Why Whis and Beerus matter in Goku and Vegeta's training

The training Goku and Vegeta went through in the Dragon Ball Super manga chapters of that stretch drew criticism from some fans, and I want to give my two cents. My view is that the training makes more sense than it looks, because Whis and Beerus are the ones running it. I also think the bigger problem is that we've watched Goku and Vegeta train for too long, and I have a solution for that.

The original Dragon Ball manga left most training off the page

Many people have not read the original Dragon Ball manga, and I would encourage them to. I'm talking about the one Toriyama put out. In Japan there was no Dragon Ball Z manga. It was Dragon Ball from start to finish, so the Z part, from Raditz on, was just Dragon Ball.

One thing many people may not remember, or may not even know, is that the original manga showed very little training on panel. Toriyama chose to leave much of it off. Much of the training we saw in the Dragon Ball Z anime existed only in the anime. It was filler, but not bad filler. It was done to pad things out and show us more of Goku and Vegeta's ascension to becoming better warriors.

The current Dragon Ball Super manga does show plenty of training, but not as much as the anime does. The build-up to the Tournament of Power was very different in the manga than in the anime, probably because I think Toyotaro was trying to follow in Toriyama's footsteps.

I somewhat agree the current Dragon Ball Super arc isn't rushed

With this arc, some folks said it felt like it was maybe a bit rushed. I asked many people in the fandom what they thought, and many of them seemed to say it wasn't rushed. I somewhat agree with that, in that I think there's more coming.

Goku dodging Whis's staff means more because Whis is using Ultra Instinct

People have criticized Goku dodging Whis's staff, saying it wasn't enough. I understand where they're coming from, although I'm not sure I can justify calling it a bad thing. I'm a bit mixed on it. We've seen Goku training with Whis since the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, and at this point the idea is for Goku to master Ultra Instinct in his base form.

What you have to understand is that Whis is using Ultra Instinct at all times. That's something he said himself. So when Goku is dodging the staff, the speed of that staff is unquantifiable by the human eye. Toyotaro had to figure out some way to explain to us that this training is more impactful than it used to be, even if it looks similar to what Goku has done throughout Dragon Ball and into Z.

I think what Toyotaro is banking on is us remembering that Whis is the one handling this staff. Not Master Roshi, not Kami, not King Kai. It's Whis. I think Toyotaro may have struggled with how to visualize this, but in Goku's case it makes sense. "I don't think that was really that bad at all," and while I know some people didn't like it, I think it holds up given who is behind it.

Goku keeps relearning the lesson to calm his heart

The chapter has Goku trying to calm his heart. That's a lesson Goku learned before. In Dragon Ball Z, Goku told Frieza he needed to calm down and not let his anger consume him, and something similar went to Gohan on becoming a full power Super Saiyan. There are many very similar beats here.

So yes, Goku learning his own lessons again is something we've seen time and time again in Dragon Ball. I do have a solution for that, which I'll come to. But again, Whis is the one hammering it home, and that matters.

I understand Vegeta's Hakai rock training because Beerus is throwing them, but it could have been more creative

With Vegeta, one issue people are running into is that it's just rocks. I said as much in my own review: it's just Vegeta training with rocks. But it's Beerus who is giving him the rocks. Beerus is the one training Vegeta, and all of this is happening at extreme speed.

So Vegeta learning how to use Hakai is not only a power based or technique based training. It's also about the fact that Beerus is the one launching these things at him.

That said, I do think there could have been more creative ways to illustrate Vegeta's training. Beerus could have used Hakai and had Vegeta learn how to reverse it. Vegeta could have attempted to Hakai bigger objects, maybe planets, perhaps some of the planets Beerus manifested. Or they could even bring in one of the Supreme Kais, since they are the gods of creation, to create a planet from scratch and have Vegeta destroy that. That may have been more impressive. Still, I understand why they did it this way.

The fix is to train Gohan, Piccolo and other characters with the gods

I think one issue here is that Goku and Vegeta's training comes off a bit boring for long-time Dragon Ball fans, only because we've seen it time and time again. I think Goku and Vegeta being the only ones who train is getting long in the tooth at this point.

I think the key to overcoming this is to focus on other characters. Gohan and Piccolo, and maybe even older characters like Tenshinhan and Yamcha. If they did that, I think it would improve the story. Everyone wants Gohan to do better, and Piccolo too. Having them train with the gods at some point, which we have not seen yet, is something I think needs to happen to put Goku and Vegeta on the sidelines, even if only temporarily, and give Gohan a chance to get better.

Goku could do more of a mental kind of training, like what Frieza was doing and what Goku and Vegeta have done in the past. The same goes for Cabba, Caulifla and Kale if the arc with them that we've all been waiting for happens. Goku and Vegeta could become coaches while the others take center stage.

Goku and Vegeta need a break from the spotlight

Instead of always having it be the Goku and Vegeta show, I'd like to see others lead, even if it's just for a couple of arcs before Goku and Vegeta return to the spotlight. Even if you're a Goku and Vegeta fan, put them aside for a while and let other characters catch up.

I don't mean only the way the end of Z handled it with Uub, though he's one example. They could even put the focus on the Pride Troopers. Somebody else should take center stage, and these two should be set aside, just temporarily.