As initially leaked on Japanese blogs earlier today and later shown in full by Twitter user @white4517, next week’s February 2017 issue of Shueisha’s V-Jump magazine in Japan reveals the next storyline in the Dragon Ball Super television series as the “Universe Survival Arc” (宇宙サバイバル編 Uchū Sabaibaru Hen):
05 February 2017 (Sun.)
The curtain rises on a new chapter, “Universe Survival arc”!!Now, to battle! Universe 7’s mightiest team!!!
The new arc will begin (following a series of one-off episodes) 05 February 2017. The fold-out splash image showcases Majin Boo, Kuririn, No. 18, No. 17, Son Goku, Vegeta, Son Gohan, Kame-Sen’nin, Tenshinhan, and Piccolo.
Perhaps the most notable inclusion is No. 17 (complete with a “RANGER” armband), who was last seen — following his revival after the battle with Cell — donating energy to Goku’s Genki-Dama during the battle with Boo. As originally described in Daizenshuu #7 (and later repeated in the Dragon Ball Full Color: Majin Boo Arc Volume #06 Q&A), in the manga, Akira Toriyama had initially placed Lunch in the panel, but later switched her out for No. 17, explaining why the existing dialog does not make perfect sense.
In the Q&A from 2014’s Dragon Ball Full Color: Artificial Humans & Cell Arc Volume #06, Toriyama reveals No. 17’s new life as a park ranger:
He works in the wildlife preserve area of a gigantic royal nature park, as an outstanding guard who doesn’t hold back against poachers.
It’s an ideal job for No. 17, who loves to be on his own and isn’t big on cooperating with others; since he’s so good at his job, he takes in a high salary. He’s married to a zoologist; they have one child and two adopted children, and live happily in an isolated house inside the nature park.
He went and met No. 18 and Kuririn one time, but didn’t talk about what he’d been up to, maybe because he considers such a wholesome lifestyle embarrassing.
The Dragon Ball Super television series airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. on Fuji TV in Japan. The series is available for free and premium viewing on licensed sites such as Crunchyroll, Daisuki, and AnimeLab. New episodes are added — in their original Japanese language with accompanying English subtitles — the same day as their Japanese broadcast.