The Ginyu force is here! Actually, before all that, the chase to get the dragon balls begins.

This is really big development for characters like Gohan and Vegeta. Through this arc of Frieza going around the planet killing everyone and gathering the dragon ball, Gohan/Krillian/Vegeta are all doing their best to snatch the dragon balls from the evil forces. While Vegeta here is still evil he gains boost left and right for power, taking Frieza goons down with no mercy. It's both brutal and a delight to see Vegeta unchained.

On the flip side we get plenty of Gohan and Krillian moments, some power ups, and some situations that'll keep you on the edge of your seat. On top of that we get to learn about more about Namek, the people, and where they started. It builds a lot of lore.

The one big negative for me is Goku's arc here is SO similar to Saiyan saga. Basically we are waiting for his arrival, his friends are in danger, he comes in and saves the day in a VERY similar fashion to that saga. It's a bit too much like it.

Overall though, this is a great mid chapter before the explosion of Super Siayan Goku. I'm excited to get to that next but this works well for world building and Vegeta/Gohan show. A 4 out of 5.

Another solid adventure.

This time we get more background on who Rori's father is. This fills in the gaps on why she can do what she can do but also helps build a grand world of magic and demons. Then we get little time with our other heroes, and they aren't doing too hot. Last but not least this adventure ends on a sad note as one of our main characters bites the dust.

The brisk pace and solid to fun dialogue makes this a easy read. It helps that the world is colorful and so are the characters. I enjoyed moments a lot, and some great fights, with a near perfect death. However, the backstory got boring at points and some of the dialogue can still be cringe at times. saying that, it's enjoyable, probably the best book in the series so far. 3.5 out of 5.

The final fight is HERE! Funny enough story this is actually where Akira wanted to end his story. He wanted Goku and Frieza, who was the strongest being in the universe at this point, to go out in a bang. However, this is where DBZ popularity skyrocketed. So we got years more of DBZ (and eventually Super!)

So this starts off where the last one left off. Ginyu is in Goku's body and he's being a real asshole. Thinking he's some tough guy now. However, what happens? Oh yeah, he doesn't know how to use the awesome power Goku obtained and is useless. So after Goku gets his body back, which we all knew he would, it's a race to summon the dragon before Frieza returns. What's next is basically everybody trying their hardest to take on Frieza but of course not doing too well till Goku comes back ready to fight.

What makes this fight legendary is how big and massive, and how dire it all is, compared to most fights in this series. While the last one was great, this is the one to really hit when it comes to Goku and everyone else's life on the line. Not to mention this is the arrival of the Super Saiyan form, which is legendary in itself. The brutal fight is about to reach it's exciting climax when the volume ends right before the fight. Really annoyed at that.

Overall though, Frieza is a great villain and this is a great volume.

The end of Goku Black!

So Vegeta and Goku face off with everything they have on Goku Black. Even Trunks helps to see if they can fight all together and beat Goku Black. In doing so Goku black makes one big move, and the heroes might be truly FUCKED. How will they win? Also, we got the Tournament of Power starting. All the heroes from different universes coming together to face off. The destroyer of universes all plan on getting rid of some universes who lose!

This was pretty fun. I actually liked that Goku and Vegeta had to win in a different way than usual. Also the power tournament is sounding fun and excited to see who will be joining this one. Trunks goodbye is both touching and well crafted. Actually this volume in general was solid all around and no real bad things. I'm excited to go to the next arc! A 4 out of 5.

Trunks enters the scene, and things change forever.

Before this, Goku had become the Legendary Super Saiyan. The power that can kill Freeza. This volume ends the climatic battle on Nemek when Freeza and Goku come to final blows before one ends up winning. After that a year passes by and Freeza returns before Goku to destroy earth. Not only does he come but also his father.

Enter Trunks. The boy from the future who changes everything.

Trunks warns Goku and friends that the Androids are coming. Unstoppable machines who, in Trunks future, kill EVERYONE except Trunks and Gohan (Who eventually is killed too). So with that Goku and crew begin their training but are the Androids the greatest threat or is there something worse on the horizon?

This is more Sci-Fi then ever. With the arrival of Trunks from the future, Androids, and even Cell makes his grand appearance, things get weird as shit but just as exciting. I've watched this arc many times growing up but they do a great job here re-reading it and love all the fights and the uncertainty that our heroes can win. Vegeta also somewhat being good is a nice change. I thought Goku getting sick is a bit convenient to let everyone else shine tho.

Overall, some great stuff. I forgot how good the Android arc is, and of course Freeza vs Goku ending is legendary. A 4.5 out of 5.

Watching Super and Reading it at the same time, the way they are so different at this point is crazy.

So Goku has to recruit 10 people for the tournament of power. Whichever universe losses they are erased forever. So Goku has to pick wisely. In the manga this process is a hell of a lot quicker. Basically he recruits everyone, Freeza too, in a matter of a few chapters. The ending is the start of the power tournament and everything is set in place. This is a set up volume but it's still highly entertaining if nothing else. A 3 out of 5.

Cell is here and he's ready to EAT YA!

Cell is a lot of people's favorite Dragon Ball Villain. To me, he was always interesting, but never loved him. Upon re-reading, my opinion mostly stays the same. What is interesting about him is how easy he can adapt to everyone. First facing off against Piccolo, then Andriod 16, Vegeta, trunks and so on. He knows each fighter and their weakness, and decides to play victim even to win a fight. Also, we get to see Vegeta and Trunk's new power, as well as a sneak peak into what Gohan and Goku have been up to.

The end result is a lot of big fights, some new finishing moves, some surprising turns, and a nice build up to the cell games by the end. It works pretty well. Mr. Satan arrives here and he is as annoying as ever, I forgot how much I hated this character. He's def the worst part of this volume. But besides that, it's a damn good time. A 4 out of 5.

The epic finale of Cell Saga and the start of the Buu saga is all here.

Gohan going Super Saiyan 2 is fucking legendary. It's one of the best moments in this series and anime. It's no different in the manga, as the young boy slaughters Cell jrs to prove just how powerful he is. Once they are handled he goes for Cell, who tries his best to fight back, but Gohan is just too damn powerful. Then we get the 7 year time skip and Enter Gohan in College (or high school?) and learning how to be a hero with a cape. The volume ends with Goku returning and a new tournament starts!

The first half is awesome. Epic fighting, great emotional moments, a truly worthy death, and more. It's everything you could want. The art is also great, as Toriyama is pushing his limits with the epic scale. The second half is just okay. Gohan is super cheesy here, the humor is missing a lot, and it doesn't feel very "grand". I do love VIdel though.

Overall, the first half is a 5 out of 5. Where's second half is 3 out of 5. Overall a 4 out of 5 for me.

Got food poisoning so making this short. Pretty fun but the start of this arc can be boring. This introduces some major characters like Majin Vegeta and Buu and those parts are a lot of fun. We also get to see Super Saiyan 3, so that was pretty great. A 3.5 out of 5.

The end of dragon ball is here!

The Buu saga is by far the weakest arc for the series. It feels rushed, kind of confused where it wants to go, and heavily reliant on Fusion that's not all that interesting. Buu is also the least compelling villain in probably the entire series. This makes this last volume suffer big time in that department.

Saying that, there's some great fights here. Two in particular are Goku and Buu's final fight which is great. Another is Gohan and Buu going head to head, and Gohan wiping the floor with him. The Gotanks fight, while dumb, is pretty fun too.

Overall, a decent ending, but not great. Which is a shame since most of DBZ up until Buu is pretty fantastic upon re-reading. A 3 out of 5.