Did ‘Dragon Ball Super’ Just Nerf Kefla?

The Dragon Ball Super manga has been taking a very different path through the Tournament of Power than the anime did, and has been making some big changes that have fans wondering about canon. Kale and Caulifla have been especially interesting in how their respective powers have been portrayed in the manga – and now it seems their fused power as Kefla is being revised, as well!

The latest chapter of the Dragon Ball Super manga had a much-anticipated fight between Gohan and Kefla, and the outcome of that battle has some fans up in arms. See for yourself:

As you can see, Gohan powered up and and battled Kefla – a fight which ended in both Saiyan warriors knocking each other out of the ring. While it was a great fight on paper (literally), the fact that it ended in a double ring out has a lot fans feeling some kind of way! For everyone who feels that this is Gohan getting the sort of standout moment he never did in the anime’s Tournament of Power, there’s another fan wondering what this manga Kefla arc means for the power level rankings of Dragon Ball‘s Sayain characters.

Gohan’s power was thought to have waned greatly in the time span of Dragon Ball Super. In the anime, he’s ranked below the final Universe 7 fighters in the ToP, including Freeza, Android 17, Vegeta and Goku. Meanwhile, the anime’s debut of Kefla required Goku to step up and manifest Ultra Instinct “Omen” for the second time, in order to beat that fused warrior. Taking both of those staples of the anime into account (Gohan’s lowered power, and Kefla’s provoking of Goku’s Ultra Instinct), it’s clear that the Dragon Ball Super manga has nerfed Kefla’s power level.

It’s an ironic change, given that the manga depicted both Kale and Caulifla as more power than their anime counterparts – especially Kale, with her more direct connections to the Legendary Super Saiyan myth. Scroll below to see what Dragon Ball fans are saying about this pivotal Gohan vs. Kefla fight – and it’s canon-shaking outcome!

Popular Opinion

Here’s how Dragon Ball fans are feeling about the Gohan vs. Kefla fight: 

Homage Easter Egg

Gohan’s fight was meant to be an echo of one of Goku’s classic manga battles:

There’s a Storm Brewing

Fans who got an early look at this manga chapter already know what kind bomb this is going to be, when it goes off in fan discussion threads!

Does This Even Work?

The biggest debate is, of course, whether Dragon Ball is (once again?) violating its own rules and mythos for the sake of a frivolous powered-up bout. 

Split Decision

Some fans who love both the manga and anime Kefla battles are having a hard time in this increasingly partisan debate! 

Best of Both Worlds

Other fans are so much split over the manga/anime versions of Kefla as they are happy that both versions exist to balance out their desires. 

The Lazy Way Out

For some fans, this Gohan / Kefla double K.O. was just an excuse for the creative team NOT to have to weigh the question of which character is actually the more powerful, and how that would affect the canon power rankings. 

Kefla Deserved Better

Even though the manga gave Kale and Caulifla a lot more backstory, some fans still think the anime did it better: 

What Should’ve Happened

You KNOW Dragon Ball fans always have their own crazy list of demands for how these fights and power-ups should go, so without further ado: 

******

How do you feel about this manga version of Kefla’s battle with Gohan – and its controversial outcome? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! 

Dragon Ball Super: Broly will hit Japanese theaters in December, and is expected to arrive in the U.S. around mid-January 2019. Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on Funimation, VRV, and Crunchyroll.