Dragon Ball Super: Manga Chapter 81 - Official Discussion Thread

[PurestEvil]

That was an interesting beginning of a fight...I did not expect DB to use trains as a part of a battle, but Toyotarou somehow found a way!
Speaking of which, I am glad that Gas is still using his personal ability. Too bad he is still a hollow character though.
It's a shame Granolah was shot down so pathetically. Luckily, Monaito managed to heal him, so I look forward to his comeback.
I also look forward to seeing how Jaco will contribute to all of this. Maybe the Galactic Patrol will arrest the Heeters by the end of this arc?

I'm just glad we are FINALLY out of the Gas vs Granolah bog we endured through for three months...

[Alruneia]

Um, okay, that happened. The main thought I'm left with after reading the chapter is "Wait, I'm at the end already?" That's not in terms of me reading it quickly, it's in terms of the chapter going basically nowhere narratively. It's just yet another chapter with nice action but not very much in terms of story progression. At least Goku's one of the main combatants now, so that's an improvement, I guess?
Even if this is the last battle of the arc, I can't see any way for the end of the arc to happen in time for the movie (2 chapters at this speed? No way), so I think that theory's gone out the window now. I have no idea.

[Koitsukai]

Elecc is the only positive thing I see.
The plot advanced a little bit, I guess? at least they changed the stage, Granola confronted Elecc, but still, it feels like swimming in jelly, so many filler pages.

If this arc were suddenly cancelled, and they leave it as it is, I would be ok with it. I'm keepin up with it because I'm going through the motions, because it's free and easy to get ahold of.
It is taking forever to take one step forward, this whole Gas playing with Goku could've been done in 5 pages, but no, it's pretty much the whole chapter. Why so many fucking trains??? the previous chapter implied Goku was actually going to fight Gas for real now, but no, they ended up riding trains for 40 pages.

Just eat the damn oranges!

[emperior]

...more things (all good things)...

However it turns out, I think speculating is just part of the fun. Thanks again!

I love your insights into this and it would be incredibly nice if the story played out like that. It would be very powerful if Goku and Granolah ended up on Earth, around Goku’s home or, even better, around Grandpa Gohan’s house so that Goku could teach Gas where he comes from. And the idea of Goku bringing Gas to deplete his ki so that he can then defeat him in his base form using Ultra Instinct would be poetic.

As for the last chapter, jeez the art was phenomenal! Generally the chapter still felt a bit slow but less than the latest ones, and it was much better story-wise than them. I enjoyed it a lot, really.

[Mr Baggins]

I think I'm well past the point of feeling frustrated with this arc. I'm just completely apathetic now.

In case I didn't fully clarify before, my beef with the last few chapters isn't so much that Granolah fought Gas - on paper, I'd encourage more big battle scenarios that don't necessarily involve Goku or Vegeta - but more that their fight did absolutely nothing to further Granolah's throughline. It was excessive, shallow, and all about Gas even though we've had no prior reason to be invested in that character.

Now that we finally get some semblance of a story development in Granolah's brief interaction with Elec, it's quickly sidelined in favor of... Goku vs. Gas, which is just as empty (if not emptier) narratively. It comes across as blatant pandering to ensure the iconic lead gets his spotlight and also, presumably, to push some hamfisted parallel with Bardock. Goku is my favorite DB character, but not one thing up to this point has given me a reason to care about either guy's contribution to the plot. Neither role has been built up. I honestly, genuinely can't even tell you what, or who, this arc is supposed to be about anymore.

Again, next arc when? I'll take anything over what this one turned into.

[Issei189]

I liked the part where Goku was schooling Gas at the end. Moments like these is where i enjoy cocky Goku

[Koitsukai]

Oh yeah, that also, Granny finally confronting Elecc lasted like 5 pages, while Gas fooling around with Goku was, well that's the chapter right there, up to the cliffhanger, that leaves right where chapter 80 left us, lol: with Goku about to fight Gas.

Elecc whispering to Granny's ear "just like your mother..." was fucking fire, though.

[Jinto]

Goku was obviously taunting Gas to follow him to where he wants and making him forget about Monaito healing Granolah.
Also Toyo didn't sideline Goku's development by not making him angry, good writing !
Again, this month chapter looks really good visually, there is no meaningless punch or kick, exchange are impactful and that part where Gas return Goku's ki blast was gorgeous, up there with Elec shooting Granolah.
If this is to end before the movie comes out (April) then they will most likely use Broly or Beerus to win against Gas.

[PurestEvil]

If this is to end before the movie comes out (April) then this movie will most likely use Broly or Beerus to win against Gas.

I still doubt this arc will end before the film releases. Maybe two months after (as my conservative estimate), but two chapters is too little to resolve the problems in this arc IMV.

[batistabus]

Gas and Goku actually have some decent chemistry. While most of it is related to Bardock, isn't simply about Gas seeing Goku as Bardock. In some cases, it's the opposite. I'm not quite sure what to make of the "When it came to combat, your father's fierce resolve was like no other. I do not sense that from you" or "You cannot comprehend who you really are then" lines. Are these supposed to be deeper criticisms of Goku? Is it related to Migatte no Gokui, and does it foreshadow Goku stepping away from it?

The takedown of Granolah was pretty brutal. Elec is a real SOB. Gas continues to bring dynamic and varied action.

Goku teleporting to Jaco makes sense and was a welcome bit of levity. This story has been pretty straight and serious since Goku/Vegeta arrived on Cereal.

If I had to guess where Goku and Gas will end up, my guess is with Freeza. This entire chain of events is his fault, he's related to the next phase of Heata's scheme, and it's a good ace-in-the-hole that hasn't been explored yet. I'd be fine with roping in Broly, but I don't think he's as relevant. It would be kind of a dick move if Goku brought Gas to Vampa to mess things up (a planetoid probably couldn't take as much damage, either). Based on Freeza's final lines from DBS:B, it's possible that Freeza and Broly could actually be together, but I'm not expecting that.

[kemuri07]

On its own I thought this was fine. There was quite a few to like here: seeing Granola get his arms broken was particularly brutal, another reminder how much the manga is a return to form to the franchise' bloodier days. And yeah, I kinda liked watching Gas literally throw trains at Goku.

But within the context of the arc...nothing fucking happened. I have no idea what is going on with the writing staff or whether or not Toyo truly is being hampered by Super Hero, but it's insane that another month went by and we're still stuck in the same place we've been in for the last couple of chapters. And the fact that DBS is a monthly comic is killing this arc dead. I've lost all hope that this is possibly leading to "the real storyline"--this is it apparently. To place Gas' absurd conflict with Bardock as the emotional center of this storyline is such a massive misfire.

At this point, I plan on finishing it because it really only costs me about 10 min of my time every month. But man, what a waste of potential.

[fleahop]

Best chapter in months. Really enjoyed Goku and Gas' interactions. Very cool scenes as well as opposed to Granolah and Gas.

Interested in seeing what Goku is trying to pull. What if...he's leading him to Broly?

[FortuneSSJ]

Probably one of my favorite SSB Goku manga fights together with SSB Goku vs Merged Zamasu.
There's clearly inspiration in Sam Raimi Spider-Man 2 movie during the train part but I liked it.

Not interested in the final battle taking place on Earth. However Goku take Gas there only to show him where he learn to fight would be cool.

[pepd]

Well, the unnecessarily long Granola vs Gas (as an individual, without Elec) fight is over at last. It is annoying that Granola and Elec encounter was put aside, but things are coming in place: Gokū gets the opportunity achieve his goal of improving MnG in base, and leaves Granola with Elec and Vegeta to develop their arc.

Gas and Gokū's little exchange about power and identity is an interesting theme, hopefully leads to Gokū reiterating his individuality.

The shallow combat scenes are still a problem, but I get that it is inevitable without mayor changes in the content for chapter.

Overall of the best chapters of the last months, even if mainly for setting thing up. Hopefully we can later see the last few chapters like the humans's combats chapters of Moro arc.

[Magnificent Ponta]

"We apologise for the delay to this story - this is due to a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan being hit by a train in the Cereal area. Tickets are being accepted via any reasonable route."

Okay, so it's noteworthy that the early synopsis was pretty misleading in that it seemed to indicate Goku would be fighting Gas using Ultra Instinct in SSjB, but it seems pretty clear when actually reading it that he isn't using Ultra Instinct because of the internal "Conflict" he's experiencing, to which the Chapter title evidently alludes.

With Gas also noting his earlier conflicted state, that completes the set of fighters who've attempted, and failed, to approach their combat with perfect resolve and clarity of purpose in this arc (Bardock being the only exception, for reasons he doesn't even understand) - and it's also interesting to see that Goku only manages to begin to get a toehold back in the fight once it's clear that Granolah is alive and he steps back in to protect him and Monaito - which again speaks to the "Why do we fight?" angle of the arc. Perhaps Goku has enough to protect in this fight without having to have the fight end on Earth; it could end just as easily back on Cereal (though it would still be pretty neat if the fight came to Earth, if even briefly for the didactic purpose of Goku showing Gas that he knows who he is, and why he fights; perhaps the true 'turn' of the fight where Goku gains the upper hand?).

I wonder if Granolah will now be permanently blinded, since Monaito has stressed that there are limits to his healing powers a number of times throughout the arc. It would be fitting - he's been wilfully 'blind' for the whole arc so far despite his better-than-perfect sight, thanks to a combination of Heeter misinformation and his own narrow focus on fighting to avenge his people, so to end the arc literally blind seems a crueller consequence than death, which he took on quite willingly. Perhaps he'll also remain crippled, unable to use the strength he took an unwise shortcut to gain. But maybe that'd be a little dark, unless he decides to willingly accept it as some sort of penance and live out the rest of his days with Oatmeel as his 'eyes'.

It's finely-balanced right now, but I think I'm looking forward to the next Chapter more now than I have done in a few months.

[capsulecorp]

Great chapter, one of the best in awhile. As others have noted above, there's a lot going on here thematically, even though the action is still taking place on the one planet. That said, it was great to see

Spoiler:

Jaco

for a moment. The action itself is... pretty cool, Gas really likes props huh.

[Mr Baggins]

There is nothing going on thematically. There are people speculating about what might be going on thematically, but 90% of the replies in this thread have been just that; people predicting future chapters rather than discussing the content of this one. This B plot wasn't even a thing until the climax.

This is irredeemably boring.

[capsulecorp]

There is nothing going on thematically. There are people speculating about what might be going on thematically, but 90% of the replies in this thread have been just that; people predicting future chapters rather than discussing the content of this one. This B plot wasn't even a thing until the climax.

This is irredeemably boring.

It's fine for you to be bored, but even at a glance it should be obvious how this arc plays with the same themes of earned vs borrowed power that have been present for the vast majority of DBS. Read Magnificent Ponta's post above for more specific thoughts.

[batistabus]

There is nothing going on thematically. There are people speculating about what might be going on thematically, but 90% of the replies in this thread have been just that; people predicting future chapters rather than discussing the content of this one. This B plot wasn't even a thing until the climax.

This is irredeemably boring.

I would actually say most replies have been the same people levying the same complaints about this arc month-after-month. This thread has recently become one of the most negative spaces to discuss the DBS manga online. Criticism is part of healthy discussion, but in theory, we're supposed to be fans. No need to drag down people who are enjoying it just because you aren't. If you're not interested, and haven't been for about a year now, perhaps it's time to move along until the new arc begins.

[jamiljamtheman]

YES the action in this chapter was so good! I love the set pieces and the fighting on display here. Fantastic, can’t wait for next chapter. I really, really hope this arc gets animated someday.