I see no substance in Complete SSB that Kaioken/Blue doesn't have, nor even regular SSB. Like, what can Complete SSB do that regular SSB can't? It has nothing unique that I can see value in, doesn't really mesh with the concept of SSB I've taken a liking too, and just doesn't have any flair or charm to it.
What can Completed SSB do that regular SSB can't? Well, Hakai for one. It also gives the user a power boost comparable to a Potara fusion. It even greatly expands on the concept of SSB and the necessity of proper ki control. Here's a better question, what can Blue Kaio-ken do that regular SSB can't? It's literally just a power multiplier for SSB. Full stop. It doesn't let Goku do anything of particular note. No new moves or abilities, it's just Blue with a flat power increase. It has a neat visual effect, but that's all it really has going for it. If you're all about spectacle over substance, I guess I can see the appeal. At least you admit that Completed SSB doesn't mesh with the concept of SSB that
you personally prefer. I think it meshes well with the manga's take on SSB and I feel like Blue Kaio-ken is the one that actually clashes with the anime's later interpretation of SSB being a stamina intensive form. Stacking a physically straining technique on top of a stamina draining form doesn't really make that much sense to me.
This is actually a problem I have with Toyotaro in general. There's just hardly any personality, heart, and flamboyant charm to the way in which he tells the DBS story compared to the anime. Does the anime play up the fanservice up a bit much at times? Sure. But its expanded medium and need to fill in the gaps for a serialized format has also allowed its writers and animators to add really unique and different twists that help solidify the story being told, and in a way that stays true to what we love about the franchise.
I see plenty of personality, heart and charm in Toyotaro's work (particularly the humor), so that's a purely subjective issue. Which is fine by the way. My point is that it's not really an objective flaw and it's more of a personal thing. Aside from that, the manga has lots of its own unique twists and turns that give it its own flair - like giving characters new moves and transformations that the anime didn't and changing the rules for various abilities/plot devices. I have to ask though, what style does the anime adhere to that the manga doesn't? Also, who is "we" and what aspects of the series does this "we" collectively love about Dragon Ball? Can you expand on this?
Complete SSB is a small part of the larger issue. It's just.... there. It doesn't accomplish anything and doesn't even have the spectacle and charm that the anime has to make up for such a shortcoming; it also doesn't really make the dynamic between Goku and Vegeta any better or nuanced, just more of the same of the two being literal rivals rather than narrative ones.
Completed SSB does cap off a milestone in the development of Goku and Vegeta's godly training under Whis and it grants Goku (and possibly even Vegeta) the ability to use Hakai. That's quite a game changer going forward. What did Blue Kaio-ken accomplish that Completed SSB didn't? Blue Kaio-ken didn't beat any opponent it was used on either, so that's kind of a moot point.
Completed SSB absolutely adds more nuance to Goku and Vegeta's rivalry in the manga. I'd even venture to say
objectively so. SSB had a major drawback that needed to be overcome and Vegeta is the first to display a unique and creative solution to circumventing that drawback. It was actually a technique totally unlike anything we had seen before in the entire
franchise up until that point and gave Vegeta something unique to call his own. Then Goku shows his method of overcoming the drawback in his own way with Completed SSB and outdoes Vegeta once again. After seeing the efficiency of Goku's method, Vegeta adopts this method too through intense training and closes the gap between he and Goku again.
There are multiple layers involved in their rivalry surrounding the concept of Completed SSB. There's literally no denying it. Whether or not it does anything for you is another matter entirely and comes down to individual preference. It seems like you don't care if Goku and Vegeta maintain an actual tangible rivalry with one another and actually seem to prefer Vegeta staying permanently behind. We're on two very different wavelengths on this one, since I'd prefer their rivalry actually physically exist and I don't see any downside to having Goku and Vegeta be "literal" rivals. I get the idea of Vegeta "chasing the impossible dream" so to speak, but I feel like there needs to be some kind of physical back and forth competition every now and then for the rivalry to have any real impact.
PerhapsTheOtherOne wrote:It's probably just personal preference muddying the waters
i think this part is exactly the case here regarding Completed/Kaoi-ken. I wouldn't dream of undermining a person's personal preferences, but a lot of the criticisms that you brought up against Completed SSB are either entirely subjective or, in some cases, actually inaccurate. You don't have to like it or anything, but Completed SSB does have
a lot more merit to it than you're giving it credit for.
The post-Super fandom has ruined my love for Dragon Ball.