The Dragon Ball Super manga is taking a decidedly different path through the epic “Tournament of Power” story arc, and that path is quickly leading to a very interesting conclusion – one that could have major implications for Goku and Vegeta’s relationship as the franchise moves ahead into its next phase!
During the climatic chapter of the Tournament of Power, Goku squares off against Jiren of Universe 11 one-on-one, a fight that finally unlocks the full potential of Goku’s Ultra Instinct power. Unfortunately, Jiren reveals a major power of his own – one that allows him to exponentially increase his power during battle. Goku’s untested Ultra Instinct power doesn’t prove able to keep pace with Jiren’s power ups, and fizzles out before he can lock the victory for Universe 7.
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With his power spent, Goku is left at Jiren’s mercy, and finds himself nearly knocked out of the ring. The only reason Goku is able to stay in the fight is because Vegeta intervenes at the last minute to catch him, in a rare moment of Saiyan cooperation. In what may be one of his biggest character turns yet, Vegeta actually tells Goku that they need to team up and fight together, proclaiming, “Come, Kakarot!! On your feet!! We fight together!!”
When Goku and Vegeta launch their tag-team attack against Jiren, every spectator at the tournament is shocked by the level of skill and synchronicity that the two Saiyans are displaying. It’s then we learn that Whis has actually secretly been training Goku and Vegeta this whole time, in order to make them fighters who are able to work together in perfect sync.
As Goku and Vegeta get Jiren on the ropes, Vegeta cements their partnership by proclaiming, “With me now Kakarot! Keep this up and we’ll have him off the arena in no time!”
This version of the ToP climax is similar to what we got in the anime, but with a noticeable difference. In the anime Goku and Vegeta teamed their Super Saiyan Blue powers to battle Jiren; in the manga, we learn that their attack is part of a larger plan and training that Whis has secretly had in motion for awhile. That’s relevant, as the Dragon Ball Super’s manga we’ll soon move into its own version of the upcoming Broly arc, and if the Dragon Ball Super: Broly is any indication, Goku and Vegeta’s tag-team tactics will be big part of that story. Not only will Goku and Vegeta be tag-team battling Broly, there is suggestion that the teaming will become a full-on fusion, as Goku and Vegeta merge into Gogeta.
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. ET. 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.
