This March 2017 issue of Shueisha’s V-Jump magazine in Japan provided new character designs and an overview for Dragon Ball Super‘s upcoming “Universe Survival arc” set to begin 05 February 2017:
The battle begins Sunday, February 5!!! Superior “Survival”!!!
The curtain rises on the long-awaited new chapter this February!!! And we’re sharing some startling new information!!!Those twins are set to join the fight, too!!! The new chapter is about to begin at last!!! When Goku and the Omni-King’s promise is fulfilled, all 12 universes will be endangered?! It turns out they’re holding the ultimate survival battle, with ten representatives from each universe fighting!!!
Unveiling design images drawn by Akira Toriyama-sensei!!!
Akira Toriyama-sensei did the original story, of course!!! Here are some of the design images he drew for this new chapter!!!Artificial Human #17
Artificial Human #17 has become a supportive ally!! His left armband says “Ranger”!!Artificial Human #18
Now she’s a wonderful mom!! #18 will join the battle as a powerful asset. Will she bust out some combo attacks with Kuririn or #17…?!The design for a new God of Destruction and angel, too…?!
The other Gods of Destruction besides Beerus and Champa will be appearing en masse?! This newly-revealed God of Destruction has a beard!!And here’s the Survival Stadium that will serve as the battle stage!!!
It has a strange shape, just like a giant spinning top! Centerstage is the clock pillar. Around it are the spectator benches. And located a little further away is the Omni-King’s throne.
The magazine goes on to re-confirm the series’ upcoming, new opening theme — “Limit Break x Survivor” (突破限界xサバイバー Genkai Toppa x Sabaibā) — with lyrics by Yukinojō Mori, composition by Takafumi Iwasaki, and vocal performance by Kiyoshi Hikawa, the lattermost of whom provided the following statement regarding the song:
Now I’ve ended up singing the new opening theme for Dragon Ball Super‘s “Universe Survival arc”, “Limit Break x Survivor”! This is my first time taking on an anime song! The lyrics are by my beloved Yukinojō Mori. Yukinojō-san has put together a full-throttle rock anime song, so it’ll make me happy if Dragon Ball fans and lots of other people listen to my new song. Please look forward to it!
Additionally, Fuji TV’s broadcast of Dragon Ball Super episode 75 this past weekend included a 15-second promotional video for the upcoming arc following the standard next-episode preview (which was not appended to international simulcast streams):
Hey, this is Goku! Check out this no-holds-barred battle with our own survival at stake! Don’t miss it!
The production team previously shared a manga-focused preview for the new arc back in December at Jump Festa in Tokyo.
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.