The Dragon Ball Super anime may have been a global hit and the only source of continuous entertainment for Dragon Ball fans across the world- but for manga readers, it was a frustrating experience.
An anime is supposed to faithfully reproduce the scenes and events from its source material, in this case, the Dragon Ball Super manga. But what happened was completely different, the anime just intentionally left out massive arcs, events, power-ups, fights, and more!
This may come as a shock to those who religiously follow Dragon Ball Super in the anime-only medium, but what they know is completely different from the real Dragon Ball Super.
The anime skipped events that defined Dragon Ball Super
Not just leaving them out but in some cases, the anime went so far as to contradict the manga entirely. As a result, many fans who only watched the anime have no idea about the major moments that defined Dragon Ball Super‘s story in the original manga.
This isn’t just about minor differences (like skipping banter or changing hair colors). The anime altered entire fights, ignored crucial character developments, and left out a huge part of the narrative that made Dragon Ball Super seem whole and connected.
At some point, the anime surpassed the manga and started releasing faster, but even until that point, it did not adapt the manga for what it was.
Just to let you anime onlys know… DBS manga, is a whole different series
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If you are an anime-only fan and have at some point thought- ‘There’s something missing here!’ or ‘This character should have had more emphasis and development’, you are probably right.
Many defining moments that would have properly fleshed out the characters were not seen in the anime. The animation in the Dragon Ball Super is nothing to complain about, and it is a clean experience overall with many power-scaling moments.
But there are certain highlights in the manga that are now too far behind the current anime to ever showcase. It is likely that they will be forever buried, not known to the eager Dragon Ball fans at all.
Anime-only fans are missing out on the true story
Certain fights were changed significantly, making the anime feel like a different version of Dragon Ball Super rather than an adaptation (which means they follow it religiously and adapt to a different medium). There can surely be some creative differences, but the extent makes it questionable.
Arcs like the Goku Black Arc in the manga had additional depth, including more detailed fights and a completely different resolution. The anime rushed through it, focusing on power scaling and action, making Zamasu’s downfall feel far less impactful and almost inevitable.
The Tournament of Power also had a huge arc that preceded it with some of the best fights in the manga (skipped in the anime). It had a completely different power scaling in the manga, making some eliminations feel more justified compared to the anime’s chaotic battles in which the estimated power level never reconciled with the results.
The Dragon Ball Super anime did a disservice to the manga’s storytelling. By skipping major events and making drastic changes, anime-only fans have to question whether they know their facts properly.
The anime-only fans now have an incomplete understanding of the series, making many feel like Dragon Ball Super is a flawed series with a lower amount of character development and emotional depth than it had during the days of Z. If Dragon Ball Super ever returns, it needs to stay true to the manga now to adapt the Moro and Granolah arcs faithfully.
The Dragon Ball Super manga is available to read on Viz Media, and the anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
