27 May 2015

Dragon Ball Z: Namek Saga by Akira Toriyama



Dragon Ball Z: Namek Saga by Akira Toriyama

This review covers chapters 48-77 (Volumes 5 and 6) of the Dragon Ball Z manga; alternatively it covers volumes 21 and 22 of the Dragon Ball manga.

Goodreads Synopsis

Its name is derived from the story arc revolving around the homeworld of the creatures on Earth believed to be demons, such as Kami and King Piccolo. It covers the trip and arrival to planet Namek, a fictional planet from the series, of Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan. The saga also covers the battles the Earth warriors and Vegeta face against Zarbon and Dodoria, Frieza's top two henchmen. Nearing the end of the chapter, it covers the arrival of Goku on Namek to aid his allies and the beginning of the fight against the Ginyu Force.


One of the things I did like about this saga is that it focused on the other characters -- not just Goku. I liked that Bulma, Kuririn and Gohan took the lead in this one and were able to branch out on their own and show the readers that there was more to them than being Goku's sidekicks (and son). 

The more we learn about Vegeta, the more interesting he becomes! Once he returns to the Saiyan base, we start to learn more about the Saiyan culture, his rivalry with other characters, and his attempted rebellion against Freeza, his commander and oppressor. His storyline of trying to get the Dragon Balls before Freeza is quite exciting and its puts him on the side of the heroes. Just another piece to an ever growing puzzle of where the characters will end up. 

Vegeta begins to take out Freeza’s guard starting with Dodoria. We learn the truth behind what really happened to the Saiyan planet, Planet Vegeta, but we also learn something about Freeza - he’s afraid of the Saiyans’ power. This is also the first time super Saiyans are mentioned! 

Kuririn and Gohan have some cool moments in which they show their heroics. It is nice to see that although Kuirin may not be as physically strong as the Saiyans, he is just as heroic and strong as he uses his wits to save Dende and Gohan. The end of this saga ends with Kuririn, Gohan and Dende having made their way to the Namekian’s Great Elder. The dragon balls get switched around a lot but that is neither here nor there.

Overall: 4/5 stars. The Vegeta-centric aspect of this obviously made it appeal to me, but it was nice to see characters branch out and become their own people.

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