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Dragon Ball Omnibus #13
Dragon Ball 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 13: Includes Vols. 37, 38 39
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...
Kaiô-shin—the Lord of Lords, the mightiest deity in the universe—has summoned Son Goku and his friends to try and avert doom for the entire universe. A djinn created eons ago by the wicked warlock Bibiddi is about to be resurrected by Bibiddi’s son, Bobiddi. The djinn possesses unfathomable power and is virtually indestructible once unleashed. Even his name strikes fear in the hearts of all humans: Boo!
Kaiô-shin—the Lord of Lords, the mightiest deity in the universe—has summoned Son Goku and his friends to try and avert doom for the entire universe. A djinn created eons ago by the wicked warlock Bibiddi is about to be resurrected by Bibiddi’s son, Bobiddi. The djinn possesses unfathomable power and is virtually indestructible once unleashed. Even his name strikes fear in the hearts of all humans: Boo!
568 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2016
7 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Akira Toriyama
1,916 books1,725 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 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 25, 2019
The Z fighters return to the Strongest under Heaven tournament. If is the new generations turn. The only thing that made this good rather then great is in a tournament there is no real competition. None of the others is even close to the Saiyans power level. I did find the thus version of Boo really annoying. I know it is still part of the passing the torch but I never did like grown up Gohan I thought he was much better as his kid version.
December 14, 2019
Got food poisoning so making this short. Pretty fun but the start of this arc can be boring. This introduces some major characters like Majin Vegeta and Buu and those parts are a lot of fun. We also get to see Super Saiyan 3, so that was pretty great. A 3.5 out of 5.
July 2, 2024
Why do I think that Buu/Boo is cutesy and not some evil, killing machine? Hahaha!
Anyway, although not as action-packed and heartwarming as the previous one, I would say this penultimate omnibus is a "take a breather" one. But it doesn't mean I didn't like it.
Ahhh Gohan's my favorite DB character na. And Goten is so cute too!
Son Goku, you've lived a good life. Char.
Apart from the villains that I really couldn't care much, I can't think of any character that Ihate don't like.
This is indeed a classic and one of the best mangas ever.
---
"Where're your parents, Bulma?"
"They didn't want to leave the pets. They told me to just bring them back to life later if anything happens."
I felt sad about this. It's just like the "old people" to "sacrifice" themselves and not make much effort to survive catastrophes or disasters. Maybe because they've lived their life well and to the "maximum" already? Save the younger generation instead? Shucks.
"Is it unfair to want to save ourselves?"
Mixed feelings about this. But I just want to bank on the thought that the protagonists in this series are legit thinking of saving others in the bigger picture.
Anyway, although not as action-packed and heartwarming as the previous one, I would say this penultimate omnibus is a "take a breather" one. But it doesn't mean I didn't like it.
Ahhh Gohan's my favorite DB character na. And Goten is so cute too!
Son Goku, you've lived a good life. Char.
Apart from the villains that I really couldn't care much, I can't think of any character that I
This is indeed a classic and one of the best mangas ever.
---
"Where're your parents, Bulma?"
"They didn't want to leave the pets. They told me to just bring them back to life later if anything happens."
I felt sad about this. It's just like the "old people" to "sacrifice" themselves and not make much effort to survive catastrophes or disasters. Maybe because they've lived their life well and to the "maximum" already? Save the younger generation instead? Shucks.
"Is it unfair to want to save ourselves?"
Mixed feelings about this. But I just want to bank on the thought that the protagonists in this series are legit thinking of saving others in the bigger picture.
January 4, 2025
Now this is what Toriyama does best: creating monsters and making them fight with Goku and his friends.
I like this arc, though I remember very little from the anime, but that's good I guess. Vegeta was an absolute blast in this volume, the tournament made me feel nostalgic for the start of Dragon Ball, so this was a good volume all in all.
I like this arc, though I remember very little from the anime, but that's good I guess. Vegeta was an absolute blast in this volume, the tournament made me feel nostalgic for the start of Dragon Ball, so this was a good volume all in all.
September 6, 2023
Nonstop world building and action. From the introduction to the Supreme Kai to Vegetas sacrifice this omnibus is in my top 3 for Dragon Ball. With fusion and the Z sword as a cliff hanger for the upcoming volume I havent been on the edge of my seat reading manga in a long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2020
SPOILERS
Opening this volume with Goten and Trunks fighting each other as finalists in the youth division of the 25th Tenka'ichi Budōkai reminds you of the early years of Dragon Ball when Goku and Kuririn were young buddies that were doing the same thing in the tournament years ago. The fight between the two half-Saiyans is cute and funny, but still as impactful as you would expect from Akira Toriyama. This is a nice palette cleanser – especially when the winner Trunks easily takes down the most annoying character, Hercule, in a publicised sparring match – before the next big arc begins.
With sixteen fighters chosen to compete in the main tournament – including Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Kuririn, and #18 – it starts off in a typical direction when it comes to the Tenka'ichi Budōkai with the first fight (Kuririn versus Punta) played for laughs, but the inclusion of four new players eventually changes the whole game. On one side, you have Yamu and Spopovich, who are two henchmen of a new evil force; and on the other side, you have the Lord of Lords, Shin, and his attendant Kibito, who seek the help of the Z fighters to stop this new threat.
With the tournament no longer a big deal, much to the chagrin from Vegeta, who was supposed to fight Goku during the initial rounds, the Z fighters must prevent the warlock Bobbidi to resurrect the genie-like magical life form known as Majin Boo. Following a few setbacks that take out some of the Z fighters, Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Shin infiltrate Bobbidi’s spaceship, where they have to down multiple stages, each one with a different opponent. Considering that Toriyama was influenced by martial arts movies starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, this saga does feel like a return to some of the classic elements of Dragon Ball, with a great deal of fantasy, especially with characters whose powers are more magic-based, including the demon king Dabra, whose saliva can turn anyone into stone.
Whilst the Z fighters are trying to save the universe again, the Tenka'ichi Budōkai is still ongoing as Hercule suggests a battle royal with the remaining fighters to fight each other all at once, including #18 and Mighty Mask, who is actually both Goten and Trunks in disguise. This plays like a fun contrast before we get to one of the most dramatic moments in all of Dragon Ball, in which Vegeta is so frustrated with the situation, from not getting the chance to fight Goku, to Gohan not being able to defeat Dabra, Bobbidi senses the evil within Vegeta and uses it to control him. Carrying with the Majin insignia, Vegeta has returned to the dark side with the desire to kill his archenemy, whilst disregarding the life he has made on Earth.
Since their first battle at the start of DBZ, the rivalry between Goku and Vegeta has been building to this moment. Both charged up in their Super Saiyan forms, Goku and Vegeta bruise each other up as Toriyama illustrates the fight with such intensity, from the sprinkles of blood to the characters’ torn-up clothing. Whilst this epic fight goes on, Shin and Gohan fail to prevent the resurrection of Boo.
As a being that has destroyed hundreds of planets, Boo’s initial appearance doesn’t suggest such a threat, as he looks like an overweight blubber who acts like an upbeat child. Clearly, Toriyama wanted to create a villain that was entirely different from the likes of Freeza and Cell, and considering some of his mannerisms and powers such as turning anyone into junk foods remind you of the more comical villains of early Dragon Ball, Boo still maintains that sense of galactic threat that can defeat heroes like Gohan. Boo’s presence shifts a number of characters’ motivation, the most significant of which is Vegeta, who finally fights for someone else, rather than his pride as the Saiyan Prince. He acknowledges the family he has made on this planet and actually embraces his son for the first time before performing a sacrificial Final Explosion against Boo.
Obviously, Boo is still around, leaving characters like Goku wondering what to do next. Whilst Gohan is chosen to wield the legendary Zeta Sword, the Z fighters suggests the idea of fusion, in which two people of equal size and power can merge together. As the only two living candidates to fuse are Goten and Trunks, the two half-Saiyans will train to perfect this technique, whilst Bobbidi and his new champion Boo threaten the entire world.
Bring on the final conclusion of this colossal manga!
Opening this volume with Goten and Trunks fighting each other as finalists in the youth division of the 25th Tenka'ichi Budōkai reminds you of the early years of Dragon Ball when Goku and Kuririn were young buddies that were doing the same thing in the tournament years ago. The fight between the two half-Saiyans is cute and funny, but still as impactful as you would expect from Akira Toriyama. This is a nice palette cleanser – especially when the winner Trunks easily takes down the most annoying character, Hercule, in a publicised sparring match – before the next big arc begins.
With sixteen fighters chosen to compete in the main tournament – including Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Kuririn, and #18 – it starts off in a typical direction when it comes to the Tenka'ichi Budōkai with the first fight (Kuririn versus Punta) played for laughs, but the inclusion of four new players eventually changes the whole game. On one side, you have Yamu and Spopovich, who are two henchmen of a new evil force; and on the other side, you have the Lord of Lords, Shin, and his attendant Kibito, who seek the help of the Z fighters to stop this new threat.
With the tournament no longer a big deal, much to the chagrin from Vegeta, who was supposed to fight Goku during the initial rounds, the Z fighters must prevent the warlock Bobbidi to resurrect the genie-like magical life form known as Majin Boo. Following a few setbacks that take out some of the Z fighters, Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Shin infiltrate Bobbidi’s spaceship, where they have to down multiple stages, each one with a different opponent. Considering that Toriyama was influenced by martial arts movies starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, this saga does feel like a return to some of the classic elements of Dragon Ball, with a great deal of fantasy, especially with characters whose powers are more magic-based, including the demon king Dabra, whose saliva can turn anyone into stone.
Whilst the Z fighters are trying to save the universe again, the Tenka'ichi Budōkai is still ongoing as Hercule suggests a battle royal with the remaining fighters to fight each other all at once, including #18 and Mighty Mask, who is actually both Goten and Trunks in disguise. This plays like a fun contrast before we get to one of the most dramatic moments in all of Dragon Ball, in which Vegeta is so frustrated with the situation, from not getting the chance to fight Goku, to Gohan not being able to defeat Dabra, Bobbidi senses the evil within Vegeta and uses it to control him. Carrying with the Majin insignia, Vegeta has returned to the dark side with the desire to kill his archenemy, whilst disregarding the life he has made on Earth.
Since their first battle at the start of DBZ, the rivalry between Goku and Vegeta has been building to this moment. Both charged up in their Super Saiyan forms, Goku and Vegeta bruise each other up as Toriyama illustrates the fight with such intensity, from the sprinkles of blood to the characters’ torn-up clothing. Whilst this epic fight goes on, Shin and Gohan fail to prevent the resurrection of Boo.
As a being that has destroyed hundreds of planets, Boo’s initial appearance doesn’t suggest such a threat, as he looks like an overweight blubber who acts like an upbeat child. Clearly, Toriyama wanted to create a villain that was entirely different from the likes of Freeza and Cell, and considering some of his mannerisms and powers such as turning anyone into junk foods remind you of the more comical villains of early Dragon Ball, Boo still maintains that sense of galactic threat that can defeat heroes like Gohan. Boo’s presence shifts a number of characters’ motivation, the most significant of which is Vegeta, who finally fights for someone else, rather than his pride as the Saiyan Prince. He acknowledges the family he has made on this planet and actually embraces his son for the first time before performing a sacrificial Final Explosion against Boo.
Obviously, Boo is still around, leaving characters like Goku wondering what to do next. Whilst Gohan is chosen to wield the legendary Zeta Sword, the Z fighters suggests the idea of fusion, in which two people of equal size and power can merge together. As the only two living candidates to fuse are Goten and Trunks, the two half-Saiyans will train to perfect this technique, whilst Bobbidi and his new champion Boo threaten the entire world.
Bring on the final conclusion of this colossal manga!
August 23, 2017
We're coming close to the end of the series here, and that's probably for the best, since the pattern for the last several major conflicts is becoming apparent. There's a big threat, and a lot of pages are spent building it up, and then the heroes come up with a way to defeat it. This time around, there's another time jump and a return to one of the tropes that gave the series success in the past: the Budokai Ten'kaichi fighting tournament. However, that barely gets a chance to get started here before everyone has to leave to fight the latest threat, a powerful sorcerer looking to resurrect a djinn that can destroy the entire galaxy. There's a bunch of fighting getting to that point, including what seems to be a final confrontation between Goku and Vegeta, but of course the creature is going to show up to provide an invincible foe for our heroes to face. It looks like that's mostly going to happen in the final set of volumes, at which point the series will reach at least some sort of conclusion. We'll see if it's epic enough to provide a final capstone to the whole long tale.
August 11, 2022
Here we go back to the martial arts tournaments that the series started with, but there's an element of "why aren't these humans recognising the Z fighters by now?". Also "Why would anyone expect to win against them?", and that kinda extends to the actual baddies who the super saiyans gleefully eviscerate. All of this serves to show that the characters we've been following for so long are now so far removed from any peril or challenge that they may as well be gods. When a baddy challenges Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan, they play rock, paper, scissors to see who gets to fight him.
However, all of this said, it adds up to make the character of Boo all the more terrifying. He's not just "more powerful" like the last 10 BBGs, he's different. He uses magic so incompatible with what we've seen before that all the power levels in the universe don't seem to matter. CUPCAKE TIME.
However, all of this said, it adds up to make the character of Boo all the more terrifying. He's not just "more powerful" like the last 10 BBGs, he's different. He uses magic so incompatible with what we've seen before that all the power levels in the universe don't seem to matter. CUPCAKE TIME.
January 7, 2020
So many things happen and I know we are so close to the end of the Dragonball series and I don't want to see it go, even though I know there is still more content. Seeing this whole series evolve from Goku and Bulma driving around innocently looking for dragonballs to the almost-end-of-the-world multiple times has been a delight. I am so happy to have went on this journey.
This saga's installment is really kicking it up a notch. It's ending on it's final cliffhanger and the stakes are all in.
This saga's installment is really kicking it up a notch. It's ending on it's final cliffhanger and the stakes are all in.
February 24, 2019
This book was good, but I didn't like the last one of the three included. It had action, and a lot of creativity and humour, but it just didn't have the same tension as the other books. It lacked something that I'm not exactly sure of, and that made this book a bit of a let-down.
April 16, 2023
Book 13 containing volumes 37, 38 and 39. With chapters 433 to 472.
Fun and crazy as ever. With a couple of new villains, set to destroy Earth!
Only one book left! Can our friends save the planet?!
Fun and crazy as ever. With a couple of new villains, set to destroy Earth!
Only one book left! Can our friends save the planet?!
March 3, 2020
Losing its steam
January 16, 2023
Better than Cell Saga I guess. Still not a big fan of adding more and more gods.
September 6, 2023
På en gang det ultimativt værste arc I serien, samtidig med at det var min introduktion til serien, så det er også mit mest nostalgiske 🙈
December 13, 2023
it’s been a long journey
August 9, 2025
Rating: 4.25/5
Vegeta is very relatable for being so content with his new life that he panics and possibly destroys all life on earth. What a guy.
Vegeta is very relatable for being so content with his new life that he panics and possibly destroys all life on earth. What a guy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2025
One thing I enjoy about the Buu arc is Toriyama goes back to the type of comedy the start of the series did so well (minus the stupid perverted humor - and the jokes are better for it). Gotenks is so silly - never realyl a serious contender, but a punchline for jokes. Somehow, the section leading up their battle with Buu is still tense, with Piccolo wasting time around the lookout. It's a great mix.
Same with Mr. Satan becoming Buu's friend. That was a really touching story - and the storyline would've ended there if it weren't for probably the darkest thing in all of Dragon Ball. Two psychopaths take advantage of the end of the world to see what it's like to kill people - they're introduced by murdering an innocent elderly couple. Crazy. It's their killing of Buu's dog that ultimately leads to the destruction of the Earth.
Buu is a goofy villain, but so overpowered he's still menacing. Toriyama does a great job meshing goofs with tension here.
Same with Mr. Satan becoming Buu's friend. That was a really touching story - and the storyline would've ended there if it weren't for probably the darkest thing in all of Dragon Ball. Two psychopaths take advantage of the end of the world to see what it's like to kill people - they're introduced by murdering an innocent elderly couple. Crazy. It's their killing of Buu's dog that ultimately leads to the destruction of the Earth.
Buu is a goofy villain, but so overpowered he's still menacing. Toriyama does a great job meshing goofs with tension here.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews