Many audiences were first introduced to Dragon Ball through its anime adaptation rather than Toriyama’s original manga. Certain anime veer incredibly off course from their source material, but Dragon Ball benefits from an accurate adaptation that’s true to the manga.
That said, it’s not easy to fit everything from the manga into the anime and there are occasionally story developments, pieces of lore, or even entire characters who don’t find their way into Dragon Ball’s anime. Those who only engage in Dragon Ball’s anime over its manga are missing out on some major details.
10 Bardock's Kind History
Dragon Ball goes to great lengths to explain that Goku’s pacifistic nature as an infant is actually a convenient side effect of him being dropped on his head and forgetting his natural Saiyan programming. Dragon Ball establishes that the Saiyan are an aggressive and vicious lot who have an infamous reputation that Goku has only recently started to rehabilitate.
However, Dragon Ball Super’s manga includes an enlightening Bardock flashback where Goku’s father helps save a young Granolah and generally stand up for the disenfranchised. It’s revelatory to learn that Bardock is a sympathetic figure, like his son, and not some heartless soldier.
9 Vegeta Gets His Own Ultra Instinct Equivalent
There’s a fiery competitive rivalry between Goku and Vegeta as they continually match each other’s milestones. Vegeta is flummoxed over Goku’s new Ultra Instinct transformation, and he struggles to master its mechanics. Dragon Ball Super’s manga allows Vegeta to forge his own path that celebrates his specific advantages rather than trying to fit into Goku’s mold.
This begins with Vegeta’s intense training on Yardrat, where he gains Forced Spirit Fission, but later culminates with his new Ultra Ego form. Vegeta’s Ultra Ego is the inverse of Goku’s Ultra Instinct, and it’s a devastating form where Vegeta grows stronger based on the amount of damage that he accrues.
8 Planet-Eater Moro's Galactic Vendetta
Dragon Ball Super's manga has gone far beyond the events of its accompanying anime's Tournament of Power and Planet-Eater Moro is the first new major antagonist who enters the fray. Moro is an ancient magic user who is over ten million years old, and he’s spent a lengthy sentence in the Galactic Patrol's prison due to his crimes.
Moro is feared by Supreme Kai and celestial deities far and wide and the manga properly establishes his villainy and what a significant threat his escape poses to Universe 7. Moro's strength overwhelms the Galactic Patrol and also pushes Goku and Vegeta to surpass their limits.
7 Master Roshi Taps Into Autonomous Ultra Instinct
Goku’s first exposure to Ultra Instinct during Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power is a landmark moment for the series. The anime’s explanation of this zen-like state is considerably more sparse than its manga explanation. Dragon Ball’s manga treats Goku’s exposure to Ultra Instinct as the culmination of a lifetime of diverse training styles.
Additionally, there’s a moment in the manga where Master Roshi’s century of martial arts results in him temporarily experiencing Ultra Instinct. Beerus even utilizes it for a moment. All of this makes Ultra Instinct come across as a more developed transformation and battle tool instead of a random burst of power.
6 Goku Doesn't Combine The Kaio-Ken With Super Saiyan Blue
Goku’s Kaio-Ken Attack was one of the warrior’s staples before he ascends to Super Saiyan status. The Kaio-Ken is a strenuous procedure where the individual can multiply their strength and speed, but at the cost of an immense physical strain of their body. It’s an exciting moment in Dragon Ball Super’s anime when Goku brings back the Kaio-Ken in conjunction with his Super Saiyan Blue form during his fight against Hit.
This volatile combination never occurs in the manga and Goku instead just perfects Super Saiyan Blue and pushes it to its peak. It’s significant that Goku’s Kaio-Ken has remained dormant in the manga.
5 Goten & Trunks Pick Up The Great Saiyaman Mantle
Gohan’s teen years begin the Saiyan’s tenure as the Great Saiyaman, a street-level superhero who becomes enough of a public figure that there are even feature films being made about him. Dragon Ball Z movies highlight how Videl joins her husband’s side as Great Saiyaman 2, but Super’s manga reveals that this tradition has been continued with Goten and Trunks.
Goten and Trunks become Saiyaman X-1 and X-2 when they begin their high school education. It’s a fun way to call back to Gohan’s adolescence as these growing Saiyans juggle school with superheroics.
4 Frieza's New Transformation
Frieza is unofficially Dragon Ball’s main antagonist and this galactic tyrant has gotten more opportunities than any other villain in the series. Frieza’s Golden transformation prompts the character’s initial return in Dragon Ball Super. That being said, the manga’s Granolah the Survivor story arc concludes with a massive surprise.
Frieza returns to save the day, but he also shows off his deadly new form, Black Frieza. Black Frieza is the result of a decade’s worth of dedicated training and only manga readers are aware that Frieza is currently the strongest individual in Universe 7.
3 Goku & Vegeta Experiment With Hakai Destruction
Dragon Ball’s anime has highlighted the sheer destructive power of Hakai, Beerus’ signature erasure technique. Hakai is the primary weapon of the Gods of Destruction, and it’s only wielded by Lord Beerus and other Gods of Destruction in the anime. The manga, however, devotes more time to Goku and Vegeta’s training under Beerus and Whis.
Goku imperfectly executes the Hakai against Fused Zamasu, but Vegeta eventually masters the ability and even earns himself a God of Destruction earring. It’s a big deal that Vegeta possesses such a powerful technique, and it’s something anime-only fans deserve to know.
2 Toriyama's Self-Insert Tori-Bot Is Present
Akira Toriyama is a master of action storytelling, but he’s also a hilarious individual. Toriyama introduces the fourth wall-breaking self-insert character, the Tori-Bot, back in his Dr. Slump manga. This robotic rendition of Toriyama typically comes in to poke fun at the series or clear up plot holes, but he’s also given godly abilities that help him change reality on a whim.
The Tori-Bot has found its way into the various Dragon Ball manga, too. It’s an entertaining character who wouldn’t necessarily translate well to anime (although benign background crowd appearances have happened), but he’s technically one of the manga’s strongest individuals.
1 Beerus Is One Of The Strongest Gods Of Destruction
Dragon Ball Super expands the series’ scope in exciting ways through the introduction of new celestial figures and a whole multiverse to explore. Each universe has their own God of Destruction and Angel, with Beerus and Whis filling in as Universe 7’s representatives. Both Dragon Ball Super’s anime and manga feature a “Zeno Expo” exhibition match that precedes the Tournament of Power.
In the manga, this comes in the form of a battle royale between all 12 Gods of Destruction. The match prematurely gets called off, but Beerus fares incredibly well and proves that he’s one of the strongest Gods of Destruction, even if Universe 7 as a whole is on the weaker side of the multiverse.
