"Dragon Ball Super (Manga)" Official Discussion Thread

[Alruneia]

Okay, new info says a new arc will begin next year. Not necessarily after April in order to match up with DBSSH, which would give us a grand total of 5 more chapters including this month's one, but sometime next year.

I'm mostly gonna stick to my guns, honestly, I still don't think there's a way to maintain the current pacing, have the story reach a proper conclusion and end in time for whatever schedule it is they're following. One of the three is going to give. At the moment, I think it's gonna be the conclusion that'll end up losing out.
Though I guess it's possible the arc can end naturally without a proper conclusion if its ending is actually more of a renaming thing while the story itself carries on, still telling a continuous narrative. Like the Granolah arc becomes the Elec arc (maybe after a timeskip) or something along those lines. I didn't consider that before. Or it'll be played straight and the story stops on a dime, we'll see.

I think the smaller scale conflict with Gas right now will be solved by April and after the movie releases the manga will follow through with a timeskip into the greater Elec and/or Freeza arc with Superhero serving as the intermission between the larger scale conflict this arc will set up.

Yeah, it could work out if there's gonna be an arc split like that. In that case, all that's really left to do right now is to have the current Granolah vs Gas fight, and then probably Goku vs Gas (especially with the Bardock angle existing) while a hook for the remainder of the Heeter story gets set up. Even with the current pacing it is possible to get that much done before the movie releases. It's more like an end of an act than a conclusion to a full arc, but it's still probably the best case scenario, honestly.

[TheSaiyanGod]

Though I guess it's possible the arc can end naturally without a proper conclusion if its ending is actually more of a renaming thing while the story itself carries on, still telling a continuous narrative. Like the Granolah arc becomes the Elec arc (maybe after a timeskip) or something along those lines. I didn't consider that before. Or it'll be played straight and the story stops on a dime, we'll see.

I only see this being possible (a continuous narrative, kind of what happened with Moro - Granolah) if the manga doesn't adhere to the Time Skip that we'll see in DBS SH, which honestly I find difficult. Moro arc started right after the events of the Broly movie and most likely the same will happen here, it seems natural that Toyo tries to follow the events written by Toriyama.

Because Granolah has 3 years left, he probably would already be dead by the time SH starts, so the story would continue without him? And what would Elec be doing all these years if the arc ended with a cliffhanger with him planning something bigger?
I don't know, maybe this could work if the planning of this arc has specifically taken into account what will happen in the movie, which is possible I guess since it was written after the production of the movie started.

[Skar]

It will probably end the month before the movie and the next arc will start the same month with a promo image to watch the movie like Broly. So the movie will probably be canon to the manga continuity and fit between the Granolah arc and the next one.

So about 4-5 more chapters depending on when Superhero releases in the cinema.

I hope that's the case and it isn't an arc taking place after Granolah but before Super Hero. I don't really mind DBS being a midquel but then that would be a midquel within a midquel! It would be too much! Maybe the Granolah arc ends with a three year timeskip since that's how much lifespan Granolah has left and coincidentally when Super Hero takes place. It's crazy to think we would only be a few months away from EoZ!

[Alruneia]

Because Granolah has 3 years left, he probably would already be dead by the time SH starts, so the story would continue without him?

DBSSH should be about 3 years (a little less actually) after the Granolah arc judging from Pan's age, so Granolah would tragically die in the middle of the final battle as his lifespan ends, I guess. Okay, that exact development would be a lot like a Merus repeat, but in general, I've always had a feeling that Granolah's specific 3-year lifespan would come into play somehow, and a timeskip like this is definitely a candidate for that "somehow".

And what would Elec be doing all these years if the arc ended with a cliffhanger with him planning something bigger?

I mean, that's an unanswerable question at the moment, we don't have the info. It could be mass-producing custom 7-3s, it could be related to the unknown questions he had for Zuno, it could even be intentionally waiting out Granolah's lifespan. If a cliffhanger ending and a timeskip is the way the arc is going (and I am keeping all this as just "if"s), it'll be set up in the coming chapters. But we don't know yet.

I don't know, maybe this could work if the planning of this arc has specifically taken into account what will happen in the movie, which is possible I guess since it was written after the production of the movie started.

It should all be possible. Not guaranteed, not at all, but possible.

[Magnificent Ponta]

I hope that's the case and it isn't an arc taking place after Granolah but before Super Hero.

I think that, if the arc leaves an open end to lead directly in to another arc, this is probably the likeliest course of events, though - particularly if Granolah manages to come out on top and take Gas out.

4 or 5 Chapters is ample to build a bit more linkage with Bardock in and resolve the main conflict with new input from Goku and/or Vegeta; the only thing it seems like it wouldn't be enough to realise is whatever plot Elec is hinting he has in his back pocket (unless this itself is something that abruptly resolves the arc).

In such a scenario, it would be more fitting for Elec to bide his time and wait for Granolah to (be about to?) die before setting his big play in motion, whatever that is, but the impression coming out of what little we know about Super Hero so far is that Goku and Vegeta don't really seem to have anything much outstanding hanging over them at that time; they're just doing some carefree training with Broly. It seems likeliest that whatever happens next is wrapped up in the main continuity by then.

[Yuji]

I hope that's the case and it isn't an arc taking place after Granolah but before Super Hero.

I think that, if the arc leaves an open end to lead directly in to another arc, this is probably the likeliest course of events, though - particularly if Granolah manages to come out on top and take Gas out.

4 or 5 Chapters is ample to build a bit more linkage with Bardock in and resolve the main conflict with new input from Goku and/or Vegeta; the only thing it seems like it wouldn't be enough to realise is whatever plot Elec is hinting he has in his back pocket (unless this itself is something that abruptly resolves the arc).

In such a scenario, it would be more fitting for Elec to bide his time and wait for Granolah to (be about to?) die before setting his big play in motion, whatever that is, but the impression coming out of what little we know about Super Hero so far is that Goku and Vegeta don't really seem to have anything much outstanding hanging over them at that time; they're just doing some carefree training with Broly. It seems likeliest that whatever happens next is wrapped up in the main continuity by then.

I don't think Goku and Vegeta being aloof is proof of anything though. They don't seem to be concerned with whatever plans Freeza has (or Goku doesn't at least, Vegeta is performatively aware but not very proactive in snuffing him out despite being the stronger of the two), so I don't think they'd care much if this arc ends with Elec running away to gear up for some large scale plan.

[Grimlock]

The chapters have always been released like this, it's monthly after all. I don't see a problem with relatively long arcs (15-20 chapters) for monthly series, the problem is pacing. Toyo is writing this arc with pacing similar to Moro's arc and so I don't think it makes sense to finish Granolah's anytime soon (possibly before the movie's release). If that was the plan from the start then he should just make a more compact story like the old ones.

But at this point I would prefer him to simply follow a pattern similar to Moro's (in terms of size, not necessarily 24 chapters but just not a short arc) rather than rushing the ending to catch he movie or whatever they're planning. It just feels like we've barely started here

If you're gonna do long sagas and the pacing is slow (or even if it isn't that slow), then it should be a weekly series. Even I, who doesn't follow the manga closely, felt like we were stuck for ages during Universe Survival saga and Moro saga. Long sagas, a slow pace and being released monthly is just... not the ideal.

Then again, I should say that I don't have patience to watch or read anything long nowadays, I prefer short(er) materials. So there's that.

[Skar]

If you're gonna do long sagas and the pacing is slow (or even if it isn't that slow), then it should be a weekly series. Even I, who doesn't follow the manga closely, felt like we were stuck for ages during Universe Survival saga and Moro saga. Long sagas, a slow pace and being released monthly is just... not the ideal.

Then again, I should say that I don't have patience to watch or read anything long nowadays, I prefer short(er) materials. So there's that.

I always recommend bingewatching/reading if someone feels a story is too slow. I've seen some fans who bingeread the Moro arc at the end and they didn't mind the pacing as much since they got to experience it in a few hours vs having to wait two years. It's not an ideal solution but I don't think it's possible for the DBS manga to become weekly due to the kind of manga it is. I think almost every spin-off or sequel of popular manga series is released monthly.

[FortuneSSJ]

Granolah arc already being on its climax is surprising, but I still don't expect it to end before the movie comes out.

They said Toriyama spent a lot of time working on this arc but the main formula has been alike DBS Broly. Goku/Vegeta dealing with the sins of their race and their opponent Broly/Granolah being manipulated by someone (Paragus and Freeza / Heeters).

No idea what the next arc will be about but since Toriyama is not getting creative, the next story coming from him or Toyotaro is indifferent to me.

[Hellspawn28]

This arc feels like it is going by quickly compare to the Moro saga.

[HeroR]

If you're gonna do long sagas and the pacing is slow (or even if it isn't that slow), then it should be a weekly series. Even I, who doesn't follow the manga closely, felt like we were stuck for ages during Universe Survival saga and Moro saga. Long sagas, a slow pace and being released monthly is just... not the ideal.

Then again, I should say that I don't have patience to watch or read anything long nowadays, I prefer short(er) materials. So there's that.

I always recommend bingewatching/reading if someone feels a story is too slow. I've seen some fans who bingeread the Moro arc at the end and they didn't mind the pacing as much since they got to experience it in a few hours vs having to wait two years. It's not an ideal solution but I don't think it's possible for the DBS manga to become weekly due to the kind of manga it is. I think almost every spin-off or sequel of popular manga series is released monthly.

The issue isn't it being monthly. Several popular monthly manga don't have this pacing issue like FMA and AOT. Even the Boruto manga has better pacing.

The issue with the Super manga is Toyo is writing it like it's a weekly manga, but has to pad things out for a monthly. Like a lot of chapters could have been combine together and a lot of fluffed removed and it was greatly improved the pacing. Like Goku vs Granola didn't have to be so many chapters and Vegeta's fight could have also been shortened by about a chapter since SSBE Vegeta vs Granola was an entire chapter so UE could be the cliffhanger when the fight didn't need that many pages.

Toyo also have this thing where he pads things out, but leave other important things vague. Like in the Moro arc, he spent several chapters with Vegeta and his training, yet barely touched on Goku's training, which is why Goku bonding with Merus falls flat for many people because Toyo didn't build on that emotional connection. Instead, we got a chapter dedicated to Diet Zarbon.

Granolah arc already being on its climax is surprising, but I still don't expect it to end before the movie comes out.

They said Toriyama spent a lot of time working on this arc but the main formula has been alike DBS Broly. Goku/Vegeta dealing with the sins of their race and their opponent Broly/Granolah being manipulated by someone (Paragus and Freeza / Heeters).

No idea what the next arc will be about but since Toriyama is not getting creative, the next story coming from him or Toyotaro is indifferent to me.

I don't see how Toriyama spent a lot time on this arc when most of he storylines, character design, and Vegeta's new form was all Toyo. Also, the Broly movie wasn't about dealing sins of the Saiyans since everything was literally only on King Vegeta and not the the Saiyans as a race. Paragus literally had nothing against Goku and didn't even acknowledged his existence. Broly was just along for the ride while Granolah was willing, so he's closer to Paragus than Broly. In short, Paragus' beef with Vegeta was personal. Even if Vegeta is being blamed for crap his dad, King Vegeta did he did all those things on his son's behalf, which is why Paragus hates Vegeta while Granola is far less personal since he doesn't even know Goku and Vegeta, and he isn't even the ones he wants. He wants Frieza.

Everything points to Toriyama doing Super Hero while doing minor things for the manga. He was more involved with this arc since he came up with the Heeters, Oatmeal, and the new Namekian lore, but even the Heeters wasn't something Toriyama could bother to design.

[Grimlock]

It's not an ideal solution but I don't think it's possible for the DBS manga to become weekly due to the kind of manga it is. I think almost every spin-off or sequel of popular manga series is released monthly.

Really? I didn't know that. Do they often see new materials as promotional stuff or something? I don't know if that's a common practice but it feels a bit weird if that's the case. You'd think that would happen only with lesser known franchises...

[Skar]

Really? I didn't know that. Do they often see new materials as promotional stuff or something? I don't know if that's a common practice but it feels a bit weird if that's the case. You'd think that would happen only with lesser known franchises...

I've seen people in the General Franchise section who haven't watched or read DBS until years later in order to binge it. I usually wait to binge a new series no matter how popular it is so some people might've decided to do that with DB.

[OLKv3]

I knew we were near the climax. A lot can happen in 4-5 chapters. The pacing of this ending will be similar to U6 and ToP

[MCDaveG]

Oh god, a new arc? I am not even excited anymore.

So Granolah and co. will defeat Gas aaaaand… that’s it?
Not really taking this manga seriously anymore. There were some nice bits and pieces in Moro arc at least, as I loved the Buu/Kaioshin connection going back to Z for example or Merus, but Moro himself was kind of just there, not turning out really interesting in the end.

Have this kind of feeling that despite the 3D not sitting really much with people so far, the Super Hero movie will be much more fun and more interesting than the last two manga arcs combined.

I can repeat some of the sentiments that some people here voiced over the years. Just maybe, let Dragon Ball die for few years again.

[Jiren The Alpha]

Oh god, a new arc? I am not even excited anymore.

So Granolah and co. will defeat Gas aaaaand… that’s it?
Not really taking this manga seriously anymore. There were some nice bits and pieces in Moro arc at least, as I loved the Buu/Kaioshin connection going back to Z for example or Merus, but Moro himself was kind of just there, not turning out really interesting in the end.

Have this kind of feeling that despite the 3D not sitting really much with people so far, the Super Hero movie will be much more fun and more interesting than the last two manga arcs combined.

I can repeat some of the sentiments that some people here voiced over the years. Just maybe, let Dragon Ball die for few years again.

I say let the manga die, it's just Toyo having fun and he can't do much when he is restricted (which imo is a good thing). Just let him work on Heroes again so he can go crazy all he wants.

[batistabus]

I've enjoyed this arc but I'm excited at the prospect of a new one. I think we can only take "heading into its climax" to mean the story won't slow down from here until it's over, which doesn't mean much.

[Gt91]

I knew we were near the climax. A lot can happen in 4-5 chapters. The pacing of this ending will be similar to U6 and ToP

Right, we still need to see a lot:

-The 10 questions for Zuno
-73 role/intel and maybe an army
-Bardock and Gas in the past
-Frieza (?)
-Monaito
-Elec ecc

[Xeogran]

So Granolah and co. will defeat Gas aaaaand… that’s it?
I can repeat some of the sentiments that some people here voiced over the years. Just maybe, let Dragon Ball die for few years again.

No, definitely not. Elec HAS to do something. If he gets offed unceremonially I'd be very angry, so I'm still keeping my hopes up. They had like free 10 questions to Zuno and we only know like 2 of them. That's a lot of wisdom he gets to posses now, lots of writing potential around it.

[HeroR]

While I was never big on this arc, found it more boring than Moro and I didn't even like Moro all that much, it's kind of lackluster where the climatic is going. Depending on the climatic and ending, this entire arc feels like an excuse for Goku and Vegeta to used their new forms against some rando for several chapters with a thinly covered plot. Especially if Frieza makes no appearance when he's the center of everything and Granola's true target while Goku and Vegeta were supposed to be side-dishes.