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The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan,” by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, Caleb Book, and Brandon Bovia, available in English from Viz Media.Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball continues to entertain and surprise audiences nearly four decades into its prolific run. While many Dragon Ball fans were first exposed to Goku’s heroic adventures through its totemic anime, there’s been a gradual shift towards the accompanying manga ever since Dragon Ball Super completed the Tournament of Power, which concluded the anime series.
Dragon Ball Super manga readers have been exposed to a litany of new and dangerous villains, such as Planet-Eater Moro, Granolah the Cerealian, and even the return of Frieza with an intimidating new transformation. However, Dragon Ball Super’s anime by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou has been at a bit of a standstill for the past year, starting its 89th chapter, which began adapting the anime’s newest feature film, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, in comprehensive detail.
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 100, “Burst Forth!–Light of Death!,” triumphantly concludes the manga’s Super Hero adaptation, but the ongoing Super Hero Arc is still going strong. The manga’s latest chapters have been a true delight due to their ability to push the franchise into unprecedented territory. February’s Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan,” delivers the most satisfying Dragon Ball Super manga content in months by finally following through on a friendly clash that audiences have been wanting to see for over a year: Gohan Beast versus Ultra Instinct Goku.
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 101 Recap & Spoilers: Carmine and Soldier #15
Chapter 101 of Dragon Ball Super’s manga pushes the franchise forward into new territory while it still reels from the fallout of its Super Hero Saga!
Gohan Tests The Next Generation Of Saiyans To Mixed Results
Can Gohan Beast Actually Beat Goku in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 102?
The Dragon Ball Super manga sets up Gohan Beast and Goku for a climactic clash that might just have a surprising winner.
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan,” is fairly focused on its action setpieces and the majority of its 46 pages are confidently devoted to pure combat. Dragon Ball Super is determined to hold out on its main event and instead feature a “pre-show” match between Gohan, Goten, and Trunks, which allows the former to warm up his skills and for Goku to get a chance to study Gohan’s Beast form before he faces it first-hand. Goten and Trunks continue to resort to their Saiyaman X-1 and X-2 routine, which means that there are plenty of Up-Cycle Punches, Down-Cycle Kicks, and Cyclone-Style Tornado Double Hurricanes.
All of this makes for a flashy display of strength, but the duo don’t successfully land a single blow against the older Saiyan. Gohan doesn’t gloat about his superiority and it’s actually quite fitting that he tries to give the two guidance on how to improve their game, such as removing their headgear so that they have better visibility. This pushes Goten and Trunks to trigger their Super Saiyan transformations and turn up the heat, but Gohan still holds the upper hand, even without resorting to his Beast transformation.
Goten and Trunks’ final gambit here is to resort to fusion, which unfortunately becomes their least successful strategy yet, since they botch the operation. This could have become an excellent opportunity to really make Gotenks a force to be reckoned with – which hasn’t been the case since Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga – through a Super Saiyan 3 teen Gotenks showdown with Gohan Beast. Instead, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan” is more interested in continuing their long-running joke that Gotenks is a broad punchline, rather than an effective hero. It’s a frustrating development, to say the least.
Action is certainly this chapter’s priority, but it’s also easily the funniest Dragon Ball Super chapter in a long time. The gags begin early on with Beerus’ utter disdain over the unexpected guests who crash his cozy planet. Most characters, however, get in some decent laughs. Gohan is completely flummoxed over Trunks’ lie to Vegeta over how much he helped during the Cell Max attack. Vegeta gets the opportunity to return this incredulity once Gotenks fumbles his fusion and becomes a total embarrassment on the battlefield. Gotenks’ whole contribution to “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan” is treated like an extended visual gag, but his request to Carmine and Soldier #15 to erase his lackluster attack from their video footage is a highlight that effectively reflects the fused character’s inflated ego.
That being said, by far the strongest joke in “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan” is Gohan’s utter confusion over Goten and Trunks calling out his “Ultimate” form and how much he hates this clunky label, which he’s apparently hearing for the first time. Dragon Ball’s sense of humor is often at its best when it adopts a self-aware tongue-in-cheek perspective and Gohan’s dismissal of his “Ultimate” form for his previously strongest transformation reflects the fandom’s own confusion over what this form should be called.
For years, audiences were calling it “Mystic Gohan” and Dragon Ball’s refusal to give the form a name for so long has only further divided the fandom. It’s a clever moment that’s reminiscent of Dragon Ball Super’s mockery of the clunky “Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan” label, before it gets streamlined to Super Saiyan Blue. These jokes are ultimately a lot of fun and never become too much of a distraction, but they might impede some readers’ enjoyment who were hoping that “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan” would focus strictly on a suspenseful Saiyan showdown.
Ultra Instinct Goku Finally Receives A Worthy Challenge Against Gohan Beast
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 102 Delays Goku & Gohan’s Climactic Battle by Another Month
Goku and Gohan’s battle teased for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 102 now looks set for Chapter 103 following Vegeta’s perhaps unnecessary suggestion.
Gohan’s clash with Goten and Trunks occupies the bulk of Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan,” but the manga does eventually follow through on the promise of its title. Gotenks’ unceremonious defeat brings forward Ultra Instinct Goku and the results here are quite electric. Toyotarou has consistently done excellent work with his Gohan Beast illustrations, but they’ve only become more impressive here. Gohan’s triumphant transformation is allowed to take up entire pages of the manga that properly celebrate its sheer power.
Goku’s excitement is palpable here, but it’s even more satisfying to see Vegeta’s shock and awe over Gohan’s new strength. Vegeta even lets out a gulp in fear, which helps feed into the series’ new Saiyan hierarchy. It’s bittersweet that Vegeta has just beaten Goku and gained bragging rights over his friendly rival, only to now learn that his friend’s son may still be stronger than he is. Chapter 102 focuses on Gohan and Goku’s clash, but there’s hopefully an Ultra Ego Vegeta and Gohan Beast showdown coming in the near future. Furthermore, Goku learns about Piccolo’s new transformation and is eager to spar against him, and test his Orange form’s improved strength.
Every panel of Gohan Beast and Ultra Instinct Goku’s battle is exhilarating and well worth the wait, but it’s unfortunate that there’s so little of their clash and that this showdown gets reduced to what’s essentially eight pages of action. Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 will certainly deliver on this promise and most likely be entirely dedicated to their battle. At the end of the day, it makes sense that a clash of this magnitude would play out over more than one chapter, but audiences are likely to be disappointed with “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan’s” pacing and structure, due to its slightly misleading title. A chapter title that’s instead focused on Gohan’s battle with Goten and Trunks, while presenting Goku as an opponent as a surprise, would be much more successful and still create genuine excitement for March’s chapter. “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan” goes on to feel like a chapter that’s largely padded and biding its time, even if that’s not really the case.
How Does Chapter 102 Compare To The Rest Of Dragon Ball Super’s Super Hero Arc?
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How Strong is Gohan Beast in Dragon Ball Super?
Gohan Beast is a powerful new transformation, and fans are curious about how strong it is.
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan,” is ultimately a mixed bag, but still an encouraging step forward that promises future greatness for the rest of the manga’s Super Hero Arc. Fans have been forced to speculate over how Gohan Beast ranks up against Ultra Instinct and Dragon Ball Super putting these transformations in conflict so quickly speaks to the idea that the series might be getting ready for Gohan to properly replace Goku as the main protagonist. Of course, much of this will depend on the outcome of Gohan and Goku’s fight in Chapter 103, but there’s nothing at this point that indicates that Gohan will lose the encounter.
The juvenile antics that were so prevalent during Super Hero’s pre- and post-content are still very present in Chapter 102, but there’s at least a greater focus on combat that makes these concessions easier to excuse. It’s also just thrilling to have all of Dragon Ball’s strongest characters congregated in the same location and actively aware of each other’s power, rather than segregating the heroes to their separate storylines. Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan” is a very impressive step forward for the manga that, hopefully, won’t squander this momentum. The manga is feeling fresher than ever and in the perfect position to win back any lapsed fans who checked out during the lengthy Super Hero Arc.
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan”
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan,” finally puts Gohan Beast and Ultra Instinct Goku in combat with each other.
- Audiences finally get to witness the heights of Gohan Beast versus Ultra Instinct Goku.
- Strong battle choreography between Gohan Beast’s fights against Goten, Trunks, and Goku.
- Entertaining, self-aware comedy keeps the chapter light and breezy.
- Too much time is spent on Gohan’s battle against Goten and Trunks.
- Gotenks once again gets reduced to comic relief.
- There’s no resolution on who’s stronger between Gohan Beast and Ultra Instinct Goku.
