Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #95 of Dragon Ball SuperThe Super Dragon Ball manga tackles one of the few disappointing moments in the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero by doing PiccoloIts Potential Release form looks as powerful as it should be. While Piccolo’s first power-up in the movie was extremely disappointing, the manga fixes that by getting Namekian to stand up to powerful Gamma Androids, before they regroup with him.
Chapter #95 of Dragon Ball Super continues the manga adaptation of the most recent film in the series, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. While much of the story remains the same, the manga has added some details and slightly changed some scenes, and nowhere is this more effective than in Piccolo’s fight against Android Gamma 2 in the Red Ribbon base. In this chapter, Piccolo fights using the Potential Release form that Shenron has unlocked. While in the movie Piccolo is quickly overwhelmed by Gamma 2 despite his increased strength, in the manga he wields his own power and even overwhelms the cyborg before he teams up with Gamma 1 to take down the Namekian two-on-one.
Piccolo’s potential release form will come to an end in Dragon Ball Super
On the final page of the chapter, Piccolo appears in his new, most powerful form, Orange Piccolo, the result of the “little extra” power Shenron threw in when he unleashed Namekian’s potential. However, it is something completely new and never heard before in the series, while Potential Unleash is a long story of power, originating in the Namek Saga and then most famously expressed in Gohan’s Ultimate form, first seen in the Majin Buu Saga. Considering how strong Gohan is in that form, it seems odd how quickly Piccolo is dispatched by Gamma 2 in the movie, but the manga fixes that by making their fight look a lot more balanced, to the point where the two Gammas have to work together to take Piccolo down.
Power levels are a very delicate issue in Dragon Ball, as fans are always ready to argue endlessly about them starting from the slightest hint. The Superhero movie is still vague about the powers of both the hero and the villain, but the manga is doing a great job of clarifying these points, making it clear that Android’s Gamma is as strong as Goku and Vegeta. Considering that Emancipation Potential has long been considered one of the best, if not the most powerful, power-ups in the franchise, Piccolo’s rapid initial defeat at the hands of Gamma 2 in the film looks too weird. Now, the manga is explaining that the big advantage Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 have over Gohan and Piccolo is in terms of power reserve, not in overall power level, which makes a lot more sense.
Some fans have criticized the current Dragon Ball Super as just a retelling of the Superhero story most of them have seen in the movie. However, the comic series not only brought the film to complete rule – a rarity for the franchise – but also added meaningful details to improve the story of Super Heroes. PiccoloThe Potential Unleash Form of Potential is virtually useless in the movie, and the manga fixes this brilliantly, proving that even fans who’ve seen Super Heroes have a reason to keep reading. Super Dragon Ball story.
The latest chapter of Super Dragon Ball available from Viz Media.