Dragon Ball Kakumei is the next best thing for the dragon ball fandom. Initially a fan comic by a French creator, Kakumei has quickly risen up in the community as one of the best fan projects in the industry by far. With a recently announced fan anime project on the horizon, let’s talk about what makes Kakumei such an exception.
What is the plot of Dragon Ball Kakumei?
The manga does not waste its time with exposition and directly takes place after the Tournament of Power arc and the Broly movie, during which we begin with watching Goku slowly mastering his Ultra Instinct and the rest of the Z Fighters living in another age of peace. But as it is always with Dragon Ball, the peace never really lasts until our heroes are needed yet again.
We soon learn that Android 17’s wish to revive all the erased universes has had some drastic effects on the cosmology of the dragon ball verse when the Grand Priest reveals that the wish has revived the once-sealed Universe Zero which contained the rebellious mother of angels “Zero”. And now the multiverse has to prepare for a war of almost biblical proportions as the gods of the once-deleted universes are getting ready to rebel against the Omni-King.
What can you expect from Dragon Ball Kakumei?
if you thought Kakumei is ambitious in only its plot, then you will be wrong. Because Dragon Ball Kakumei is easily one of the most gorgeously illustrated manga ever, regardless of if it is fan-made or not. Each panel accentuates a sense of power and authority from the characters, that the official dragon ball manga has missed to properly showcase in its recent arcs.
Though it is still shy off from the likes of Berserk and One Punch Man. The work that the Kakumei team has put into this manga is absolutely immaculate, from its complex line work, gorgeous broad panels, and an excellent evolution of the character designs from Toyotaro’s more simplified illustrations (excellent in his own right) to highly muscular bodywork.
The illustrations also serve as perfect visual context to the dialogue that’s written, never in the series would you think any panel is misplaced (which is something few mangas can boast about).
Is Dragon Ball Kakumei better than Super?
Yes and No; now you may be wondering how to make sense of that answer. Well to be brief, Dragon Ball Kakumei is better than super in many ways such as its art, writing, and overall production consistency. But we should also remind ourselves of the fact that without the groundwork set by Super, Kakumei would never have seen the light of day.
So while we can all always try to compare in my opinion; Kakumei is definitely looking to be amazing but it’s still relatively new and ongoing with no assurity for its future, while on the other hand, Super has been faltering many times but has still been delivering the authentic Dragon Ball experience that we fell in love with (the hype around Black Frieza is proof of that).
Conclusion
🌇 Super Saiyan God, Son Goten
(God of Destruction, Amaron Arc) –
DRAGON BALL KAKUMEI PROMOTIONAL ART (#22)#DRAGONBALLKAKUMEI pic.twitter.com/quxKkQtGQ6— REENKO – Dragon Ball Kakumei #GokuDay (@ReenkoDBK) August 8, 2023
Dragon Ball Kakumei is a must-read for any Dragon Ball fan out there. Its love for the source material and its respect for the canon is apparent with its overall quality, and while many are still left wondering to which series is better whether it be Kakumei or Super. I would like to talk about that situation by recommending both for dragon ball fans of any kind to just enjoy themselves with.