Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dragon Ball Super chapter #104Dragon Ball Super has momentarily returned with a special one-shot that explores how Goten and Trunks came up with the concept of Saiyaman X. The stay was brief, however. The story, which Shonen Jump is treating as the latest chapter of Super, essentially gives fans a little something to enjoy, as artist Toyotarou takes the extra time to map out the rest of the series in the wake of mangaka Akira Toriyama's tragic death. Although the point of the one-shot is to fill in a major gap from the Super Hero Saga, it unfortunately showcases the franchise's biggest flaw.
Ironically, the first half of the Super Hero Saga was written for a similar purpose. It serves as a prequel to the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, which hit theaters sometime earlier. But while the manga helped provide some much-needed context to the film, it started in a very specific place that naturally raised some questions. The very first page of the manga shows Trunks and Goten posing as the Great Saiyaman X-1 and X-2, respectively, causing fans to wonder how they came up with the idea. Super's newest chapter answers that question.
Dragon Ball Super Needs To Make Humans Relevant Again
The New One-Shot Almost Did with Clean God Before His True Identity Was Revealed
In chapter #104, Dragon Ball Super finally introduces a character that the first installment of the Super Hero Saga only referenced: a video game character named Clean God who was getting his own movie. It was clear at the time that Trunks and Goten were inspired by this Clean God, but there was no indication that he was an actual hero. But chapter #104 initially introduced the possibility that Clean God could be a real superhero.
In fact, when Clean God ostensibly appears to save the day, Trunks is so moved by what he witnesses that he comes to respect superheroes after thinking they were lame.
For a few pages, some fans may have been fooled into believing that Clean God was real. This would have been exciting for anyone who fell for it, since the implications meant that a human was likely Clean God. That explanation would have addressed one of Dragon Ball's big problems, where humans are no longer relevant. Even if Clean God turned out to be weaker than Goku and Vegeta, the prospect of a new superhuman had merit. However, the last few pages of chapter #104 reveal that Gohan had been masquerading as Clean God; he was not a new character.
Dragon Ball Super's New One-Shot Is The Perfect Standalone Story
Gohan's Influence Brings His Journey as The Great Saiyaman Full Circle
Although disappointing as a whole, it's important to view what chapter #104 is marketed as — a one-shot. It's a standalone story, and introducing a whole new character who could impact future sagas in Dragon Ball Super is not conducive to that. When taking that into , the fact that Gohan was Clean God all along is actually a satisfactory way of concluding the story.
If Trunks hadn't been awed by Gohan, then he never would have agreed to Goten's later proposition of becoming a superhero team, let alone wear a ridiculous costume, which Gohan justified by saying that it protects the ones you love. It's rather appropriate that the one who invented the Great Saiyaman would help inspire the next generation of superheroes, even if it means that Dragon Ball Super still hasn't made humans relevant again in the process.
