Dragon Ball Super’s manga is almost done with its adaptation of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and it’s already subtly improving on the climax.
Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super chapter #99.It’s been abundantly clear that the Dragon Ball Super manga has been offering a lot of changes to Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s story, all of which have mostly been for the better. From making Goten and Trunks the stars of an original prologue to providing more character moments between the cast, a lot has been done to justify the manga spending so much time retelling the original film.
The Dragon Ball Super manga has been making a lot of changes to Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and chapter #99 has another subtle, yet all-around great one. Chapter #99 brings the story of Super Hero into its final stages as Gohan, enraged at the sight of Cell Max destroying Piccolo, unlocks his powerful Beast form and finally overpowers Cell Max.
For the most part, the sequence plays out the same as it did in the film, but there is a small change that greatly improves things, and it’s one that very much keeps to the spirit of what Super Hero was trying to do for the Dragon Ball franchise.
Dragon Ball Super’s Manga Lets Other Characters Help Defeat Cell Max
The main way in which the Dragon Ball Super manga improves on Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s story is by letting other characters help defeat Cell Max. While the original film only had Gohan and Piccolo contributing to Cell Max’s ultimate defeat, the Dragon Ball Super manga has Piccolo initially unable to hold down Cell Max, so Krillin, Android 18, and Gamma 1 all work together to destroy his wings so Piccolo can restrain him. As a result, it never felt like the other characters were just standing around and not contributing, and the manga’s version of the climax reads much better because of it.
Going off of that, Gamma 1’s increased involvement in the final stretch of the battle is especially notable. Not only was he the first one to destroy one of Cell Max’s wings, but Gamma 1 also used a barrier to protect Piccolo from an otherwise lethal blow from Cell Max. The Gammas were at the heart of the conflict in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and it was originally only Gamma 2 who did anything substantial against Cell Max, so seeing Gamma 1 get to contribute in such a big way does a lot to pay off the role he was meant to have in the overarching narrative.
Dragon Ball Super’s Manga Remembers Super Hero’s True Purpose
The best part about Dragon Ball Super’s change to the climax is that it remembers that the purpose of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was to give characters other than Goku and Vegeta time in the spotlight. It’s a common criticism of Dragon Ball that Goku and Vegeta are the only ones who ever do anything, so part of Super Hero’s appeal was that it went out of its way to have other characters save the day. Dragon Ball Super’s manga has done a lot to further emphasize that, and with Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero winding down, it’ll be interesting to see how else it can lean into that.
