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Dragon Ball Omnibus #12
Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 12: Includes vols. 34, 35 & 36
Akira Toriyama's groundbreaking, iconic, best-selling series now in an omnibus edition!
Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is on a quest to collect seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma could use the help of a certain super-strong boy...
Son Goku knows he doesn’t stand a chance against a being as powerful as Cell. But when he and his friends train in the Room of Spirit and Time, there’s no telling what boundaries of skill and power they will surpass! And when they return to Earth ready to beat Cell at his own game, a surprising champion emerges.
Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is on a quest to collect seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma could use the help of a certain super-strong boy...
Son Goku knows he doesn’t stand a chance against a being as powerful as Cell. But when he and his friends train in the Room of Spirit and Time, there’s no telling what boundaries of skill and power they will surpass! And when they return to Earth ready to beat Cell at his own game, a surprising champion emerges.
552 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2016
About the author
Akira Toriyama
1,919 books1,817 followersAkira 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 11, 2018
Great all out action. Finally it is time for Goku Vs Cell. Finally a hidden power that has been hinted at if finally unleashed. Great action I heard from some one this was supposed to be a passing the touch story, I can see that in this story but like most people I an glad the went back to the original formula.
August 11, 2020
SPOILERS
As the last volume concluded with the start of the Cell Game, in which the villain himself easily took down the most annoying character of the whole manga: Mr. Satan. This volume opens with the hero we all root for, Goku, to save the day. In the first ninety pages, it is Goku versus Cell as you would expect, the fight is epic, which starts off as a battle within the fighting tournament arena, which then gets demolished as thus the world itself becomes the battleground.
However, throughout the latter half of the previous volume, Goku has been unusually calm, much to the curiosity from his fellow Z fighters. Realising that Cell is more powerful than him, Goku simply gives up and passes the torch to his successor, who is apparently more powerful than both of them. Much to everyone’s surprise, the person who will supposedly defeat Cell is Goku’ son, Gohan. From the start of DBZ, Akira Toriyama has been teasing Gohan’s hidden power as through the brief moments of Gohan raging, does his power emerge.
No doubt that the other fighters are unsure about Gohan’s capability, not least from Piccolo, who at this point really cares for him and intensely questions Goku about sending his own son to his death. Even Goku starts to question himself as the battle doesn’t go as planned, especially when Cell is tempting to break Gohan emotionally by hatching his Cell Juniors to target the other Z fighters. Although the Cell Juniors are a repeat of the Saibamen from the Vegeta Saga, as well as allowing the rest of the fighters to have something to do instead of just being spectators, I enjoyed that Toriyama was doing something cutesy and humorous when it comes to Cell.
During this climax, there are a handful of character deaths that are all well-earned, from how they are depicted, to how they motivate everyone else. Android 16’s death causes Gohan to be the first to become Super Saiyan 2 as he becomes so powerful that instead of destroying Cell right away, his youthful arrogance gets the better of him, which brings me onto the next big death. It is not a spoiler to say, considering that the front cover gives it away, but the death of Goku hits hard as he teleports a self-destructive Cell to save the Earth, leaving his friends upset whilst his son feeling the deepest regret.
However, the next death is another gut-punch as it turns out that Cell is fully regenerated and states his return by killing Future Trunks. For a first time, Vegeta has lost someone he actually started caring for and begins to fire as many energy blasts against Cell. This does nothing to the villain as he takes down Vegeta, but just as he is about to blast away him, Gohan jumps in saving Vegeta, causing his left arm to be damaged. All hope seems lost as an injured Gohan thinks he’s failed, until he receives a telepathic call from his father (through Kaiō-Sama) and encourages him for one last Kamehameha.
From Gohan’s first glimpse of his power at the beginning of his arc, everything has been building up to what is his finest moment as he and Cell fire their Kamehamehas at each other. As the two energy blasts becomes a duel that literally shakes the Earth, Vegeta gives one of his best moments by firing his energy blast to distract Cell, which allows Gohan to give all of his power into his Kamehameha that obliterates Cell. Afterwards, despite his injuries and exhaustion, Gohan is able to smile, knowing he’s won and made his late father proud. As the fighters fly away feeling victorious, Mr. Satan takes all the credit and convinces the rest of the world that he defeated Cell.
As the heroes rest at Kami’s Lookout, they use the Dragon Balls to grant the wish of resurrecting everyone who was killed by Cell (including Trunks), except for Goku, who was wished back to life previously, though he remains peaceful to stay dead. With one more wish left to be granted, Kuririn makes the noble act of wishing for the bombs inside Androids 17 and 18 to be removed. As the fighters say their farewells, Toriyama ends this story with a footnote with Future Trunks returning to his own timeline, with the power now to destroy the evil androids, including an imperfect Cell.
What could’ve been the perfect ending of Dragon Ball, but due to the popularity of the series as well as the pressure from his editor, Toriyama continues the story by jumping years later as we see Gohan, now a teenager, balancing his high school life with his sudden role of a costumed hero known as the Great Saiyaman. Considering DBZ feels more superhero-orientated than its predecessor, this is basically Toriyama’s spin of the Spider-Man formula, where the humour doesn’t always land. Despite what I imagine was the initial idea of making Gohan the main character, he’s not as interesting as he was in his younger years and in fact gets outshone by some of the new characters.
For starters, you have Gohan’s younger brother, Goten, who is frankly adorable as he looks like a mini-version of his father and much like his best friend, the modern Trunks who is a year older than him, can go Super Saiyan, much to the surprise from Gohan and Vegeta. By this point, anybody can turn Super Saiyan, so it’s not as exciting now. The other new addition is Mr. Satan’s daughter, Videl, who attends the same school as Gohan’s and because she’s smarter than everyone else, she finds out about the Great Saiyaman’s secret identity and blackmails Gohan to teach her to fly.
As the Z fighters reunite years later for the 25th Tenka'ichi Budōkai – showcasing how much some of the characters have gone through, such as Kuririn, who has grown hair and has a daughter with his wife, Android 18 – Goku gets the chance to visit the living for one day so he can compete. Concluding with Goten and Trunks participating with the youth division of the tournament, things end on a lighter note before the storm happens.
As the last volume concluded with the start of the Cell Game, in which the villain himself easily took down the most annoying character of the whole manga: Mr. Satan. This volume opens with the hero we all root for, Goku, to save the day. In the first ninety pages, it is Goku versus Cell as you would expect, the fight is epic, which starts off as a battle within the fighting tournament arena, which then gets demolished as thus the world itself becomes the battleground.
However, throughout the latter half of the previous volume, Goku has been unusually calm, much to the curiosity from his fellow Z fighters. Realising that Cell is more powerful than him, Goku simply gives up and passes the torch to his successor, who is apparently more powerful than both of them. Much to everyone’s surprise, the person who will supposedly defeat Cell is Goku’ son, Gohan. From the start of DBZ, Akira Toriyama has been teasing Gohan’s hidden power as through the brief moments of Gohan raging, does his power emerge.
No doubt that the other fighters are unsure about Gohan’s capability, not least from Piccolo, who at this point really cares for him and intensely questions Goku about sending his own son to his death. Even Goku starts to question himself as the battle doesn’t go as planned, especially when Cell is tempting to break Gohan emotionally by hatching his Cell Juniors to target the other Z fighters. Although the Cell Juniors are a repeat of the Saibamen from the Vegeta Saga, as well as allowing the rest of the fighters to have something to do instead of just being spectators, I enjoyed that Toriyama was doing something cutesy and humorous when it comes to Cell.
During this climax, there are a handful of character deaths that are all well-earned, from how they are depicted, to how they motivate everyone else. Android 16’s death causes Gohan to be the first to become Super Saiyan 2 as he becomes so powerful that instead of destroying Cell right away, his youthful arrogance gets the better of him, which brings me onto the next big death. It is not a spoiler to say, considering that the front cover gives it away, but the death of Goku hits hard as he teleports a self-destructive Cell to save the Earth, leaving his friends upset whilst his son feeling the deepest regret.
However, the next death is another gut-punch as it turns out that Cell is fully regenerated and states his return by killing Future Trunks. For a first time, Vegeta has lost someone he actually started caring for and begins to fire as many energy blasts against Cell. This does nothing to the villain as he takes down Vegeta, but just as he is about to blast away him, Gohan jumps in saving Vegeta, causing his left arm to be damaged. All hope seems lost as an injured Gohan thinks he’s failed, until he receives a telepathic call from his father (through Kaiō-Sama) and encourages him for one last Kamehameha.
From Gohan’s first glimpse of his power at the beginning of his arc, everything has been building up to what is his finest moment as he and Cell fire their Kamehamehas at each other. As the two energy blasts becomes a duel that literally shakes the Earth, Vegeta gives one of his best moments by firing his energy blast to distract Cell, which allows Gohan to give all of his power into his Kamehameha that obliterates Cell. Afterwards, despite his injuries and exhaustion, Gohan is able to smile, knowing he’s won and made his late father proud. As the fighters fly away feeling victorious, Mr. Satan takes all the credit and convinces the rest of the world that he defeated Cell.
As the heroes rest at Kami’s Lookout, they use the Dragon Balls to grant the wish of resurrecting everyone who was killed by Cell (including Trunks), except for Goku, who was wished back to life previously, though he remains peaceful to stay dead. With one more wish left to be granted, Kuririn makes the noble act of wishing for the bombs inside Androids 17 and 18 to be removed. As the fighters say their farewells, Toriyama ends this story with a footnote with Future Trunks returning to his own timeline, with the power now to destroy the evil androids, including an imperfect Cell.
What could’ve been the perfect ending of Dragon Ball, but due to the popularity of the series as well as the pressure from his editor, Toriyama continues the story by jumping years later as we see Gohan, now a teenager, balancing his high school life with his sudden role of a costumed hero known as the Great Saiyaman. Considering DBZ feels more superhero-orientated than its predecessor, this is basically Toriyama’s spin of the Spider-Man formula, where the humour doesn’t always land. Despite what I imagine was the initial idea of making Gohan the main character, he’s not as interesting as he was in his younger years and in fact gets outshone by some of the new characters.
For starters, you have Gohan’s younger brother, Goten, who is frankly adorable as he looks like a mini-version of his father and much like his best friend, the modern Trunks who is a year older than him, can go Super Saiyan, much to the surprise from Gohan and Vegeta. By this point, anybody can turn Super Saiyan, so it’s not as exciting now. The other new addition is Mr. Satan’s daughter, Videl, who attends the same school as Gohan’s and because she’s smarter than everyone else, she finds out about the Great Saiyaman’s secret identity and blackmails Gohan to teach her to fly.
As the Z fighters reunite years later for the 25th Tenka'ichi Budōkai – showcasing how much some of the characters have gone through, such as Kuririn, who has grown hair and has a daughter with his wife, Android 18 – Goku gets the chance to visit the living for one day so he can compete. Concluding with Goten and Trunks participating with the youth division of the tournament, things end on a lighter note before the storm happens.
December 6, 2019
The epic finale of Cell Saga and the start of the Buu saga is all here.
Gohan going Super Saiyan 2 is fucking legendary. It's one of the best moments in this series and anime. It's no different in the manga, as the young boy slaughters Cell jrs to prove just how powerful he is. Once they are handled he goes for Cell, who tries his best to fight back, but Gohan is just too damn powerful. Then we get the 7 year time skip and Enter Gohan in College (or high school?) and learning how to be a hero with a cape. The volume ends with Goku returning and a new tournament starts!
The first half is awesome. Epic fighting, great emotional moments, a truly worthy death, and more. It's everything you could want. The art is also great, as Toriyama is pushing his limits with the epic scale. The second half is just okay. Gohan is super cheesy here, the humor is missing a lot, and it doesn't feel very "grand". I do love VIdel though.
Overall, the first half is a 5 out of 5. Where's second half is 3 out of 5. Overall a 4 out of 5 for me.
Gohan going Super Saiyan 2 is fucking legendary. It's one of the best moments in this series and anime. It's no different in the manga, as the young boy slaughters Cell jrs to prove just how powerful he is. Once they are handled he goes for Cell, who tries his best to fight back, but Gohan is just too damn powerful. Then we get the 7 year time skip and Enter Gohan in College (or high school?) and learning how to be a hero with a cape. The volume ends with Goku returning and a new tournament starts!
The first half is awesome. Epic fighting, great emotional moments, a truly worthy death, and more. It's everything you could want. The art is also great, as Toriyama is pushing his limits with the epic scale. The second half is just okay. Gohan is super cheesy here, the humor is missing a lot, and it doesn't feel very "grand". I do love VIdel though.
Overall, the first half is a 5 out of 5. Where's second half is 3 out of 5. Overall a 4 out of 5 for me.
January 3, 2025
Well... I guess this is a downhill from the previous volumes?
Up until Gohan fought with Cell, it was exciting. After the Cell arc was finished, it went pretty bad. Making teenager Gohan look like a lame Superman was a bad move I think, and all this filler stuff with Hercule reeks with no creativity. Like... Toriyama's fuel just ran out. I don't know. I really didn't like this volume. Like Vegeta said: there's a bargain deal on super saiyans now that Goten and Trunks just happened to be able to become super saiyans. I get it that as an author you have to up the scale, but you should stick to some character development. Or at least something that resembles that.
Anyway, gotta finish this series now, only 2 more to go.
Up until Gohan fought with Cell, it was exciting. After the Cell arc was finished, it went pretty bad. Making teenager Gohan look like a lame Superman was a bad move I think, and all this filler stuff with Hercule reeks with no creativity. Like... Toriyama's fuel just ran out. I don't know. I really didn't like this volume. Like Vegeta said: there's a bargain deal on super saiyans now that Goten and Trunks just happened to be able to become super saiyans. I get it that as an author you have to up the scale, but you should stick to some character development. Or at least something that resembles that.
Anyway, gotta finish this series now, only 2 more to go.
July 2, 2024
I think this was the best so far.
Daming awesome moments!!
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Daming awesome moments!!
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March 17, 2021
This is, imo, the greatest dragon ball volume. To start off with Goku vs Cell, have Gohan ssj2 in the middle, and the beginning of the buu saga? If you could only have one dragon ball volume, this would be the best one to get.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2023
While ssj 2 Gohan isn't my favorite transformation in the series I did enjoy the artwork and fight choreography were top notch. The beginning of the Buu saga is something I've been looking forward to since the beginning of the series so I am as hooked as ever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2017
This set of volumes is suitably epic, seeing the final confrontation between our heroes and Cell, with even Goku lacking the power to face him, but Gohan managing to do so once he unlocks his inner strength through rage. It's pretty good, even if it doesn't reach the heights of some of the earlier conflicts. Maybe the image on the cover spoiled things (Goku has a halo, so he's going to end up dying, right?), or maybe the scale has gotten large enough that the impact of the potential threat isn't as relatable, but I didn't feel a huge level of danger or a sense that our heroes were only barely scraping out a victory against impossible odds. Still, it's fun enough. Only two more volumes to go!
August 28, 2025
Okay, I adore the start of the Buu saga. It is so fun to see goofy Gohan interact with the regular world. The Great Saiyaman is so funny. Videl is a great addition- through her we actually see flight be taught for the first time. It's really cool to see how her worldview is suddenly shifted as she becomes familiar with the core dragon ball cast.
The whole intro is this sort of goofy, wholesome humor that Toriyama nails. He's matured as an author, and doesn't need to rely on sexually harassing one of the characters as the core joke anymore.
The power scaling with trunks and goten (whose appearance felt random, but maybe he was supposed to be our goku replacement since goku is dead "for real" this time) is kind of ridiculous, but it's necessary to make them part of the story.
The Buu Saga is probably the worst arc in dragon ball z- but it certainly isn't bad. And I had a lot of fun with this intro.
The whole intro is this sort of goofy, wholesome humor that Toriyama nails. He's matured as an author, and doesn't need to rely on sexually harassing one of the characters as the core joke anymore.
The power scaling with trunks and goten (whose appearance felt random, but maybe he was supposed to be our goku replacement since goku is dead "for real" this time) is kind of ridiculous, but it's necessary to make them part of the story.
The Buu Saga is probably the worst arc in dragon ball z- but it certainly isn't bad. And I had a lot of fun with this intro.
December 20, 2021
The epic final fight with Cell, the tidying up of Future Trunks' storyline and then.... the time jump to teenage Gohan's gawky superhero costume? I remember from the anime thinking "why on earth did they put this in?", but in the manga it's more obvious that it's Gohan just trying to fit in with school fellows, unable to help himself from helping others. He's basically so powerful a warrior that he forgets how much of what he can do is superhuman.
August 15, 2026
When you read a long running series you'll experience a lot of highs and lows. There are moments you come across which stick with you and you reflect on your entire life. This volume is filled with some of those moments as the Cell Games concludes and Gohan discovers a power long dormant. It's the kind of reading experience which puts a smile on your face.
January 7, 2020
Goku!! Oh my gosh.
As someone who has never watched the anime straight through I really loved all the dynamics this manga compilations has. I really saw how the story breaks and continues and I got to know more characters outside of Goku which was a breath of fresh air.
As someone who has never watched the anime straight through I really loved all the dynamics this manga compilations has. I really saw how the story breaks and continues and I got to know more characters outside of Goku which was a breath of fresh air.
September 5, 2026
Los volúmenes finales de la saga de los androides fueron meh. Interesante el papel de Gohan, pero sin más. El volumen del nuevo salto temporal me pareció super cuqui y divertido, con Trunks y Goten niños y todas las bromas con Gohan adolescente.
April 12, 2018
a great volume. From the conclusion of the Cell Saga to the introduction of Gohan's highschool years... a great story all around.
May 16, 2021
** 3.5 stars **
August 31, 2021
Volume 35 had some really cool moments, Volume 36 was just really really funny.
March 26, 2023
Book 12 containing volumes 34, 35 and 36, chapters 397 to 432.
RIP Son Goku, Arise Son Gohan!
Only two omnibuses left.
RIP Son Goku, Arise Son Gohan!
Only two omnibuses left.
November 21, 2023
Yeah. Amazing.
Want to Read
January 19, 2024SM
December 5, 2024
Introducing us to another tournament arc , which are honestly the most fun, makes this volume one of the better ones.
May 16, 2016
awesome
April 3, 2018
Re-living some of the childhood.
Read
April 6, 2018Dragon ball volumes 34,35,and 36 by Akira Toriyama is all about Goku and his friend's fight against the evil bio-monster Cell. Cell has achieved his perfect form that is far beyond anything the Z fighters have ever faced before. Cell is so far out of their leagues that he destroyed Vegeta one of the strongest fighters in the universe with only using five percent of his full power. He also beat Goku at less than half power. Cell has enough power to destroy the entire solar system with one attack. In this battle for the fate of the entire planet someone will sacrifice their own life for the sake of the world. In this story a new hero will rise to battle cell and save the world.
This book as some amazing action in its over 500 pages. The battles in this book are some of the best in the entire series, and that is definitely saying something. The ending for this chapter of the series could end the series right now its so good( but it doesn't). This book is one of the best in this amazing series and i definitely recommend reading it.
I would give this book a 9/10 because it has tons and tons of action in it and one of the best endings for a book that I have ever seen. I would recommend this anyone looking for an engaging read.
This book as some amazing action in its over 500 pages. The battles in this book are some of the best in the entire series, and that is definitely saying something. The ending for this chapter of the series could end the series right now its so good( but it doesn't). This book is one of the best in this amazing series and i definitely recommend reading it.
I would give this book a 9/10 because it has tons and tons of action in it and one of the best endings for a book that I have ever seen. I would recommend this anyone looking for an engaging read.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews