The Dragon Ball franchise is arguably the most popular it has been in a very long time. Riding high on nostalgia, an epic fighting game, the latest (and utterly spectacular) film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and a recently-wrapped series filled with fan service (necessary or otherwise) has forced the mystical Dragon Balls into the minds of fans new and old. While most would agree that Dragon Ball Super: Broly exceeded expectations and FighterZ is one heck of an excellent fighting game, you’ll find some contention regarding the quality of the flagship series, Dragon Ball Super.
From weird animation issues, rampant retconning (or forgetfulness,) and uneven-at-best pacing, the series isn’t exactly a favorite among fans, despite all the stuff it actually does get right. The series isn’t the only version of the Dragon Ball Super story, though. In fact, there’s a manga that runs concurrently with the anime, and the differences between the two are often staggering, to say the least. In fact, you might actually be surprised by what the anime’s version of the plot chooses to include (or exclude) when compared with the manga.
In our list of 25 Amazing Things Deleted From Dragon Ball Super (That Would Have Changed Everything,) we’re going to be addressing the cut content from both the Dragon Ball Super anime and manga, along with other concepts that were seemingly left on the cutting room floor. By the end, you’ll likely come to the same conclusion as us: there’s a version of Dragon Ball Super that’s practically flawless somewhere, but you’d need to do a lot of mixing and matching to find it.
Master Roshi’s Role In Ultra Instinct
Like many longtime Dragon Ball characters, Master Roshi had been relegated to the sidelines as a member of the one-note ing cast, despite him being one of the most important figures in Goku’s life. The Tournament of Power changes this by putting him back into battle, but the anime leaves out the Turtle Hermit’s role in Goku’s Ultra Instinct transformations.
In the manga, not only does Roshi go toe-to-toe with Jiren, using nothing but instinct, he attempts to inspire Goku to stop relying on raw power and instead go for pure instinct, as well.
Jiren’s Personality
Jiren’s absolutely absurd level of power stretches the suspension of disbelief the furthest it's ever been, even for Dragon Ball Super, which asks us to believe that figures as powerful as gods are in jeopardy of being defeated by mortals.
Jiren is also ridiculously boring with a cookie cutter backstory that’s so cliché, he would have been better off without one. Jiren’s blank-slate personality is only an issue in the anime, however, as the manga gives a far more interesting (and prideful) demeanor, making him a much more intriguing fellow.
Dabra’s Big Moment
Dabra always seemed like he should have been a greater threat, considering that he was more-or-less the devil himself, at least in some capacity (since Dragon Ball’s afterlife in the anime is a convoluted mess.) But nah, he ends up being a minor footnote in the Buu arc, and even in his cameo during the Goku Black arc in Dragon Ball Super’s anime.
The manga handled the character differently, though, giving Dabra at least one big moment to shine. Instead of being swiftly dealt with, he actually manages to defeat and terminate the Kaioshin, which is a pretty serious deal.
Gohan’s Relevance
This is a point of contention for even the most hardcore fans of Dragon Ball Super. After the huge set-up during the Cell Games, where Gohan seemed poised to take on the role of Earth’s protector after Goku’s demise, the series would slowly roll that decision back, making Gohan less and less relevant.
This all comes to a head in Super, where Gohan is one of the weakest and wimpiest characters in the entire cast. The Tournament of Power, featuring a re-trained Gohan, gave fans hope that he’d be back in the limelight, but alas, it was only a mere moment of brilliance on stage before being cast aside.
“Out, out, brief candle.”
Goku Using “Hakai”
A God of Destruction’s most devastating move is to utter the word “hakai” and lay their hand on their target, which utterly and purely eradicates them from existence. They don’t call them “Gods of Destruction” for nothing, after all.
While we only see this occur a few times in the series, it’s always by a God of Destruction and yet, in the manga, we actually see Goku use this insane technique. This is crazy for a lot of reasons, and we’re glad it wasn’t in the anime, but we can’t help but be fascinated by the implications of a mortal having the ability to use a God of Destruction’s most iconic technique.
Confirmation Of Vegetto’s Power
Fans of the Potara-based fusion between Goku and Vegeta, Vegetto, went absolutely berserk to know that their beloved fused fighter was going to return in Super to duke it out with the tyrannical Zamasu. Not only would he be back, he’d also be going Super Saiyan Blue, which made his already tremendous power exponentially greater.
In the battle itself, it was quite clear just how overwhelmingly strong the merged warrior was, but what the anime didn’t confirm was exactly how strong he was. According to the manga, Super Saiyan Blue Vegetto might sur even Beerus.
Vegeta Going Super Saiyan God For The First Time
One of the major hype-builders in regard to Dragon Ball Super: Broly’s release was the confirmation that the previously-unseen Super Saiyan God Vegeta would be making his debut. This sequence was stellar in the film, and it delivered on everything fans wanted from the transformation… but it wasn’t actually his first time using this form, at least not in the manga. There, Vegeta used the red-haired, orange-aura form against Goku Black, and would only transition to Blue before attacking in order to maximize efficiency.
Hit’s Nerves
The assassin, Hit, has become one of the more popular side characters, even when he’s uttering moronic lines about making donuts in the English dub. His cool, calm, collected, and unshakable personality make him a very cool and stoic fighter, but that seems to be only in the anime version of the tale.
In the manga, Hit maintains the majority of those traits in all of his appearances, but he’s seen sweating after Goku goes Super Saiyan Blue against him. It doesn’t seem like that big a deal at first, but this is a guy who has been DIRECTLY threatened by Gods of Destruction and didn’t do so much as blink.
Zamasu’s Original Trigger
Zamasu is arguably one of the best villains in the entire franchise. He has a unique personality, a goal that isn’t run-of-the-mill, an exceptional arsenal of insane techniques and plots, plus a great backstory. While Zamasu already had something of an obsession with justice and the role of that the gods should play, Goku’s immense power and battle prowess pushed him over the edge in concocting and carrying out the “Zero Mortal Plan.”
This was a perfect trigger for Zamasu’s insane ambitions, but the manga’s version of events was much different (and far less poetic.) In short, Zamasu gets mad after watching Goku battle Hit on GodTube. Wow, how exciting.
The Real Reason The Other Gods Hate Beerus
The Gods of Destruction are a unique bunch of characters. From Egyptian queens to elephants, clowns and everyone’s favorite hairless cat, their appearances are as distinct as their personalities. Even though they aren’t strangers to butting heads, most can agree on one thing: their distaste for Beerus.
The manga’s reason behind their strong dislike is that Beerus’ napping nearly cost the entirety of the multi-verse, after he fell asleep for fifty years during multiversal hide-and-seek. This not only angered his fellow gods, but Zen-Oh, too, which put everyone into serious jeopardy.