Things from the Anime that you prefer over the canon of the manga

[Cure Dragon 255]

I honestly dont have many, but I used to prefer Bardock's Takao Koyama version to the point thinking about his Minus version gave me headaches and made me slightly angry. Now that I've seen it animated on Super I dont mind anymore. So the one thing would be that minor training episode where Yamcha, Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu get killed by Saiyans. I've seen many hear that depiction of the Saiyan homeworld makes more sense than what we got later on.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Goku and Freeza's fight. In the manga it was over quite soon after Goku becomes a Super Saiyan so the whole "5 minute" thing is more believable (although it loses its meme value), but I always thought the length of the fight in the anime worked well and added to the tension. Even in Kai I felt it was cut a bit short, because normally fights that go on well over 10 episodes feel drawn out, but there was just something about Goku vs Freeza in particular that it felt right, between everything that was at stake, the back and fort between Kami and Kaio-sama when they were strategically planning their wishes. It all felt very catarthic, and the payoff was worth it no matter how much time you spent invested in it. I love that fight, and for me it's the most memorable conflict in the history of anime.

[ABED]

The way Goku gets the special water that unlocks his power allowing him to defeat Piccolo. In the manga, Karin just says there is actually a special water that unlocks one's power and goes to get it off panel and then 2 pages later, Goku is fine. In the anime he goes through a trial over the course of 2 episodes.

[MasenkoHA]

The Pilaf gang being pre-established instead of coming out of nowhere for the endgame of the first arc. Though I prefer Bulma telling Goku and the reader how the dragon balls work instead of using Mai as that proxy instead.

Colonel Violet being an animal lover and only in it for the money instead of being minor one panel character who hands Commander Red a dragon ball and disappears.

The aforementioned Super God Water being acquired through a quest instead of just handed to Goku

Dodoria killing Cargo instead of Freeza. It may help Freeza look more like a sadistic monster but it seems out of character for him to even bother when he has minions for that

[Hellspawn28]

The Future Trunks special is better than the manga version. Trunks going SSj after Gohan dying feels more emontional than him already being one.

[sunsetshimmer]

-Bardock TV special
-Trunks getting SSJ after Gohan dies, not before it
-More episodes of Gohan in high school
-Some stuff happening during 3 year training for cyborgs arrival instead of just a time skip
-Gregory being part of King Kai's crew
-Flashbacks showing Vegeta's past

Goku and Freeza's fight. In the manga it was over quite soon after Goku becomes a Super Saiyan...

I have completely opposite opinion. It's way too long + it really isn't that interesting after Goku goes SSJ imo. Their fight before transformation was much better so i'm glad manga is much shorter. Also manga didn't make it look like Goku can't handle Frieza. He stomped him hard.

[Xeogran]

This won't be everything, but what comes to mind:

• The depiction of Hell, including the soul cleansing machine that made Janemba.
• Future Trunks' debut, with him grabbing Frieza's Supernova with one hand, pure badassery.
• The Androids' various misadventures when they were on the run, just fun stuff giving them plenty of character.
• Goku vs Cell, with Cell using way more techniques on the arena.
• Gohan briefly turning SSJ2 in the RoSaT.
• Yamcha and Tien doing okay against a Cell Jr with their teamwork.
• The Z-Fighters helping Gohan in the final beam struggle for the sake of Earth.
• Goku's extended SSJ3 transformation, it's one of the most iconic moments thanks to the lengthiest shouting the world's ever seen.
• Goku VS Majin Vegeta - This is a +1000 improvement over the manga fight, which was quick and not very detailed.
• Vegetto vs Buuhan, same as Goku vs Cell where Buu tried a lot more of his arsenal against Vegetto.
• Grandpa Goku and Pan's adventures before the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai started, they were so comfy and showed Goku from a new side.
• Ultra Instinct's appearances in the Tournament of Power (both Omen and Mastered) are absolutely leagues above the manga version.

[ABED]

I have completely opposite opinion. It's way too long + it really isn't that interesting after Goku goes SSJ imo. Their fight before transformation was much better so i'm glad manga is much shorter. Also manga didn't make it look like Goku can't handle Frieza. He stomped him hard.

Really? I've often seen people say that, but I wonder why don't like the fight after the transformation.

[JulieYBM]

How much gayer Zamasu and Gokuu Black are in the cartoon.

[jjgp1112]

-Toei's conception of the Afterlife is a lot more fun than Toriyama's
-Pilaf's shenanigans at the beginning of the Red Ribbon arc.
-A lot of the Piccolo arc. Besides the aforementioned Super God Water, there's also Tien and how the Rice Cooker isn't broken as an afterthought - instead he actually gets to use the damn thing he spent the entire arc training to learn and it fails due to him being outnumbered, and weakens him enough that Drum is able to make quick work of him. Did him much better than Toriyama did.
-All of the Saiyan filler, as you actually see Gohan's character development - and no, his freakout during the actual fight doesn't negate it. It's one thing to train, it's another thing to actually fight a guy who just tanked an explosion and punched a dude's arm off.
-Most of the Buu saga filler helps the arc, mainly extending the Goku vs Vegeta fight
-All of the Cell saga stuff Xeogran mentioned

[GreatSaiyaman123]

Goku and Yajirobe having a journey to get the water and Drum bringing Tenshinhan’s rice cooker are way better than in the manga.

The anime had Goku and Vegeta power up to get Kid Boo’s attention so he would teleport. I think that makes way more sense than Boo just knowing where to go.

[Kuwabara]

SSJ2 Goku vs. Kid Buu is a great piece of animation.

[sunsetshimmer]

• The Z-Fighters helping Gohan in the final beam struggle for the sake of Earth.

Tbh i consider this the worst thing anime did compared to manga, on par with Vegeta laughing at Goku's "death" on Namek and beating Gohan. While Z-fighters helping Cell was itself a cool idea, it completely changed meaning of Vegeta's help. In manga he was the only one who tried to help Gohan and it was thanks to him Cell was killed. In anime Vegeta was the only one who did NOT help, until the very end. They made him look like a coward even though in manga he was the only one who helped while others just watched.

I have completely opposite opinion. It's way too long + it really isn't that interesting after Goku goes SSJ imo. Their fight before transformation was much better so i'm glad manga is much shorter. Also manga didn't make it look like Goku can't handle Frieza. He stomped him hard.

Really? I've often seen people say that, but I wonder why don't like the fight after the transformation.

I personally think fight before transformation had more strategy into it. I loved things like Goku blasting energy balls from water to confuse Frieza who can't sense energy, or how Goku was charging genki dama in front of him for the same reason. Reveal of Goku actually using Kaioken during his fight with Frieza was also cool. There was just a lot of cool stuff going on thanks to Goku being forced to think as he was outclassed rather than just beating Frieza's ass. After Goku went SSJ most of strategy was gone and it was just about beating each other to death. In manga it was at least clear Frieza was outclassed and it was a satisfying end to see Goku just beat his ass, but in anime their fight was kinda even.

[ABED]

It starts off as that but then continues the path that the fight had since the start - someone comes in and hits Freeza with everything they have and he keeps coming. It got tiresome. And ultimately it mostly just pisses Freeza off. The bulk of the damage Freeza actually incurs is after Goku transforms.

And there is a strategy later, he's wearing Freeza down. It's satisfying seeing the tables finally turn on Freeza after all the pain he'd caused. There is a real appeal to seeing big neaty men slappin' meat.

[BeaBumby]

Hmm.

Kinda boring answer (unless anyone wants to say otherwise) but the initial transformations for SSJ and SSJ2

Though that isn't to say the manga's silent snap from Goku isn't cool too.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I am starting to see a lot of "I prefer the PORTRAYAL of the anime against the manga" but that wasnt what the thread was made for. I meant stuff that outright contradicts the manga. Like you see something that outright just contradicts Manga canon.

[Cipher]

Goku telling Gohan to apologize to Chi-Chi for him, since he was "always doin' whatever he wanted," just before he teleports off with Cell.

A really, really good additional line in the middle of an adapted scene. The anime was in rare form there.

EDIT--Oh, if we're just talking in terms of major, contradictory plot points, 1) that's a pretty small pool, but also 2) in that case almost nothing, although I could probably pick either Bardock (Z's is more interesting only comparing the special and "Minus," but more has been done with manga/Super Bardock since).

I suppose part of me preferred keeping Freeza and Cold's history with the Saiyans more ambiguous, back before that was expanded on in Broly. But it's not like the anime ever particularly gave us anything there in its stead.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Goku telling Gohan to apologize to Chi-Chi for him, since he was "always doin' whatever he wanted," just before he teleports off with Cell.

A really, really good additional line in the middle of an adapted scene. The anime was in rare form there.

EDIT--Oh, if we're just talking in terms of major, contradictory plot points, 1) that's a pretty small pool, but also 2) in that case almost nothing, although I could probably pick either Bardock (Z's is more interesting only comparing the special and "Minus," but more has been done with manga/Super Bardock since).

I suppose part of me preferred keeping Freeza and Cold's history with the Saiyans more ambiguous, back before that was expanded on in Broly. But it's not like the anime ever particularly gave us anything there in its stead.

Ironically that first line DOES count since he doesnt give a shit about Chichi's feelings in the manga lol.

[TheRed259]

Z Fighters helping Gohan in his fight against Cell.

[Yuji]

The transformations in general being more dramatic than their manga counterparts. There's only so much you can convey via still drawings but the anime does make the big three Super Saiyan forms seem grandiose when they happen.

There's a scene after Goku chooses to stay dead at the end of the Cell arc where Gohan and the others reminisce about moments Goku impacted them personally. The accompanying soundtrack and the flashbacks, and the way the others empathise and respect the character that's been through so much, really can make you shed a tear.