Is Dragon Ball Super Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
Yes, especially if you only know this story from the anime — the manga trims the padding and gives Toyotarou's art room to do its own thing with Toriyama's world.
Quick Verdict
“Tighter pacing, sharper art, same characters — this is the better version of the story the anime already told you, frozen mid-arc.”
Best for: Longtime Dragon Ball fans who want the leaner manga pacing, and readers who prefer Toyotarou's detailed art style over the original's simpler linework.
Not for: Readers who want a complete story with a clear ending, or who have zero patience for franchise fatigue after decades of Dragon Ball content.
- Type
- Manga
- Genres
- Sci-Fi, Action
- Status
- On Hiatus
- This review
- Minor Spoilers
- Author
- Akira Toriyama (story)
- Artist
- Toyotarou
- Publisher
- Shueisha (V Jump)
- Platform
- VIZ Media
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manga (shōnen), 24 volumes |
| Run | 2015–present · on hiatus |
| Community score | AniList 7.2 · MangaUpdates 6.9 |
| Where to read | VIZ Media — official |
Overview
Dragon Ball Super is the manga continuation of the original series, written by Akira Toriyama and drawn by Toyotarou, who previously handled an acclaimed manga adaptation of the Dragon Ball Z anime films. It follows Goku and the rest of the cast into new tournaments, new threats, and new transformations, loosely parallel to (and eventually diverging from) the Dragon Ball Super anime.
What it does well
The biggest selling point is pacing. A lot of Dragon Ball Super's anime run was stretched out with filler and padding, and the manga simply doesn't have that problem — fights move faster, arcs resolve without extra stalling, and Toyotarou's art is detailed enough to carry big moments without needing extra panels to sell them. If you remember specific fights from the show dragging, the manga version of those same fights is usually the better experience.
The Moro arc in particular stands out as the manga doing its own thing rather than just adapting something that already exists elsewhere — it gives the story room to introduce new stakes and a genuinely different kind of villain than the series has used before. And even this deep into the franchise, Toriyama's plotting still has real twists in it rather than just recycling the Saiyan-power-escalation formula on autopilot.
Where it falls short
The honest problem right now is that this is an unfinished story. The manga has been on indefinite hiatus since Toriyama's passing in 2024, and there's no confirmed timeline for whether or when it picks back up. Reading it today means reading a story that stops mid-arc, which is a real thing to weigh before diving in.
There's also the franchise-fatigue question. Some arcs do lean harder on new forms and bigger power numbers than on actually building the story forward, and if that's worn thin for you across however many decades of Dragon Ball you've already consumed, Super doesn't do much to reinvent that formula — it mostly does it well rather than differently.
Verdict
As a manga, this is simply a better way to experience this era of Dragon Ball than the anime was, with tighter pacing and art that holds up under scrutiny. Whether it's worth starting right now depends on how comfortable you are reading an ongoing story that's currently stuck on hold — but what's already on the page is some of the strongest Dragon Ball material in years.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Toyotarou's art is more detailed and dynamic than the original Dragon Ball's, especially in how it stages large-scale fights.
- The manga consistently cuts the padding the anime added, so arcs move faster and hit their big moments without filler stretching them out.
- Original material like the Moro arc gives the manga its own identity instead of just retreading movie and show plots.
- Toriyama's plotting still has real surprises in it, even for readers who think they've seen everything Dragon Ball can do.
Weaknesses
- The series has been on indefinite hiatus since Toriyama's death in 2024, so right now you're reading an unfinished, ongoing story with no promised return date.
- Some arcs lean on power creep and new transformations more than they develop the story, which can feel like it's chasing spectacle over substance.
- If you've already watched the anime, a chunk of the early manga will feel familiar even with the faster pacing.
Similar Titles
The original series this continues — worth reading first if you haven't, since Super assumes you know these characters.
Shares the scale, the long-running power escalation, and the found-family core cast.
Where to Read Officially
| Platform | Format | Pricing | Region notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIZ Media | Digital chapters | Print volumes | Paid | Region availability varies | Open |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dragon Ball Super still being published?
It's on indefinite hiatus. Akira Toriyama, who wrote the story, passed away in 2024, and the manga hasn't resumed publication since.
Do I need to watch the anime first?
No, but you do need to know the original Dragon Ball — Super picks up after it and assumes you're familiar with the cast and world.
