Dragon Ball Multiverse

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Dragon Ball Multiverse is a Fan Sequel Web Comic set ten years after Dragon Ball Z (ignoring Dragon Ball GT). Goku, Vegeta and their children are contacted by the Vargas, a race who discovered a way to travel through Alternate Universes and want to hold a tournament reuniting the strongest fighters of The Multiverse. The heroes, always looking for new challengers, naturally accept.

Better Than It Sounds. The very simple story hides well-paced storytelling and beautifully loyal, similar to the original, art. Its main appeal is the potential for Ultimate Showdown Of Ultimate Destiny and What If stories.

Originally available in both French and English, but now it can be read in 23 different languages, most up to date. It is updated 3 times a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday). The website can be found here, but the story starts here.

The many universes are numbered from 1 to 20, being called 'Universe 1' and so forth (our heroes come from Universe 18). For the sake of simplicity, it will be sometimes shortened to U[Number] (like "U16") and similar characters will be called U[Number] [Character name] (like "U13 Vegeta")

Dragon Ball Multiverse provides examples of:

  • Absurdly Sharp Blade: Tidar's (from U19) God Blade which he used to effortlessly cut Uub's arm and the whole arena in a single swing. And that one pales in compassion with the Ultra armor used by his comrade Xeniloum; see Up To Eleven.
  • Alternate Continuity: Though the comic has rarely touched upon some of the more interesting stories, presumably out of suspense. One arguable point is that the author has complaints about things that didn't make sense in the original story. Now, despite having alternate universes be the ultimate fan fiction tool, Universe 3 is strange. In this universe, Bardock gets his psychic powers and leads a rebellion against Frieza. But Universe 18, the original, and all other universes are rewritten so that Bardock DIDN'T receive his psychic powers, because the author felt that in the Bardock special, the plot would not have changed whether Bardock had his visions or not.
  • Alternate Universe: In total there are 20, each going down a different path in DBZ history (Goku becoming evil, the Namekians fusing to form a Super-Namekian, etc).
  • Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome: Some more than others, of special mention, Pan and U9 Yamcha.
  • All There In The Manual: The official novelization and official fanfictions telling the story of U2, 14, and 16 reveals bits of information unavailable in the main comic. Presumably the most important of them will be revealed later in the main comic or in the specials. Too bad they were only available only in French. Recently though, there has been an attempt at creating an English novelization, and the prologue and first chapter have finally been translated.
  • Applied Phlebotinum: The fighters from U19 use "nano technology" and "chemicals" to fight to compensate for their lack of energy attacks.
  • Art Shift: If you count the specials, Dragon Ball Multiverse shifts the art shift willy-nilly.
    • So what exactly did the Vargas use to create shields that can withstand nuclear-like blasts and rooms that can shield spiritual energy?
  • Author Avatar: Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball appears in the strip as a fighter only to quit when he realizes that the fighter he is up against is not his creation. While leaving, he meets the Author Avatars of the creators of Dragonball Multiverse who ask him for his autograph, which he gives them, in Japanese.
  • Badass Grandpa: Krillin (or "Kulilin" as the author insists on calling him), of all people. He seems to have mellowed out in his old age.
  • Saiyans Can Breathe In Space: Subverted by Vegetto, Bra, and Gohan, who have to hold their breaths and use their ki to protect themselves from the vacuum of space. Played straight by Majin Buu.
    • Completely averted by Kulilin in the Cell special. Gross.
  • Battle Aura.
  • Beam Spam: Comes with the territory. The Saiyans use this to overkill Frieza and Zarbon in Universe 3.
  • Brick Joke:
    • "Bear my child!"
      • "God Damn it Kakarot!"
  • The Berserker: Broly. U16 Bra may count too.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Dabra. Who had thought he wasn't going to die?
    • Subverted like a wild chimpanzee. Majin Buu revives him because Dabura offered him some candy, but it was the same candy Majin Buu had conjured during the lunch break.
  • Continuity Nod: The Multiverse aspect, especially for changed or alternate versions of the established DBZ cast, allows for callbacks or pokes to aspects of the series.
    • The movies have been rewritten to fit within DBZ history. More irritatingly, aspects like Bardock's visions and the Tuffles were rewritten or removed from some universes.
  • Captain Obvious: Android 16 in his fight with Eleim.
  • Cerebus Syndrome: Chapter 6. Prior to then, all fights either ended with knockouts or fairly minor deaths and there was quite a lot of humor. In Chapter 6, U6 Bojack kills U16 Pan by breaking her neck with his bare hands while she was in Super Saiyan form. The official novelization of the chapter's events has the U18 fighters fully realize they need to take these fights much more seriously afterwards.
  • Crazy Enough To Work: U17 Cell rips off his own head to avoid U11 Dabura's stone spit.
  • Cross Counter: Gotenks does this to AU Gotenks. Several times as it's played for Laughs.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Given how strong the protagonists become - and the comic is set post-DBZ - this is to be expected.
    • Uub practically mocks a Tech-warrior during their match, promptly loses an arm and so reduces the guy to atoms.
    • U18 [read: Manga] Vegeta versus his Planet Vegeta native counterpart. Even turning into the Oozaru didn't help the poor guy.
    • Mary Sue vs. Arale. Textbook case?
    • Tenshinhan to Sun Wukong. See Mythology Gag for more.
    • U18 Goku vs U10 Massato and U13 Kakarot vs U6 Kat.
    • Subverted with Gast, while many expected this to be a curbstomp battle, but the battle begins with Gast hitting the floor.
  • Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Yamcha implies this is happening to #18.
    • He also implied that it happened to himself at one point in time, but that he got better.
  • Death Is Cheap: The Vargas race who run the tournament promise that any casualties will be revived by a random universes' Namekian Dragon Balls. Having the fighters unrestrained helps put on a good show.
    • The specification of using Namekian Dragon Balls implies that Earth doesn't have a set in every reality.
    • Doesn't stop the deaths of Tidar, Pan, and Syd from causing misery to their teammates.
  • Detachment Combat: U4 Majin Buu.
  • Determinator: Nail. Holy shit.
  • Dissonant Serenity: After being thwarted in absorbing Broly, U4 Buu returns to the arena pissed off, and looks like he's about to kill Vegitto, Bra, and Gohan (and probably would, considering how weakened they are) and then... calmly congratulates them, thanks them for a fun fight, wishes them luck, and walks back to his booth. It comes off as incredibly creepy and foreboding.
  • Distaff Counterpart: The girls of U6 may or may not count.
  • Evil Counterpart: Kakarotto from U13 (the "Super Saiyan's Universe") is this for Son Goku. He attempted to unnerve Goten and Gohan with tales of how he murdered their friends, only to be shocked by the revelation that he's their father.
  • Evil Versus Evil: Some potential matches, particularly Cell vs Dabura so far. There's also upcoming matches - U13 Vegeta vs Dr. Raichi, U13 Nappa vs Frieza, and Cell vs Bojack.
  • Explosive Decompression: Unfortunately invoked during Chapter 16. After killing the rest of the Z-Fighters, Cell nabs Krillin and drags him into outer space. Once there, Krillin's brain and lungs explode almost immediately.
  • Facepalm: Cell when his Cell Junior risks disqualification after punching his opponent without touching the ring.
  • Fan Nickname: "Zen Buu" for Buu from U4. It's a Japanese pun on the word 'zenbu', meaning 'altogether' or 'entire', but still applies to the character since Zen Buu - having absorbed "everyone with a power" in his universe - has an eerily calm persona.
  • Fan Remake: Two of the specials are a remake of the two movies Broly appeared, so it can fit in the chronology.
    • The first of the two chapters about U3 can be seen as this too(in this case, a remake of the Bardock TV special).
  • Flying Brick: Most of the tournament fighters.
  • Gender Bender: Syd is the Captain Ginyu of sex changes, as King Vegeta learned the hard way.
  • Good Thing You Can Heal: Cell and Majin Buu. Piccolo and the other Namekians also seem to get dismembered a lot.
  • Groin Attack: Dodoria's killing of a Saiyan in page 448. Word Of God says he actually hit him in the abdomen. Believe what you want.
  • How We Got Here: The first 10 pages are placed in the gap between chapter 9 and 11 (10 is a special). They also work as a trailer.
  • Interdimensional Travel Device: The Vargas have one; it drives the plot.
    • One of them is hijacked by King Vegeta and the Saiyans of Universe 10 in a coup d'etat. But this part of the plot is in a galaxy far, far away... and only discussed in the novelization.
  • Just A Machine: The warriors of U19 seemingly subscribe to this school of thought.
  • Kamehame Hadoken.
  • Lamarck Was Right: U16 Bra is so strong because of it.
  • Leaning On The Fourth Wall: At one time, Vegeta complains that his waiting after his first fight seems to him like two years. Guess how much real time had passed since the fight.
  • Lethal Joke Character: Universe 2 appears to consist solely of this character type.
  • Losing Your Head: Cell does this to himself to avoid being petrified by Dabura.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: Tidar, from Universe 19, uses it against Uub. It's about as effective as you think.
  • Mary Sue: She is an actual person, and she's going against Arale.
  • Mega Crossover: Applies to the comic, but for U2 it is even more of a crossover fest; a collection of many characters drawn by Akira Toriyama. How many can you recognize? In fact, Toriyama HIMSELF appears.
  • Meteor Move: Being a DBZ fan comic, this is bound to happen a lot.
  • Mirror Match: One of the chapters has U16 and U18 Gotenks fighting each other, thus causing this trope to be in play. And boy, is it played to the hilt, as the two do the exact same things.
    • So much that when they inevitably defuse, one of the halves has to ask which of the two other fighters is from his Universe. One of them just gives up.
  • MisappliedPhlebotinum: So, you're the only race that found the key to inter-dimensional travel. Well, do something with it! Save the Namek race in places where it went extinct? Save alternate universes from Frieza, marauding Saiyans or other grand threats? Nah, RuleOfCool let's make an inter-dimensional tournament! Subverted by the fact that these tournaments will gain its winners the prize, FridgeHorror but if designated villains win...
  • ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight Monster Under The Bed: OverlyLongGag Milked for all its worth. Parodies like hell, too; also WorldGoneMad one world under Vegetto's will.
  • MrExposition: Piccolo offers a lot of information on the battles while watching from the sidelines.
  • TheMultiverse: The opening few comics imply that the Multiverse is infinite and that the numbers assigned to the various realities are for the sake of the tournament alone.
    • DBZ:M actually goes against tradition by having the "canon" universe receive a moniker other than "One" or "Prime".
  • MythologyGag: Someone allowed JourneyToTheWest Sun Wukong to compete in this tournament. No one is safe.
    • Luckily, Tenshinhan looked like Buddah. Guess who eventually defeated the Monkey King in JourneyToTheWest?
  • NeckLift: U6 Bojack does this to U16 Pan [[spoiler: before NeckSnap crushing her neck]] in their battle.
  • NotQuiteDead: spoiler:Cptn. Ginyu apparently.
  • OffModel: Dear God... the Bojack Special, just...[just look]. [This Vegeta] UpToEleven might actually top it!
  • OldMaster: spoiler:Kulilin from U9.
  • OriginalFlavour: The art style of the tournament chapters are very similar to Toriyama's.
  • OverlyLongGag: Almost turned into an arc with the whole ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight monster under the bed thing.
  • OvershadowedByAwesome: Many characters feel they are this after watching Vegetto and Broly's fight.
  • PokeThePoodle: Beelzebub, when up against Piccolo, tells him that he is a mere Namekian, while he himself is a true demon. One of Beel's dastardly demonic deeds was not sharing chocolates with his friends, and eating them before dinner!
  • PoweredArmor: The Heliorians from U19 use them to compensate their lack of ki abilities, and they are INCREDIBLY effective.
  • PrecisionFStrike: U13 Raditz makes one during his fight against U3 Bardock, when Bardock becomes a Super Saiyan:

--> U13 Raditz: Oh fuck... that's so unfair!

  • PullingThemselvesTogether: Majin Buu.
  • RapidFireFisticuffs
  • RubberMan: Majin Buu.
  • RuleOfCool: Broly was found unconscious and transformed (powered-up) at the same time, which does not happen in DBZ. The authors stated they did that for the coolness, and the readers didn't approve.
  • RunningGag: Even when he's got the outcome of the match wrapped around his finger, Yamcha cannot get past the preliminaries of a tournament.
    • "Ugghh... Heal me!"
  • SerialEscalation: [[spoiler: Super Saiyan 2 Vegetto, followed quickly by Super Saiyan 3 Vegetto and his colossal "Final Dragon Shine" finishing move. He became so strong his mass increased to roughly that of a moon. And even that didn't kill Broly!]]
  • Shoryuken: How Arale CurbStompBattle dealt with ParodySue Mary Sue.
  • ShoutOut: [Page 466.] ThreeHundred That's madness!
  • SpotlightStealingSquad: As the different universes were progressively being revealed, there was surprise, but not an agreement about the unofficial name for U3 (such as U13 being "the Super Saiyans universe"). That is, until Bardock appeared. U3 is now essentially "Bardock's universe with those two guys from the OVAs".
  • SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: The Vargas, who organize the tournament. Also the guys from U19, who rely on technology to fight.
  • TakeThatMe: Raditz makes a comment about Dabura "being affected by such a simple technique." The technique in question: the makankosappo.
  • TalkToTheFist: Nail does this to Frieza during the Universe 7 backstory.
  • TangledFamilyTree: Thanks to U16 Vegetto, the Son and Briefs families are now one.
  • TemptingFate: The Nameks at the beginning go out of their way to mention ”OhCrap nothing bad can happen”. May double as a SuspiciouslySpecificDenial.
  • ThemeNaming:
    • The Saiyan/Vegetable theme naming continues with Hanasia (some sort of aloe), Mahissu (maize, as in corn), Romanesco (a kind of cauliflower) and Gerkin (like the pickle).
    • The Namekian/Snail themes continue with (Es)Cargot, Lumaca (Italian for "slug"), and Gast Carcolh (the former name brings to mind "gastropod", the latter [a French mollusk beast]).
  • TheyKilledKenny: Strangely, despite his acceptable survival rate in the original series, Gohan is starting to become this, due to all the times he gets NoKillLikeOverkill ruthlessly killed in the specials. [[spoiler:Not to mention Bardock's vision in Chapter 19 of a Vegetto that has attacked and might have killed Gohan.]]
  • TranquilFury: Son Gohan. Especially when spoiler: his daughter is killed and he can't do a thing about it.
  • TournamentArc: So far, the whole comic (excluding the special chapters).
  • UnstoppableRage: spoiler: As implied by the title, Zangya is on the recieving side on one from Son Bra. All it took was one air pressure attack, and Zangya was already dead.
  • WhamEpisode: Chapter 19 IN SPADES. [[spoiler:King Cold OneWingedAngel transforms into his never seen third form, and a few pages later into BishonenLine his fourth form. U9 Videl is seen using the Kaioken. Her sword brokes SealedGoodInACan leaving free the U9 Old Kai. The mysterious shadow in U3 that had appear several chapters earlier is revealed as Dr. Raichi... Only to immediately appear yet another unknown shadow in U3... And a few pages later, it's revealed that there's [[SerialEscalation even another]] unseen new character at U3, U3 Bardock, who can even turn Super Saiyan. And, when everyone thought the chapter had long reached its top, Bardock has a vision of a NotHimself Vegetto attacking Gohan and Piccolo screaming that all universes are now in danger, which is then followed up on the next page with Buu in a much less solid state yelling out "This Masquerade ends now!", Freeza revealing that Ginyu might have an important part to play, Goku allying with a Cell Jr. and the Super Namek speaking!]] HOLY SHIT. The chapter title ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin could not be so accurate.
    • In a much smaller degree, the U7 Special has an in-universe example, when Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan arrive on Namek... their very first encounter with a Namekian is... [this].
  • UnusableEnemyEquipment: The Heliorian Ultra armor only works if synchronized with its rightful owner's brain waves. spoiler:Will U4 Buu find a way to bypass that security measure?
  • WhatIf: The basis of all the other universes, sans Universe 18.
  • WholeEpisodeFlashBack: Certain chapters retell the origins of various universes. Chapters 8 and 12 retell the Broly stories, Chapter 10 has U12 Trunks reviving Android 16, Chapter 14, 16, and 18 showcase Universes 16, 17, and 6, respectively, and Chapters 20-21 tell the beginnings of Universe 3.
  • YouHaveFailedMe: spoiler:Babidi does this to Dabura. It gave us a couple of funny moments, though.
  • YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Happens a couple of times. For example, spoiler:Bojack does it to Bido, and Cell to his Cell Jr.
  • YouWillBeAssimilated: Zen Buu attempts this with [[spoiler: OhCrap Broly, but is thwarted by the efforts of U16 Vegeto, Gohan, Bra and the GenreSavvy Namek that pushed the button to send him back because he didn't think leaving NotQuiteDead Broly in their universe was a good idea.]]
    • Later played straight with Xeniloum's armor.
  • UnpleasableFanbase: Slightly justified, but read the comments of Chapters 16-18. Some may argue that the comments are the best part of the webcomic.
    • At this point, the DBM community consists of: GT-hating fanatics, power level arguments, and the occasional "stop arguing" or "DBM is poorly-written" crowd. We are very disagreeable. Ironically, talking about anything else is almost taboo.
  • The Wiki Rule: Wikia, 2.
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