10 Ways Dragon Ball Super Is Completely Different In Japanese (2024)

Akira Toriyama’s original Dragon Ball manga series was such a hit in Japan that it was translated and dubbed into a number of other languages for international audiences. The English dub in particular of early Dragon Ball and DBZ was infamous for making such drastic changes to the point that it changed the meaning of some scenes entirely. However, with the latest continuation of Toriyama’s series, Dragon Ball Super, the franchise has truly become an international series with translations that respect the source material.

Unlike DBZ’s heavily edited English dub, the Dragon Ball Super anime’s dub is very faithful to the source material. It’s in some ways even better than the original version it iterates from. However, it’s not just the anime that has differences. There are always bound to be inconsistencies when translating the origin Japanese manga to English as well. In fact, the minute differences between the English and Japanese Dragon Ball Super mangas are often more striking than those of the anime, because they inadvertently deviate from the nuances of Toyotarou and Toriyama's intricately crafted battle system and realistically developed characters.

10 Hit’s Power Works Differently in the English Manga

The English Translation Makes Hit's Time Skip Sound More OP Than it Already is

Small changes between translations in manga usually aren’t an issue, but in a series with a fandom that’s as serious about power scaling as Dragon Ball, it can have far-reaching consequences. User Cipher on the Kanzenshuu boards discovered a number of such inconsistencies, including one small one in how Hit explained his power during the Universe 6 & 7 tournament. In the Japanese version of the manga, Hit tells Goku “then I’ll just have to out-predict that” in reference to Goku predicting Hit’s Time-Skip.

This original version is a pretty straight-forward statement without much issue. However, in the English translation, Hit tells Goku, “Then I’ll just have to travel further into the future.” This line seems to infer that Hit’s Time Skip actually allows him to literally travel through time. The issue with this is that it has led to confusion among fans about Goku’s own power, as it makes it seem like Goku is fast enough to literally time travel to fight back against Hit.

9 There is Stronger Language in Super’s English Dub

The English Anime's Later TV Timeslot May Have Contributed to its Inclusion of More Adult Language

Dragon Ball is known for its suggestive themes, even if they began to become less and less prominent in the transition from early Dragon Ball to DBZ. The sexual references were even more present in the original Japanese versions of Dragon Ball and DBZ, in-line with Toriyama’s original manga. However, Super flips the script on this trend, with the English version of the series actually having more adult language than the Japanese one.

Super is still toned down significantly from the original Dragon Ball, but the English dub definitely caters more to older audiences than Super’s original subbed version. That’s due to blocks when each version of the series was aired in their respective countries. In America, Super aired later in the day on Adult Swim, which is geared mostly toward adolescents and adults. On the other hand, Japan’s version of Super aired at 9am, forcing it to be more kid-friendly.

8 The Character’s Names Aren’t as Interesting in English

Dragon Ball's Japanese Name Puns Weren't Translated as Easily Into English

Dragon Ball is known for its ridiculous name-puns, and that’s no different for Super. However, the English translation loses a lot of the meaning in the puns. The most unfortunate of these are Jiren, the strongest Pride Trooper of Universe 11, and Bulla, Vegeta and Bulma’s daughter.

In the case of Jiren, all the Pride Troopers are named after kitchen tools and appliances, with the most famous being Toppo being named after a pot, and Dyspo being named after a garbage disposal. Jiren’s original Japanese name is a punny reference to a kitchen stove, which is called a Renji in Japanese, but this doesn’t quite translate the same in English. In Bulla’s case, her original Japanese name, Bra, fit in perfectly well with the rest of the Briefs family’s naming conventions.

7 Gohan is co*ckier in the English Manga

Chapter 38 of the English Super Manga Nearly Undid Gohan's Lengthy Development

Gohan’s humble nature is well-known in Dragon Ball, and has only grown more prominent over the years. While he struggled with overconfidence during the Cell Games and Buu Sagas, he learned from those mistakes and grew as a person and a fighter because of it. However, that growth is not quite as clear in the English translation of the manga.

During the Tournament of Power, Gohan attempts to step in to fight Kefla for Goku. In the original Japanese manga, Gohan tells Goku something akin to “I’ll deal with Kefla somehow”. This shows his modesty, despite stepping in for his dad. In contrast, the English manga has Gohan telling Goku “Kefla is mine.” This small change makes Gohan seem far more confident, and is a bit out of character for someone who experienced and changed so much from DBZ to Super.

6 Goku Black is a Different Kind of “English” in the Dub

Zamasu Has a More Proper English Accent in Super's English Dub Which Black Followed Suit With

In the English dub, Goku Black’s voice went through some notable changes that got fans talking. Black is voiced by Sean Schemmel, the same actor as Goku, which only makes sense. However, in an attempt to differentiate the two, Schemmel chose an interesting accent. Not only does Black speak English in the English dub, but he has a British accent. The real reason for this was because Zamasu (voiced by James Marsters) has a British accent in the dub, which Schemmel then tried to carry over to show they had the same soul.

According to Schemmel, “Goku's voice as Goku Black Rose will still have an accent. That's because it's based on the voice the actor playing Zamasu gave him.” This accent only lasted for a brief period in the anime, becoming more prominent after he transformed into his Super Saiyan Rose form. After becoming Fused Zamasu, though, the accent disappeared. Of course, this issue didn’t occur in the Japanese dub for obvious reasons.

5 The Japanese Anime Has Faster Fight Scenes

America's Regulations Led to the Animation Being Slowed Down During Critical Fight Scenes

One of the more interesting differences between the English and Japanese versions of the anime is in the pacing of the fights. In the original Japanese sub, the action is noticeably more fluid and quicker paced than in the English dub. Because America’s regulations are different from Japan’s, the version of the anime that aired in Japan abides by different standards.

The main culprit for this change in the English dub’s animation is the Harding Test. In America, all TV shows need to undergo the Harding Test, which measures the flashing patterns in media to determine whether it could have a negative effect on people with photosensitive epilepsy. In order to pass the Harding Test, some of Super’s fights had to be edited to meet this regulatory standard.

4 Moro’s Wish is More Menacing in English

The English Translation Makes Moro's Wish on the Dragon Balls Sound More Difficult to Grant

Moro is a beloved villain in Super, largely because of how purely evil he is. One of the most important aspects of the Moro arc was the wishes he had granted by the Namekian Dragon Balls. Moro had two wishes granted. The first was straightforward, wishing to regain his youth and full power like how King Piccolo did in early Dragon Ball. However, his second wish wasn’t revealed until later, raising the anticipation for it greatly. In fact, in the English dub, the anticipation for Moro’s wish was even greater due to a small difference in wording.

In the original Japanese, Moro’s wish was something like “Then let’s have you grant that second wish.” However, in the English translation, the line ended up being “I wonder if you can grant this one.” This made it seem like Moro’s wish was something so grandiose that not even Porunga could grant it. This led to a bit of disappointment for some fans when it was revealed that Moro just wished for the release of the prisoners held by Galactic Patrol. It seemed to make no sense that Moro would be wondering whether Porunga could accomplish such a simple wish.

3 The Voice Acting Changes the Anime's Characters

Masako Nozawa and Sean Schmemmel are Both Legendary VAs who Give Goku Their Own Flair

Dragon Ball Super’s English dub cast has become just as iconic as the Japanese cast, with series staples like Sean Schemmel and Christopher Sabat retaining their roles as Goku and Vegeta, respectively. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the English cast brings a different feel to the characters than the original Japanese cast does.

Goku’s original voice actress Masako Nozawa often gives Goku a more innocent tone to his voice, reflecting the purity of heart that he’s known for. In contrast, Schemmel tends to give Goku a more heroic tone, making him a more threatening presence when powering up. In cases such as these, when both actors are equally great and distinctive in their approach, it’s impossible to say which is objectively better. Fans can only decide what they personally enjoy listening to more.

2 The Broly Film Had a Slightly Different Look in Its English Release

Fans Discovered the Bu-Ray Version of Dragon Ball Super: Broly Had a Green Tint

The US Blu-Ray release of the Dragon Ball Super: Broly film has a completely different look throughout the entirety of the movie. Upon the release, many viewers realized that the movie had a strange green tint that existed throughout the entirety of the movie. This wasn’t present in the original Japanese release, apparently being caused by an incorrect color space conversion issue.

In fact, a selling-point of the UK’s Blu-Ray release of the Broly film was that it had “no green tint.” This shows just how prevalent the problem was, and it was never rectified by Funimation. In fact, Funimation out an official statement that the US home release “utilized the same master as the U.S. & Canadian movie release”, effectively denying there was an issue entirely.

1 The English Dub Has Several Easter Egg References for Dragon Ball Fans

Super's English Dub Was Like a Love Letter to the Dragon Ball Fandom

While the voice acting between the Super dub and sub is often subjective depending on what fans like to listen to, the dub does a great job of adding in its own flair that definitely makes it worth watching for Dragon Ball fans. This added flair comes in the form of a number of self-aware references and meta jokes meant as a wink to the fandom. One of the best nods to the series’ history found in the English dub is Copy Vegeta being voiced by Brian Drummond. Notably, Drummond was also the English VA of Vegeta in DBZ’s Ocean Dub and voiced the iconic line “it’s over 9000!”

A similar fun reference that only appears in the dub comes from Hit during his rematch with Goku. Just before their fight, Hit says this now infamous phrase “Time to make the donuts!” This was a callback to the videogame Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, in which Hit would say the same silly phrase after players selected him as a character. And of course, Goku reciting Sean Schemmel’s rendition of Chala Head Chala during the pre-TOP training filler arc is peak dub material. Inclusions such as these show how the dub has grown alongside the series to do the original justice while still retaining some personality of its own.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

First TV Show

Dragon Ball (1986)

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball Super

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Current Series

Dragon Ball Super