adaptation was simply written & illustrated as promotional material for the film itself– and therefore did not adapt the whole story– it was still a comprehensive adaptation that arguably did the movie’s story better justice than Resurrection F. Toyotaro’s paneling offsets the movie’s flat direction, resulting in an engaging enough follow up to Battle of Gods.

Unfortunately, the fact remains that Toyotaro’s Resurrection F is both incomplete and completely omitted from the Dragon Ball Super manga. This becomes a notable problem in the Universe Survival arc when Goku needs to recruit Frieza for the Tournament of Power. The mang acknowledges the events of the film happened, but that they aren’t a part of Dragon Ball Super means Frieza’s return lacks the same weight, context, and punch it has in the anime.

3 Copy Vegeta

Vegeta Got Copied By Comesson in the Anime

Planet Po-tau-feu could be seen as a basic filler arc, more or less just wasting time in-between Dragon Ball Super’s actual story arcs, but it’s important to recognize that DBS consciously focuses on the daily lives of the main characters and actively uses this inter-arc time as a means to develop characters, showcase dynamic, and decompress.

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The Copy Vegeta arc is nothing special in that regard, but it does represent a philosophy the Dragon Ball Super anime embodies that the manga does not. As the manga keeps its focus squarely on the narrative– rarely breaking away to breathe– Toyotaro can’t place characters like Goten & Trunks in the spotlight like in the Copy Vegeta arc.

Granted, Goku ends up saving the day here, but at least the Dragon Ball Super anime invents smaller arcs for its oft-forgotten characters. Had the anime continued past the Tournament of Power, it’s more than likely there would have been another mini-arc after the Universe Survival arc. The manga doesn’t suffer from skipping the Copy Vegeta arc, but it does miss out on the added characterization sagas like it add.

2 Hit

Goku gets assassinated in Dragon Ball Super

On that same token, the Dragon Ball Super anime uses its downtime to resolve plot points that otherwise wouldn’t have their place in future story arcs. Following the Goku Black arc, the Dragon Ball Super anime features a two part episode where Goku and Hit have a rematch where the latter can actually fight his opponent with killing intent.

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The episodes themselves are nothing spectacular, but they add depth to Hit’s character, his relationship with Goku, and the scope of his abilities. Because the manga has no comparable story arc in place, Goku sparks an interest in Hit’s abilities during the Universe 6 Tournament only to never acknowledge them again.

While this is actually pretty typical for Goku– outpacing his rivals at speeds which they can’t keep up– it still speaks to the breathing room the anime is allowed and the manga distinctly lacks. There’s simply no way Toyotaro can afford to break away from the action in a monthly format, whereas the anime’s weekly episodes make smaller scope narrative easy for audiences to digest.

1 Broly

dragon-ball-super-broly-featured

Perhaps the biggest slap in the face the Dragon Ball Super manga gave fans was its omission of Dragon Ball Super: Broly. While it does make sense that Toyotaro wouldn’t be allowed to adapt a story that was in theaters at the time, Broly will undeniably play an important role in Dragon Ball Super’s future.

Not helping matters it simply how Toyotaro breaches the subject. In the same chapter where the Tournament of Power ends and the Moro arc begins (already in itself a massive problem,) there’s promo art for Dragon Ball Super: Broly that alludes to the fact the movie happened in-between pages. Frankly, it’s the most inelegant detail in the manga.

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