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Super Dragon Ball Heroes Review

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Dragon Ball Heroes is one of those titles that was really around for a long while. I admired how long it lasted because initially it seemed like this would just be a quick mini series and then it kept on going for years. Heroes became a big part of the Dragon Ball franchise as well. It was all super impressive. The animation may not have always been top tier but I can say that the concepts were always as good as it got. This is a title that will definitely be missed.

The series has several arcs so lets jump into them. One thing you should know is that each episode was generally shorter than half of a standard episode. This means that even though there are 56 episode, the actual length is considerably less than that. It does mean that you can easily watch the whole series in a short amount of time though. It’s very easily bingeable which is always nice to hear. Definitely a title that knew when to go hard even if it had to switch the animation style in the end.

The first arc starts off with a bang as tons of powerful fighters are trapped on Prison Planet. They must all duke it out for the dragon balls and Fu is the mastermind behind all of this. He has to be defeated but his skills are considerable so this will take some real work. The big selling point of this arc was really about Goku from Super finally fighting his GT counterpart. Technically speaking this is Xeno Goku and not GT but fans tend to use the terms interchangeably since in most ways Xeno Goku is unchanged from GT. He just tends to be a bit more powerful. We also get to meet the legendary Cumber in this arc. A Super Saiyan of legend whose power even surpasses that of Broly’s. Can the heroes defeat him?

Oh yeah these early episodes were super intense. While the animation budget wasn’t always the strongest, it was just great to be getting some more Dragon Ball action at long last. I’ve long considered Super Saiyan 4 to be stronger than Super Saiyan god mode but it should be a good fight with Blue. Now that Super Goku has Ultra Instinct, I do think that would go above Saiyan 4 though. The fight is very fast but considering we’ll probably never get this fight in one of the main shows I have to really take what I can get here.

Cumber actually gets a solid amount of screentime for the first arc as he fights it out with everyone. I should say right now that the power scaling in the series is absolutely crazy. You should not expect any kind of consistency or anything like that. So just enjoy the battles and the story. That’s really the main point of this series either way since the plot itself is rarely going for anything all that deep. It’s just fun to see all of the characters mixing it up. Cumber is definitely one of the best new characters to show up in this series and he has immediately become a new staple in the Dragon Ball universe. Hopefully he will get his time to appear in something else soon.

So Prison Planet made for a great first arc without a doubt. This was good stuff. After that we have the longest arc in the series with Hearts taking center stage. He wants to destroy Zeno and all of the gods and to that end he is powering something up and attacking the strongest warriors of every universe. He has allied himself with powerful allies like Cumber and Zamasu. Goku is forced to step back into the ring when even Jiren and Hit are having some trouble but is he ready to take on such formidable fighters?

Hearts is another all star villain right here. The guy has really cool abilities with his cubes and the fact that he can fight so well against Goku and friends is impressive. Most other fighters would have been obliterated just by being in Goku’s presence but that’s not the case for Hearts. No, Hearts is ready for all the action and he has a very cool demeanor. When you mix a great personality and move set into one then that is always going to be an absolutely awesome character.

I also really liked his teammate Lagss. She was able to take down Ultra Instinct Goku in one hit which is crazy. Yes, power levels don’t really matter here but that was still pretty fun. I also liked the grand scale of this arc. You get used to seeing the Xeno characters everywhere but fighters like Jiren and Hit still feel like guest stars. The animation also got a massive boost during the Hearts vs Goku fight. I remember being shocked at just how good it looked. Yeah that was super impressive without a doubt.

By the end of the arc it’s still a bit unclear on exactly how Hearts figured he would beat Zeno with all of this but personally I think Hearts could win already. I don’t stack Zeno all that high, neither do I rank the gods as being out of his league either. While the show itself would likely disagree with me, Goku and friends have long since surpassed the gods. The days of their being the strongest at the top of the food chain are long over.

After that we have a random one episode special where the heroes fight off the demon army. It’s pretty good stuff and I was glad the show got to at least cover this big battle. It may not be the same as covering the whole arc but hey it’s a start. In general the show has to cut out a ton of details and even fights due to the short length time but that makes sense. It’s already tough as it is to adapt the biggest moments after all so just consider this to fully be promotional material. If you want all the details then you will have to read the manga which goes into a lot more depth.

In the next arc Fu finally makes his big move. He has a group of fighters including the mysterious Dr W who are here to destroy Goku and friends. They’re gonna need to pull out all of the stops in order to defeat these guys. It’s a pretty solid arc right from the jump. Dr W is someone you will probably be able to guess right away because there aren’t too many characters with that letter but either way he is a lot of fun. This villain is an absolute menace and his new design is awesome. His fight with the Xeno fighters is pretty good. Meanwhile Fu getting to fight is also a lot of fun and Cumber also returns.

Fu is the big villain you think of when talking about Dragon Ball Heroes because of how much time he spends in the background of every arc talking tough. You know that he will be a top tier fighter and yet you don’t know just how strong. It’s all a mystery until he actually takes center stage and the wait is absolutely worth it. He gets a whole lot of props here and it takes the strongest in the verse to really go after him.

There’s a lot of nonstop action throughout so you really can’t go wrong here. The fights just keep on going as they get grander and grander. The arc is actually interrupted by another special midway about a kid playing the actual arcade game. That was a pretty fun special but you were definitely ready to go back to the arc after that. This is absolutely the kind of Dragon Ball adventures you are always looking forward to. They put in the best of what makes Dragon Ball so exciting.

After that, the next arc kicks things off on a mysterious set of circumstances. Goku wakes up in a strange area where everyone is fighting and Hearts decides to team up with him. Goku has to try and figure out what’s happening and in the meantime he is still injured from the previous arc so he has to fight in a very careful way. There is good strategy here and the backgrounds are great. I liked the locations and everything. Also, Fu ends up making his grand return here so we get a lot of big battles at the end as well. This is what I always love about Dragon Ball Heroes. just wait an episode or two and you are guaranteed to be witnessing big things.

Next up we have the next big tournament arc with the evil time goddess Aeos. Her time abilities are definitely more offensive oriented to the point where she is even able to go up against Ultra Instinct Goku. That made for a super awesome fight and we got one animated scene where Goku was pulling off some Sonic the Hedgehog moves. That was definitely not something I had been expecting. Aeos also generally looks super hype the whole time. She’s another standout villain to be sure.

Most of the kais tend to look rather awful and get defeated by everybody so it was about time that we had a real powerhouse here even if the catch was that she was super evil. That’s just how it goes sometimes after all and it was a valid reason for why she had been training so hard. Villains always have to stay at the top of their game in order to beat the heroes when the chips are down. It was also fun seeing dark Bardock in action during the arc. The guy definitely got a real significant power boost here considering who he was going up against. Those Dragon Ball Heroes zenkai boosts really hit hard. The arc had fun involving a lot of fighters and more of the supporting cast than usual so that was definitely cool. Of course at the end of the day I’m here for the big fighters so it’s not like I need the supporting cast or anything like that.

Finally we reach the last arc of the series. Ozotto has shown up and he intends on absorbing everyone in the universe. His powers are absolutely incredible and even Goku/Vegeta may not be able to win. They’re forced to call in the whole gang. The arc is shorter than most of the others but still hits hard. The tragic thing here is that the animation changed to CG just when the soundtrack went to the highest that it’s ever been. The graphics are basically like the arcade game cutscenes as opposed to the traditional style that was always a lot of fun. If you have to go CG then this is a pretty good style to go with since it looks just like the video games but I really prefer traditional animation.

The setup and everything was so good otherwise too. Ah well, even with the limitations this is till a lot of fun. You feel the hype as Ozotto slowly begins to take everyone down. Not only can he absorb people but he can make clones that retain their own abilities. It’s a real broken kind of power the more that you think of it. One wrong move and it’s all over. He’s probably not the final boss I would have chosen but the fact that he is so out there can also work well enough on its own. He’s fairly unassuming in that way. I’m not a big fan of the guy but he’s okay. It would just be nice if he had cooler moments to really show off.

And that really wraps up the Dragon Ball Heroes experience. Let me tell you, it was really a sweet ride all the way through. As long as you really enjoy the DBZ characters and setting then you’ll really get a kick out of this. Dragon Ball is such a massive franchise that you would expect more stories like this constantly but it often feels like you have to wait a long time for the next adventure. Hopefully this inspires them to keep on churning out more top tier products in the future. If they can pull that off then we will really be in business here. It probably won’t be as crazy as Heroes was in terms of being such a big crossover of characters but those are rare anyway. Heroes is like a celebration of the franchise as a whole so now it’ll take a break for smaller adventures and then one day hopefully we should be able to get another big one like this.

Overall, Super Dragon Ball Heroes is a great show. This is what DBZ sounds like to anyone who doesn’t watch the show. It’s basically all action with minimal plot and everyone is always getting beat up. The power levels are impossible to decipher and instead you are operating on pure hype. Let me tell you, there is never anything wrong with pure hype. It’s the foundational basis for what makes anime cool after all. Now that the series is done, you can binge it as a quick movie trilogy or something like that. It’s definitely worth the watch and it’s a shame that this has not been dubbed yet. It would absolutely sell a whole lot so it feels like the company is allergic to money. Dragon Ball Daima is almost here so hopefully that title is able to keep up with this one’s legacy.

Overall 8/10

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Big Bang Mission! Review

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The next Dragon Ball Heroes manga has ended so it’s time for another review. I have to say that it’s quite impressive how long Heroes has gone on. If you merge the various Heroes titles together then we’re likely already at double digits. If this keeps up, someday it might even become longer than DBZ. There’s a ways to go until then but I don’t see any reason why this can’t keep on going. As far as I know it sells well enough and is popular so that’s what counts. There’s a ton of action and things going on here so lets get right to it.

The saga starts with Fuu making his big move. The entire franchise has led itself up to this so we have made it to the climax. He is allied with Dogi-Dogi and is intent on kidnapping Toki-Toki, the legendary bird of ultimate power. With these two he can bring the ultimate tree back and if his plans succeed then he will be able to end all of reality. The threat is so grave that all of the gods show up as well as the time patrol. The gods are naturally unreasonable and want to just destroy Toki-Toki. Goku and friends will have to stop them as well as Fuu and all of the various enemies that the guy has managed to recruit across the cosmos. Fight hard Son Goku!!

Now, as always one of Heroes’ greatest strengths is also its weakness. There are a ton of battles going on and numerous characters show up at the drop of a hat. The good thing about this is that there is never a dull moment around. The bad part is that some plots don’t end/will never finish and some battles have to be done off screen or ended real quick. There are only 15 chapters here after all so even though the length is rather long for each chapter, there is only so much you can do. For example, the gods were getting a lot of hype for this arc as we would finally get the big Goku vs Beerus rematch but the gods are written out after the first chapter. The fight that we did get was fun but I really wish it was longer.

The artwork is definitely really good though and I dare say that the artist has been getting better and better. Sometimes the dark color from the energy being produced can be a little overwhelming so you can’t see much but it isn’t done as much as in the first Heroes arc. At this point the art has really been cleaned up and it could hold its own with DBZ and Super.

For the characters there are quite a lot here but the writer does a good job of always distinguishing the two Goku and Vegetas. The Super versions of these characters are eager to fight at all times and have that youthful optimism. The Time Patrol Goku and Vegeta seem a lot older and wiser to the point where they’re really just here to complete their business and move on. At times you may see some of that old cheerfulness with Goku but it’s rare as the guy is just so serious now. You get the feeling that he would pack Beerus away if they fought but then again I think the same thing about the normal Goku too.

In the first arc of the series which is the first 6 chapters, we get to see quite a lot of fights so lets go through them. I’ll at least go through the big fights like Dr. W vs Goku and Vegeta. This was a really solid fight. While W was on the defensive for most of it, we got to see how he used his intelligence and gadgets to his advantage. His constant teleporting around was handy and of course he also had Janemba to send after the villains. Ultimately this turned out to be a new version of Dr. Wheelo and a big improvement over his first appearance. I was really pleased with how he turned out here.

Janemba also looked powerful as it took limit breaker SSJ4 forms to take him out. The guy definitely got his due respect. Bojack and Turles also appeared to give Goku and Vegeta a good run for their money. For returning villains they were really good picks to bring into the mix. Particularly Turles as I always liked that guy. Bojack’s cool as well of course and with their big power ups they were able to buy some time.

I should mention there was also a subplot with the demons showing up. As always they appear to get some action and help out but you always feel like they are a rather random group that doesn’t ultimately get to do a whole lot here. The demon side has a few factions as well so it can be hard to keep them straight. One day I’ll know all of their names by heart and that will make it easier. In the meantime it’s always nice to see them but I don’t have much of an opinion on their individual members. They all seem like useful fighters and solid characters though.

Broly randomly shows up near the end but random or not, I was glad to see him. The guy adds some extra energy to any scene that he’s in. It’s also impressive that his power level is so high that he can go up against Vegito and Gogeta level fighters. You have to admit that this is really impressive. He gets to appear a lot but he’s really earned it so I hope he’s in the next saga too.

Then of course there is Fuu who gets several super forms here. The guy really doesn’t give up and he did well to make it this far in his quest. Making enemies out of the gods and the saiyans would usually leave you dead by now. He’s done well as the mastermind and even more importantly, he proves that he could fight up close and personal when needed. As a result this is a villain that everyone can respect and there are few who could even try to stop him anyway. At this point his abilities are just far above most others.

His parents Towa and Mira also get to appear here. They look good and have his back the whole time. He probably still shouldn’t trust them too much since demons can rarely be trusted, even when they’re family. Towa has powerful barriers and Mira is a solid close combat fighter so they really make for a good pair. It was nice to see them and of course they also get to fight against some of the other demons which made for some good battles.

That about wraps it up for arc 1. Before heading into Arc 2 I can definitely say that this was an excellent way to kick things off. There is no down time in the chapters and the fights were a blast. While there will always be some power level concerns when every character is a universe buster at this point, the arc mainly did well with this. I would make the case that Goku should have easily crushed Beerus when they fought though. There’s no way they’re still on the same level.

In the next arc, well Fuu’s plan worked and a new universe was born. So Goku wakes up there with his only ally being Hearts. The two of them have to fight their way out while finding the other heroes and then perhaps they can undo Fuu’s time stop and take him out for good. Everyone else also finds themselves in sticky situations on this new planet and may have to team up with unlikely allies.

The first big fight here is with Goku and Hearts vs Cooler and Frieza. Now you may wonder why Goku doesn’t wreck them immediately but remember that Goku just came out of his fight with Hearts so he’s super weakened. Still, with Hearts they are able to come out on top (And the help of a mysterious Saiyan) so things worked out well. It was a good way to kick things off and with two mysterious Saiyans running around, there was a nice sense of excitement in the background. Were these guys friend or foe?

Vegeta and Turles had an even tougher opponent in Cumber. Cumber was able to take out Vegito back in the day and even stalemated Ultra Instinct back to back. As you can imagine he was definitely winning this fight for a while. Turles got to have some really emotional moments as he helped Vegeta though and this ended up being one of the more satisfying fights. ONe really fun thing about this arc is how many Saiyan battles there are. They just kept on coming which is a very good thing.

One of the Saiyans turns out to be Zamasu in the end while the other one keeps his mystery. They end up fighting but it’s clear that Zamasu had the edge. That guy is definitely still one of my favorite Dragon Ball villains. He’s just so cool and always has a ton of confidence. That’s exactly what I want to see in my villains and apparently he even took down 99 other Gokus across the timelines. That’s extremely impressive and he also gets what might be the longest fight in the series aside from Fuu. That has to count for something.

The series gave him his proper respect and even a cool SSJ3 form. Goku and Vegeta even had to enter the hyperbolic time chamber to train for a while to beat him. After that was the only fight where you had to seriously question the power levels. Krillin has to go up against Dr. Wheelo. Now, Hearts did provide some backup support here but mainly it was Krillin all the way. I feel like that guy would lose immediately against Wheelo.

Krillin’s no longer in the same leagues as the others and hit the limits of what a human could do a long time ago. Throwing in Hearts at least helped a little though like when he pinned the guy to the ground with his cubes. At least it showed that Wheelo was not going to get hit otherwise. It doesn’t excuse the fight but at least an attempt was made. It made more sense to have Gohan win. Gohan’s fight was against Bojack instead and it was a fairly easy win. I don’t think Gohan really needed that rage power up and should have won anyway but the outcome’s the important thing.

One of the shorter fights is Omega Shenron vs Cumber. It comes out of the blue but it’s tough to see the final boss of GT going up against the strongest villain in Heroes. Cumber has really been getting a lot of screen time lately and I’m glad about that. He’s really a lot like Broly and I’m a big fan of Broly too so including both of them is genius. That leads to the climax with Fuu where we get the true final battle. There are quite a few big power ups and super forms at the ready as well.

It will satisfy you as the ending to the arc. It’s a great payoff for all of the waiting that we had to do as well as the hype behind Fuu. In the end, his plan lived up to the hype that he had been giving it the whole time. He really ended up being one of the strongest fighters in the whole Dragon Ball franchise even outside of Heroes. I suspect that this will finally be the end of him for a while but he definitely had a good run. He basically got to appear and be doing a lot in 3 different series. Now that’s impressive.

I didn’t talk about him much here but I should quickly mention Trunks. Previously he has been the unofficial main character of the series. As the main time patroller and someone who’s just really invested in this, the series always finds a way for him to appear. He’s the first to defy Beerus and then he also shows up to help against Fuu in the end. While he can’t compete with the other powerhouses for long periods of time, the series gives him a lot of hype in these moments. Trunks ends up being a very valuable ally to the team and he’s a fun character so that’s always nice to see.

Overall, Dragon Ball Heroes continues to be a very strong part of the Dragon Ball brand. The fact that they can just grab anyone from any part of the series is what makes the possibilities endless. The art is also very good here and the plot is strong so it feels like a very valid part of the verse. I certainly hope this keeps on going for a very long time. The latest saga just started after all and it looks to be another winner. Of course this title is nonstop action so if you don’t like big battles then it may not be for you but who doesn’t like big battles right? It gets your heart pumping as you see how hype this is and at the end of the day the series is also just a bunch of fun. It always leaves you with a grin.

Overall 9/10

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Avatars!!

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Dragon Ball Heroes just doesn’t stop with all the expansions. This one’s early on with just 2 chapters but it’s got potential to be another winner. How can you go wrong with card game battles? I’ll have a review for this series up when it finishes.

Overall 7/10

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Universe Mission Review

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Dragon Ball Heroes has always been an interesting part of the DB franchise. It’s relatively obscure (Less so now that we have an ongoing anime) and yet it’s turned into such a big part of the franchise. It’s got several games, manga, and the ongoing show. I’d like to see the manga titles be licensed someday, I’m even surprised that it hasn’t happened already. This is definitely a great title filled with a lot of nonstop action. It really doesn’t waste any time.

The series starts with a new villain known as Fu deciding to run a little experiment. The time patrol fighters are on his tail so he evades and gets the Super versions of Goku and Vegeta mixed in. This leads to the famous fight between Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Super Saiyan Blue Goku. It’s a really epic moment to be sure and then Fu summons in Cumber, a powerful Saiyan of legend who is sort of like Broly. Final Form Cooler also appears and Fu announces that he has kidnapped Trunks. To find him, the heroes have go and gather the 7 Dragon Balls from across the multiverse. They will have to deal with guys like Bojack on their journeys as well so they better be prepared for a big adventure.

As I mentioned, the plot moves at incredible speeds which is why even that blurb at the top sounds a bit convoluted. There are only around 12 chapters but a whole lot happens in that time and the plot changes multiple times. The first 5 chapters are effectively Arc 1. While I would say Arc 2 probably wins, it’s very close because both have a lot of strengths. In the first arc naturally the highlight was the battle of Gokus as it has long been debated which form is more powerful.

The fact that 4 is even still considered at this level is pretty cool though since Blue is way stronger than god mode. At the very least that would mean 4 was more than one transformation above 3 which does match up since it was such a huge deal at the time. The time patrol versions of Goku and Vegeta are also really cool. They feel like much older versions of the Super characters. They still retain their old personalities but have a mature feel about them. They have been through a lot and seen things over the years after all.

Then you have Cumber who is a great addition to the cast. Effectively you may as well call him Broly 2.0 because the guy is an absolute beast in battle. He fights with brute strength just like Broly and is obsessed with being the best. One difference though is that just being near him can cause your mind to go crazy so you turn evil. This makes it very difficult for Goku and Vegeta to really do anything against him.

Cumber also scales very highly in the power levels department as he easily handles Goku and Vegeta initially and even defeats Vegito. It takes Ultra Instinct to even stand a chance against him. Now there’s a lot of debate on which is stronger. Personally I say Vegito is way stronger than Ultra Instinct but I know many say the opposite is true. Regardless, almost nobody has ever successfully defeated Vegito so for Cumber to do that is insane.

Lets not forget that he also was defeating Gogeta in the very next fight. This was back to back so Cumber is weakened while the other two only just fused and are presumably at full strength. If that’s not impressive then I don’t know what is. Cooler also gets to appear and has an impressive opening scene with how he dispatches Bojack. His whole partnership with Trunks is pretty unique and not something you would have expected going into the series. It works quite well I must say. Trunks appears a lot and his personality is great as always but he definitely gets wasted pretty often. He just really cannot stand up to the rest of the fighters and usually only has a chance when someone else is distracting the fighter.

As for Fu, he’s the big villain mastermind here and a pretty fun villain. I wouldn’t put him as high as some of the others but Dragon Ball has never really had a successful intellectual villain so that’s cool. Sure, Gero is well known but you never see anyone ranking him up too highly. You can make the case that Cell is very intelligent but I’m thinking more along the lines of inventors and strategists who put that first even above brawn. Fu fits the bill there and with his various powered up modes, he really keeps the heroes at bay. You’ll be seeing him a lot so hopefully you enjoy him. He brings a new dynamic to the series that’s for sure and since he can actually fight as well that definitely earned him some points in my book.

Goku and Vegeta themselves are in a lot of the battles so you’ll see them a lot. I would argue Vegeta may actually get more big moments than Goku does. Vegeta was able to break through the shadows and is also the one with the emotional decision to say they should fuse when he thought about his family. Of course Goku gets the actual wins like when he stepped in against Cumber as well as his battle against himself. So Goku gets more big moments in terms of actual victories while Vegeta is the emotional core of the story. He even gets visibly worried when Fu mentions that Trunk was captured.

Ozotto is an interesting figure. He appears a bit in both arcs and seems to have some plans but hasn’t really done anything yet. I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on this guy. I think he’s got a ton of potential but I just wonder when he will actually make his move. So far it doesn’t seem like he’ll be doing anything even in the sequel to this manga.

Then we have the second arc in the series with Hearts trying to take down Zeno. This one has a lot more guest stars which is fun. Effectively Hearts is taking down powerful fighters in each universe although the heroes aren’t sure why yet. His targets are Hit from Universe 6 and Jiren of Universe 11. Both of these guys can probably hold their own but the Supreme Kai needs the Universe 7 fighters’ help just in case. Goku is still missing after his fight with Cumber so it’s up to Vegeta.

It’s another great arc to follow the first one up. First off, Hearts is an excellent main villain. I thought he was pretty cool right away and he only got better the more he appeared. I don’t blame him for wanting to take Zeno down since those galactic guys aren’t exactly trust worthy. We don’t yet know why he can’t stand the gods but there are plenty of reasons to dislike them in this verse.

His abilities are also hard to get around. Not only can he physically move fast enough to dodge hits from fighters like Jiren and Dyspo but his mind reading abilities are useful for any situation. Throw in his gravity powers and you’ve got someone who is nearly unbeatable. In his released form he was able to defeat Goku, Vegeta, Jiren, and Hit at the same time. Heroes really loves to make everyone as powerful as possible that’s for sure.

From his minions, Zamasu is the most interesting one. After all, if you know anything about Zamasu you know that he isn’t exactly a team player. Why is he putting up with working for Hearts? Particularly as Hearts is trying to destroy the gods. Well, Zamasu has his reasons and it’s cool seeing him get back into the fray.

Then you have Lagss who has glass abilities. On paper she doesn’t seem quite as impressive as the others but her powers are quite useful. It’s difficult to break her shields and she was even able to handle Zamasu and Trunks. We really don’t know almost anything about her except that she is super loyal to Hearts. I’d like to see her appear more in the future at some point.

Finally we have the twins Oren and Kamin who are effectively the Heroes version of Baby. They can possess you and then amp your powers up to greater heights. They leave less of an impact than the others but are still powerful fighters to be feared. I’d say they’re the weakest fighters in the group though.

Then you have the guest stars. Kefla was fun to see and she even held her own against the twins once the mind control wore off. Toppo spends most of his screen time eating dirt but at least he always gets back up. Jiren and Hit certainly look the best from all of the guest stars. They both may be on the losing side against Hearts but actually land some hits and have a good amount of confidence. Seeing them side by side was also quite the spectacle. It’s not something you’d expect to see for a while yet.

Heroes really takes the time to show off a bunch of cool concepts and team ups. There are a bunch of power ups throughout the arcs and each character really gets to show off their skills. As I mentioned it’s only 2 volumes but it just feels like a lot happens there. We even get to see Goku seemingly trained by the Grand Minister himself. Although he doesn’t seem much stronger so you can argue the guy just got him a cool costume.

The art is very solid. It really captures the Dragon Ball look to be sure. It’s got a lot of simple designs on the page to really maximize how much the fights stand out. You’ll never lose track of what’s going on in a given page. As a result it also means that you can read the chapters a lot quicker than most too. The 12 chapters really feel like they go by in an instant.

Naturally there is a cliffhanger ending for the next arc here so you won’t want to miss that. Lets just say a certain villain misses out on the second arc so you know that means he has been hard at work in the shadows. The heroes barely managed to stop his first plan so they will definitely have to bring in their A game to stop him this time.


Overall, Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Universe Mission is a mouth full as a title but it does get straight to the point. The Universes were at stake here but fortunately Goku and friends were ready for the job. The series is so fast that there is definitely no time for any negatives. You get right to the action scenes and never look back. It’s a blast just to see all of the old characters as they push past their limits. By the end of the series they even squeeze in little contributions from some of the side characters like Android 17 and Piccolo. It’s definitely surprising to see them but at least this way they get to do something. Personally I think they should have gotten clobbered but it’s nice to see their fans get something once in a while. I’d definitely recommend checking this one out and I look forward to seeing how the next one fares.

Overall 8/10

Super Dragon Ball Heroes Dark Demon Realm Review

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It’s time to look at a pretty different manga. This one is a short spinoff manga about the Super Dragon Ball Heroes adventures. This part of the franchise has always been cool because it pairs together fighters from various Dragon Ball eras including Super, GT, and the movies. It’s pretty cool but naturally with so many characters running around the power levels can get a bit iffy. Typically GT fans will be very pleased here though because Super Saiyan 4 gets a lot of respect. It’s a blast for sure and you’ll wish this series could have kept going.

The plot involves a group of Demons who have decided to change the past. They are augmenting past DBZ villains to untold heights with the Dark Dragon Balls and then aim to collect all 7 to resurrect their king. (The king is still alive, but heavily weakened at the moment) The Time Patrol can’t let that stand so the Kai of Time summons Future Trunks to help out. He’s a little outgunned on his own though so she also brings in Xeno Goku who is basically end of GT Goku. The two of them may need more backup though as the villains here may be even stronger than Omega Shenron. Fight hard Z Fighters!

The manga never stops to let you catch a breath so you feel like one of the heroes. They have to adapt on the fly because you never know who is going to pop up next. From Super Saiyan 3 Bardock to Super Saiyan Black King Vegeta, there are a bunch of powerful fighters here. Both Vegito and Gogeta make an appearance along with a bunch of other fusions like Gohan and Trunks and classic Gotenks. The pacing is quite excellent and the fights are all a blast. The artwork is great as you’d expect and feels like a classic DBZ story. I won’t go as far as to say it looks as good as DBZ, but it still looks great in its own right.

If the manga has any problems it is the fact that there is so much happening that no individual fight lasts very long. As soon as one matchup is just getting good then the manga has to switch to another one. There’s also the power levels issue I mentioned earlier where some characters look a little stronger or weaker than they ought to. The manga does its best to get around that by being as vague with the power ups as possible, but it’s still tricky. Basically when a character gets infected with the dark Dragon Balls they get a huge boost. So huge that a character like Kid Buu can suddenly match up with the current Gogeta. Then you’ve got the demons who are all absurdly powerful.

So…these demons in their natural forms are able to keep up with Super Gogeta? I mean, it’s not really a bad thing as the more powerful villains the better, but it is just a little hard to believe. The king of evil also gets a lot of hype as it is hinted that he would be the strongest being in the cosmos. Without even being powered up he was looking pretty impressive. It makes for an excellent climax though as we see all of the Z Fighters engaging in multiple battles as they frantically try to reach him. A shame that we couldn’t see that fight, but maybe in a sequel.

That’s right, the manga ends on a big cliffhanger. It looks like the villains from Xenoverse 2 might be showing up. Of course, it’s going to have to wait since the manga then transitioned into the Prison Planet arc and it’s unknown if it will go back to this one afterwards or if you’ll just need to play the arcade game. Either way I hope they keep up these Dragon Ball Heroes stories since there is just so much that can be done with them. I’d also like to see all of these arcs animated since that would just be a blast.

I mean…we even get Super Saiyan 4 Broly to show up! That was hype even if his appearance was rather small. I’m not sure about him only being on par with SSJ4 Goku and that demon guy. In theory Broly should be the strongest one in this place. I do like the manga’s excuse for Goku not going SSJ4 from the start being that it is simply too powerful and that it even corrupts time itself. According to the manga, SSJ4 Goku is even stronger than Vegito which is really something. Makes you wonder what a SSJ4 Vegito would be like. In theory that would be absolutely crazy. That’s also why this manga is so good, it’s absolutely bonkers.

I don’t know the demons very well as I never played Xenoverse, but from what I can see here they seem like fun villains. They all have a lot of personality and good designs. The kid with the scythe is cool as I can’t think of any other Dragon Ball character who uses that weapon to fight. It’s a little unorthodox but it definitely still gets the job done. As for the Kai of Time, the fact that she can fight a little is certainly cool. She may not be a powerhouse or anything, but her barrier spells are very handy.

Overall, This is an amazing manga. I can’t stress enough how hype it is. It’s very short and basically nonstop fights so there isn’t a lot to say, but it’s something that DBZ fans will really be able to appreciate. It’s only around 2 volumes long so it won’t take very long to read but has high replay value. It would work as a sequel to DB Super if they don’t announce anything in the near future I’ll have a review for the Prison Planet manga out when it finishes, but I suppose that could still be a little while away. Also, I have to admit that it can’t quite match how cool this one is, but it’s still excellent as well.

Overall 9/10