Reading Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 was something that hit on a deeper emotional level than I thought. Going into this latest Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 I already knew that it would hit differently. Akira Toriyama passing away at the beginning of the month was heartbreaking. Like so many around the world, the Dragon Ball franchise means a lot to me. Even when I’ve been critical of the series at certain points my love for what Toriyama created and continued to expand never wavered. There are so many reasons why Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 hit but there were two points that stuck out that made it special.
IMPORTANCE OF LEGACY IN DRAGON BALL
I’m a sucker for exploring the legacy of iconic characters. Especially when characters like Batman and Spider-Man have been around for decades exploring what their legacies are in the universe is a cool next step. That’s an aspect of Dragon Ball that Toriyama has made an important part of the franchise. Whether it’s Goku advancing what he learned from Grandpa Gohan and Master Roshi to his own children stepping up as heroes, legacy is part of the Dragon Ball franchise.
That is what made Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 feel like the perfect send off to the franchise. Rather than being a big villain fight it revolved around Gohan showcasing his growth as he took on all of the living Saiyans, except his daughter Pan. I always loved how one of the long term stories in Dragon Ball Z was building towards Gohan taking over Goku’s role as protector of Earth. Gohan carries that legacy of hope that Goku carried.
Gohan showing off his current power level by taking on Trunks and Goten was a fun way to show that he has returned to his top form like he was at the end of the Cell Saga. Goten and Trunks not getting passed any of Gohan’s defenses showed this to Goku, Vegeta, and Broly, who watched the match. While it would’ve been cool to see what Gohan would handle a SSJ3 Gotenks I understood having the failed version of Goten and Trunks appeared. Toriyama was never afraid of adding lighthearted comedy even when we were getting intense action sequences. It’s part of the magic of Dragon Ball.
This all provided us with a warm-up for the main event that was Perfect Ultra Instinct Goku vs Beast Gohan. The fight as a whole was paced well to have a sense of escalation as Goku and Gohan showed their mastery of their respective forms. While we don’t get an official confirmation of who is “stronger” Goku seeing how his son is following a different path to grow was a cool acknowledgement moment. While Gohan once again proved he can follow in Goku’s legacy as the protector of Earth he didn’t need to going down the same path. Gohan achieved something no other Saiyan or Earthling has.
DRAGON BALL IS A JOURNEY THAT NEVER ENDS
This wasn’t the official end of the series, as we are likely to see Toyotarou wrap up the Black Frieza Saga wrap up he and Toriyama have been hinting at after a hiatus. But while it is unknown if and when it’ll happen, Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 absolutely works as a fitting conclusion. The legacy aspect of the franchise fed into how Dragon Ball is a story with no ending. While a big bad can be defeated our heroes will always be training to improve and get better for whatever may happen next.
The journey of Dragon Ball continuing is shown in a way with how we transition into Gohan vs Broly. In watching Goku vs Gohan, Broly finally found someone in Gohan he can relate to and learn from. We immediately see how impact Gohan’s control of his Beast form is as Broly finally gains control of his Legendary Super Saiyan form to an extent. It’s this growth that sums up how these characters will continue to grow even if we don’t necessarily see them for a while.
The fun part of Dragon Ball’s journey is further shown with how all the Saiyans decide to have an all out fight after Gohan took them on one at a time. These characters will always look to test themselves, even if it is against each other.
Which all leads in well into how Toriyama and Toyotarou get us back to Goku and Pan to close out the series. While Goku initially forgetting about Pan being his granddaughter was played for laughs how their relationship is established was special. Having their reunion silently going from Pan being angry and challenging her grandfather to being excited about reuniting with Goku was touching. It immediately reminds you of how they were shown to have a close bond at the end of Dragon Ball Z. Goku and Pan taking off ahead of Gohan and Piccolo further spoke to the Dragon Ball journey continuing on.
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 was truly a gift from Toriyama. As a fan of all these characters and world this was a special chapter of Dragon Ball that will stand as one of my favorites. The franchise will always be important for so many reasons and Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 showcased why.
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