As reported in the Mainichi Shimbun‘s “Manten Web” article (and covered on Anime News Network), Shueisha has established a new initiative — the “Dragon Ball Room” — specifically focused on interdepartmental collaboration to support and expand upon the Dragon Ball franchise.

Shueisha Establishes “Dragon Ball Room” to Expand and Optimize Content

Shueisha revealed that it had newly established a “Dragon Ball Room” on June 21st of this year. Its goal is to break down barriers between departments to expand and optimize the globally popular Dragon Ball franchise.

The announcement was made at Shueisha’s new publication planning presentation held in Tokyo on the 12th. Although the Dragon Ball Room falls under the umbrella of the rights division, its section chief Akio Iyoku also serves as editor-in-chief of V-Jump, where the Dragon Ball Super manga (the original story of which is overseen by Toriyama) is serialized. Iyoku says that, “in practical terms you can think of it as handling both the rights and editing. It’s a new experiment to have a department that only thinks about Dragon Ball.”

Akira Toriyama, the original author, commented that, “I was wanting to keep this old series alive and kicking even in the modern day with help from Shueisha’s excellent staff, so for me this team is dependable and a real godsend. It’d really be great if this way I won’t have to do anything!!!!”

Dragon Ball is a hit manga that ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; its comics have sold over 240 million copies. The story centers on Son Goku, a boy with outstanding fighting sense, his adventures to get the Dragon Balls (which grant any wish when all seven are gathered), and his stiff competition against various rivals. A TV anime began broadcasting in 1986, and its popularity has endured even beyond the end of the original manga; Dragon Ball Super is currently airing.

Previous one-off collaborations have included initiatives such as 2014’s “SSSS Project” (Saikyō Super Saiyan Secret Project), which included the Episode of Bardock manga and animated feature, video game inclusions, and a re-release of the original Bardock TV special from 1990. The new “Dragon Ball Room” is the first formalized initiative of this type for Dragon Ball.