'Dragon Ball Super' Manga Makes Major Universe 7 Sacrifice

The Dragon Ball Super manga is currently coming to the climatic events of its Tournament of Power arc, giving fans a distinctly different series of events than the anime did. That's been even more true of these final bouts, which are proving to have vastly different surprises and outcomes than their anime counterparts.

In this manga version of events, the final matchup between Goku and the Z-Fighters of Universe 7, and the Pride Troopers of Universe 11 saw some major sacrifices that took fans by surprise - and one that's left them debating just how different this manga version of the story will be! Read below for the major sacrifice that the Universe 7 team made in its pursuit of ToP victory!

Warning: Spoilers Follow!

The latest chapter of the Dragon Ball Super manga picked up with Goku down and out after the awakening of his Ultra Instinct Omen power left his body broken down. Jiren and the Universe 11 Pride Troopers pressed the attack to finish off their remaining Universe 7 rivals, which forced Vegeta to evolve his power to a new level, in order to hold off Jiren, while Freeza took on Jiren's teammates Toppo and Dyspo. Things came to a head when No. 17 and Freeza had Toppo and Dyspo on the ropes, and Jiren decided to get involved!

Jiren quickly displayed why he is the top power to beat in the "Tournament of Power"; Universe 11's secret weapon quickly shutdown Vegeta's new power, and nearly knocked No. 17 and Freeza out of the ring. Realizing that their power wasn't nearly enough to stop Jiren, No. 17 had Freeza hang back so that he could launch his own desperate move: After confirming that his sister No. 18 will take care of the family he left behind on Earth, No. 17 faces Jiren head-on, and tries to self-destruct, in order to take out Jiren!

The move ultimately proves to be a fruitless gamble: a good portion of the ring is destroyed, and Jiren definitely takes a hit - but ultimately the Pride Trooper champion survives the attack, leaving just a severely injured Goku and Vegeta, and an isolated Freeza, as the last line of defense. Worse yet: No. 17's gamble but all of Universe 7 at risk, as self-sacrifice was not strictly part of the ToP's rules. Luckily, the Grand Zenos and Grand Priest decree that this one instance is acceptable, and that Universe 7 isn't automatically eliminated as a result.

Dragon Ball Super's anime had a similar story arc for No. 17, in which he self-destructed as a tactic to stop Jiren's energy barrier from expanding to consume Goku and Vegeta, who were both left incapacitated after their respective power-up attacks failed. That similarity between the anime and the manga has led fans to question whether manga will follow the anime's biggest twist: revealing that No. 17 survived the explosion, and making him the key player in achieving Universe 7's victory, by having him ultimately win the ToP.

What do you think of Dragon Ball Super's manga version of the ToP? Let us know 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. 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.