5 Differences Between the Dragon Ball Super Anime and Manga
Toei Animation is a studio that, when it comes to Dragon Ball, has not done anything truly decent since Dragon Ball Z, when they made a series of surprising improvements to the classic villain arcs. However, Toei ended up lowering the level of Toriyama’s manga during the Super era.
That said, the same cannot be said for the anime adaptation of Dragon Ball Super, as Toei delivered a major downgrade compared to the original material. The animated adaptation significantly reduced the quality of Toriyama’s manga, discarding important elements and even infantilizing the character Goku.
Differences Between the Dragon Ball Super Anime and Manga
We will not start with the unnecessary and visually unappealing adaptations of the movies into the Dragon Ball Super anime. Instead, we will begin directly with the Goku Black arc.
1 – In the manga, Super Saiyan God Vegeta debuted in the Goku Black arc
Unlike Goku, who required a ritual, Vegeta achieves the Super Saiyan God transformation through intense training with Whis. By the end of this process, he masters divine ki on his own.
His first appearance in this form occurs in the Goku Black arc, where Vegeta strategically alternates between this transformation and Super Saiyan Blue, seeking a balance between power and efficiency.
2 – Unlike the anime, in the manga Goku Black becomes a standard Super Saiyan
In the manga, Goku Black uses the standard Super Saiyan transformation during his fight against Super Saiyan Vegeta, unlike in the anime, where he transitions directly to Super Saiyan Rosé.
In the manga, Goku Black tests Goku’s body in a confrontation where both he and Vegeta possess equivalent power levels, before revealing Super Saiyan Rosé, which is his divine version of the Super Saiyan form.
Unlike the anime, the manga presents a natural and traditional progression, going through the regular Super Saiyan form before reaching the divine one.
3 – In the manga, all 12 Gods of Destruction test the Tournament of Power arena in an exhibition battle
Another moment where Toei lowered the level of Toriyama’s manga occurs during the Tournament of Power arc. In the anime, only three Gods of Destruction test the arena in an exhibition match, while in the manga all 12 Gods of Destruction participate in the battle.
The gods fight each other to test the arena’s durability, with Beerus as the main target. The other 11 Gods initially unite against him, considering Universe 7 a major nuisance.
Even when facing all the other gods, Beerus’s performance is impressive, as he demonstrates superior technique, dodging most attacks and even using Ultra Instinct. In the manga, he does not fully master this technique, but still uses it quite effectively. The Grand Priest ends the fight because the Zeno twins become bored, as they are unable to follow the battle.
4 – Goku infantilized by Toei
Now moving on to the characters themselves, it is impossible to ignore how Toei turned Goku into an infantilized character. For example, in the Super Hero arc of the anime, Goku does not recognize meditation as a valid form of training. In the manga, however, he merely shows surprise at seeing Vegeta using this method.
5 – Even in fillers, Toei continues to infantilize characters
In episode 46 of Dragon Ball Super, in the so-called “Copy-Vegeta Saga,” the Saiyan is forced to use a pacifier—which actually functions as a seal placed on his mouth to prevent him from disappearing
This gives the impression that the writers no longer have the creativity to produce fun fillers, like the classic Dragon Ball Z episode where Goku and Piccolo try to get their driver’s licenses.