Super anime vs Super manga

[Kappa]

I only enjoy the anime version. It's better and it doesn't have boring filler. (Moro and Granolah).

How bout you guys?

[DHM211]

The Anime has higher highs, but way lower lows. Episodes 39, 56, 66, 94, 95, 110, 130, and 131 are standouts in their respective saga's that surpass their respective equivalents in the Manga, but overall I would say the manga is better, and certainly feels more in-line character wise with Dragon Ball/Z (both manga and anime).

Only character I feel was done better in the Anime was Goku Black.

[capsulecorp]

The Anime has higher highs, but way lower lows

I agree with this. There's always something faintly ridiculous about when people act all offended like "how dare they ask the fans to consume this Dragon Ball story and not the one I imagined in my head!!!", but there are parts of the anime that are really just beyond the pale.

That said, there are bits that rule. Ironically, a lot of those parts are filler! My two favorite parts, the Arale guest episode and the "Smart Boo" scenes, are total filler... and they're fantastic.

Once the Super manga wraps up I'll do a re-read but it does feel a lot more consistent, which is important.

[ZombieVito]

I honestly can't think of a single thing the manga did better than the anime for me.

U6 tournament is basically 1:1 (While shitting on Piccolo) until the last fight which was just boring in the manga.

Zamasu arc basically ruined Goku Black, made Future Trunks completely useless apart from that stupid White mage crap and wanked Goku to extreme levels by the end. While Infinite Zamasu was fine here, it simply can't compare to the absolute terror of it's anime version.

ToP arc was a rushed mess with some characters simply just showing up to get eliminated like Saonel and Pirina, getting wasted like Kefla or simply getting disrespected like scrubs like Toppo and Dyspo. There's also that stupid Vegeta rant that just irks me every time I think about it.

[DHM211]

I honestly can't think of a single thing the manga did better than the anime for me.

The main characters, especially Goku and Vegeta, actually feel like themselves and not absurd caricatures. Watching DBK Buu Saga Goku than jumping to the DBS manga actually feels like the same person. The first few episodes of the DBS anime already make Goku obnoxiously immature, and it honestly only gets worse as the series goes on until the ToP, where he mellows out somewhat, still not close to how he was in Z however.

The manga also looks consistently good to great. Sure, Toyotaro is no Toriyama, but much like his characterization, his artwork feels like an actual continuation of Dragon Ball/Z. The anime, especially towards the end has some great animation/art work, but the majority of it is quite bad.

[Magnificent Ponta]

I enjoy the Dragon Ball Super manga for its own sake and on its own merits, and feel no interest at all in putting it up "vs" anything.

[ZombieVito]

The main characters, especially Goku and Vegeta, actually feel like themselves and not absurd caricatures. Watching DBK Buu Saga Goku than jumping to the DBS manga actually feels like the same person. The first few episodes of the DBS anime already make Goku obnoxiously immature, and it honestly only gets worse as the series goes on until the ToP, where he mellows out somewhat, still not close to how he was in Z however.

The manga also looks consistently good to great. Sure, Toyotaro is no Toriyama, but much like his characterization, his artwork feels like an actual continuation of Dragon Ball/Z. The anime, especially towards the end has some great animation/art work, but the majority of it is quite bad.

Goku feels the same to me in all 3 mediums. That's just how Toriyama likes to write him now. I'm sure he will be the same in Daima.

Vegeta sucks ass in the manga. Just see his interactions with Cabba or how he got SSBE because MUH POWER WAS SURPASSED rant instead of thinking about his friend and how he needed to bring him back to life. Anime Vegeta feels like a proper continuation of his redeemed Boo arc self (Even finally getting more power because he needed to protect others like he realizes in the Boo arc about Goku) instead of the regression that is the manga one. I don't like manga Vegeta at all.

Couldn't care less about animation.

[emperior]

The Anime has higher highs, but way lower lows. Episodes 39, 56, 66, 94, 95, 110, 130, and 131 are standouts in their respective saga's that surpass their respective equivalents in the Manga, but overall I would say the manga is better, and certainly feels more in-line character wise with Dragon Ball/Z (both manga and anime).

Only character I feel was done better in the Anime was Goku Black.

I perfectly agree, though there are also some other episodes besides the ones you listed that reached greater highs than their manga’s counterparts.

A blended version of the two would be the best version of Super, and it would be damn great.

[SupremeKai25]

I honestly can't think of a single thing the manga did better than the anime for me.

U6 tournament is basically 1:1 (While shitting on Piccolo) until the last fight which was just boring in the manga.

Zamasu arc basically ruined Goku Black, made Future Trunks completely useless apart from that stupid White mage crap and wanked Goku to extreme levels by the end. While Infinite Zamasu was fine here, it simply can't compare to the absolute terror of it's anime version.

ToP arc was a rushed mess with some characters simply just showing up to get eliminated like Saonel and Pirina, getting wasted like Kefla or simply getting disrespected like scrubs like Toppo and Dyspo. There's also that stupid Vegeta rant that just irks me every time I think about it.

Agreed.

Not much changes in the Manga U6 Tournament arc, so once I watched it in the Anime, I had no motivation to read it in the Manga.

Goku Black and Zamasu are good villains in the Manga, and there are several moments I enjoy from them; such as Goku Black stabbing Gowasu in the heart, Fused Zamasu unleashing various ki blasts on the Earth shortly after he's created, or that shot of the army of Infinite Zamasus overwhelming the ruined city.

But in terms of portrayal and entertainment, Anime Black and Zamasu are just better, more badass, more "savage" you could say. Some people complain that the anime should have removed one of the three trips to the Future, and I disagree completely. Having Zamasu effortlessly stomp the protagonists twice just builds him up as an almighty threat that only Zeno can destroy for good. The Anime also actually shows us Zamasu kill Goku and his family, which is very gruesome and dark moment in the series, definitely comparable to some of the darkest stuff form DBZ.

In terms of abilities, I find Anime Zamasu much richer and more enjoyable than Manga Zamasu. Anime Zamasu has all these interesting and unique attacks that manipulate blades, constructs shaped like a halo or a bird, he even creates a scythe, and he just looks and speaks like an actual God villain. In contrast, Manga Zamasu is much more grounded and basic, much less flashy and "explosive" than his Anime counterpart, and I dislike this very much. Zamasu is a bratty, pompous, vainglorious, arrogant God who thinks he should rule entire Cosmos, and his arsenal should reflect that. Anime Fused Zamasu looks like a JRPG villain who has all these flashy techniques with ridiculous names, like "Blades of Judgement", Lightning of Absolution"; "Holy Wrath", which simply make the villain funnier and more enjoyable to watch, and actually portrays his concept of a "pompous, vainglorious, arrogant God". In comparison, Manga Zamasu is not bad, but he's just boring. From a pompous and arrogant Deity, I'd expect more techniques than just throwing some random katchin blocks and force-choking people.

The ToP arc is too rushed in the Manga. Major antagonists like Kefla and Anilaza are just ignored, while in the Anime they were fearsome antagonists that gave cool fights. What was the reason for wasting Kefla and Anilaza? Why the rush to end the arc? Also, Roshi surviving for longer than two seconds against Jiren is too ridiculous to take seriously. For all the criticism the Anime power-scale gets, at least Toei understood that Roshi is fodder and has no business even being in Jiren's presence.

In conclusion, compared to the Anime, the Manga might have more consistency or better writing; but it is so boring, uneventful, and basic that I don't enjoy it more than the Anime.

[kemuri07]

It's not even a contest: The manga is much more consistently written than the anime because it has a single writer, rather than multiple writers for a single anime. I think people who tend to believe the anime is better often just cherry pick the best sakuga moments and conveniently "forget" how awful Super (anime) can be. So yeah for every episode as cool as Ultra Instinct Goku vs Kafla or the Goku and Freeza team up scene, there are dozens of poorly paced, poorly animated episodes that are an absolute chore to sit through.

[Cipher]

Vegeta sucks ass in the manga. Just see his interactions with Cabba or how he got SSBE because MUH POWER WAS SURPASSED rant instead of thinking about his friend and how he needed to bring him back to life. Anime Vegeta feels like a proper continuation of his redeemed Boo arc self (Even finally getting more power because he needed to protect others like he realizes in the Boo arc about Goku) instead of the regression that is the manga one. I don't like manga Vegeta at all. .

Are we talking about the same anime Vegeta who won’t give his ki to the Genki Dama at the Tournament of Power for some reason?

The manga version of Vegeta has him risk ceding his chances at the U6 tournament over to Goku specifically to inspire Cabba (compared to his loss in the anime having nothing to do with any kind of character beat). Both versions see him demonstrate growth in the Future Trunks arc, but the manga adds the additional capstone of his willingly going for the fusion and telling Trunks to heal Goku when he realizes what’s on the line and that Future Bulma was killed, which is a more substantial role of his character and characterization than the TV version grants. At the ToP, while manga Vegeta doesn’t have the same (endlessly repeated) sense of duty toward U6 he does in the TV version, he also doesn’t have the regressive bits like the aforementioned Genki Dama portion above. (Such is characterization when scripted by a revolving door of rushed writers relying on pulling in recognizable tropes; see Freeza being a walking collection of Namek arc one-liners by the end.) Instead it ends on his suggesting teamwork with Goku, building off their training under Whis. The series then goes on to provide two arcs that are some of the best content Vegeta’s gotten since Namek, and where is growth and regrets over past actions are essentially the A plot.

I’m not here to tell anyone what the better version is (manga), but I particularly don’t get this stance when it comes to Vegeta’s character. What Vegetas are we looking at?

Since I actually am here to tell people what the better version is (sometimes I feel more diplomatic than others; I’ll let previous posts in the thread dictate the tone here): Despite its obvious different artist/author, I still feel with the Super manga like I’m reading a series set in the same world as the original run, and featuring the same cast. (Like the original, I also find it very rereadable and instantly fun to go back to, even if I wouldn’t put them on the same level.) I do not feel that way with the anime.

[Vegard Aune]

It depends for me.

• Battle of Gods arc: Yeah both the manga and the TV series are bad ngl. Movie or nothing.

• Resurrection F arc: Does not exist in the manga, is too long and terribly animated in the show, so... Movie wins again.

• Universe 6 arc: Anime. Manga feels like it's just running on fast forward.

• Future Trunks arc: Manga. It mostly boils down to two things: Goku Black's origin actually making sense whereas the anime sets up an entirely unnecessary paradox and then just doesn't seem to realize that's what it did, and also Zamasu doesn't have quite the same penchant for pulling new unexplained powers out of nowhere. I mean, Merged Zamasu does still do some pretty random stuff in the manga as well, but at least he doesn't fuse with the very fabric of the universe at the end. Like, the manga's escalation leading to The Omni-King Button feels at least somewhat justifiable even if I still have to kinda squint to make it add up, whereas in the anime it's just... oh I guess he's the universe now. Mind you, end of the day... I dislike both. Because I can't stand the ending.

• Universe Survival arc: Anime is overlong, but manga feels like a cliff notes retelling where nothing gets any breathing room. Yeah I'll take the anime. The Ultra Instinct episodes and the finale are actually spectacular, and while yeah, there's a whoooooooooole lotta mediocrity between those, the manga is just consistently "meh".

• Broly arc: Ha ha it's literally a single page going "And then some stuff happened but never mind that." Movie wins.

...Not gonna deal with Moro and Granolah since they're manga-only and I've yet to finish them. I've read Moro, but I've barely even started Granolah. I will say that Moro is probably the most fun I've had with the DBS manga, however.

...Also can't really speak much for Super Hero because 1: the manga's telling is not yet finished, and 2: I kinda jumped in halfway through. I will say that what I have read has been... alright, though. I'm very much in the camp that appreciates the Super Hero arc being a thing because seriously the manga just outright skipping F and Broly annoy me greatly.


...I guess at the end of the day that all evens out to the anime being superior? Like, the only part where I actively prefer the manga is Future Trunks.

[PerhapsTheOtherOne]

I vastly prefer the anime overall. It hits those emotional beats HARD when it really gets going, it's great to see the movement and action of the characters in motion, and the voice-acting gives it an experience you really can't match.

Being more "consistent" really doesn't matter if it can't make you care as much.

[capsulecorp]

Despite its obvious different artist/author, I still feel with the Super manga like I’m reading a series set in the same world as the original run, and featuring the same cast. (Like the original, I also find it very rereadable and instantly fun to go back to, even if I wouldn’t put them on the same level.) I do not feel that way with the anime.

At the end of the day, this is what it comes down to. I don't love either, but at least the manga feels like it "belongs". The anime has some fun moments (and some utterly abysmal ones) but it doesn't really feel like Dragon Ball very often.

[GokuHater]

I only enjoy the anime version. It's better and it doesn't have boring filler. (Moro and Granolah).

How bout you guys?

Btw Moro and Granolah are not filler they're both completely legit manga arcs, just not animated.
Super DOES HAVE filler but Moro and Granolah are not it.

As for me all in all I prefer the manga. I think it's much more consistent, filler free and straight to the point. Also Goku's portrayal is a lot more tolerable.

That isn't to say I think it's always better. I actually think the manga started out kind of bad with BoG being a joke, RoF being cut out altogether and Universe 6 being fun but meh.
For me the manga really gets better right around Zamasu.

I do prefer choices they did in the manga, I think they make a lot more sense and make the story fly a lot more naturally (the ending, two times they went to the future, Trunk's role, Trunk's final hit etc.) I prefer Zamasu's portrayal there - he seems more like a psycho from the beginning, while Black is just sadistic and it's shown, not told.

ToP is a more mixed bag, still I prefer the manga, where I feel it' more interesting, quick, flows better. On the other hand gathering of warriors off screen is a very bad move, sometimes it's too fast paced and while I enjoy Roshi's lesson in the manga, I feel anime did UI a LOT better.

Then there's Moro and Granolah, which I think - while having issues - are the best Super arcs up to this point.

Anime also can be scored on things that the manga just can't do - like music or animation.
Both of these unfortunately never stay consistent so no points there.

[Koitsukai]

The anime is much more entertaining than the manga for me, even with its obvious flaws and pacing. I prefer every animated arc, I think. The manga U6 arc is the one that comes somewhat close, but I think the SSBKK gives the edge (funny people were so adamant saying "nah, KK is not in the manga... it's a different, same principles same everything but different, bla bla, until Toyo went and say yeap Blu KK). Although, SSBKK really outstayed its welcome in its introductory arc.
Well, now I might prefer the manga arc, though. The Switch was really cool and it was the stepping stone for understanding and mastering SSB.


The Black Goku arc in the anime is a narrative mess, yes, 50 trips to the past, 51 mistakes made, intricate stuff that doesn't really make sense, dumb paradoxes, etc... but anime Black stomps the whiney, anxious manga Black. I'll concede that manga Black seems more in tune with Zamasu, insecure, dubious, etc. But I prefer the anime giving Zamasu more personality and confidence while running a saiyan body. He is always in control, while the other one is pretty much always ready to go into hiding and on edge.
Also, it makes more sense to call Zeno in the anime than in the manga, where Vegito was used too son, and served no purpose unlike in the anime, where he was the one that weakend Zamasu and got him "killed".
The ominous feeling Infinite Zamasu gives is unmatched. That's something you MUST call Zeno for, while an army of Zamasu... that's something still nuts, but if they were able to fuse, it would've been, at least narratively, the next step before calling your dad, and also amazing. But Toyo wanted his Vegito for lunch, he couldn't wait for dinner, so...


The ToP works better narratively in the manga, it's more consistent in its quality, but how come you have a battle royale with so many big battles happening off-screen? is that a joke? why get more Damon than Toppo? is that another case of the beloved subverting of expectations? because I didn't like that.
I'd take Freeza getting off his horse and collaborating against his will and on his own terms, like in the anime, than just being the guy scoring the late-winning goal like in the manga after doing nothing at all. The theme of teamwork to me is more driven home by having God and Lucifer teaming up to take down an alien, but that's just me.

I loved seeing 17 earn the W, not only in the end, that was much more thrilling than just coming out from under a rock after the fight is over, but his entire performance in the ToP.
Anime UI is more like TUI from the manga, fueled by rage and all of that, lol. I doubt they knew where UI was going, lol. It shouldn't work like that, but boy does it became memorable. While in the manga, it's just like a demo.
The manga is better on paper, it all adds up, it's neat and clean and organized, every chair in its place, every comma is perfectly placed... like the perfect office, the perfect text. The anime is all over the place, but it just hits you in the fun bone. I'll take chaotic fun over neutral good. Too intelectual, too well-thought, and having little to no emotions althroughout its run, at least for me.

[Vegard Aune]

The ominous feeling Infinite Zamasu gives is unmatched. That's something you MUST call Zeno for, while an army of Zamasu... that's something still nuts, but if they were able to fuse, it would've been, at least narratively, the next step before calling your dad, and also amazing. But Toyo wanted his Vegito for lunch, he couldn't wait for dinner, so...

Vegetto could deal with one merged Zamasu, Goku was individually briefly able to deal with one merged Zamasu...
And then there were hundreds of them. All at full strength. Explicitly declaring their intent to spread out to every timeline and kill all life. While Goku and Vegeta were completely worn out and had played every single one of their cards. Oh and every single injury dealt to each of the merged Zamasus resulted in more fully-powered merged Zamasus showing up. Calling the Omni-King there was every bit as justified as it was in the anime. In both versions they were stuck in a situation where they were 100% going to die.

[The Monkey King]

At least the manga doesn't have



"Oh my asspull spirit sword! I was never taught how to do the spirit bomb but somehow I did it without even trying and channeled it into my sword! This combined with my new super special Super Saiyan... uhhh... Rage form! which was never explained and for some reason I didn't get when Goku Black killed my mother right in front of my eyes will surely win the day now that I'm stronger than a fusion between 2 Super Saiyan Blues!"

Just for Trunks' timeline to be wiped out anyway, some of the worst writing I've ever seen in all my years of watching anime

[SupremeKai25]

At least the manga doesn't have



"Oh my asspull spirit sword! I was never taught how to do the spirit bomb but somehow I did it without even trying and channeled it into my sword! This combined with my new super special Super Saiyan... uhhh... Rage form! which was never explained and for some reason I didn't get when Goku Black killed my mother right in front of my eyes will surely win the day now that I'm stronger than a fusion between 2 Super Saiyan Blues!"

Just for Trunks' timeline to be wiped out anyway, some of the worst writing I've ever seen in all my years of watching anime

It actually does



Besides that, Trunks didn't get this form when Black killed Bulma because he was trying to run away (literally the whole point of Bulma's sacrifice) and was holding back his emotions and tears; and Trunks obviously wasn't stronger than Vegito Blue, he just delivered the final blow. Zamasu was already suffering from Vegito's attacks, with Shin noting that he was gradually falling apart instead of healing.

Trunks' new form is not bad conceptually, Toei just needed to confirm the headcanon everyone has that this form is a result of Trunks' intense training with SSB Vegeta. Good idea to keep Trunks relevant in his own arc, lacking execution.

Trunks' timeline was wiped out in the Manga too.

[Koitsukai]

The ominous feeling Infinite Zamasu gives is unmatched. That's something you MUST call Zeno for, while an army of Zamasu... that's something still nuts, but if they were able to fuse, it would've been, at least narratively, the next step before calling your dad, and also amazing. But Toyo wanted his Vegito for lunch, he couldn't wait for dinner, so...

Vegetto could deal with one merged Zamasu, Goku was individually briefly able to deal with one merged Zamasu...
And then there were hundreds of them. All at full strength. Explicitly declaring their intent to spread out to every timeline and kill all life. While Goku and Vegeta were completely worn out and had played every single one of their cards. Oh and every single injury dealt to each of the merged Zamasus resulted in more fully-powered merged Zamasus showing up. Calling the Omni-King there was every bit as justified as it was in the manga. In both versions they were stuck in a situation where they were 100% going to die.

In that given situation, perhaps.
But if the fight was written differently, if Vegito was not seen before, if that was still an option, then Vegito, who even before having a senzu, and in his base form, was so much stronger than Zamasu, could've tried and deal with them(and fail, of course), instead of the old "OP character stomps but amounts to fuckin nothing and you could just write him off and it wouldn't change a thing" trope, would've at least driven that point home in a much stronger way than "I'm beat, go tell the principal". Not to mention, justifiying the inclusion of a fused character and having them actually fail while being the last resource, instead of at the middle of the battle, while Goku even had an ace up his sleeve left...

I'd rather see Vegito blow up a dozen of Zamasu, and them becoming 20 and 30 and 40, etc, slowly driving him crazy and wearing him out, instead of the boring stuff they got him doing. In fact, for what he was called for, I'd rather we didn't see him at all.