6 DBZ & Dragon Ball Super Anime Moments That Were Better in the Manga

It’s disappointing that many Dragon Ball fans haven’t experienced Akira Toriyama’s original manga. While the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z anime series are generally faithful adaptations, they sometimes struggle with pacing and fully capturing the impact of certain scenes. Toei Animation’s anime has a distinct style and personality, making it debatable which version is superior, but the manga definitely excels in a few crucial moments.

Akira Toriyama had an incredible understanding of his characters, and the way Dragon Ball was presented in the manga – the panel layout and storytelling – was truly exceptional, even for its time. While the anime adaptations by Toei were well-made, they often missed or ignored important details from the manga, which ultimately hurt the quality of the show.

Goku’s Sadness Killing Frieza

In the anime Dragon Ball Z, Goku seems to feel no guilt after defeating Frieza. While this appears straightforward, it overlooks important details from Akira Toriyama’s original manga. The manga portrays Goku’s transformation into a Super Saiyan as a deeply emotional struggle. He’s wrestling with his violent Saiyan instincts while trying to hold onto his human side. The entire fight with Frieza is meant to show Goku embracing his Earthling qualities and avoiding becoming a purely savage Saiyan like Vegeta.

Goku’s reason for trying to show mercy to Frieza on Namek was his hope that simply defeating him would be enough to stop the fighting – but Frieza immediately attacked again, leaving Goku no choice but to kill him. The manga shows Goku looking deeply saddened and shaken after delivering the final blow, highlighting his reluctance to take a life. This moment is also significant because Goku had been grappling with his Saiyan ancestry since his first encounter with Raditz, and killing Frieza forced him to confront and accept the violent nature of his heritage.

Future Gohan Never Stood a Chance Against the Androids

Generally, the History of Trunks story is a stronger version of the Dragon Ball manga. It gives Trunks a challenging journey to achieve Super Saiyan, and the early, tragic deaths of the Z-Fighters create a serious mood for the special. Future Gohan is particularly memorable because of his action and personality. However, the manga does one thing better: a specific reveal during Future Gohan’s last fight.

As a huge Dragon Ball fan, I’ve always found the Future Gohan arc fascinating! It’s easy to assume he just wasn’t strong enough to beat the Androids, but the story actually shows they were overwhelming him because they fought together as a team. What’s even more mind-blowing is that in the manga, Android 17 casually drops that they were holding back the entire time – they were only using half their power! It really hits home how incredibly bleak Future Trunks’ timeline was, and it makes so much sense why he desperately needed to go back in time and find a way to change things. It’s a detail that really adds to the tragedy and stakes of that arc.

Vegeta Distracts Cell By Himself To Help Gohan

During the final battle of the Cell Games in Dragon Ball Z, all of Goku’s friends – the Z-Fighters – fire energy blasts at Cell while he and Gohan are locked in a beam clash. Each character shares their thoughts and feelings about Goku and Gohan. Vegeta hesitates, but eventually joins in, distracting Cell long enough for Gohan to deliver the final blow. While this scene is meant to be touching, it feels drawn-out and doesn’t quite fit with the typically less sentimental tone of Dragon Ball.

In the manga, Vegeta is the sole character who assists Gohan during his intense battle with Cell. The action happens so quickly that the other Z Fighters don’t even think to fire energy blasts at Cell. More importantly, Vegeta’s distraction of Cell carries significant weight, as it’s a moment of redemption for him. Throughout the Cell Saga, Vegeta’s actions often hindered the heroes, but here, he’s the only one courageous and quick-thinking enough to support Gohan. He’s also trying to make up for his earlier mistake that cost Gohan an arm. However, the anime diminishes the impact of Vegeta’s help by giving the same moment to all the Z Fighters, lessening the significance of his unique contribution.

Ultimate Gohan Vs. Super Buu is Better Paced & Makes More Sense

The Dragon Ball Z anime really stretches out the fight between Ultimate Gohan and Super Buu, showing them battling for many episodes – Gohan even does surprisingly well against Buutenks. However, there’s a problem with how the power levels are presented. Buutenks is far stronger than Gohan, but the anime implies Gohan could win with the right strategy. The manga doesn’t portray this as even being a possibility.

In the Dragon Ball manga, Gohan is quickly defeated by Buutenks before Goku arrives with the Potara earrings. This fight emphasizes how much trouble the heroes are in. Notably, Gohan’s battle with Super Buu is much briefer in the manga, and he doesn’t get the opportunity to defeat him. However, the Dragon Ball Z anime extends this fight, creating the impression that Gohan needlessly wastes time, which allows Super Buu to absorb Gotenks – something that doesn’t happen in the original manga.

Goku Becoming DBZ’s Main Character Again Isn’t As Awkward

Many fans who only watch the anime might not know that Gohan’s big role in Dragon Ball Z is largely due to Toei Animation. Gohan is important in the original Dragon Ball manga – he’s a key character in the Saiyan and Frieza arcs, and the Cell arc unfolds similarly – but things like Gohan training alone in the wilderness, the Garlic Jr. Saga, and the idea of him becoming the main hero were mostly created for the anime and weren’t in the manga.

It feels strange when Goku once again becomes the central character during the Buu Saga. The manga handles this better, as Gohan is only the main focus for a short period. By the time Goku returns in the 25th World Tournament, he largely retakes the role of the primary viewpoint character. While the story builds up Gohan as the one to defeat Majin Buu, his defeat happens quickly in the manga, almost as if it was meant to be a surprise before Goku finishes the fight.

Goku Unlocking Ultra Instinct Hits Harder

The Dragon Ball Super manga and anime tell slightly different stories, and the biggest difference is how Goku achieves Ultra Instinct. In the anime, Goku unlocks this powerful form after nearly being killed by Jiren’s Spirit Bomb – a classic Dragon Ball moment where a life-or-death situation triggers a transformation. However, the manga presents a more thoughtful and philosophical approach to Goku obtaining Ultra Instinct.

Goku struggles to overcome Jiren’s power, and Master Roshi steps in to offer a reminder of all Goku’s past training. Roshi briefly demonstrates incredible skill, dodging many of Jiren’s attacks with ease, even earning Jiren’s respect. Inspired by Roshi, Goku realizes that simply increasing his power isn’t enough to achieve Ultra Instinct. He focuses on the right mindset and successfully activates Ultra Instinct – Sign -. While the Dragon Ball Super anime focuses on impressive visuals, the Dragon Ball Super manga presents Goku unlocking Ultra Instinct as a deeply emotional and satisfying conclusion to his long journey and character development.

2026-01-17 22:35