Reviewing every tournament fight so far

I decided to rank every fight so far in the tournament. I won't be talking about Buu vs u16, any of the majin fights, or the special chapters, just so I can have an easier list. Especially since most of the majin fights were hard to fit as it was a battle royale. For this I'll be ranking them from 1-5. 1 being really bad to downright atrocious, 2 being pretty bad to mediocre, 3 being ok to decent, 4 being good to really good, and 5 being the downright amazing fights. I don't really hate all of the 2s or even 1s I give, but some of them are filler fights or instant wins and it's hard justifying giving those good scores unless they're really funny. I won't just be judging it on a choreography standpoint for the most of them. Some fights don't have the best action but have great interactions, character progression, or humor which might help me see it in a better light. I'll probably rank them from worst to best at the end too. I'm beginning this right after page 2169 was released. It seems Goku vs Vegeta is over but unless I take awhile to make this I won't include it unless we're confirmed the fight is over. Only 5 rankings doesn't leave too many options so I may specify if it's say a high 3 or a low 3. I will also be ranking the comic and not the novelization, however at the end I will talk about some fights the novel improved or made worse. With that, onto the review:

Round 1:

Nappa (13) vs Cargot (10)

A fine starter fight. Nothing special or particularly interesting or exciting, but it doesn't need to be. 2/5

Freeza (8) vs Jeece (8)

A god damn forfeit. It also shows how little the u8 people are aside from Cold and Freeza being in his final form. Disappointing, granted we don't need every one of 32 fights in the first round to be important or even happen so it's not that big a deal. 1/5

Goku (18) vs Mahissu (10)

The first 10 v 18 fight and by far the worst. Unlike Vegeta and Pan, Goku has no history or concern for this guy. He's just a random dude that he one shots. Granted it's fine to show that some universes are outmatched, and it's kinda cute that Goku used the air attack he used against Chi Chi, but on it's own it isn't very interesting. 1/5

#17 (14) vs I'K'L (15)

This is probably my least favorite "fight" in the entire tournament. Because it wastes an entire universe. From what I've heard, this is a reference to Yu Yu Hakaso, and it's kind of funny I guess, but is it really a joke so good it's worth dedicating an entire universe to? Why the hell is she still around if she was only used for a meh gag in the fourth fight of 63? It's just so infuriating thinking that they wasted an entire universe for a bad joke. 1/5. It would be a 0/5 if I could though.

Burter (8) vs South Kai (1)

A quick, uneventful fight. It is nice going back to see how happy and carefree South Kai was before things went balls to the walls, but these characters don't have any history and the fight is over instantly so there's not much to say here. I also find it contrived that all of the ginyus fought in the first quarter of the tournament. Oh well, maybe Buu put them there to get the weaklings out of the way first. 1/5

Majin Buu (11) vs Bujin (6)

Finally! An actual fight that isn't fight u8 or u10. Buu is always a fun character to watch, and I like the match up. It's a genuinely random character and universe pairing. It's one sided, but not so much so the Bujin went out without a fight. That being said, it's not the most interesting or compelling fight. I'm giving it a 2/5 but probably a higher one.

Tidar (19) vs Uub (18)

Probably the first good fight in the tournament. Uub shows his cockiness while being punished at the end for it. He realizes Tidar has power in his gear but still underestimates him. And Tidar is cool as he's physically weak but has great technology. It's pretty fun. It is somewhat sad that u19 is hardly taken seriously here but that's more a fault of the later fights, this one works as making them realize they need better armor. 3/5

Nail (10) vs Recoom (8)

Probably the first dream match the tournament did. Any it's really good too. It's a close match that tests the limits of both combatants. And shows that less power doesn't mean a less engaging match. I will say I don't really find these characters particularly interesting, but it is nice to see Nail and u10 get a win. The attacks all feel like they have weight to them. I'll give it a low 4/5

Trunks (12) vs Cooler (8)

Honestly this is such a satisfying fight. It's not close at all but Trunks is such a likeable character and Cooler is such a prick that it doesn't make the fight much less entertaining. Trunks' taunting that he killed his family, and I like the damage to the ring and that he ended the fight with a normal gut punch, not even having to use ki attacks. Pretty good fight low 4/5

King Vegeta (10) vs Vegeta (18)

I mean it's fine. It's cool showing how far Vegeta has come, but I don't think this Vegeta is the best to show that. U13 is a better comparison, since he has actual physical and political power, yet didn't find peace and love through his experiences. Still a good moment of growth for him. But King Vegeta has neither power or affection. And the fight is really one sided and not that engaging. 2/5

Bardock (10) vs Pan (18)

What can I say, this fight is pretty funny. Pan makes beating up her elders fun, endearing, and adorable. Seeing her try to hug/overpower him is great. The actual action isn't that great, but it's at least not a one shot and Pan using Goku's old attacks is great. Plus it's just fun seeing Pan beat people up. She's such an easy to like character in multiverse. 3/5

Kakarotto (13) vs Kat (6)

Honestly kinda sucks. I was never a fan of how the u6 girls were only created for fanservice. I'm not against fan service, and I do find Kat very pretty/nice to look at, but I take issue when a character's only purpose is for fan service. I do like Kakarotto copying Goku, that's cute, and I kind of like how shocking the "bear my child" line is ignoring how gross it is, but the whole thing just isn't entertaining for me. It's hard to describe but this entire fight just feels unpleasant to watch, not that what he did went too far but it's still not fun seeing Kat being treated like a punching bag. Also Vegeta interfering with the match and not even getting a warning really annoys me. 2/5

Cell (17) vs Dabra (11)

FUCK YEAH! This fight is amazing, out of all the dream match ups, this was probably the biggest deal and it fully delivered. It's a prefect length with great pacing and utilizes a great arsenal of abilities and techniques for two characters with a fairly vast skill set for Dragonball. If someone were to ask me who has the best fights in DBM, I'd probably say Cell. Aside from the Vegeta fight, all of them are engaging and fun to watch. His lines are great too, like "are you only capable of attacking from behind" and "been there done that" in regards to suicide are both great. Dabra slowly realizing how outmatched he is is also quite a nice progression. And I absolutely love that Cell didn't actually kill him, which led to him spending most of the first round try to be healed. The movement and attacks all land for me and feel distinct, like Dabra using Cell's crown to flip around. I'd mention every single thing I love about the fight but I'd just be mentioning every detail. It's not the most emotionally impactful fight but it really doesn't need to be. The only issue I could see is that it can be seen as less fun knowing Cell could easily kill Dabra if he just went all out. I like that Cell goes the extra mile just to fuck with people but it could be seen as a tension eraser. But Dabra's spit provides a legitimate threat of Cell losing regardless, and forces him to think fast, and fucking decapitate himself. Plus I don't think anyone was expecting Cell to lose in the first round. This is my favorite first round fight and one of the best overall. 5/5

Pan (16) vs Bojack (6)

This is the fight that changed the tone here. Before now, the fights were fairly light hearted. Our heroes all won fairly easily and most of the bad guys either lost or won fights with other bad people. Now, a child got murdered, universe 16 is now fully involved. This displays Gohan's maturity and fury in a great way, and is a pretty good set up to Bra, presenting her anger issues but in an empathetic way. This is before Bra became particularly obnoxious or (while I don't like saying it) mary suey. It also gives Cell more agency by giving him reason to want to fight Gohan. It sets up so much. That being said, the fight itself is kind of just alright. They barely even fight before the big kill and there isn't much build up. This fight also uses Pan as a sacrificial lamb. She's given no agency until the end of the majin rebellion arc and that really hurts her character for me. Still a good fight overall but I take some issue with it. 3/5
 
Caracuro (10) vs Tapion (3)

It didn't happen. I would give it a 1/5 since it didn't but that would imply it annoyed me. I don't really mind that it didn't happen since it wasn't an interesting matchup and it's best to save Tapions skills for later. But I can't really review a fight where neither character does anything. So I'll leave it unranked but you could consider it a 0/5.

Salza (8) vs Kuririn (9)

A pretty good breather fight between two fairly serious ones. I love the universe 9 humans so seeing them knock around evil doers is always great. The use of the shell and the kienzan vs sword hand clash were both cool. I will say Kuririn killing someone so close to a serious kill that was treated as evil seems rather silly since they're pretty similar. Granted, Salza is an adult, Kuririn has met him before and knows he's evil, and wasn't sadistic about it. Not amazing but pretty good. 3/5

Vegetto (16) vs Broly (20)

Ah yes, the poster fight for DBM, the cold open, the fight between the two strongest. It's okay. My main issues with it are 1) I hate Broly as a character (outside of DBS) and this portrayal is somehow even more one dimensional and insufferable than his canon version 2) Broly constantly getting stronger is fine, but Broly being immune to damage was a downright terrible decision. There's no fun in watching someone punch a brick wall 3) Too much of it is spent to talking about Vegetto's strength, which does emphasize how above everyone he is, but gets repetitive after awhile and 4) despite it's apparent relevance, this fight really contributes very little to the story. The only contribution is getting Vegetto to go all out to make him losing in round 2 more meaningful. That's not nothing but it does feel like a waste. The black hole mass comment seems rather stupid and absurd too considering how often Vegetto uses ssj3 after this. That said, I do still like a good amount of things in the fight. The choreography in this one is actually quite good and exciting. It is cool seeing all this differing reactions to the craziness, everyone deflecting ki, and u13 Vegeta and Kakarotto making fun of Vegetto. It's also a small glimpsh into Vegetto's recklessness that he didn't go all out and dispose of Broly immediately for the sake of entertainment. It's also just nice to have a fairly long fight that doesn't really drag. 3/5

XXI (5) VS Lumaca (10) 

It didn't happen. Unranked or 1/5

#18 (14) vs Yamcha (9)

I really like this fight. It's not really close or that exhilarating, but it compensates with great character building for both of them. Yamcha is amazing in multiverse and this serves as a great introduction to him. That he can be goofy and jovial while also displaying a presence of wisdom, maturity, and empathy. Seeing #18 get toyed with is fun considering how she's a terrible person, but you do take Yamcha's words and kind of feel bad for the kids despite how evil they are. And Yamcha giving up as a way for them to trust and be helped by him is amazing. It's sad he only fought in one round, but it establishes how he and u9 in general are going to help other universes evem without wishes. For showing Yamcha as more than a poor dolt, I'm gonna give it a low 4/5

Arale (2) vs Mary Sue (2)

The first of the universe 2 gag fights, and unfortunately, the worst (or fortunately I guess since they're uphill from here). While it was fun seeing Arale kick ass, I found Mary Sue's gimmick to be far more annoying than it was funny, and the fight didn't even have and creative jokes exclusive to it, just a boring punch. Lame. The only funny thing was Pan not being affected and questioning her having three dads. Otherwise, 1/5

Gotenks (16) vs Gotenks (18)

I wonder if Buu arranged this match to fuck with them. In universe I think they did this because having two identical and very powerful fighters in the tournament would be somewhat redundant. Regardless this is a decent and fairly funny fight. It's not that remarkable but nothing wrong with it. I did love that the broken arena ended up changing the outcome and how Goten was too lazy to keep fighting. But while this fight was pretty novel, it kind of annoys me that all of them (and most of u16 and 18) are identical. They've had different father figures since they were children, a father figure who traveled the universe while Goku and Vegeta stayed on Earth. I totally believe they still have the same personality but it seems ridiculous that they're all the exact same (except Piccolo, who isn't apart of their family and doesn't socialize as much). It seems odd that only Pan and Bra are different. Anyway 3/5

Romanesco (10) vs Nekomajin (2)

Another forfeit, but I'll give it a little credit since Nekomajin not realizing he didn't have to fight is pretty funny. 2/5

Xeniloum (19) vs Buu (4)

Off topic but it annoys me how much Xeniloum looks like Gohan, IDK seems like a lazy design. Anyway this fight was alright. It is a nice display of the Heliots technology and how it can defeat opponents stronger than them. Unfortunately this amounts to nothing as he's paired with the third strongest person in the tournament and the most haxy. At least he was smart enough to realize that Buu could regenerate so they don't make him out as an idiot. I do like Buu stealing the armor, him being an asshole but still not killing him makes him a more chaotic character. 3/5

Tenshinhan (9) vs Sun Wukong (2)

I have no idea how they decided to include Sun Wukong in these fights, but it's a creative choice that is close enough to dragonball to not feel out of place. It's also great to see Tenshinhan kick ass (even though Sun Wukong would solo the entire dragonball franchise including super and heroes but oh well). This fight involves two characters with more creative and expansive arsenals and that helps keep the fight interesting and entertaining. It is kind of lame how one sided it is and how they made Wukong into a joke, but it's a good enough fight to look past that. Oh and Pac Man. 3/5

Zangya (6) vs Son Bra (16)

I get that it's in service of the plot, but I just can't help but find it contrived that we get two Bojack gang vs u16 matches. Maybe Buu made it that way but that wasn't even established in the comic so what gives? Anyway, this is lame. This is when the issues begin to form in Bra's character. In this, it's everyone letting her get away with anything. In this, Vegetto gives Bra a challenge to not get angry or cruel and control herself, Bra fails miserably at the slightest provocation, and Vegetto not only takes back the punishment but claims she passes. I don't blame Bra, this is a tournament where you're allowed to be as violent as possible, and Zangya is evil and kills innocents and associates with the guy that murdered Pan and is a boring character anyway. But why give her that challenge only for her to fail and receive no punishment? I guess it sets up Bra's inner malice, but we all know where that goes. Oh and the fight is a one shot. 1/5

Eleim (19) vs #16 (12)

Now this is a fight I really like. #16 is outmatched and employs some strategy to keep up, while Eleim uses his superior technology to keep up. It's hard to describe but the action in this is just really entertaining to watch. There are so many cool moments like 16 blocking the ultra waver and kicking Eleim, or Eleim destroying his hand. It's a very fluid and relatively even match. My only issue is how contrived the "Will Eleim kill 16" stuff is. He has him pinned down and can win if he just waits a few seconds. I love that he began the fight calling 16 "it" and showing no sympathy, only to see him as a living being. And it is tense knowing 16 won't come back from it. But that only works if #16 has the upper hand or is an active threat which he isn't. Otherwise very good. 4/5

King Cold (8) vs Videl (9)

This is definently among the better first round fights. Making Cold an actually relevant character was a good choice, and this Videl is fucking great! Even though she loses it's so refreshing seeing the story treat her respectfully. Everything they do raises more questions. Where did she get the sword? How does she know the kaioken? Did she die? Do the others know it? How did they meet without Gohan in the mix? Cold immediately transforming shows he's not an idiot or too overconfident. The fight is short but with some memorable action, but the old kai being released has got to be a highlight and makes it even more memorable. Low 4/5

Bardock (3) vs Raditz (13)

A father vs son battle. And certainly the weaker one in the tournament. The pre battle barbs were pretty nice. And "oh fuck, that's so unfair" was funny, but aside from showing Raditz's moon eyes and setting up intrigue for universe 3, the fight itself is pretty lame. Bardock just beats Raditz by spamming ki blasts. The only kind of cool action was Raditz stopping a ki beam with his hand. And how impressive that Bradock was able to summon mountains onto the outside of the arena just for this fight! Okay, I jest, there were mountain like hills established out there, but they were made bigger and closer to the arena for this fight. Maybe to justify Bardock being visible to the referees, but even that seems like a stretch. This fight is most remembered for Bardock's visions. Mostly the one of Vegetto choking Gohan. Whether they were a good narrative choice is uncertain, but it is nice to see Goku and a Cell Jr. becoming allies. Anyway 2/5

Akira Toriyama (2) vs Dr. Raichi (3)

Another forfeit, but like Nekomajin, this one is ranked better because Toriyama giving up because he's too lazy to fight an opponent he can't instantly beat is hilarious. 2/5

Syd (6) vs Vegeta (13)

So somehow both of the fanservice girls fight universe 13 sayians? I'm sorry that's just too dumb to be a coincidence. I'm not going to sugar coat it, this fight sucks. Sure, it was neat seeing a female Vegeta (who is in fact hot), but this cool new ability is defeated almost instantly with no challenge. But I guess we see that Vegeta doesn't see women as inferior or mind being one, he just murders women. What a feminist. Syd is also a complete idiot. Why give Vegeta his body back? At least forfeit beforehand since you've already lost. It's not even fun to watch. The universe 6 girls only exist to look pretty (and Syd isn't even that pretty) and be tortured by the u13 saiyans. What a waste of a whole group of characters. 1/5

Gast Carcolh (7) vs Cell Jr. (17)

Weird to think this is the first time Gast does anything important. Anyway this is pretty good. I love Cell scheming to try and win here. Him killing his first Jr. is hilarious and brutal, and I love how it not only fails, but some people recognize the ploy. I like that someone finally broke a major rule, since you almost forget touching the ring first is a requirement. It also establishes that Gast is willing to challenge himself and fight when it isn't required. Weird considering how important his mission is but it at least somewhat explains some of his later behavior. The fight itself isn't too memorable, but the finisher is great. One of the best in the first round. Cell's facepalm was funny too. 3/5

Beelzebub (2) vs The Great Demon King Piccolo (3)

The last fight of the first round, and it's an okay cool down fight. It's a fun pairing, they have enough in common for it to be a funny gimmick, but not so similar it feels contrived for them to fight in the first round. The action itself isn't very good, but it helps that Beelzebub and his little friend are funny. I loved him bragging about not sharing chocolate before Piccolo did his own gloating. I'll give it a high 2/5

And that's the first round, onto the second round where the fights are better overall.

Round 2:

(This has nothing to do with the fights but I wanted to mention that I fucking love the musical intermission. It was great)

Nappa (13) vs Freeza (8)

I'm gonna be honest, I love this fight so much. Yeah, it technically didn't happen, but Nappa roasting Freeza only to give up right before he could do anything is go God damn hilarious. It's just so much more fun than any actual fight could've been, and makes you cheer for Nappa almost as much as his abridged version. What makes it even better is that Nappa is right about Freeza not landing a single actual hit in the tournament. I've gotta give it a low 4/5

Goku (18) vs #17 (14)

This fight on the other hand, is just irritating. I suppose it's kind of funny to see 17 get one shot when he wanted revenge, but god damn if it isn't a waste. Goku one shots BOTH of his early opponents. Why even include him in the tournament if you're not going to even bother giving him any challenge? His later fights are better but this is still a major disappointment. 1/5

South Kaioshin (1) vs Majin Buu (11)

I'd just like to say how refreshing it is to have a fight with people who are legitimately on a level playing field. I love that South Kai is more interested in freeing the other kais over actually winning. It makes sense since there aren't any real problems in his universe and it's nice to have characters with more motives than just winning a fight. It is bogged down by South Kai spending most of the fight expositing over things, most of which we already know. So much of it was unnecessary and distracted from a pretty good fight. 3/5

Uub (18) vs Nail (10)

Holy shit this would've been the fourth 10 vs 18 battle. Anyway it didn't happen, so unranked or 1/5. I will say though, while I don't think this fight was needed, it sucks how it means the Uub is irrelevant for such a long period of time. He has no interesting fights or interactions for over 1,000 pages! That's about seven years in between the release of the chapters and sucks since Uub is pretty great here.

Trunks (12) vs Vegeta (18)

This is a fight that I'm really glad happened. The fact that Trunks not only gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet a more mature and compassionate version of his father, but also gets to fight him is a really nice thing. It's a fun fight that both characters are happy to participate in. It's hard to describe how why I like or dislike the action specifically but I just think the hits land are well choreographed here. I also love the way Trunks uses his bulky form. It's creative and forces him to use it sparingly. This also shows the growth of both of these characters, especially Vegeta. Seeing him be kinder while still stern towards Trunks is great development. Probably the best u18 Vegeta fight. It is a shame that future Trunks lost and became fairly insignificant pretty early into the story, but that doesn't make the fight itself bad. 4/5

Pan (18) vs Kakarotto (13)

This is a fight a found myself enjoying more than I expected. It is a little contrived drama in the sense that Pan could quit at any time, but they give fine reasons for her to continue and she ultimately knows her limits, so that isn't major. Pan using a feet kamehameha was great and I enjoy how creative she is to compensate for her physical inferiority. This is also a good fight for Kakarotto's characterization. This is the first non special chapter where we see a good amount of his depravity, insanity, and trauma. From his expressions to his growing frustration. Him freaking out over conflicting orders while shaking Pan around was good and him forcibly repressing his memories of Kuririn to go full Bender was such a unique moment. He's probably one of the best and honestly complex characters in multiverse and this is a good chapter for him. And Pan's great here too, she manages to achieve super saiyan and go out on her own terms, it's a great moment and legitimately intense regardless of her being wished back. 4/5

Cell (17) vs Bojack (6)

Of all the stomp match ups, this is easily one of my favorites. Cell is completely brutal here and toys with Bojack, and since Bojack is a shitty person and character, I enjoy it. From mocking Bojack, to evading every single attack, to giving him a faint moment of triumph before pulling the rug out under the idiot and just fucking blasting him. He also gets back at Bra for dumping Zangya on his patio. Although speaking of Bra, it annoys me her trying to fight Bojack. I get it's supposed to contrast her brash fury with Gohan's tempered maturity, but it makes Bra out to be either a horrible person or a complete idiot. I understand her first outburst since she just saw Pan get murdered and wasn't thinking of the rules, but here she tries to punch him knowing it will result in the expulsion of her universe and cause Pan's permanent death. It doesn't detract from an overall great fight, but it does annoy more. Regardless, this fight rocks. 4/5

Tapion (3) vs Kuririn (9)

The gravity joke at the beginnig was pretty funny and it's great to see characters actually effected by it. This is one of the first strategy vs power fights in the series, and while brawn still one I do like how Hildegrad works as Tapion's stand. It isn't the most memorable fight, but I do enjoy how neither fighter was in good shape afterwards, and Kuririn's creativity. Low 4/5

Vegetto (16) vs XXI (5)

Ah, one of the biggest status quo shifters. Before this it felt guarantied that Vegetto would win. But with one attack XXI proved that wrong. This is a necessary outcome and the way it was presented was well done. The way we expect Vegetto to be fine only to see Bardock and Cold is great. And I like how XXI is shown here. He's got a cool design, and remained in obscurity until now to the point you almost forget about him. The fact that he isn't immediately established as evil or malicious but simply... practical, is nice since he'll probably be the big bad. It's also the first time we see Vegetto's flaws. How, like Cell, he can be mature when winning or evenly matched, throws temper tantrums when he loses. Of course the actual fighting is nonexistent, so it can't be that enjoyable, but this fight still works well. 3/5

#18 (14) vs Arale (2)

It's fucking funny. I don't know what else to say besides most of the gags were really good. I'm so relieved this series has actual comedy, which is absent in practically any other DB fanfic, and comedy reminiscent of early dragonball at that. The planets having faces, Arale's decapitation, and 18's annoyed pose are all great. My only gripe is Arale running out of fuel still feels contrived, but the fight is played for laughs so it isn't the most egregious one to be contrived. 4/5

Gotenks (18) vs Nekomajin (2)

 Once again, it's really funny. While the last fight might've had more good jokes, this fight's jokes are just hilarious at their best. Nekomajin fusing with himself then unfusing because he's right handed, his ghosts forgetting they were explosive, and Nekomajin giving up to get prize money, were all among the best jokes in the series. 4/5

Buu (4) vs Tenshinhan (9)

One of the most one sided matchups of this round. Still, it manages to be interesting for Tenshinhan's pretty great strategies. He only tries two things, but they're incredibly smart tactics that probably would've worked if Buu wasn't hundreds of thousands of times stronger, hundreds of times smarter, and had wanked out regeneration. Buu respecting him is pretty cool and like Pan, he goes out on his own terms. It's a shame universe 9 lost by the second round but they still put up a great fight and it sets up them helping other universes. 3/5

Son Bra (16) vs Eleim (19)

This fight keeps getting worse each time I see it. First is the fact that it's kind of slow and poorly paced, or how Bra never used any of her abilities she never displayed against Cold, or how she calls her opponent a slur after he vents his worries that his universe will be destroyed and yet she's meant to be likeable. But those are minor compared to other issues. Surprisingly I get more upset with Eleim here than Bra. Because he broke the rules so badly that it's infuriating he didn't get his entire universe sent home. In this fight, Eleim kills so many spectators. We only see four or so on panel (although that should be enough to disqualify him), but in the novelization it claims he's killed hundreds. This is insane, Broly only killed one person, yet they tried to send him back immediately, but Eleim can go on a killing streak and face no repercussions? The vargas freak out because of this danger as if they can't send him back and save the spectators immediately. People lose limbs (can namek healing even bring limbs back? If so Eleim permanently mutilated people). This is some of the worst writing in the entire series and no one talks about it. Bra gets upset that he'd use the spectators as hostage yet he's already butchered them. It's so unbearably stupid. Then there's the fact that Bra wins by doing the exact same thing XXI did to Vegetto, which I remind you she was furious over and claimed it was unfair. Now granted I'm not saying she can't be a hypocrite or do petty things, my issue is that no one calls her out for her hypocrisy or even acknowledges it which makes me feel it's unintentional. Then there's the fact that u19 is already shafted and used as a reason to give the tournament some stakes. Since now the only really important wish was Gast's (Tapion's and Trunks' were good ones too, but their wishes were only to bring back a few people who have been dead for a long time, small pickings compared to the fate of a universe). And don't get me wrong, I think this needed to happen to give the tournament more stakes in its later parts, but it feels like universe 19 was only brought in to fulfill that stakes. Everyone but Eleim got humiliated and they lost by the second round. All I can say is thank god for Phipsil and Nedwock. It's such a shame because this had a chance to be a battle of pure power vs technology and strategy yet both the characters are so unlikeable, it's poorly paced, and the rules make no sense. Oh and look, Bra loses a glove and no senzu fall out. Bra's worst tournament fight. 1/5

King Cold (8) vs Bardock (3)

Now to the universe 3 fights. And I have to say this is among the best fights of the round. Cold lives up to his name by delivering the coldest line in the entire series "my opponents have no future". Bardock and Cold are good parallels characters. Not only were they rulers of a universe, but they're both fairly scrappy. Bardock constantly fought against odds and managed to be the only surviving saiyan, while Ginyu somehow survived execution and worked his way up to being his old bosses father. It's an intense fight that you can't tell who will win. Bardock is physically weaking but has greater tenacity and is used to fighting at a disadvantage. The upside down moment was really cool, as was Cold going all out and ragdolling Bardock. I like that Bardock still landed some hits on Cold when he went 100% but was ultimately helpless. And the finisher was amazing. It is annoying in hindsight that Cold had two much greater transformations yet risked a taxing power up against Bardock, but it doesn't ruin the fight. Oh and Goku not realizing Bardock is his dad is hilarious. low 5/5

Holy shit I think that's the first 5 I've given since Cell vs Dabra. I try to keep 5s for only the best fights, but don't there will be more coming up.

Dr. Raichi (3) vs Vegeta (13)

Probably the best second round fight. The character who hates saiyans more than anything fighting the son of the saiyan who wiped his race out, not to mention the most evil and despotic saiyan there (except Broly). Despite being one of the longest fights in the series, it hardly ever drags. And their contrasting ideals and personalities are great especially in their first conversation. Vegeta is such a prick that while funny, you want to see him go down. This is one of the few fights where strategy and attrition triumphs over pure power, and you're on the edge of your seat wondering who will win by the end. There's a good progression from the warm up frost demon round, Vegeta showing his true colors and massacring the saiyans, and him slowly losing the edge against the dead participants. Him achieving ssj3 only to run out of power was amazing (altough outside of the tournament, Raichi only made this Vegeta stronger, in service of a new ghost). And by the end, they're both on their last leg. Vegeta is fucking battered and exhausted and Raichi has almost no ghosts left. And killing Vegeta with a slave of himself was perfect. 5/5

Gast Carcolh (7) vs The Great Demon King Piccolo (3)

A pretty good wrap up fight. Not as exciting or intense as the last two but we needed a breather. And It's nice to see a good guy win after most of the right hand bracket consisted of shitty people fighting each other or beating good guys (except Gotenks). I don't think anyone was expecting Gast to lose, especially not this early, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun. I especially love Gast just flicking Piccolo away, and his power added more mystery towards universe 3. Then there's the meat of this interaction, Gast revealing that Piccolo isn't pure evil. I love this plot twist and it makes both characters more interesting. With all the "villains telling protagonist they're actually evil" moments in fiction, it's hilarious to see the opposite. And I enjoyed the Star Wars reference. Piccolo also has a pretty good strategy to beat Gast, even if it failed. There are some issues. While I love Gast being this empathetic wise man that tries to bring evil doers to the light, I've gotta say his "well, those two killed six billion people so you killing three billion people isn't that bad" isn't the most sound argument. Also Goten being chewed out for off handedly saying something that could help Gast and being threatened with disqualification is so infuriating after ELEIM GOT AWAY WITH MASS MURDER. But regardless, high 3/5

And that's the second round. I have to say, this is probably the most consistently good round. Only two legitimately awful fights, and one that didn't happen. Every other fight ranged from okay to spectacular with great character and humor moments. 13 out of 16 is pretty great. We've lost most of the weaklings already so there aren't many blow outs or instant wins, but it's not so far in that every fight needs to be extended or too serious. But don't worry, I'll have plenty good to say about the next round.

Round 3:

Freeza (8) vs Son Goku (18)

An okay beginner fight. Freeza's magic place is pretty nifty and a good way to make a stomp fight interesting. However, it's disappointing that Goku's while strategy was his him with a blast when he's surprised. I get he was desperate but it's lame that he still practically one shot him. Freeza persisting they continue to fight only to get one shot was great karma though. 3/5

Majin Buu (11) vs Uub (18)

This might be my favorite fight in the entire tournament. I keep going back and forth between this, Cell vs Dabra, and one soon to come. It's is perfectly paced, great action, humor and strategy, between two well written characters with a good connection. This is apart of Uub's growth as a person and succession. Uub's strategies are all sound and well executed, as are Buu's. The win is creative, and I don't even mind that Uub didn't just kill him considering he knows a good Buu in his universe and feels empathy towards him. And the action is just engaging. Like Buu trying to suck Uub's arm and Uub blowing he head off. Although I must wonder why he brought two bowls into a fight. It's not Bra senzu level of annoying but it should've been set up that he brought them and why he did. The only other issue I can think of would be that it kind of sucks that Uub is the one third round victor/quaterfinalist that required Buu's cheating to win. You could argue Majin Buu also got help, but I'd argue being taught how to deflect magic is more assistance than being told what the rules are. But overall amazing fight. And the tm joke was good too. 5/5

Vegeta (18) vs Kakarotto (13)

I'd call this the middle of the third round fights, maybe one of the better ones. It's not up there with the greats, but still among the better brawls. This is a fun match up, that's best for Vegeta's development. Him no longer caring about beating Kakarotto for personal reasons was wonderful, as was him honoring Pan and Goku. Kakarotto's golden oozaru was cool, and the other saiyans reaction was funny. However the actual fight outside of the finisher wasn't the engaging or well choreographed so I can't put it too high. They didn't master giant's vs normal sized people here. 3/5, maybe in the higher end.

Cell (17) vs Tapion (3)

This is probably my favorite fight in the entire tournament. THIS is how you do a fight between a giant and a normal sized person. Of course there was the god damn amazing part where Cell went full kaiju. Every single panel in this fight is memorable, every move and hit is cool and interesting. Cell fucking catches Hildegard's tail. He turns into a giant. And his strategies are also great, from employing a feint attack, to sucking Hildergard up, which resulted in Cell getting a near death power up. Hildergard's invincibility is also like Broly's if it wasn't handled atrociously. Because he has a set limit, but still none peircing attacks won't work on him. This forces Cell to devise plans while not making his victory impossible or even unlikely. It's so fucking refreshing seeing characters with a vast set of differing abilities. And Vegetto cheering Cell is absolutely hilarious! Cell and Tapion might not have a history, but they do have a parallel that the chapter alludes to (also one of the only good chapter titles). They are sinister creations, except while Cell fully embraced evil, Tapion managed to harness Hildegard to do good (or at least neutral). And Cell's goal here is great. He not only wants to win, but to become stronger in order to prepare for the finals. Since he is much stronger, it's good to give him a challenge and goal beyond simply winning, it makes the fight more dynamic and gives it more stakes. Meanwhile Tapion is forced to lose control and desperate to win. It just has so much to offer and is the peak of multiverse fights for me. Easy 5/5

XXI (5) VS #18 (14) 

The only quick fight in the third round. A shame, but it's understandable. This doesn't have the same oomph that Vegetto losing does. Especially since 18 has been treated as a complete joke so far. What's worse is that XXI's strategy here sucks. What if 18 just fired a ki blast from a distance like Buu? What if she got close before touching the ring and the remote deactivated her? It seems like a big hole for a guy that doesn't take risks. What it does do is raise the mystery on XXI. Just who is he? And how the hell did get that remote? I also like Yamcha here and how 17 is clearly upset at his sister's death. It's nice that these omnicidal delinquents at least care about one another. 2/5

Gotenks (18) vs Buu (4)

This is the last fight before a lot of controversial stuff started in the story. Not to say their isn't great stuff coming up but the story does hit a lot of bumps after this. But regardless this is a great fight and a blast to read. Buu is one of DBM's best characters, and this fight is his best tournament outing. With 60 fights I feel I'm repeating myself a lot, but the action in this fight is just a lot of fun to watch, and between characters that are having a good time. Buu using the ultra armor was cool, as was Gotenks fucking destroying the armor and sending Buu flying. Oh and the Buu statue. 4/5

Son Bra (16) vs King Cold (8)

Ah yes, one of DBM's most controversial moments. It's not the worst fight or moment in the whole series, or even the worst Bra fight, but it's not good and it's probably the worst third round fight. Cold goading Bra into fighting without transforming was a nice addition (although I wish he came up with it on his own). As for Cold's forms, on one hand it's a very cool and incredibly detailed design, but it also feels a little too... edgy for dragonball. That might be a petty complaint but it just seems like something you'd see in a fanfic that only cared about the big strong fights (okay this is fanfic that cares about fights but it's usually been better than almost any other fan media). It also hurts that Cold didn't use his first augmentation form against Bardock. Same with Bra's attacks, they're cool, but it makes Vegetto and her look like complete idiots and terrible people for not using them earlier, probably because they weren't invented back then. Like, Bra not only didn't transform, but waited until she nearly died to use her useful moves? That's dumb regardless. I get Salagir wanted to make Bra and Cold both look good, but it could've been handled better. Then there's the senzu. No, it's not cheating, plenty of other participants used other tools and plenty of participants can regenerate. What doesn't work is a) Why did Bra take senzus if she thought she could one shot Cold b) if she always had them, why didn't she use them to heal Vegetto and Gohan in space? And why were there none when she lost her glove against Eleim c) There was not hints, foreshadowing, or build up to having them, it came out of nowhere. This could easily have been solved by her fiddling with her glove beforehand and thinking about how she needed to be prepared after Buu's rampage. and d) There is no way Bra could've eaten those beans in the position she was in. So yeah the senzu still sucked.
Now I wasn't expecting Cold to win (what the fuck was he going to do against Gast or Raichi), but I was at least hoping this fight would humble Bra, change her in any meaningful way. Have her feel embarrassed she needed to use senzus on such a weak opponent. Have u19 scold her for her recklessness, have her realize that she's not perfect and might be too cocky. But no, she's still the same smarmy braggart we know and dislike. It's funny how a fight between Asura's favorite characters is one of the most disliked, while a fight between his two least favorite characters (Cell and Hildegard) is among the best (from a writing perspective. His art is always phenomenal and some of the best I've seen). I did like the beginning fight for what it's worth. The hits and movement were all solid. Bra was at a disadvantage in strength but still managed to keep up, and they both were gaining injuries and liabilities as it progressed. The ki volley fight was also cool and an original things for the series. It was all going well until the senzu. For that, I'll give it a 2/5. Maybe a lower 2/5 but not a 1. It would be a 1 if we included the wasted Ginyu plot though, but that's after the fight.

Dr. Raichi (3) vs Gast Carcolh (7)

Yeah I'm gonna be honest, this fight is kinda lame. It's by no means bad, but considering the calibur, dynamic, and intrigue of these characters, it feels like a waste. These are among DBM's best characters. Raichi, a vengeful anti hero who's completely consumed by vengeance, Gast, a peaceful hero who tries to save people and reform evil when possible. Raichi carries the vengeance of his people, Gast the hope of saving his people, it's a wonderful dynamic. Raichi's ghosts and Gast's magic gives this so much potential. Yet they hardly talk in the beginning and there's no battle of words after Vegeta shows up. Raichi only uses two ghosts aside from namekians, and Gast doesn't use magic (which is especially silly considering he could've used his power draining move on Vegeta and Broly. Hatchiyack shows up to look cool but ultimately goes down very quickly. It has some great moments but overall isn't very remarkable and feels like a waste of potential (which will be proven with the novelization). 3/5

With that we are done with the third round!  And after four years of filler and controversy, we arrive at the long awaited quarter finals! With some of the most hype matchups yet. A battle btween student and master, a rematch of two of multiverses best characters, a clash of the strongest and most chaotic participant with it's most tempered and mysterious, and a fight between two powerhouses with tons of skills. Seriously, all of these pairings rock and each of these characters earned their spot here. I can't wait for this to blow us all away... aaaaand three of them suck ass. 

Quarterfinals/fourth round:

Son Goku (18) vs Uub (18)

I was actually the least excited for this one. I thought the outcome was the most obvious and it had the least stakes for the characters. While I love universe 18, I was a little annoyed that three of their five participants made the quarterfinals. But regardless wasn't expecting much here. Boy was I wrong this fight rocks. After years of the majin arc and how terrible that ending was, it's so refreshing to see a nice, fairly low stakes fight between two people who like each other and enjoy fighting. Uub skipping the foreplay is fine by me, as this fight is about energy sapping abilities. It give the fight a level of stakes and intensity. I also just low the way these two move and how they attack. Especially Goku, I think there's something about the way ssj3 moves. Maybe it's the long hair, but I love how whenever he moves it feels like whoever's being approached is screwed. It's hard to describe though. Uub fucking with Goku with the candy beam was great and a legitimate surprise. I do think Uub's kaioken transcendent both looks and is a little silly. I don't like the design that much, but it works as a desperate trump card. The way he ragdolls Goku is glorious. I can even buy Uub losing despite having the edge since kaioken damages your body and exhausts you compared to ssj3 just exhausting you. This fight has some of the best action in the series. Every movement is great and every attack has impact. And I don't mind them copying the 21st budokai since they're pretty brazen and it's great to see that same scenario but with Goku as the master. My only issue is that Uub using Bra's fake body attack is weird and pointless. It comes out of nowhere and doesn't even work on Goku for some reason. But still a great fight overall. mid-High 4/5

Vegeta (18) vs Cell (17)

You know that meme of the horse picture, that begins with it looking absolutely beautiful and ends really poorly? That's how I'd best describe Cell's tournament fights. I'm not gonna sugar coat it, this fight sucks and I hate it. Vegeta and Cell just dick around for awhile to see who can half ass it more, then Vegeta wins in a bullshit way. The choreography beforehand wasn't very interesting or engaging. I did like Vegeta shredding Cell to oieces followed by Cell casually talking while missing half his body, but not much else in the fight really leaves a positive impression. I'll admit, I am a big Cell fan (although I do really like multiverse Vegeta too), and it does upset me that he went down so easily. But I think it's valid to be upset when one of your quarterfinal matchups, in a tournament of 64 people, is one fairly easily in an unsatisfying way. Cell is treated as an idiot here to give Vegeta a win without going all out (or at all since Cell's probably still stronger than his ultimate form). It doesn't even make sense, Vegeta's whole plan was to pretend that he was giving him and Cell healing then rush him. I get Cell was talking but he still should've seen him and been prepared since he believed Vegeta just healed. And then there's the core, and how it can apparently move around Cell's body but if gone he dies. I think it's very telling we don't see Cell's body/corpse after Vegeta destroys the core because they know this makes no sense. This has never been at all implied in original canon or the 15 years of multiverse. They go through this effort to make Cell so strong he can survive ranged attacks, only to give him this big of an issue. The was also no sign of it and it's seems silly Vegeta saying he was keeping track of it. I wasn't surprised or against Vegeta winning (although I would've liked a Cell vs Uub match) but the way he did was bullshit and made Cell look pathetic just to make Vegeta look good. I think they weren't expecting Cell to get so strong in the series when they first started picking the fights, but now that he can somewhat hold up against ssj2 Bra and surpassed Gohan, there was no way Vegeta could win without resorting to tricks, especially not without his true power. I get that, but he could've done something more interesting like use a mafuba. Anyway, Vegeta's big speech at the end was his weakest "I talk about how far I've grown" speeches by far. It's kind of annoying that that's becoming a trend to begin with. I'll will say I like Vegeta being upset at Cell for threatening Bra, good to see he cares. low 2/5

XXI (5) vs Buu (4)

Yeah this is lame. Buu is supposed to have this 1,000 iq mind with countless scientists, philosophers, and martial artists, yet all he could think to do was fire a ki blast really quick? He prepared dozens of spells for Gast but not the guy who beat Vegetto? What's worse is that this comes from a title page that show the two playing chess with each other, implying a long run battle of wits and magic, only to be thoroughly underwhelmed and end the fight immediately. The only good I can say about it is that XXI's true form looks great and the smoke effect was cool. 1/5

Son Bra (16) vs Gast Carcolh (7)

The last completed fight as of now, and yeah it sucks. To give credit where it's due, I do like seeing Bra and Gast imagine scenarios while trying to figure out how to win. And Bra's reason to quit makes sense and is a step in the right direction for her character. But that's all it is, a step, not a leap yet the story treats it as such. All she did was give up a chance to punch a strong guy for a few minutes to save an entire universe. What a noble thing to give up. And Gohan (who she cut in half) praises her for it like it's some Christ like sacrifice. And fuck off with having Phipsil forgive her, this seems like something Asura really wanted to draw but it's so forced. She fucking murdered her and her brother in arms in front of her, these guys aren't used to magic or resurrection. They eulogized Tidar's death knowing he'd be brought back, and he wasn't killed out of malice. The is the writers ignoring the actual characters, and using them as a vessel to jerk Bra off, and it's not even the worst example of it. Why the hell didn't Phipsil shake Gast's hand? He willinly shouldered the burden of saving your universe without hesitation and didn't kill you and your friends. It feels kinda shitty not to, not to mention Goku and Vegeta for doing the same thing. Also, I'm sure the scenarios were just a way to portray Gast vs Bra in some way since the fight won't happen, and that's cool, but the way it's framed, it makes it look like Bra only gave up when she realized that Gast would beat her in all her ideas of how the fight would go. This isn't a good look for her while trying to be selfless. This only redeeming thing here is her giving up on it's own is somewhat selfless and a few of the scenarios and facial expressions are funny. mid-low 2/5

And with that here's all the rankings (probably not sorted perfectly but at this point I'm getting burnt out writing this.


unranked/60-58. Carcoau vs Tapion (R1), XXI vs Lumaca (R1), and Uub vs Nail (R2)

57. #17 vs I'K'L (R1)

56. Son Bra vs Eleim (R2)

55. Goku vs #17 (R2)

54. Freeza vs Jeece (R1)

53. Son Goku vs Mahissu (R1)

52. XXI vs Buu (QF)

51. Arale vs Mary Sue (R1)

50. Syd vs Vegeta (R1)

49. Zangya vs Son Bra (R1)

48. Burter vs South Kaioshin (R1)

47. Vegeta vs Cell (QF)

46. Son Bra vs King Cold (R3)

45. Son Bra vs Gast Carcolh (QF)

44. Nappa vs Cargot (R1)

43. Kat vs Kakarotto (R1)

42. XXI vs #18 (R3)

41. King Vegeta vs Vegeta (R1)

40. Bardock vs Raditz (R1)

39. Majin Buu vs Bujin (R1)

38. Romanesco vs Nekomajin (R1)

37. Dr. Raichi vs Akira Toriyama (R1)

36. Beelzebub vs The Great Demon king Piccolo (R1)

35. Vegetto vs XXI (R2)

34. Tenshinhan vs Sun Wukong (R1)

33. Pan vs Bojack (R1)

32. Freeza vs Son Goku (R3)

31. Kuririn vs Salza (R1)

30. Tenshinhan vs Buu (R2)

29. Tidar vs Uub (R1)

28. Xenolium vs Buu (R1)

27. Vegetto vs Broly (R1)

26. Pan vs Bardock (R1) (not sure if it'll be controversial putting this above Vegetto and Broly)

25. Gast vs Raichi (R3)

24. Gotenks vs Gotenks (R1)
 
23. South Kaioshin vs Majin Buu (R2)

22. Gast Carcolh vs Cell Jr. (R1)

21. Vegeta vs Kakarotto (R3)

20. Gast Carcolh vs The Great Demon King Piccolo (R2)

19. Kuririn vs Tapion (R2)

18. Nappa vs Freeza (R2)

17. Yamcha vs #18 (R1)    

16. Trunks vs Cooler (R1)

15. Nail vs Recoom (R1)

14. Videl vs King Cold (R1)

13. Pan vs Kakarotto (R2)

12. Cell vs Bojack (R2)

11. Gotenks vs Buu (R3)

10. #18 vs Arale (R2)

9. Eleim vs #16 (R1)

8. Gotenks vs Nekomajin (R2)

7. Trunks vs Vegeta (R2)

6. Goku vs Uub (QF)

5. King Cold vs Bardock (R2)

4. Dr. Raichi vs Vegeta (R2)

3. Cell vs Dabra (R1)

2. Majin Buu vs Uub (R3)

1. Cell vs Tapion (R3)

I hope you enjoyed my ranking and thoughts! I'll comment my thoughts on some novelization matches later, and the last three fights when they finish.