Dragon Ball Super: Manga Chapter 81 - Official Discussion Thread

[VegettoEX]

Dragon Ball Super: Manga Chapter 81

悟空の葛藤
Gokū no Kattō
Goku's Conflict

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Release Information:

JAPAN:
Date: February 21, 2022
Publication: V-Jump, April 2022 Issue
Cost: ¥TBD

(V-Jump is forward-dated two months from its actual release window. Issues are released on the 21st of each month, barring a Sunday or a holiday, in which case the issue gets moved up a day appropriately.)

INTERNATIONAL:
Date: February 20, 2021 (timed to the JP midnight-on-February-21st release)
Publication: Digital (Viz/Shonen Jump + Manga Plus)
Cost: Free

STORYBOARDS/DRAFTS:
The first several pages of any given chapter's roughs/storyboards/drafts have been posted on the official Dragon Ball website for quite some time now (in all likelihood done in an attempt to combat piracy and control the narrative by releasing teases of specific information and context at their own discretion). The drafts for Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 81 were posted on February 14 (Japan time). As these specific articles are generally removed from the website upon the chapter's formal release, archived versions of these links (such as this) are generally shared by fandom.



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THREAD/DISCUSSION INFORMATION

This is the "official" discussion thread for Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 81. All content regarding this specific chapter would be great to include here in this thread, rather than the dedicated / larger / all-encompassing ongoing thread. Posts that are specific to the individual chapter in the gigantic thread with no relevance to the larger series will be reported and/or removed.

Q: When will this thread open?

A: This thread will be opened by a Kanzenshuu moderator when the first official promotion of the respective chapter occurs. This may be when its storyboards are shared, or in some kind of formal news article leading up to that point. Please do not create a separate thread of your own to discuss this chapter.

Q: What is the history behind a [blank]-specific discussion thread?

A: We established episode-specific discussion threads beginning with Dragon Ball Kai in 2011, followed by the Dragon Ball Super television series in 2015. These episode-specific threads allowed people to discuss just that: those specific episodes, without being interrupted by other discussions regarding general production, promotion, etc. We didn't create corresponding Dragon Ball Super manga chapter threads at its debut due to the nature of its production: it was initially billed as a "comicalization" of the television series, and the first arc barely stood on its own as a unique production, rather than supplemental/incidental/disposable. We had kept the larger thread out of inertia from those earlier chapters, and have wavered for literal years over whether or not to separate them out.

Q: We've had worthwhile individual chapters since chapter five. This is absurd. Why are you just starting individual discussion threads something like six years into the manga, when the TV series had it from the start?

A: All of that is correct. Maybe we will go back and pull out threads for past chapters. Maybe we won't. We should have done this a long time ago. Better late than never. This is the plan for now on and is not currently up for discussion or reconsideration. Thank you.

Q: OK, but... so what's the point?

A: At Kanzenshuu we believe in history and preservation. It is worthwhile to future versions of ourselves and entirely new future fans to be able to dig back and find real-time reactions to specific productions (such as a specific episode or chapter). It's much easier to do this when the discussions are separated into these unique threads.

Q: When will new threads be created?

A: Threads for new/upcoming manga chapters will be created by a Kanzenshuu administrator at an appropriate point in time following the release of a previous chapter, and ahead of that next chapter's release schedule (which itself includes the official drafts/storyboards).

Q: OK, so what do you expect us to actually discuss in a chapter thread, particularly ahead of its release?

A: For some time now, Shueisha (in all likelihood to combat "leaks" and illegal piracy) has released "draft" pages of upcoming chapters in the two weeks leading up to any given chapter's release. These are official pieces of information dissemination and absolutely up for discussion. We welcome questions about where and how to legally and officially consume the manga. We do not condone nor allow the discussion or encouragement of piracy. Following a chapter's release, of course anything relating to that chapter and its contents are up for discussion in a specific thread.

Q: What kinds of "sources" can we discuss?

A: You can discuss whatever you want, so long as it lives up to the community guidelines. It is recommended that you link to / discuss actual sources of information, rather than second-hand accounts. Twitter and its users are not "sources" of information. Shueisha has its own official Dragon Ball website and weekly news broadcast on YouTube, which will in all likelihood be your actual primary sources of information leading up to a chapter's release.

Q: What if I have something to say about another chapter that's not this chapter?

A: Is what you have to say/ask/post even tangentially related to this chapter? That's fine. Does it have absolutely nothing to do with this chapter? Post it elsewhere. These chapter-specific threads do not automatically close after a new chapter comes out; you are free to keep discussing a specific chapter for as long as you all feel like talking about it.

Q: So what do we do with the big/main thread?

A: The dedicated / larger / all-encompassing ongoing thread is still perfect for overall/holistic discussion regarding the manga, its production, its promotion, its content relation to other parts of the franchise, etc.

[VegettoEX]

Storyboards have been posted on the official website (see updated links in first post), and so thread has been opened.

Have at it.

[FortuneSSJ]

It's not titled "Gas vs. Granolah, Part 3" so that's a relief.

[Jack Bz]

The chapter title at the very least has me intrigued if the implication is Goku having some sort of moral conflict. There doesn't seem to be any way that Goku/Vegeta/Granolah realistically have a chance here so I'm interested in what's going to happen now, which I haven't been for a while.

Being able to teleport someone by pointing at them is extremely OP.

[LightBing]

Going by the title I'm theorizing Goku's conflict is regarding Bardock or Granolah:

If the first, Goku will struggle to accept his father, a certified mass-murderer but with duality. Whatever Bardock did in the past will be solution to the current problem.

If the second, Granolah a character who's death wouldn't be shocking, might sacrifice himself and Goku's struggling with that.

Regardless my request is that characters stop punching each other for a bit, please...

[Grimlock]

Got lost in a Multiverse of Madness that I completely forgot about this (not my fault, though...).

Anyway, is this the chapter in which I will finally get to see some great development for Goku that I have been expecting for so long? Something I've said before was that it would be cool to see Goku having to atone for his father's sins. Based on title's chapter and what Herms said, that is, "Goku's dilemma", this might just be it. But y'know, since it's Dragon Ball, we can't set expectations on an average level. It's not Dragon Ball to deal with this kind of subject, but still, there's a first time for (nearly) everything, and I maintain that it would be great to see Goku's "inner conflict" play out in such a good way, especially when it involves Bardock.

Trusting in you to deliver it, Toyotaro!

[KentMan]

The real battle that we have been waiting for begins. What will Goku do is he conflicted about killing again? Or is it something else?

[OLKv3]

The chapter title at the very least has me intrigued if the implication is Goku having some sort of moral conflict. There doesn't seem to be any way that Goku/Vegeta/Granolah realistically have a chance here so I'm interested in what's going to happen now, which I haven't been for a while.

Being able to teleport someone by pointing at them is extremely OP.

Goku struggles to use the wish to make himself the strongest in the universe, as it goes against everything he stands for but is needed to survive

[KentMan]

The chapter title at the very least has me intrigued if the implication is Goku having some sort of moral conflict. There doesn't seem to be any way that Goku/Vegeta/Granolah realistically have a chance here so I'm interested in what's going to happen now, which I haven't been for a while.

Being able to teleport someone by pointing at them is extremely OP.

Goku struggles to use the wish to make himself the strongest in the universe, as it goes against everything he stands for but is needed to survive

Wouldn’t that require the dragon balls? How is Goku going to find them without the radar?

[KentMan]

Got lost in a Multiverse of Madness that I completely forgot about this (not my fault, though...).

Anyway, is this the chapter in which I will finally get to see some great development for Goku that I have been expecting for so long? Something I've said before was that it would be cool to see Goku having to atone for his father's sins. Based on title's chapter and what Herms said, that is, "Goku's dilemma", this might just be it. But y'know, since it's Dragon Ball, we can't set expectations on an average level. It's not Dragon Ball to deal with this kind of subject, but still, there's a first time for (nearly) everything, and I maintain that it would be great to see Goku's "inner conflict" play out in such a good way, especially when it involves Bardock.

Trusting in you to deliver it, Toyotaro!

Goku not responsible for what his dad has done so what is he atoning for? I’m curious as to what Gokus conflict is. It could be the wish of being the strongest like another user said. But it’s really hard to say I feel like that might be more the case. Than again it could be wrong

[Jack Bz]

The chapter title at the very least has me intrigued if the implication is Goku having some sort of moral conflict. There doesn't seem to be any way that Goku/Vegeta/Granolah realistically have a chance here so I'm interested in what's going to happen now, which I haven't been for a while.

Being able to teleport someone by pointing at them is extremely OP.

Goku struggles to use the wish to make himself the strongest in the universe, as it goes against everything he stands for but is needed to survive

Now that would really be something. That kind of thing hasn't really been explored since Battle of Gods, but Goku specifically having that inner conflict wasn't brought up in the anime or manga of super if I recall.

People would absolutely hate it though, 100%.

I thought of that idea that (since these Dragon Balls have all sorts of weird rules) maybe the wishes by these balls get undone if Monaito dies, and there could be a similar moment of Kami wanting to be killed to defeat Piccolo jr.

[Grimlock]

Goku not responsible for what his dad has done so what is he atoning for?

So? Fate doesn't care if Goku is responsible or not. For better or worse, through good or bad actions, whether Goku wants/likes or not, Bardock's deeds must resonate onto Goku. You can't have a man whose life affected so many races not affect this man's son in any way, form or shape at some point of his life. Call it "karma" or something.

In Movie 1, Vegeta had to atone for his father's decision to send Broly to another planet, Paragus went to Earth solely to exact his revenge on his son, but because they had to put Goku in there too, they didn't do much in his case and so Vegeta didn't get to deal with it in a proper way (Movie 1 would be a lot better had they focused on Vegeta, by the way...).

[KentMan]

Goku not responsible for what his dad has done so what is he atoning for?

So? Fate doesn't care if Goku is responsible or not. For better or worse, through good or bad actions, whether Goku wants/likes or not, Bardock's deeds must resonate onto Goku. You can't have a man whose life affected so many races not affect this man's son in any way, form or shape at some point of his life. Call it "karma" or something.

In Movie 1, Vegeta had to atone for his father's decision to send Broly to another planet, Paragus went to Earth solely to exact his revenge on his son, but because they had to put Goku in there too, they didn't do much in his case and so Vegeta didn't get to deal with it in a proper way (Movie 1 would be a lot better had they focused on Vegeta, by the way...).

Like I said Goku did nothing wrong and as far as previous chapters have shown it doesn’t look like your theory could happen. But who knows I’m more curious as to wondering if this has anything to do with a wish or someone’s life.

[PurestEvil]

Finally, it looks like we are redirecting our attention to the MCs. I hope Goku addresses the issue of wishing for strength himself.

[KentMan]

Finally, it looks like we are redirecting our attention to the MCs. I hope Goku addresses the issue of wishing for strength himself.

Wow you think that’s what happening?hmmmmm just playing around I’m pretty certain he would have to collect the dragon balls.

[PurestEvil]

Finally, it looks like we are redirecting our attention to the MCs. I hope Goku addresses the issue of wishing for strength himself.

Wow you think that’s what happening?hmmmmm just playing around I’m pretty certain he would have to collect the dragon balls.

Sorry, I must have poorly chose my words.
Rather, I meant to say I hope Goku himself will address Gas and Granolah wishing for strength.

[Hugo Boss]

I thought of that idea that (since these Dragon Balls have all sorts of weird rules) maybe the wishes by these balls get undone if Monaito dies, and there could be a similar moment of Kami wanting to be killed to defeat Piccolo jr.

I’m leaning towards it. I’m not totally against Goku wishing for more strength, but it doesn’t seem like he would take this approach. Perhaps wishing for 100% stamina would suit him better and he would experience ultra instinct at its fullest or possibly with an upgrade.

[Gt91]

It seems Goku will join the fight. MUI vs Gas?

https://twitter.com/DbsHype/status/1493 ... 70/photo/1

[KentMan]

Sorry, I must have poorly chose my words.
Rather, I meant to say I hope Goku himself will address Gas and Granolah wishing for strength.

Probably this is Gokus conflict so it could mean something else

[emperior]

Finally the focus goes back to Goku. Each time he takes the spotlight, he keeps being the most interesting character.

I don’t think he will wish for anything, how could he? They do not have the DBs and I doubt that Gas would let him escape. Maybe Goku could teleport away? Even in that case, Gas could easily track him.

My bet is on something like Granolah sacrificing what’s left of his life to give his energy to Goku. Based on the drafts, he could be completely incapacitated if Gas broke his arms. Thus, Goku’s conflict could be in accepting this gesture from Granolah. Or, maybe, this interior conflict has to do with Bardock? He found a way to beat Gas despite probably being at a disadvantage power wise, maybe Goku will realize what Bardock did, but his solution may have been something which would go against Goku’s principles, hence the conflict.

Either way, it feels like we are finally getting what seems like a character-focused chapter, so I am excited for it.