Warning: The following contains spoilers for chapter 96 of Dragon Ball Super, "Saiyamen, On The Scene!," written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou, translated by Caleb Cook, and lettered by Brandon Bovia, now available in English from Viz Media.
Dragon Ball Super chapter 96 dropped recently after a month-long wait, fans are getting to see the continuation of this arc that is centered around the Androids, as well as the Red Ribbon Army. It has been quite a long time since the story focused on these adversaries. The original Dragon Ball series featured them quite a lot and fans hold fond memories of them and it was certainly a welcomed change to see them make an appearance in Dragon Ball Super as well.
The last time that the Androids posed a major threat was in the Cell Saga and this time, the Androids have returned and it appears that Dragon Ball Super is doing its own version of the Cell Saga from Dragon Ball Z, only worse. That said, a lot of action took place in this week's chapter and there certainly is a lot to unpack.
Bulma And Saiyamen On The Move
Dragon Ball Super chapter 96 gave fans a glimpse of Bulma after quite a long time. In the previous chapter, fans saw Krillin and 18 detect Gohan's presence. Immediately, they realized that Gohan was up against powerful members of the Red Ribbon Army and they quickly abandoned their plans to go help him. This time around, the focus was shifted to Bulma as well as Trunks and Goten. Just like Krillin, they also ended up realizing that something was brewing with Piccolo and Gohan, as well as the fact that the Androids have returned. Fans got a first look at Trunks and Goten after their sudden growth spurt and seeing Bulma was also a welcomed change of scene.
Immediately, the group decided to head to the location to provide their help and deal with the threat of the Red Ribbon Army once and for all. One would hope that, given that they are taking up time in this arc, they would end up being significant later on, however, fans who have watched the movie would know that things don't exactly go that way. Nonetheless, seeing them involved in the story is certainly fun for the fans, especially when it comes to Bulma, given that she is one of the main characters of the original series and has mostly been cast aside for other powerful members in the story.
The Power Of Orange Piccolo
On the battlefield, in the meanwhile, fans got a proper look at Orange Piccolo. In the previous chapter, Piccolo was getting completely outclassed by Gamma 2 and it was quite clear that his ability was nowhere near the level of his opponent. Towards the end of the chapter, however, Piccolo tapped into the power that was gifted to him by Shenron. This ability proved to be incredibly useful and saw him change in appearance drastically. Piccolo looks much bulkier and, at the same time, the lines all over his body seem to have disappeared. Furthermore, his skin takes an orange hue, and he looks bigger and more serious than ever before.
In Dragon Ball Super chapter 96, fans got to see what Orange Piccolo is capable of. Gamma 2 launched a barrage of powerful attacks at him and did not succeed in even scratching him. In fact, Piccolo could simply stand and take all his attacks quite easily, which just goes to show that his durability has increased drastically. At the same time, Orange Piccolo also possesses a tremendous amount of firepower. Just one punch from him was enough to knock down Gamma 2 and fans were totally shocked to see how significantly he has grown in terms of power. At this point, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he's comparable to the likes of Goku and Vegeta, and seeing him being given such an important power is a very welcomed change for the fans, given that he is mostly irrelevant in the vast majority of the arcs.
The Activation Of Cell Max
With Piccolo having dealt with Gamma 2 quite easily, the Androids eventually come to the conclusion that they are fighting on the wrong side. At their heart, they simply want to do good and uphold justice, however, they simply have been listening to the advice of the wrong person. They realize that in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 96 and fans see the situation flip on the Red Ribbon Army, given that the vast majority of power was now against them. However, Magenta decided that he was now going to activate Cell Max and turn the tide of the battle in his favor once again. Of course, Hedo knew that Cell Max could not be awakened just yet, given that the process of his creation was not complete.
However, Magenta ignored every single piece of advice and rushed to the chamber where cell Max was kept. The two ended up fighting against one another and Hedo ended up making a quick work of him. Despite everything, Magenta succeeded in activating Cell Max. Fans know that Cell Max is the main antagonist of the arc so his awakening certainly made things more interesting. When it comes to appearance, Cell Max looks quite similar to the second transformation of Cell. This signifies that the creation of this monstrous being was still incomplete. Another major difference between the two is the color scheme and where Cell was green, Cell Max appears to be red. At the same time, Cell Max does not seem to be smart at all. The entire time that fans saw him in this week's chapter, he was seen raging and going berserk.
The Final Fight
With Dragon Ball Super chapter 96 seeing the awakening of Cell Max, it is only a matter of time before the final fight of the series kickstarts. Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 were already seen engaging in combat with the monstrosity that is Cell Max. However, the vast majority of the fight will take place in the next chapter. Fans who have watched the movie know that Cell Max possesses strength that is way too much for anyone in the fighting party to handle. Even though the creation process of this being was not completed, he still possesses tremendous amounts of strength, which leads one to imagine what he would have been like had he been completed.
Fans know that Gohan played a significant role in the Cell Saga, being the one to actually defeat him in the end. This only means that the focus will now shift to Gohan in the upcoming chapters and fans are certainly waiting to see what powers he unlocks next. Orange Piccolo, meanwhile, will also get some shine in the upcoming chapters as his transformation was just revealed to the fans and has a lot more still to offer. For now, fans will have to patiently wait for a month in order to get a glimpse of Cell Max at his full power and see him in combat against the Z warriors.
Dragon Ball Super is available to read on Viz Media.