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Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 was officially released on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, bringing with it the incredibly exciting return of the series from its several-month hiatus. The return issue is also an incredibly remarkable one, wasting no time in setting up Goten and Trunks’ first overarching battle as superheroes.
While this makes Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 an incredibly dense issue, it’s nevertheless an extremely enjoyable and celebratory one. In an awfully strange way, the series almost feels as if it's returning to its original roots, with the Red Ribbon Army seemingly having returned. The overall tone of the issue is also very reminiscent of the classic days of Goku’s young adventures.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 sees Goten and Trunks learning to balance school, family, and superheroing
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Dragon Ball Super chapter 88: Brief updates lead into new stories
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 begins with a color page that sees Goku, Whis, Beerus, and the Oracle Fish all enjoying a meal together on Beerus’ planet. While Vegeta is present, he seems to be looking off into the distance, a good ways away from where the rest of the group is.
The narrator explains that following Gas’ death and their loss to Black Frieza, both Goku and Vegeta were now aware of the “massive power gap” between them and their enemy. Vegeta seems to be particularly bothered by it, being shown to be envisioning the image of Black Frieza in the sky as he scowls at it.
The narrator says they’re continuing their training in hopes of defeating Frieza before the series returns to Earth. The double-spread color page for Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 is then shown, featuring Trunks and Goten in their superhero outfits, Mai in what appears to be a high school student outfit, Krillin in his police outfit, Dr. Hedo, and various other characters.
The next page of Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 is yet another color page, where Goten and Trunks are introducing themselves as the clean-up heroes and saying their motto. Their individual names are said to be Trunks as Saiyaman X-1 and Goten as Saiyaman X-2. The two then strike a pose, announcing that they’re “here to tidy up.”
The issue then cuts to the jewelry district in Mosquito Town, West Capital. Some thieves are coming outside with their loot in tow when Trunks and Goten arrive, making their entrance by flipping over the getaway car. Trunks and Goten comment on how brash the thieves are for robbing a jewelry store in broad daylight, calling them too brash for their own good.
The thieves then explain that Goten and Trunks’ hero-activities are recent and seemingly restricted to the West Capital area. The most musclebound goon present threatens to show them, but Trunks grabs his gun and crushes it before throwing it in a bag and telling the thug to dispose of his trash properly.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees Trunks and Goten make quick work of the thieves in hand-to-hand combat, catching knives and other weapons in the process. Their new gimmick seems to be wholly centered around both literally and figuratively “tidying up the city,” with Goten seeming to genuinely lament that knives can’t be disposed of with normal garbage.
The two then win shortly after by kicking their enemies into the jewelry store’s sign, where it crashes down on them and prompts them to give up. The two then give a thumbs-up and say “cleanup: complete” before escaping to a nearby rooftop as the police arrive. The two then celebrate how great their crime-stopping just went, before celebrating their “awesome pose” as the best part.
The two are revealed to be emulating “Clean-God” here, who seems to be a fictional character from video games that is set to appear in a movie. Trunks questions if they’re taking too much from Clean-God, but Goten says it’s fine since they’re a duo. Goten gets a news bulletin about a big theft, which excites Trunks since it means they have a new mission, but it’s revealed to be an identity theft cyberattack.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees Trunks lamenting not being able to beat up scumbags over the internet, prompting Goten to say he’s never been great with computers. Trunks laments how he just wants to face some “mighty evil” and beat it in style, but questions if modern society has room for superheroes.
Goten counters that a peaceful world is a good thing, which Trunks reluctantly agrees to. Chi-Chi is then seen video calling Goten, telling him he was supposed to be home a while ago. The narrator reveals that their activities are a secret to their families, while Goten begins changing back into what is eventually revealed to be a high school uniform.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees Trunks saying they should have special transformation watches like Gohan, prompting him to say he’ll ask Pilaf to make what they need. Goten questions how realistic this is, but Trunks is confident it’s an option, to the point of asking for Goten’s uniform.
Goten then departs on the Flying Nimbus, saying he’ll see Trunks at school tomorrow. The latter then jumps down to an alleyway, questioning if he should just fly home in his costume. He then peeks around a corner and sees his grandfather and grandmother trying to sneak away in costume. However, he’s noticed by Dr. Briefs, prompting Trunks to introduce himself as Saiyaman X-1.
Dr. Briefs’ pet dinosaur then runs up to Trunks and is affectionate with him, causing Dr. Briefs to become suspicious since he’s only like that with family. Trunks blames it on superheroes being beloved by everyone before flying off and leaving his grandparents behind. Trunks then thinks of how much trouble he’ll be in if his mom finds out he’s been ignoring his studies to be a superhero.
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 88: The mysterious mechanical manipulation
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then returns to Dr. and Mrs. Briefs, where the latter asks the former if someone was there. Dr. Briefs says it was just a superhero, saying his voice was awfully familiar. Mrs. Briefs then asks her husband which flowers he likes more, saying she’s buying a bouquet to celebrate Pan having just started kindergarten.
Dr. Briefs then asks what gift he should send, with his pet dinosaur barking at something before long. He then sees his CapsuleCorp helper-bots running down the road. As he questions what’s going on, a zombie-like individual creeps up on Mrs. Briefs, causing her to scream, before the issue shifts perspectives to the next day at Capsule Corp.
Trunks is seen checking up on his request from Pilaf, who now seems to be working for the Capsule Corp company as some sort of mechanic or technician. Pilaf says that one of the watches is already done, but Goten’s won’t be ready until tomorrow. Trunks thanks Pilaf, who asks the young boy to keep his stealing the Dragon Balls a secret from Bulma.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 sees Trunks promise to keep this a secret as long as he keeps his and Goten’s being superheroes a secret. Pilaf says the young boy can rest easy, as not even Shu and Mai have been told, when Bulma suddenly appears and asks what they’re conspiring about. Trunks plays it off, but Bulma immediately reminds him that he’ll be late for school, prompting him to depart. However, he sees Mai before he ends up leaving, offering to help her with the box she’s carrying with Shu.
Shu asks for more help, but Trunks ignores him, instead asking Mai if they can chat once he gets home from school. He then departs, with Pilaf commenting on how there’s such excitement this early in the day. Bulma then reveals that she caught Pilaf stealing the Dragon Balls from her room via security cameras, demanding that he give them back.
Trunks, meanwhile, is off biking to school, grabbing a hot dog from a local food truck along the way. The vendor comments on him running late, but Trunks says he’ll be fine if he sneaks in through the window. Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees him arrive at Blue Hal High School, trying to sneak in the window but being caught by his professor, who reprimands him for being late.
His professor warns that continuing to be late may result in his expulsion, as one of his classmates, Kompas, makes fun of him for his tardiness. Trunks says he’s been busy, refusing to elaborate any further, prompting Kompas to say that’s not a good enough answer while calling Trunks “Mr. Future CEO.”
Trunks then reveals that he doesn’t want to run a corporation since it’s boring and he needs more excitement in his life. Another classmate, a girl named Rulah, approaches him later in the hallway and asks if he’s looking for excitement and adventure. She reveals that there are rumors of ghosts going around, which Kompas confirms by saying the hockey team had a sighting.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees a third student say that they appear near the abandoned mansion on Mt. Butterfly. Kompas tries to say he and Trunks are in, but the latter says he’s busy, saddening his friends, who say Trunks never wants to hang out anymore. Trunks, meanwhile, is seemingly scared of ghosts, ghouls, “and all that spooky junk.”
Meanwhile, after school, Trunks links up with Goten, asking him if he wants to play video games at his house again. The two are then shown to be playing the Clean-God videogame, prompting Trunks to say he wants to fight crime in reality as well. Goten comments on how he must be itching to use his transformation watch, prompting Trunks to reveal that he already used it.
He then explains that he transformed and flew to the movie theater during his free period in order to obtain two day-one tickets to the Clean-God movie. They also come with an in-person meet-and-greet with the film’s star. However, Trunks reveals that he could only get two tickets, and he wants to ask Mai out first before giving the second to Goten, even though he owes Goten a favor.
Trunks then goes back to the mechanics bay from earlier in the issue, where the help-bots from the previous day are being repaired and worked on. Trunks approaches Mai and asks her out on a date, explaining the film to her. While she says it isn’t her thing, Pilaf adds that they now must work on the helper-bots for the rest of the month.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88: The things Trunks does for love
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 sees Trunks ask Mai if she can’t even take a single night off for dinner and a movie, with Pilaf answering that she cannot. Pilaf then reluctantly explains that their living at Capsule Corp requires them to be useful. Shu adds that this is especially true after Bulma’s conversation with Pilaf this morning.
Trunks asks how long it will take, as Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 sees more helper-bots being brought in, where it’s revealed that they stopped obeying their owners and ran away from home. Pilaf promises that he didn’t make mistakes when creating them, saying they must’ve been tampered with.
Shu then shares the rumor “that when night falls, strange folk appear to meddle with the helper-bots.” Trunks then realizes that if he catches the group, the recall will be stopped, prompting him to rush off and ask Goten for help in this matter. The two are then seen wandering the rumored neighborhood of appearances at night in their civilian clothes.
They begin discussing the likelihood of the rumor being true before Trunks’ fear of ghosts and other spooky things is revealed. Trunks says he doesn’t even believe in ghosts as the son of a scientist, but Goten points out that both of their dads have died and come back as “ghosts or whatever.” Trunks says it isn’t the same, before running right into yet another zombie-like person.
A scared Trunks then runs away and says he does believe, while Goten points out that they have their culprit. Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees the zombie-man walk by a helper-bot with its owner, clicking a button on the remote, which causes the helper-bot to begin running off from its owner.
Goten and Trunks see all of this, including the remote control, when suddenly the two see the man driving away in his car. They take to the skies and tail the man, tracking him back to the abandoned mansion on Mt. Butterfly, which his friends were discussing earlier. Goten wants to enter, but Trunks’ fear is getting the best of him, prompting Goten to bring up both Mai and his supposed non-belief in the spooky.
He weighs whether his love for Mai or his fear of ghouls and ghosts is stronger, eventually deciding on Mai and catching up to Goten. Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees a group of zombie-like individuals leading the helper-bots in filling bento boxes. Trunks realizes it's the pre-packaged sushi that has recently become popular in West Capital when one of the zombie-men spots them.
The two hide, but it’s revealed that the man was actually talking to Kompas, who is actually in the packaging room with Rulah and the other student. Goten recognizes them as Trunks’ classmates, with Trunks saying he’ll transform and charge in. However, his watch seems to be broken at first but eventually transforms him into Saiyaman X-1.
He then enters the room, where the third, yet-unnamed student reveals his name to the zombies and shares that he’s a major fan. The zombies then rush Trunks, but he’s able to defeat all but one, who wears a jersey that says “Alpha” on it. Trunks punches Alpha, but he shares that he’s built differently than the others, saying he’s “engineered” to take a beating.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then sees Trunks gearing up for an attack, when his costume is suddenly taken back into his watch, revealing him as Saiyaman X-1 to his classmates. Goten, with some quick thinking, opens the door and blasts the power box for the lights, rescuing the three students in the process and taking them outside the mansion.
Goten reintroduces himself before saying that they all saw the same illusion, with everyone concluding that there’s no way Trunks could be Saiyaman X-1. The group then runs off, relieving Goten, while Trunks reveals that he can still see Alpha despite the darkness. He then turns into a Super Saiyan, donning his outfit again and reintroducing himself as a superhero before delivering a knockout punch.
Goten then turns the lights back on, explaining that he handled the situation with Trunks’ classmates. The two then realize that they can’t get any information now since all their enemies are unconscious, before exploring and eventually discovering a safe. Trunks opens the safe, with Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 revealing a disk of Dr. Gero’s labeled “confidential” inside.
The two take the disk and are about to leave when Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 sees Krillin on the scene as a police officer. Krillin asks the two if they’ve seen the walking dead around here, scaring Trunks as he realizes that the zombie-like people were actual zombies. Meanwhile, back inside the mansion, Dr. Hedo from the Super Hero film arrives and is shocked to see his “entire Alpha series” defeated.
The jersey-wearing zombie reveals they were beaten by a high school kid with the Blue Hal school crest, which he somehow grabbed during their fight. Hedo then says he’ll get them up again in no time, before realizing that Dr. Gero’s disk is now missing. Dr. Hedo curses having lost the disk before questioning who from Blue Hal high school could’ve done this.
Dr. Hedo then says that their base of operations here is finished before saying he needs to procure research funds in a way other than sushi sales. Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 then cuts to the next day at Capsule Corp., where it’s revealed that the recall was canceled, but they need to repair a bunch of helper-bots found smashed to bits in the Mt. Butterfly mansion. The issue ends as Trunks becomes angry with himself for his recklessness.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88: In summation
Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 is a fantastic introduction to where the brand-new arc for the beloved manga series is headed. The issue also gives fans the only update they need on Goku and Vegeta, which is that they’re currently training to surpass Black Frieza. While some may be upset about the lack of focus on this training arc, Goten and Trunks as protagonists more than make up for it.
The parity to Gohan’s own time in high school as Saiyaman is also a great touch, with both Goten and Chi-Chi and Trunks and Bulma mirroring this previous narrative. Combined with the introduction of Dr. Hedo to the series’ manga, Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 seems to be looking to return to its roots in this newest issue.
The arc is also clearly leading into the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film, as was previously reported, with Dr. Hedo seemingly securing funds for the Red Ribbon Army’s eventual revival. While Dragon Ball Super chapter 88 doesn’t necessarily suggest this, the context clues combined with the story being a prequel to the film seemingly cement this as being the case.
Be sure to keep up with all Dragon Ball anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2022 progresses.
