Dragon Ball Super Volume Four continues the Future Trunks arc.
Dragon Ball Super Volume Four
Written by: Akira Toriyama
Art by: Toyotarou
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: January 1, 2019
With all of the changes that were made to the story in the manga in Volume Three, it wasn't surprising that the changes continue in Volume Four. In this version, Bulma never goes to the future in the time machine. Goku still learns the Mafuba from Master Roshi, but unlike the anime version, he brings something along he thinks is the seal for the pot... but actually isn't. Also, it's Goku who attempts to perform the Mafuba in the future instead of Trunks, who was forced to figure out how to do it in the anime and try to seal away Zamas. It should also be pointed out that Yajirobe and the various people Trunks and Mai were with in the anime are nowhere to be seen in the manga telling of the story.
To be honest, it didn't make a lot of sense for Bulma to accompany the others to the future. I also appreciated the fact that it was Goku who performed the Mafuba. When the pot broke in the anime and Trunks was forced to fix it and to figure out the Mafuba on his own, I thought it kind of bogged down the story. By removing those aspects, it helped the story to feel like it was naturally progressing in the manga.
I forgot to mention that at the beginning of Volume Three, Future Trunks is shown in a flashback during his timeline that he trained with Kaio-shin and Kibito... which is something that wasn't part of the anime's version of the Future Trunks arc. This fact becomes important near the end of Volume Four because it allows him to do something that no one else in that timeline can do.
Overall, after reading Dragon Ball Super Volume Four, I felt that this was an interesting way to tell a similar story to what is seen in the anime, and it gives readers who are familiar with the anime another way to see this story and these characters. From an interview that's published at the back of the volume, it comes across that the changes to the story were Toyotarou's ideas. I have to give credit to Toyotarou for taking these chances with the story, and I think that most of the changes helped to make the story a little stronger. Hopefully this will still be the case in Volume Five, since the Future Trunks arc doesn't conclude at the end of Volume Four.
Outside of the story changes, Volume Four includes the action and humor that fans of Dragon Ball Super have come to expect from this series. The fight scenes are well paced, and they feel natural.
When it comes to the art, I also have to give Toyotarou credit for capturing the look and feel of the characters from the Dragon Ball franchise. I realized I hadn't really mentioned this in the reviews for the previous three volumes of the series, so I wanted to make sure I said that here.
Readers who have read and enjoyed the previous three volumes of the Dragon Ball Super manga likely won't have any real complaints when it comes to Volume Four.
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