Dragon Ball Super: Manga Chapter 96 - Official Discussion Thread

[VegettoEX]

Dragon Ball Super: Manga Chapter 96

サイヤマン参戦！
Saiyaman Sansen!
(The) Saiyaman(men) Join(s) (the Fight)!

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Release Information:

JAPAN:
Date: August 21, 2023
Publication: V-Jump, October 2023 Issue
Cost: ¥630



(V-Jump is forward-dated two months from its actual release window. Issues are generally 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: August 20, 2023 (timed to the JP midnight-on-August-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 96 were posted on August 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 96. 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 so many 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.

Q: I want to learn more about what's going on with this manga's production!

A: Check out Episode #0489 of our podcast for an extreme deep-dive (with all the receipts you can eat!) into the production of the manga, including all of the ways that Toyotaro, Akira Toriyama, and Victory Uchida each individually contribute to it.

[Yuji]

So apparently Piccolo now has godly Ki in his Orange form, or Goten and Trunks have become worse at sensing Ki.

[Cold Skin]

^ Yes, that would be why he is said (outside of the story for now) to be catching up with the likes of Goku and Vegeta.
Either Shenron gifted him some divine energy, or Piccolo always had it dormant within him ever since he fused with God, much like the small Boo had dormant divine energy that he was too savage to put to use.

It's more likely the first option than the second, since in the Boo arc, Gohan can sense Dende's energy just after Boo has (fakely) self-destructed. It would imply that despite being called "God" of the Earth, the God of Earth doesn't actually have divine energy, so fusing with God wouldn't be the way he had it (unless it's dormant).

It's possible that the update performed by Dende on Shenron so that he can increase someone's strength simply has given him the possibility to give divine energy if need be to do just that. The Gods of Earth might not be divine themselves, but the power of the Dragon Balls or Shenron might be, or at least be able to give it.

I like it, Piccolo being reconnected to his God part in an actually divine way this time. It suits him thematically to have access to divine energy.

[nineko]

It would imply that despite being called "God" of the Earth, the God of Earth doesn't actually have divine energy, so fusing with God wouldn't be the way he had it (unless it's dormant).

In one of the Moro chapters, Dende straight up said that his own divine energy was still "developing" or something like that, I can't pull it up since the shonen jump app only allows to read the latest three chapters for free.

[Thani]

It would imply that despite being called "God" of the Earth, the God of Earth doesn't actually have divine energy, so fusing with God wouldn't be the way he had it (unless it's dormant).

In one of the Moro chapters, Dende straight up said that his own divine energy was still "developing" or something like that, I can't pull it up since the shonen jump app only allows to read the latest three chapters for free.

Also Dende had no problem sensing Beerus' ki when he first arrived on Earth, recognizing him almost instantly, whereas everyone else was like "who's this purple cat?", and at the time Super was adamant on the "mortals can't sense god ki" angle.

[Yuji]

While I generally dislike some of the free and uneared power-ups the series has been giving, I like how thematically Orange Piccolo circles back to the original purpose of the dragon balls, which was to provide pure
-hearted Namekian warriors with a reward for their bravery. Things come full circle from Daimao wishing for power and then killing Shenron, to now Shenron accepting the redeemed Piccolo as a representative of the Namekian pride and offering him strength of his own free will.

[Gt91]

So, about this chapter...

Spoiler:

Dragon Ball Super Chapter 96 Ends with:
• Cell Max coming out
• Cell Max vs Gammas
• Gohan drops Senzu
• Goten and Trunks become Saiyanman and rush towards Cell Max, end.

I hope this arc ends in two chapters. Please.

[Yuji]

So, about this chapter...

Spoiler:

Dragon Ball Super Chapter 96 Ends with:
• Cell Max coming out
• Cell Max vs Gammas
• Gohan drops Senzu
• Goten and Trunks become Saiyanman and rush towards Cell Max, end.

I hope this arc ends in two chapters. Please.

I'm guessing the next month ends with the Beast awakening, and the one afterwards wraps things up. Though I wouldn't be surprised if there's an extra third epilogue chapter.

[Hellspawn28]

I'm surprise this retelling is still on going. I got so bored with it that I forgot it was even a thing.

[theherodjl]

I so much would rather read about Freeza's training in his ROSAT or even an origin story for all of the prisoners at the Galactic Patrol prison, than continue to read a completely-redrawn recap of a movie that came out last year; barely adding anything more onto it or any sort of interesting change. The ROF & Broly films got adapted out the manga and were only briefly mentioned, but we have to sit and wait for more chapters of an entire tale that can be just as easily enjoyed & understood from watching the available film version? It's not even like this arc is the proverbial "other side of the coin", it's more like the same side on another, duplicate coin that is just a year newer.
I never thought I could say that I'm actually bored of DB, but here I am.

[ChronoTwigger]

I suppose the entire retelling was necessary as the new arc will be Frieza Whatever vs the Z Bros, all of them somehow boosted. It's easier to pull in Broly, a way harder to tell why Gohan change from loser to white, roaring loser.

[kemuri07]

If the whole purpose was simply to have Gohan and Piccolo up to speed for the Black Freeza arc, then a simple splash page detailing what happened could easily have done this.

This manga completely killed it’s own momentum for..reasons.

[Cold Skin]

Maybe because you're not supposed to say "go watch the movie by that other company if you want to live what happens in all its details"? It was something that shouldn't have happened with the other movies in the first place.

It's not a side story or anything, it's the main story continuing with major evolutions that will probably be put to use.
Even in the manga they had to double down on extra recaps for the Broly movie because they realised there were more important things that happened in the movie that "all you have to know is that the two Saiyans became even stronger". They had to add Goku explaining it in more details to Merus in extra pages in the volume, and then it was still not enough and they had to go into even more details with yet another recap in this arc because there were still things that the recap didn't cover because they didn't know yet what details of the movie could be useful in due time.

Their own attempt to skip with a recap keeps coming biting them in the ass when it is more and more apparent that the details that happen in the movie can be important and that the whole thing should be experienced in details.

Do you also want to read a novel that will tell you in the middle of it "for chapters 8, 9 and 10, go pay for the movie, it's already there so why would we bother here? Skipping to chapter 11 now!"?

Do you want a TV show to say in the middle of its season "by the way, the related novel happened between episodes 3 and 4 with lots of evolutions for the characters you can't possibly feel right with a quick recap, so if you want to feel the whole thing as you should, go spend money on that book, it's not our problem, otherwise, your loss, everybody has changed in drastic ways and it's your job to catch up on your own!"

Do you want a remake to go "we'll just skip this part, if you're interested in knowing what happens, just go play the original, it's already available elsewhere after all so why would we bother"?

To me, no media is supposed to say "we'll just skip it and quickly recap it in a few seconds because it's already available elsewhere in another form, so do your thing and find it on your own!". You'd be entitled to say "yeah, well, it's not that other form of media that interests me right now, it's this one right here, so don't send me elsewhere for some crucial missing pieces".

I'm obviously in the minority here, so I'm probably the one who doesn't get how it's supposed to work, but to me, it's not because you're impatient to know what's next - all that to be probably disappointed in due time anyway because it's somehow not the direction you wanted it to go -, that you're supposed to wish a part of the story was skipped and people should just find ways to watch it elsewhere (and perhaps pay for it) instead of "wasting everybody's time".

[Hugo Boss]

I'm obviously in the minority here, so I'm probably the one who doesn't get how it's supposed to work

Hey, you are not alone! I’m also interested in seeing everything being fleshed out here. By the way, Toyotaro really cooked with Cell Max design.

[AndLad92]

I'm obviously in the minority here, so I'm probably the one who doesn't get how it's supposed to work

Hey, you are not alone! I’m also interested in seeing everything being fleshed out here. By the way, Toyotaro really cooked with Cell Max design.

I think so too! I really like that they're covering a movie in manga form this time around, even though it's already covered in another format.

[VegettoEX]

A few reminders:

THREAD/DISCUSSION INFORMATION

This is the "official" discussion thread for Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 96. 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: 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 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.

Thank you!

[Issei189]

This chapter as usual was almost 1:1 with the movie version of those scenes, but has some extra OG scenes of Goten and Trunks by Toyotaro. I guess the highlight would be how well Toyotaro drew Orange Piccolo and Cell Max. They look great on page 5 and page 32. Anyways, We can expect this arc to end in 2 or 3 chapters as this chapter ends with Gammas fighting Cell Max while Goten and Trunks prepared to charge at him

[GreatSaiyaman123]

When did Bulma find out Goten and Trunks were the Saiyamen X?

Gohan squinting his eyes to see is hilarious. I also think it's funny how the chapter ends with Goten and Trunks jumping in like it's some sort of cliffhanger.

[LightBing]

What's up with Bulma dissing Kuririn? Was that in the movie?

Not much to say as someone who already saw the movie. Some nice drawings, that's pretty much it.

[FortuneSSJ]

Toyotaro cooked in some panels:

Spoiler:

The Cell Max one is the best panel of DBS manga so far. I'm surprised it was Toyotaro who drew it because it seems above his level.

I was expecting this chapter to end with Cell Max activation but they went a little further.

I would like Trunks/Goten Saiyaman gimmicks to make Hedo remember Great Saiyaman and reveal he was fan of him back then. In a movie about superheroes, it was a missing opportunity to not mention him and it would also make this arc more connected to previous events.

We are at chapter 96 and there's Jump Festa in December, I'm feeling Toyotaro will drag this until chapter 99 in November and start the new arc at chapter 100 in December. Jump Festa will be used to advertise the next arc.