Dragon Ball Super: Manga Chapter 101 - Official Discussion Thread

[VegettoEX]

Dragon Ball Super: Manga Chapter 101

カーマインと１５番
Kāmain to Jūgo-ban
Carmine and No. 15

-------------------------------

Release Information:

JAPAN:
Date: January 19, 2024
Publication: V-Jump, March 2024 Issue
Cost: ¥640
Purchase: Amazon Japan



(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: January 18, 2024 (timed to the JP midnight-on-January-19th 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 101 were posted on January 12 (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.



-------------------------------

THREAD/DISCUSSION INFORMATION

This is the "official" discussion thread for Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 101. 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.

Q: What's on the horizon / what does the future hold for the manga? Is the Super Hero arc actually continuing beyond the movie?

A: We have no idea! We'll all find out together!

[Grimlock]

It's new territory, but not that new? The plus side to this seemingly straight-up sequel to the movie is that we will probably get more of Goten, Trunks (with luck, which we don't have, finally teen Gotenks), Pan and Marron. We have yet to see how a two-year-old Bra looks like. Now's another chance for all that.

The bad thing is that we're still stuck in this time period and we're about to venture into more slice of life and easy stuff, which can get pretty boring pretty quickly, especially if it's drag too long (which seems to be a strong characteristic of these stories).

I do hope we won't get more of Red Ribbon (unless Android 21 and some stuff from Dragon Ball Online somehow show up). Enough is enough.

[Basaku]

Yay for more Trunks and Goten, hopefully more Goten this time as Trunks got 99% of the characterization in chapters 88-90 but... lol at the manga still being stuck in the Super Hero arc essentially, they're milking it to the very last drop

We have yet to see how a two-year-old Bra looks like. Now's another chance for all that.

she was already in one of the prequel chapters

[The Monkey King]

I always find it funny when people say

"The Black Freeza arc HAS TO HAPPEN!"

Why does it have to happen? Will Toriyama and Toyotarou spontaneously combust if it doesn't? Will the entire stock of Dragon Ball crash if it doesn't?

Nope. And outside of its little manga bubble the broader Dragon Ball franchise ignores the Super manga anyway. Black Freeza may never appear ever again, more RRA shenanigans for 2 more years!

And btw Teen Gotenks won't appear because that's something fans actually want to see .

[Basaku]

Nope. And outside of its little manga bubble the broader Dragon Ball franchise ignores the Super manga anyway.

Not if you look at YouTube for one and check the millions of views the videos talking about/reviewing/discussing the manga-original arcs get. The broader DB fanbase may have ignored stuff in the past. Nowadays with the social media and youtube? Nope. Better to be aware of this, regardless if you like the manga or not

[Jack Bz]

Hoping this is the start of a new completely different arc and not just a multi-month epilogue

[Koitsukai]

And outside of its little manga bubble the broader Dragon Ball franchise ignores the Super manga anyway.

So... the Super manga will ignore the Super manga. Makes sense.

It will happen sooner or later because that's how narrative works, you introduce something, tease it, leave threads open, even have later panels saying the MCs are thinking about dealing with that... and then you touch upon it when the time comes.
It'd be like hinting at a romance between Jack and Rose, and then keeping them apart for the rest of the movie, not crossing paths ever again.

[Bardock God of Time]

Please focus more on Goten this time around

[The Monkey King]

And outside of its little manga bubble the broader Dragon Ball franchise ignores the Super manga anyway.

So... the Super manga will ignore the Super manga. Makes sense.

It will happen sooner or later because that's how narrative works, you introduce something, tease it, leave threads open, even have later panels saying the MCs are thinking about dealing with that... and then you touch upon it when the time comes.
It'd be like hinting at a romance between Jack and Rose, and then keeping them apart for the rest of the movie, not crossing paths ever again.

Yes. I have that little faith in it, not even joking.

This is indeed how narrative works if you want to frustrate your audience.

Imagine if Raditz came to Earth, one shot Goku, revealed he was an alien and that they're brothers and promptly left. And then after that Toriyama decided to spend 2 years telling a story about Gohan's adventures in nursery, making a manga adaptation of the Garlic Jr film and then continued with Gohan in nursery. Fans would've gotten fed up and Dragon Ball would've been cancelled.

That's essentially what's happening with the DBS manga right now, the only reason it gets a pass is because it's a legacy manga.

By the time this "Black Freeza arc" happens (if ever) many fans who were excited at the time of the reveal won't even be anymore

[Basaku]

And outside of its little manga bubble the broader Dragon Ball franchise ignores the Super manga anyway.

So... the Super manga will ignore the Super manga. Makes sense.

It will happen sooner or later because that's how narrative works, you introduce something, tease it, leave threads open, even have later panels saying the MCs are thinking about dealing with that... and then you touch upon it when the time comes.
It'd be like hinting at a romance between Jack and Rose, and then keeping them apart for the rest of the movie, not crossing paths ever again.

Yes. I have that little faith in it, not even joking.

This is indeed how narrative works if you want to frustrate your audience.

Imagine if Raditz came to Earth, one shot Goku, revealed he was an alien and that they're brothers and promptly left. And then after that Toriyama decided to spend 2 years telling a story about Gohan's adventures in nursery, making a manga adaptation of the Garlic Jr film and then continued with Gohan in nursery. Fans would've gotten fed up and Dragon Ball would've been cancelled.

That's essentially what's happening with the DBS manga right now, the only reason it gets a pass is because it's a legacy manga.

Hear hear. I cannot phantom how a fanbase that's in love with a show which heavily featured the literal character growth, passage of time and grand finales of arcs at its forefront, can now just accept the narratives that never seem to go anywhere anymore or the characters being stuck in the same moment & place in their lives seemingly forever. Like wut? How many many more years of buildup Freeza needs? Or Beerus for that matter. A decade after 2013 BOG it's all really getting old. Within the same timespan between 1984 and 1995 we had the ENTIRE DB manga finished already lol ..

[SupremeKai25]

With every passing month, I become more and more convinced that the Anime made the right call in ending at the ToP arc.

The ToP is kind of the perfect ending for Super. Even this "Black Frieza" business is just a boring rehash of Golden Frieza. Resurrect Frieza, keep him as a wild card (like ToP movie and, to a certain extent, Broly movie did), but don't give him any more asspulls, so that the protagonists don't have to worry about him in End of Z.

I understand that the executives and producers want to milk the Super brand for many years, since it's so popular and successful, but really... the ToP arc kind of was a perfect ending for this whole Super storyline.

Now we're continuing with this Red Ribbon story after an entire year+ wasted on it? This is such a far cry from the original premise of Super, which was Goku trying to become Beerus' equal, as the legend of the Super Saiyan God stated.

I don't even really hate this Red Ribbon army storyline, I think it would have its place in a story like Daima, which is clearly supposed to be more light-hearted. But it doesn't really make sense in Super, which was supposed to be about the Gods and the Angels, not Red Ribbon androids and Teenager "Super heroes".

[Skar]

I wonder if this will be like the ending of the Moro arc with 73 surviving. I remember some fans thinking he would be the main villain but he didn't last long and only used to transition to the next arc. I'm not sure how the RR army could be a threat without Hedo unless they have another relative of Gero working for them.

[Xeogran]

Like wut? How many many more years of buildup Freeza needs? Or Beerus for that matter. A decade after 2013 BOG it's all really getting old. Within the same timespan between 1984 and 1995 we had the ENTIRE DB manga finished already lol ..

Yeah..
In an ideal world, 2023 would give us Battle of Gods 2 with the long awaited rematch of Goku vs Beerus. Be it in the movie or manga format. Instead we're backtracking and stuck with retreading Red Ribbon for years now. Daima will be most likely a complete different entity too, so the "Surpass Beerus" plotline is stuck in the same spot as always.

[Zephyr]

Black Freeza will come to Earth to recruit Carmine, who will help him build a de-aging machine.

[VegettoEX]

Yeah..
In an ideal world, 2023 would give us Battle of Gods 2 with the long awaited rematch of Goku vs Beerus.

Huh? I'm not waiting for this. I don't want this at all.

[Xeogran]

Yeah..
In an ideal world, 2023 would give us Battle of Gods 2 with the long awaited rematch of Goku vs Beerus.

Huh? I'm not waiting for this. I don't want this at all.

That's okay, it's not for everyone. I understand that Beerus is on good terms with the cast now, but I personally would like a rematch and thought it would happen a decade after BoG.

[The Monkey King]

Yeah..
In an ideal world, 2023 would give us Battle of Gods 2 with the long awaited rematch of Goku vs Beerus.

Huh? I'm not waiting for this. I don't want this at all.

Honest question, why not?

Is it because the "DEEBEEZEE" fans would like it and you have a need to feel "superior" to them?

Maybe not a straight up Battle of Gods 2, but a movie that climaxes with Goku vs Beerus rematch wherein Goku defeats him has the potential to be fun and satisfying.

[JulieYBM]

I feel like Dragon Ball hasn't been particularly interested in building up to a rematch between Gokuu and Beers, but if it ever did decide to do so, then there would need to be some reflection by the series on what exactly that would mean. The battle between Son Gokuu and Majin Vegeta ultimately did not reach much of a resolution in large part because Toriyama typically dances around the idea of giving his stories deeper meaning—a habit that ultimately hurts his work, I think.

I'm curious as to what it would even mean for Beers to finally face a challenge that makes him re-examine where he has come from, where he is now, and where he wants to go next. Lest the story of Son Gokuu finally come to an end, any potential battle between Son Gokuu and Beers in the future would need to follow in the mold of the ol' Anipoke rival: the real character arc is for the rival (Beers), and not Gokuu (Satoshi), and therefore the real emotional core of the story and resolution is in Beers moving on in some way.

[Zephyr]

I feel like the Goku vs. Beerus rematch was rendered moot by the former surpassing him vicariously through Geran during the Tournament of Power.

Then again, it's unclear if that beat has been noticed by the films and manga.

[Basaku]

Honest question, why not?

Is it because the "DEEBEEZEE" fans would like it and you have a need to feel "superior" to them?

Maybe not a straight up Battle of Gods 2, but a movie that climaxes with Goku vs Beerus rematch wherein Goku defeats him has the potential to be fun and satisfying.

Ain't Mike like one of the most hardcorerest stans of BOG? Dun think it's because of that

Personally I'm fine with a rematch but don't see much narrative or thematical potential in it anymore, other than a pat on the back for Goku. I think Whis/Beerus got too involved with the cast to serve as some sort of a challenge-conclusion for the Super era

Though even modern Toriyama managed to surprise me a few times so maybe there is some way to make it interesting and meaningful that ain't obvious either when we first think of the potential rematch