Dragon Ball Super’s anime has been done for over five years, but its accompanying manga continues to tell new stories that go far beyond the events of the Tournament of Power. Dragon Ball Super Chapter 99, “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!,” continues to chronicle the series’ epic feud against Cell Max, although the end is now in sight. “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!” doesn’t exactly steer away from its cinematic source material, but this chapter manages to improve upon every element from Super Hero.

Dragon Ball Super anime fans have been slightly discouraged ever since Chapter 91, “The Red Ribbon Army’s Revival,” which begins to explicitly recap the events of Dragon Ball Super’s newest movie. After several months of Super Hero summary, audiences are hungry to see what’s next. Thankfully, the events of “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!” are narratively and artistically entertaining. There’s tremendous payoff here for Gohan’s character, even if it’s a milestone that many audiences have already seen happen in Super Hero.

Orange Piccolo & Cell Max – Attack On The Titans

On its surface level, Dragon Ball Super Chapter 99, “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!” doesn’t exactly defy any expectations or surprise its audience. The characters are still locked in a grueling fight against Cell Max, but at least Piccolo’s newest transformation has helped the heroes slightly balance out this battle equation. Toyotarou’s artwork beautifully recreates some of the most memorable moments from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. However, the manga does a much better job with how it emphasizes the kaiju-like scale of this clash.

There’s true heft that’s felt to every blow that Giant Orange Piccolo and Cell Max launch at each other. These attacks get a chance to breathe and often dominate the entire panel in a way that effectively celebrates their size. This sense of scale occasionally gets lost in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Cell Max also gets much greater use of his mace-like tail, which is prominent in the anime movie, but doesn’t receive the same vicious showcase as it does in “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!”

The Heroes Fight Back

One of the most exciting details about Dragon Ball Super’s current story arc is that Goku and Vegeta don’t dominate the narrative. Not only do Gohan and Piccolo get long-overdue chances to shine, but this story arc is also quite generous when it comes to the other supporting players. Gotenks, Android 18, Krillin, and the newly rehabilitated Gamma Androids have been very present throughout this battle, even if their efforts haven’t amounted to much. This gesture repeats itself here as these eclectic Z-Fighters once again provide defensive support while Gohan and Piccolo recuperate.

The heroes may not be any stronger, but it’s still satisfying to see these individuals give everything that they’ve got in order to keep the enemy occupied. Their perseverance here speaks to their values and why they’ll always be heroes, even if they can’t save the day with their physical strength. It’s just as important for Gohan to see how many people believe in him and what’s at stake if he can’t rise to the occasion against Red Ribbon’s rebel.

Cell Max Evens The Playing Field & A Noble Android Makes A Sacrifice

One of the more exciting moments to come out of the previous Dragon Ball Super manga chapter is when Cell Max loses one of his arms. Cell Max’s premature awakening means that he doesn’t have all of Cell’s abilities, including his Namekian regeneration powers. Cell Max only has one arm, but he still doesn’t seem to be at much of a loss. However, a fascinating duel breaks out when Cell Max’s mouth beam severs one of Giant Orange Piccolo’s arms. These two giants continue to take each other on, now both equally disadvantaged.

Curiously, there’s no reason why Piccolo can’t immediately regenerate his arm to gain the literal upper hand. Piccolo does eventually regenerate this lost limb during the battle’s endgame, but most of his fighting in Chapter 99 is without the appendage. It’s possible that Orange Piccolo is so caught up in the moment that he doesn’t have the time or attention to regrow his arm, or perhaps he just wants to prove to Cell Max that he can defeat him on his terms.

Gohan Ascends To Gohan Beast

There are many reasons that fans continue to get excited over Dragon Ball nearly four decades since its debut, but its trademark transformations have become shorthand for the shonen series’ greatest successes. Goku is typically the first character to stumble upon a new Saiyan transformation, but Dragon Ball Super’s latest story arcs have worked hard to break from this tradition through character-specific metamorphoses like Ultra Ego Vegeta, Black Frieza, Orange Piccolo, and now Gohan Beast. Gohan fans have been ready to see their favorite character return to top hero status ever since his Super Saiyan 2 debut. It’s no coincidence that Dragon Ball Super Chapter 99, “Son Goku’s Ultimate Awakening!” intentionally recreates some of the iconography from Gohan’s Super Saiyan 2 transformation against Cell. The triggering moment is even identical.

What’s so important about Gohan’s prolific Beast transformation is that it’s a near-fatal blow to Piccolo that activates Gohan’s inner rage. Gohan has always been a character who defends his family and loved ones with his life and it’s no surprise that it’s the sight of Piccolo in danger that pushes the Saiyan to unprecedented heights. “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!” sticks close to Super Hero’s breakdown of this transformation. The cinematic version is certainly more colorful, but the manga’s art is beautiful and genuinely an improvement over how Gohan Beast looks in Super Hero. The exaggerated hair looks a lot more natural here than it does in the movie. Just like in Super Hero, Dragon Ball Super’s manga doesn’t officially give a name to Gohan’s Beast form, so it should be interesting to see when this new power does get properly titled.

A Tag Team Heroic Finish

Dragon Ball Super Chapter 99 doesn’t forget that this chapter is designed to put Gohan on a pedestal. However, it’s just as much an occasion to value Orange Piccolo and the evergreen superpowered bond that’s formed between these two warriors. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero basically has Gohan take over after he experiences his Beast transformation. Gohan’s power is never in question in “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!” That being said, this clash plays better due to how Gohan Beast shares this victory with Orange Piccolo. Piccolo plays a much greater role through the use of his gigantic malleable arms, which properly restrain Cell Max as Gohan Beast does his thing. Toyotarou’s artwork during these restraint panels is some of the chapter’s best visuals and it really elevates the fight. Piccolo’s contributions here also make Gohan’s use of the Special Beam Cannon–Piccolo’s signature attack technique–all the more significant. Gohan views this as a shared victory and a tribute to his mentor, which is why he plans to finish off Cell Max with this ki maneuver instead of a Kamehameha.

Dragon Ball Super’s manga is no stranger to cliffhangers and Chapter 99, “Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!” is no exception. Anyone who’s seen Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero knows what’s about to transpire, but the manga leaves newcomers on the appealing prospect that Gohan Beast’s Special Beam Cannon may finally take out Cell Max, once and for all, and restore peace in the process. It seems quite appropriate that the end of this landmark battle will take place in the manga’s 100th chapter as it resolves this storyline and likely teases what’s to come. As a point of reference, Gohan’s battle against the original Cell in Dragon Ball Z‘s manga lasts for eight chapters, including the villain’s temporary self-destruct detour with Goku. There have been some big battles from Dragon Ball Super‘s manga that really drag on and it’s comforting that Dragon Ball Super has been a little more economical with the battle against Cell Max. If a feud of this magnitude can get resolved at this pace, then it brings into question how long the next fierce fight will last, whether it’s against Black Frieza or someone completely new.

Source: Screenrant.com