Differences between Dragon Ball Super anime and manga

The return of the Dragon Ball series through Dragon Ball Super has rekindled the passion of countless fans who grew up with Dragon Ball Z. The series features familiar characters, epic fight scenes, and the power to crash multiple websites by introducing a new transformation.

Dragon Ball Super is unique in that the anime was released before the manga. This goes against tradition, as anime are usually adapted from the manga of the series, not the other way around. Here are the differences between the Dragon Ball Super anime and manga .

Adjust Goku's image

Dating back to the original Dragon Ball, spiritual power has been a recurring theme in the Dragon Ball series. Even casual fans can recognize this training method as something that famous characters like Tien, Piccolo, and even Goku use.

The Dragon Ball Super anime and manga both start with Goku and Goten tending to their farm. Goku then asks Goten to drive the tractor when he finishes his training. In the anime, this leads to a funny scene where Goku turns Super Saiyan and starts punching and kicking the air. The manga takes things further by showing what goes on in Goku's mind. He fights Cell, Frieza, and Kid Buu in his mind, making for some great shots.

Super Saiyan God Ritual

Super Saiyan God is the first new transformation that Goku achieves in Dragon Ball Super. Instead of achieving it through feats, it requires a ritual involving the other Saiyans on the planet. Including Vegeta, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and the unborn Pan, who is still inside Videl.

The anime takes this transformation very seriously, dedicating an entire episode to it. The manga, on the other hand, just skims over the whole thing. In just one page of the manga, the characters summon Shenron to ask about the transformation, Videl announces that she's pregnant, and the Saiyans perform the Super Saiyan God ritual.

Goten and Trunks

Goten and Trunks got their chance to shine in Dragon Ball Z's Majin Buu Saga. They both showed off their Super Saiyan transformations, entered both divisions of the World Tournament, and even merged to fight Majin and Super Buu. However, the Dragon Ball Super anime barely saw the two of them. In general, most animes are slower-paced than the manga, so they lack more detailed character development.

The Dragon Ball Super manga has a side story about Goten and Trunks. The two are tasked with protecting a wildlife sanctuary while Android 17 goes to fight in the Tournament of Power. It also shows Goten and Trunks as teenagers going to school and just being normal characters.

Final Form of Fused Zamasu

In Dragon Ball Super, Zamasu obtains the Dragon Balls and wishes to become immortal before attempting to kill all mortals along with another Zamasu who has taken over Goku's body and named himself Black. The two Zamasus fuse together using Potara, and are then known as Fused Zamasu. Fused Zamasu's ending is the same in the manga and anime; Trunks cuts his body into pieces. However, what happens next is different.

The anime shows Merged Zamasu's immortal soul merging with the universe and becoming an unstoppable force against the Z Fighters. This forces Omni-King Zeno to wipe out the entire universe. The manga goes in a different direction when Zamasu and Black's fusion expires and Trunks uses his sword to separate the two. They quickly reject each other but begin to multiply infinitely, forcing Zeno to wipe out the world like his anime counterpart.

Super Saiyan Blue Transformation

The manga makes all the characters more consistent and balanced than the anime. The power-ups are also more logical. The anime focuses heavily on the Super Saiyan Blue form and characters use it frequently despite it draining their stamina. Viewers will see characters like Krillin and Android 17 duel with Super Saiyan Blue, which is said to be the peak of Goku's power for much of the show.

Manga shows characters using Super Saiyan Blue sparingly because of its drawbacks. A good example is how the anime and manga handle Vegeta using Super Saiyan Blue. The anime makes him extremely powerful, using this form all the time, but the manga has him lose to Hit because he uses the blue form too much. To overcome this drawback, Vegeta uses Super Saiyan God against Goku Black to conserve energy. This shows character development.

How Goku Unlocked Ultra Instinct

In the anime, Goku unlocks Ultra Instinct when Jiren knocks away the Spirit Bomb, and he is about to be obliterated. While it's not confirmed, the scene is shown in a way that makes it look like Goku absorbed the Spirit Bomb and accidentally entered the new transformation. This would make Ultra Instinct the second transformation Goku unlocks by being in the right place at the right time, as the same thing happened with the Super Saiyan God ritual.

The manga makes more sense. The first transformation is revealed when Master Roshi reminds Goku of the independent consciousness state that all his teachers wanted him to perfect. Roshi then fights Jiren in a manner reminiscent of Ultra Instinct, paving the way for Goku to tap into the Ultra Instinct Omen state. This nihilistic state is also the reason why Ultra Instinct Goku is always calm and composed in the manga, while the anime sometimes makes him angry.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 13 May 2025