Sign of Son Goku’s Awakening is where the Tournament of Power turns in the Dragon Ball Super manga: Volume 8 collects Chapters 37–40, built around Kale’s rampage, Universe 6’s last stand and the first flicker of Ultra Instinct. By the end of this book the arena is far emptier, and Jiren has stopped looking invincible — barely.
What Volume 8 collects
Volume 8 collects Chapters 37–40, the middle phase of the tournament. Universe 6 bets everything on its hidden Saiyan weapon, Gohan gets the fight of his life, and Goku’s instincts begin to move before his mind does. Every chapter is broken down in its own guide on the chapter index.
- Chapter 37: Awaken, Super Saiyan Kale
- Chapter 38: Universe 6’s Last Resort
- Chapter 39: Sign of Son Goku’s Awakening
- Chapter 40: Jiren vs. Universe 7
The story inside
Kale, the quiet Saiyan from Universe 6, finally snaps. Her berserk transformation is a throwback to a legendary kind of Super Saiyan — uncontrolled, overwhelming and indiscriminate — and she tears through the arena, eliminating fighters from multiple universes before turning on friend and foe alike. To control that power and spend it usefully, Caulifla fuses with her using the Potara, producing the warrior Kefla. Waiting for Kefla is Gohan, who has spent the tournament fighting conservatively, and their battle burns both of them out of the tournament together. Universe 6, the crowd favourite of the early rounds, is erased.
That leaves the main event. Jiren finally commits to the fight, and Universe 7 throws everything at him in sequence — Vegeta’s pride, the androids’ teamwork, Goku’s desperation. In the middle of being dismantled, something changes in Goku: his body starts reacting on its own, dodging without thought. It is only the omen of Ultra Instinct, not the completed technique, and it gutters out before it can save him. The volume ends with Universe 7 battered, its ace technique glimpsed but out of reach, and Jiren still standing in the middle of the arena. A generational thread runs through the book: Universe 6’s young Saiyans burn bright and fast, while Universe 7’s veterans survive by pacing themselves — and Gohan, caught between the two approaches, fights the most mature battle of his life, holding a stronger opponent to a standstill.
Where Volume 8 sits in the series
Volume 8 follows Volume 7, which opened the tournament, and leads into Volume 9, where the tournament is decided. All four chapters belong to the Universe Survival arc, and this is the book where that arc’s endgame takes shape. Our volumes index shows the full collection order.
Editions of Volume 8
The Japanese edition was published by Shueisha in December 2018, and VIZ Media’s English edition followed in March 2020, in print and digital formats. Japan’s full-colour digital edition of this volume was released in September 2020, as explained in our coloured edition guide. The individual chapters are also available officially on MANGA Plus by Shueisha. Full bibliographic details, including ISBNs, are in the information panel on this page.