Dragon Ball Super nº 20

ドラゴンボール超 [Dragon Ball Super] #20

by Akira Toriyama, Toyotaro, Daruma Serveis Lingüístics (translator)

Sigue la secuela del mítico shonen de Akira Toriyama.

A pesar de que tanto Goku como Vegeta hacen evolucionar sus "ultratécnicas" para derrotar a Gas, el más poderoso del universo, siguen en grandes apuros. ¿¡Se reincorpora Granola a la batalla...!? Por su parte, en la Tierra, ¿¡un dúo de héroes empieza a estar en boca de todos!? ¡¡Se inicia un nuevo episodio en el planeta Tierra!!

Genres: Manga, Fiction, Comics, Graphic Novels, Shonen, Fantasy, Comics Manga

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2023

About the author

Akira Toriyama (鳥山明) was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most famous work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Toriyama came to be regarded as one of the most important authors in the history of manga with his works highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Christian Schultheiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This next instillation was definitely the hardest to fully place yet and gave me a rough time seeing where I wanted it to land because this arc being was really all over the place. The first two chapters where phenomenal and if they would’ve kept that pace we’d be sitting golden but sadly post Gas fight to the death instead of something unique or more special coming out of it, who do we get but frieza like of course. I knew without having heard from him since his resurrection at the universe tournament and I was expecting him stronger but even in a world of power cop outs they literally just found a way to write him seemingly in stronger because he was just out of the universe at the time, okay. I can’t deny that his black form is beautiful and broken in such a cool way but couldn’t we have just given vegeta and Goku the brief level up moment they deserved from this lengthy lengthy arc. I also lost a bit of interest specifically in the last chapter with a random filler showing of goten and trunks cosplaying superhero’s, huh what an absolutely odd 180 but I'm gonna keep going in hopes that it turns itself around at least a bit. 3.25/5

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

EN The Granolah saga finally comes to an end and, as in so many others, our heroes ultimately triumph after great hardship and some sacrifices.

Throughout the reading, it becomes clear that this series has focused heavily on Son Goku and Vegeta, pushing the other characters into the background. Even figures like Gohan, Trunks, and Goten — who I would have expected to gain more prominence — end up surprisingly overshadowed.

And isn’t it interesting that the new saga now beginning seems to place Trunks and Goten at its centre? We will have to wait and see what comes of it.

--

PT A saga de Granolah chega finalmente ao seu fim e, como em tantas outras, os nossos heróis acabam por triunfar após enormes dificuldades e alguns sacrifícios.

Ao longo da leitura, torna-se evidente que esta série tem privilegiado Son Goku e Vegeta, relegando as restantes personagens para segundo plano. Até figuras como Gohan, Trunks e Goten — que eu imaginaria virem a ganhar maior destaque — acabam por ficar surpreendentemente ofuscadas.

E não é que a nova saga que agora se inicia parece colocar Trunks e Goten no centro da narrativa? Resta esperar para ver o que daqui poderá surgir.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fast paced action. I will admit it, the fights are the best part of Dragon Ball for me. The twists and turns are just a distraction to the next fight. I fo also like that in the comic it is not just about strength but a bit of refining techniques/powers.

Goku and Vegeta are pussed to their limits against Gas, the current strongest in the universe. They will need to push themselves even beyond their newest limits. Will even that be enough? Then their might even be a new challenge coming everyone's way. Meanwhile, on Earth, boys will be boys, and teens will be teens.

It is a great ending to the current story arc and leads straight towards the next arc. Hopefully, it will not be too slow a burn. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what is next. The book finishes with a transformation and character summary.

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

could Freeza stop being annoying

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a sad day in my Dragon Ball Universe!

The series is taking the downhill.. even the newest chapters which are not collected yet, are dull and boring.. of course they're fillers, but I used to like the fillers too in DB. This chapter though, it won't do for me, not enough, and nothing interesting, hopefully the next big villain will appear soon enough and something good will happen to change things for the better.

Of course it's not THAT bad as to stop reading the series, especially if you're a fan, which I doubt you're not, if you've been following the series up to Super for all these years.

So, it was just ok, and hopefully it will get better!

This is my first 2-star rating throughout the whole DB series! My favorite manga series of all time in a new low. Sad.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why Dragon Ball Super even exists anymore... Every arc gets worse the further you get into the series. This volume brings an end to an overly-long arc and begins a new one that clearly shows that they've run out of ideas... A double-Saiyaman arc? Really?

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolute proof that this story has no foreseeable end!
Two stories here:
1) The battle against Gas continues. First Vegeta (getting beat on to better perfect his Ultra Ego), then Goku, then Granolah joins them against Gas. Just when it looks as if they have him beat, he sacrifices more of his remaining life to powerup and Gas wins. About to kill all three of them, a spaceship suddenly enters the atmosphere and out steps Freeza. Gas, completely driven to win this battle so he could kill Freeza, attacks the dictator immediately..... and is immediately obliterated! When confronted how Freeza could be so powerful if Gas was supposed to be the strongest fighter in the universe (because of the Dragon Balls), Freeza proclaims that he wasn't in the universe when the wish was made. He was in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and has spent "10 years" there getting stronger. He transforms into his new form, Black Freeza, defeats them simply and leaves them alone to rest. (we know this means that they'll have to get stronger and fight him soon enough.
2) Teen Trunks and Goten have made hero suits and are passing themselves off as Saiyaman X-1 and Saiyaman X-2, the cleanup heroes. The story mostly consists of them helping against criminals, not getting caught by their moms, and Trunks trying to ask Mai on a date. We'll definitely see more of this in the next Volume.

Overall, this title still is fun, but I don't think it will ever end. LOL
Still recommend.... as long as you are caught up.

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I didnt see that end coming!!!
Plus that last chapter was really fun!

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I already knew how the Granolah/Gas arc ended. Actually, I read the last chapter, #87, I guess to be up-to-date for when #88 dropped after a sizable hiatus, on the chance that 88 wouldn't be as "hard" a start for the new arc as it ended up being. Anyway, the final battle is underwhelming, and is filled with shit I'm sure Toriyama didn't come up with, including Son Goku "mastering" a "unique" form of Ultra Instinct based on -Sign- rather than the silver-haired form; Goku's Ultra Instinct Mangekyo Sharingan summon; and the biggest new thing: Black Freeza. Overall, the arc is "okay," I guess, and, again, I wouldn't mind an adaptation similar to the straight-to-video Z movies, but... it is definitely the worst arc in the franchise, at least if we're calling it "canon" (otherwise Super 17 from GT may be worse?).

Anyway, the last chapter here begins something of an adaptation of the Super Hero film, beginning with new material covering Goten and Trunks in their school days as new Saiyamen. Toyotarou's art looks especially shitty now, possibly because he strikes me as the type of dude who loves Toriyama's fights and not his sense of humor, but overall this seems somewhat promising. I mean, we had a movie about Son Gohan, called Super Hero, without featuring the original Saiyaman, so, I guess, at the very least, this sub-arc makes up for that bit of weirdness...?

[cobwebbing]

SPOILERS

What a turnaround! It has its problems, but I really enjoyed the Granolah arc, especially coming hot off the heels of the Moro arc where I dragged my feet through the entire thing. To give you an idea, it took me several different reading sessions over several months to arrive kicking and screaming at the end of the last arc. Meanwhile, I blew through volumes 15-21 in the span of a day because I was so interested in what would happen next (sans volume 17 which I need to circle back and read because I didn't realize I don't own it and was too impatient to wait to buy it before continuing on to 18).

I like Granolah, I like the Heeters, I like the inclusion of Bardock (even if I think his characterization and motivation [or lack thereof] is, in a word... weak), I liked that Goku and Vegeta alternated between being sidelined and working as a team, and I looooved the brief return of the Oozaru. The things I didn't enjoy as much, like the introduction of yet another Namekian character, the misunderstanding driving much of the conflict, and many issues with Bardock, I was willing to forgive because I was so invested in what was going on.

Granolah's design and character are really fun. I liked him and found him sympathetic almost instantly. Nothing more to say, really. He's great.

The same goes for the antagonistic Heeters, although I'm side-eyeing the way that they're Black-coded somewhat given their baddie status. Anyone who says, "They're blue aliens!" is willfully not paying attention. Their designs are clearly meant to evoke humans of African descent. That said, I personally really love their distinctive silhouettes and personalities. Elec and Macki are my favorites from an aesthetic standpoint and I ended up feeling really sorry for Gas by the time he met his end (good gravy the names in this series). While Oil wasn't my favorite, I also liked the way he and Macki played off of each other. It's so funny that they go to Earth and ask for help, straight out lying to Bulma, Goku, and Vegeta's faces. It's equally funny when they wind up hired by Freeza after their brothers are toast.

My biggest sticking points were that

a) the Saiyans didn't kill Granolah's mom Muesli and Bardock worked to save them both. Once that misunderstanding is cleared up Granolah is just cool with Goku and Vegeta, I guess, despite their race obliterating the rest of the Cerealians (maybe this is covered in volume 17 but I doubt it).

b) The aforementioned characterization of Bardock. I knew going in that he wasn't going to be like he was in the 90s--a deeply flawed antihero and a neglectful father who caved under the weight of the fascistic, war-crime-committing society he was a part of. Even so, I hoped for something better than "I felt like not killing you and then sticking my neck out for you because the plot needs me to." He just doesn't explain why he wants to save Granolah, Muesli, and the Namekian (he has a name but I cannot be bothered to remember it).

c) Goku gets Bardock's scouter as a keepsake. HUH? This gives off some real, "This was your father's lightsaber, he murdered thirty children with it," vibes. Bardock may have done one (1) noble act in the context of this story by helping two of the Cerealians he and his squad were McMurdering + one Namekian, but he USED THAT SCOUTER TO FIND/GAUGE THE STRENGTH OF PEOPLE DURING CONTINUOUS ROUNDS OF GENOCIDE. Unless it has some other valuable information on it, throw that thing away!

d) "I'd wish that my sons would end up thriving." Uh-huh. Raditz thanks you for that, Dad.

It's funny that a lot of my issues revolve around Bardock, because I enjoyed seeing him quite a bit. Toyataru seems to have had a lot of fun drawing him. Bardock's rule of cool factor negated a lot of my criticisms--he's just such a neat-looking character and his rough attitude is fun. I would recommend checking out the specials Bardock: The Father of Goku and Episode of Bardock if you want a more interesting/nuanced/flawed version of this character, though.

I was utterly shocked at the way that the final conflict with Goku, Vegeta, Granolah, and Gas shook out. I thought that we were all the way done when Granolah hyperbeamed Gas, but nope! He's still kicking! And an absolutely horrific zombie thing! TERRIFYING. The way that Freeza shows up and dusts him is arguably very deus-ex-machina-y, but I didn't mind it at all. The explanation for him showing up and why he has had such a big power jump made complete sense to me.

There's no elegant place for me to mention it, but I LOVED Ultra Ego. Freaky Face Form, indeed. Looking forward to seeing it properly introduced when I go back to read volume 17.

Finally, I like that this arc had a very The Last Jedi-type ending: it feels like everyone lost. Goku and Vegeta were not able to handle Granolah OR Gas and they certainly are not able to handle Freeza right now, Granolah is going to die in three years thanks to his own hubris, and half of the Heeters are dead. The Moro arc had yet another problem of feeling like there were very few real consequences for our heroes--every named character we care about is revived per Dragon Ball's refusal to let anyone stay dead.

It's very much a personal taste thing, but I would rather have a small cast of characters struggling with interpersonal issues rather than the massive every-single-named-character-is-here conflicts.

So yeah. This arc is now competing with Goku Black for my favorite DBS arc.

[José Baena Castel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Tizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

FREEEEEEEEEZAAAAAAAAAAA

[JamBlam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The end of the Granola the Survivor arc and, thankfully, I'm glad it's over. This whole arc has easily been the weakest in Super because of it's flat characters, lack of plot development and slow pacing. This volume covers yet another fight between Goku, Vegeta and Gas whilst throwing in a final surprise but by this point, it involves a character who is being overused as a guest. The power scaling from this volume puts it in a place where from here, it's going to be difficult to understand what they can and can't achieve. It's also another arc, like the Goku Black arc, that they simply did not know how to end organically so had to write in a sudden finish that just abruptly ends it. Super's biggest problem is that the characters are always being outclassed by sheer impossibility rather than using smart ways to get around the issue.

Some of the panelling is nice as Toyotaro's art shines but as the fight has been drawn out for so long, the environment and ideas of choreography have become bland and repetitious. A few concepts just get abandoned such as Bardock, Seven-3 and even Granola becomes 2nd fiddle, the character who should of been front and centre at this point instead of Goku.

However, the end of the volume begins a new arc and puts us back on Earth in a much more carefree and comedic setting, with fresh character faces and already more development being put into place to set up the story. I enjoyed the beginnings of this.

[Diogo Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume serves both as the kinda rushed but acceptable end of the Granolah/Gas saga, that was... kinda unsatisfying, but at least an ending, and the start of the new saga...

And let me say, if this got 4 stars, it's all about that new saga. My favorite part of DBZ - Gohan's college years - now redone with Trunks and Goten? Yes, please.

I'm way more excited for this manga now than I was before.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course Freeza would come back and bother us again. Because why not?
Also, it’s interesting that Bardock made a wish for his son to thrive? Is that the sole reason why Goku survived and did those amazing feats? I’m not sure about that, but we can’t assume that he was a terrible father.

[Brendon A · Rating 5 out of 5]

9.5/10 The volume begins with Granolah and Vegeta fighting in order to stall time for Goku to find “his own ultra instinct”. Vegeta believes that while In ego he becomes stronger the more damage he takes. Which seems to be true but the power does wear off. As he his fighting back against gas he passes out. Goku finds a new form, his own form of ultra instinct. He puts up a good fight against gas and he’s just one notch stronger than him but then Elec tells Gas that this is a stepping stone to killing Frieza and if this is his grave so be it. This turns Gas into beast mode and he beats the life out of Goku using some strength and a projection of bigger hands and feel seem to be coming from his power, sorta like a Susano but of his own body.

Right as Gas is about to kill Goku, Granolah shoots at gas and stops him. Goku makes a plan to keep Gas busy while Granolah charges up his move (which looks pretty cool, like a kamehameha but out of his finger tip while making a gun sign with his hand.) The other siblings come to the aid of Gas while Granolah charges up but Monaito uses a hidden move he use to have at his prime supposedly where he can hypnotize people and make them lose consciousness. Goku goes back into ultra instinct and basically makes a Susano version of himself over his actual body and uses the enlarged self to grab gas and throw him into space to prevent blowing up planet cereal. Granolah hits him with enough power to kill him but his body still is together but heavily damaged and unable to move it seems.

Granolah lets them all live and claims he’s not out for revenge, not anymore. Monaito now has super namekian powers and can heal all of them back to full power and he does that. As they are being healed, Elec begins to fly back to his ship alone and abandon his siblings. As he’s talking about leaving his siblings he says “gas is about to…” then gas (looking like a zombie, barely walking) shoots Monaito with a Kai blast through his torso. He asks Granolah if he still isn’t interested in revenge, even now, after killing Monaito.

Vegeta and Goku Pursue Gas now that he is back up while Granolah checks on Monaito. As he’s fighting Vegeta and gas they question how he’s still alive but looks so dead. Elec yells for gas to finish it quick when the sister comes and tells him to stop and that Gas is dying. Elec reveals Gas is about to die because the wish takes years off his life everytime he gets stronger, gas didn’t know this him. He stops fighting and says “wait I’m dying and starts grabbing his face in agony” and then Elec says that he should not be a useless scum and make himself useful in his last moments. Then another person appears on planet Cereal behind gas, ITS FRIEZA.

Gas launches as Frieza and vows to kill him, Frieza puts his hand straight through Gas’s stomach and breaks his body into pieces and crushes him. Frieza asks why Elec called him to this planet. It seems Elec called Frieza for Gas to kill him after he killed the Saiyans. Frieza reveals he knew about Elecs plans to kill him for the past 40 years, that gas is dead now and that Elec was always the weakest Heeter, and blasted him to dust.

Frieza says Gas is the strongest in this universe but he’s been training in another dimension. He is far stronger than Vegeta and Goku and say that this isn’t what he is worried about right now and that he has other things to attend to. He leaves, whis shows up and heals Monaito as a favor to Goku. They over Granolah to come train he declines because he wants to repair planet Cereal his last few years but he will come spar with them one day. Vegeta and Goku go back to Whis’s and Beerus Planet and help them make food and rest up from their fight and get ready to train.

Meanwhile on Earth Goten and Trunks are the new Saiya-Men. A super hero duo but aren’t telling anyone. Trunks almost gets caught by his grandparents but escapes safely. He asks pilaf for a favor to help with their suits and superhero stuff, he does in exchange for the dragon balls. All of trunks grandpas helper bots seem to turn into Frankenstein looking creatures. Trunks want to take Mai on a date but pilaf and his crew are repairing all the tampered bots. Trunks makes it his mission to find the people tampering with the helper bots. He finds out there’s a Frankenstein looking guy reprogramming them and follows them back to base which turns out to be the “haunted house” his friends wanted him to go to and they were all there, but the ghost were actually these criminals hacking the bots. All they find in their base is a disc that’s says “Dr Gero Confidential Disc”.

Krillin the cop shows up to the haunted house saying resident called in a complaint and are saying they see dead people from a morgue walking around this area. The boss of the “ghouls” returns to see the disc robbed and his people defeated, he said he will get them up and running again since they are just corpses. The boss looks like Dr. Hedo who runs his own red rocket operation in the DBS Super Hero movie. Maybe this is the Super Hero Arc but it seems to have a different build up than the movie. It could be very interesting if more than just Gohan and piccolo are involved like the movie.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why so boring :(

[Max McKinnon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Saiyaman concept already was an inconsistent plot device and boring/broken concept in the original, but here it is again except two this time. Very much a filler volume.

Also, RIP Toriyama. What a legacy and what an incredible epic. I wonder what will happen to the series now.

I wish they would go back to around the Buu era and re-write starting from there making use of the world elements but making more use of solid plot devices instead of making Goku’s power level the sole plot device. Things like climbing Korin Tower, Yajirobe being weak but so weak he isn’t noticed and cut off the tail to save the day, Piccolo training Gohan whose emotions are tied to his power (and later becomes SSJ2 with Android 16’s help), Gohan accidentally breaking the Z sword, and so on. Once it became about Goku and the only plot device is who has the higher power level, rather than inventing new plot devices such as new skills, new enemy personalities, and so on, things really went downhill. Piccolo has been irrelevant for a while, and even Vegeta is irrelevant in these latest novels which is a shame.

The very best DBZ storytelling happened in the Freeza Saga with the intersecting storylines and blurred temporary political alignments for power when Gohan and Krillin were on Namek to revive their friends with the dragon balls, Vegeta was on Namek to steal the dragon balls from Freeza, Goku was traveling to Namek to assist but was delayed from recovery from almost being killed by Vegeta, and so on. Power level was one of many relevant factors, instead of the only factor, which is what made that saga so good. Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin becoming temporary allies against a greater power, and later Kakarot to join them, was great point of tension and unstable allyship, with each sub-faction having tricks up their sleeves to disrupt the state of affairs such as Vegeta convincing Krillin to nearly kill him to get Dende to boost his power to surprise Freeza, or Gohan and Krillin being the weakest ones there but having a huge advantage in being able to suppress their qi and track the dragon balls directly.

RIP and much love to Toriyama!

[Hafeez · Rating 4 out of 5]

VOLUME 20: CHAPTER 85-88
Arc 6: Granolah the Survivor Saga
Arc 7: High School Saga

Vegeta keep receiving damages until his body cannot withstand it. Goku rejoin the battle with regular Ultra Instinct. He managed to beat Gas. Elec wants Gas to fight again and Gas unleashed his true power. Goku fight unleashed Gas. Granolah join the battle and he prepares to shot Granolah. Goku and Vegeta trying to buy some time for Granolah. Goku used his chi avatar in Ultra Instinct mode to catch and throw Gas to the space. Granolah shot Gas and he was defeated. Monaito now can fully heal anyone and he heals Goku, Vegeta and Granolah. Suddenly, he was shot by Gas. The battle starts again. Frieza appears in the chaos and he instantly killed Gas. He also killed Elec, which he knows trying to betray him. He showed his new form, Black Frieza, and knocked both Goku and Vegeta. During the fight in Planet Cereal, Frieza found a Hyperbolic Time Chamber and been training in there for about 10 years. Now, he is the strongest fighter in the universe. Frieza retreat and let go of Goku and Vegeta.

Back on Earth, Goten and Trunks already become teenager and going to Blue Hal High School. They also become a superhero named Saiyaman X-1 and Saiyaman X-2. But, their identity still mysterious even to their family. One day, there are many missing and malfunction helper bots from Capsule Corporation. Goten and Trunks investigate the case and they went to a mansion in the Mountain Butterfly. The helper bots were programmed to work in the mansion. Trunks managed to defeat all the workers and he got a data disc that written Dr. Gero. Krillin, who is also a policeman, said that, there are corpses that missing around the neighbourhood.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was another good one and omg it was so freaking epic seeing Goku and Vegeta fight GAS, who continues to grow stronger and yeah just when you think he will be defeated, another twist comes in and its crazy seeing it and yeah seriously that dead zombie form was insane and we see what Elec did to make it happen and its all messed up, and there was a nice moment with Goku and how he fights here that I really like, seriously such a good volume and kudos to the artist for another great volume and that twist with Frieza was awesome and really increases my excitement for the series even more!!

The ending may feel off to some people who read this but it worked for me and the effort of them continuing to grow and training is just so awesome and I like how for the next arc we return to earth and see the focus on Trunks and Goten and what they are upto, the teenage shenanigans, the superhero craze, and the connects to the "super hero" movie and Trunks and Mai omg the romantic tension is so cute there!! <3!

Its one of those self contained stories and really made me love this volume even more so!! Truly awesome one!! And I can't wait to read this next arc!!

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think dragon ball super manga is a good manga to start reading its really great. Its an amazing book because of the action. My claim is the manga characters they introduce is really great. The chapter and the different angles and boxes in the chapter. And the pacing is really good it gets you by the chapter really good. My reasoning is that the art in the manga and effects they also draw in to it it really good and the characters art styles are amazing how they show how they feel and how they show them how they change when they transform into different forms. And how they show the villains and what they plan and they are thinking of is good. They show what they can do what they have done what they conquered what there form and powers are. And my evidence is they show what they are planning and thinking in the chapter and through out the and how they change there character development

[Ben Nealis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a conclusion. Fantastic action all building up to what may very easily be the brutalist death scene in Dragon Ball. This volume concludes the Gas arc and begins the superhero arc which is something I've been looking forward too. Seeing more mature Goten and Trunks is nice as well as them carrying on the Saiyaman legacy. Overall Gas was not my favorite villain but his persistence eventually grew on me. Black Frieza was something I had spoiled for me a long time ago yet his introduction was still shocking. Whis showing up at the end was an unexpected surprise. all in all a fantastic volume that I was not expecting to give five stars to but I think it earns them.

[Shazne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't hate it but I am just so tired of wasted potential. The action was fantastic as usual. I will forever keep up with DBS bcz I love that world despite how much they've tried to tarnish it but also for the art. Toyotarou is not Toriyama but he's close. The way the action flows panel to panel is always exciting but Mannn these conclusions to these story arcs are simply getting worse and worse. Toriyama still got dope ideas but no one knows where to take them nor develop them. IT'S SO FKN LAME. 🤦

[Corey Thibodeaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the prospects of Goku and Vegeta's new power evolutions seem intriguing, I'm sitting here more captivated by the voluptuous "Black Ice." Can't wait for round 2.

Sort of an abrupt way to end an otherwise decent arc, but disappointing how both Gas and Granolah failed to move the needle in any aspect. If you're going to wish to be the strongest being in the universe, at least stop a war or sign a treaty. Settling a 1v1 grudge is peanut-brain behavior.

The closing "filler" is pretty entertaining, even though it does continue to raise questions whether or not we accept Trunks dating Mai.

[James De Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally get a conclusion to this arc, and I gotta say… I expected a bit more. Anyway, there’s still a decent conclusion to the story and we even get the debut of Freeza’s super original and creative transformation: Freeza Black….ugh.

Anyway, since Freeza has now been training for 10+ years in some other dimension, I guess he’s the strongest of the universe.

While I like that the past two arcs have been in outer space, I’m looking forward to the something smaller on Earth. The next arc has me excited and already reminds me a bit of Gohan’s school arc in Z.

[Nikhil Math]

Coming back to Earth, it is crazy to realize that while all this crazy stuff is happening on other planets, the children of Goku and Vegeta are having some run of the mill day to day fun stuff.

Like, aren't they worried about their dads? Do they not loose sleep over that?

It is just wild that Goku and Vetega are having these insane physical battles while having to discover who they really are, all while their kids are going to school in a different galaxy.

Man, these sayians just love to fight and fight!

[Renan Fontes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Granolah arc ends well all things considered, but I could have done without Black Freeza. Ultra Ego's also hard for me to take seriously. Definitely one of the better DBS arcs, though. As for Super Hero, though... I know a lot of people love when Dragon Ball goes slice of life, but the superhero stuff never landed for me, even the original Saiyaman with Gohan. It is fun to see an older Goten and Trunks, though, and their dynamic is well-written.

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume but am thoroughly confused by what some of the characters are capable of. I understand powering up but Goku's energy avatar came out of left field. Where the characters go from here will be interesting. I hope Goku starts dimension-jumping. Fun volume and it's the end of the Granola arc. The beginning of Trunks' and Goten's superhero arc is nostalgic of Gohan and the original Dragon Ball. Worth a read: Grade: B+

[Jordi Vendrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this volume. It has everything I love from Dragon Ball: a very interesting villain with different transformations, new combat techniques, a couple of plot twists, and the typical Goten/Trunks stuff.

[Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to introduce a new Frieza form this way but I really don't care about this slice of life with Goten and Trunks. Watching the db super heroes movie was a big disappointment and I'll probably skip those parts of the manga entirely