"Dragon Ball Super" Series Official Announcement & Discussion Thread

[Neon Z]

The 100 episode number isn't exactly just a rumor. It was briefly listed by Toei Europe, before being removed. So, it's obviously unconfirmed information, but it came from Toei itself rather than some fan making up stuff.

[sintzu]

The 100 episode number isn't exactly just a rumor. It was briefly listed by Toei Europe, before being removed. So, it's obviously unconfirmed information, but it came from Toei itself rather than some fan making up stuff.

He was talking about Gt.

[Hellspawn28]

On the topic of Super ending, how long into GTs run was it announced it was being cancelled? I heard it was supposed to be longer (like around 100?)

Well it's hard to say given it was on the other side of the world and the Internet in 1996-1997 didn't reach on the same global level that we have now until many years later. Not to mention most documents on those type of things are going to be hard to find. Given how GT was living off the hype of DBZ, I think Toei wanted GT to be as big and successful as DBZ. GT going to be longer made sense, but I think Toei likely change their plans given how the space Dragon Ball hunt arc and Bebi saga didn't seem to do that well.

[Big Black Sayian]

So does anybody know what caused Toei to finally end GT where it was? Did the Japanese fanbase not take to it and were sales/ratings down?

[Chuquita]

On the topic of Super ending, how long into GTs run was it announced it was being cancelled? I heard it was supposed to be longer (like around 100?)

I don't know about being cancelled, but GT had an almost one month break between the Baby's and Super 17's arcs. The only thing that aired that month was the Goku Jr. special in one week. There wasn't a break like that even during Z and GT itself, so something odd must have happened with the production at that point.

I never knew a break like that occurred. That's interesting and it makes me wonder what the larger story was behind the scenes.

[Araki]

I didn't have internet myself when GT was airing, but a close friend had it and we used to rent tapes of GT from a japanese store as they aired. What i remember was that, at least when the Shadow Dragons arc started airing, news of the show ending hadn't reach the web yet.
And i can say the online fanbase definitely wasn't expecting it to be so short.

[SaiyaSith]

So does anybody know what caused Toei to finally end GT where it was? Did the Japanese fanbase not take to it and were sales/ratings down?

I would love an answer from someone knowledgeable like the Kanzenshuu staff on this. I'd imagine it was a mix of both, but was there a big backlash and if so, when did it start? I'm guessing it would be the beginning with kid Goku, and because Toriyama wasn't writing it.

[Blade]

So does anybody know what caused Toei to finally end GT where it was? Did the Japanese fanbase not take to it and were sales/ratings down?

I would love an answer from someone knowledgeable like Kanzenshuu staff on this. I'd imagine it was a mix of both, but was there a big backlash and if so, when did it start? I'm guessing it would be the beginning with kid Goku, and because Toriyama wasn't writing it.

There has never been any official production statement made on the issue, nor will there (probably) ever be.

It is widely considered as true that the show's direction was altered due to a fairly tepid reception (and ratings) to the tone of the early episodes - but I think that the main problem we encounter with GT is that nobody has any real idea of what the original intended scope was.

It's hard to think of it in such terms, but GT wasn't as much a separate entity to Z as it seems in hindsight at the time of broadcast - it was, very simply, a continuation of the TV anime in every way, shape and form. There have been persistent rumours about the role of Bandai in pushing the show to keep the merchandise sales plugging along (Final Bout is often mentioned), but the truth is that we really don't know. Ostensibly, Toei could have ran and ran with GT if they had so wished - the ratings were never actually awful - they just didn't match with the standard consistently set by Z, and moreover, they actually picked up considerably towards the end.

Personally, I believe there is evidence enough to believe that Toei essentially came to accept that the franchise was tired and that to persevere with it was to only prospect a ride on a downward curve. The Dragonball anime had been in constant production for a very long time, the Manga had ended, and it was simply time for the company to look forward, not backwards. Plans were afoot for new ventures, such as the ultimately unsuccessful adaptation of YuGiOh, and the wildly successful adaptation of One Piece - which continues to this day. GT's demise was a natural thing - and Toei's reluctance to dive back into reviving the franchise during the years that followed (in spite of the world-wide Dragonball boom) is proof positive that the people running Toei considered it to be a legacy product, as opposed to a longitudinal concern.

[Hellspawn28]

Knowing Toei, I would imagine that they would keep GT running as much as they could given how popular DBZ was. If GT had a long run like DBZ did, GT probably have ended in 2003 or 2004. I guess no one would know for sure if someone ask the staff that work on GT at the time. However they are probably busy people and would never answer questions to fans outside of Japan.

[JulieYBM]

The actual successor to Dragon Ball GT was Yama'uchi Shigeyasu's Dr. Slump. Yama'uchi was a major director for the Dragon Ball franchise up to that point and given the last four series to occupy the 7PM Wednesday timeslot were Toriyama adaptions it makes sense that Toei Animation would continue with another Toriyama series. I think we can definitely blame Producer Morishita Kouzou for essentially spinning the wheels. Even now, having become the Chairman of Toei Animation, he still spins the wheels with mostly aimless and unplanned Toriyama series. That might work in comics, where a single man is doing most of the work, but not in animation.

[Neon Z]

It's hard to think of it in such terms, but GT wasn't as much a separate entity to Z as it seems in hindsight at the time of broadcast - it was, very simply, a continuation of the TV anime in every way, shape and form. There have been persistent rumours about the role of Bandai in pushing the show to keep the merchandise sales plugging along (Final Bout is often mentioned), but the truth is that we really don't know. Ostensibly, Toei could have ran and ran with GT if they had so wished - the ratings were never actually awful - they just didn't match with the standard consistently set by Z, and moreover, they actually picked up considerably towards the end.

I don't know about the very end, but GT's highest rated episode is seemingly episode 2, which is also much higher than the series average (19.7% for episode 2 vs 14% for GT's average). So, it does seem like it had a big drop right in the beginning coming from Z.

[Araki]

Ostensibly, Toei could have ran and ran with GT if they had so wished - the ratings were never actually awful - they just didn't match with the standard consistently set by Z, and moreover, they actually picked up considerably towards the end.

They were not exactly awful, but still pretty bad, since Z was one of the most watched animes, often the #1, and GT could rarely even make the top 10 even starting the following week. We can only assume it failed to meet the expectations right away.

But it's hard to discuss ratings from 20 years ago objectively, Rurouni Kenshin had ratings that don't seem bad at all in retrospect, but were terrible enough to kill the anime.

[Big Black Sayian]

It's hard to think of it in such terms, but GT wasn't as much a separate entity to Z as it seems in hindsight at the time of broadcast - it was, very simply, a continuation of the TV anime in every way, shape and form. There have been persistent rumours about the role of Bandai in pushing the show to keep the merchandise sales plugging along (Final Bout is often mentioned), but the truth is that we really don't know. Ostensibly, Toei could have ran and ran with GT if they had so wished - the ratings were never actually awful - they just didn't match with the standard consistently set by Z, and moreover, they actually picked up considerably towards the end.

I don't know about the very end, but GT's highest rated episode is seemingly episode 2, which is also much higher than the series average (19.7% for episode 2 vs 14% for GT's average). So, it does seem like it had a big drop right in the beginning coming from Z.

Interesting. Maybe folks back then weren't into Goku being a kid again.

[precita]

I doubt Super will only be 72 episodes. That would imply the next arc with Trunks/Black Goku and then the next tournament would be the end of the series. If episode 47 is the start of the new arc than it would be less than 20 episodes.

[Chuquita]

Gokû had been an adult since 89. I'm sure some kids who saw GT's first run may have not been old enough to remember kid Gokû and because of that not have the nostalgia for him that Toei thought there'd be.


I'm so anxious for the episode 46 tease in Weekly Jump tomorrow. It's that rare occurrence where we don't have a summary or staff listing ahead of time. (Though I will be surprised if that's not Fukushima writing 46. Vegeta in awkward situations screams him.)

[Kagari]

Gokû had been an adult since 89. I'm sure some kids who saw GT's first run may have not been old enough to remember kid Gokû and because of that not have the nostalgia for him that Toei thought there'd be.


I'm so anxious for the episode 46 tease in Weekly Jump tomorrow. It's that rare occurrence where we don't have a summary or staff listing ahead of time. (Though I will be surprised if that's not Fukushima writing 46. Vegeta in awkward situations screams him.)

Seems it's already out. Doesn't say much we don't already know.

[Chuquita]

Many thanks! Read what I could and there doesn't seem to be much new info in there, but I could've missed something. Will wait for someone with stronger translation skills. All I really caught was "Vegeta's still in danger, Trunks fights the weakened superhuman water that used to be copy Gryll."

[Sonicjamareiz]

Many thanks! Read what I could and there doesn't seem to be much new info in there, but I could've missed something. Will wait for someone with stronger translation skills. All I really caught was "Vegeta's still in danger, Trunks fights the weakened superhuman water that used to be copy Gryll."

Good to see Goten and Trunks aren't completely shoved into the sidelines Trunks should easily lay waste to Copy-Gryll. Also when are the next episode titles suppose leak?

[TheDevilsCorpse]

The only thing exciting about that blurb is that it means that everything moving forward will be Future Trunks Arc content.

There's a lot of things I'm curious about, but at this point, all I want is Goku Black's design. I'm so tired of all the "controversy" and shit surrounding it already based on practically nothing.

[alakazam^]

Many thanks! Read what I could and there doesn't seem to be much new info in there, but I could've missed something. Will wait for someone with stronger translation skills. All I really caught was "Vegeta's still in danger, Trunks fights the weakened superhuman water that used to be copy Gryll."

Trunks wants to defeat the Choujinsui's core (presumably it's that crystal copy-gryll had in his chest and the reason he could boss copy-Vegeta around) to try and weaken copy-Vegeta.