"Dragon Ball Super (Manga)" Official Discussion Thread

[Cipher]

DBS has consistently gotten features in the magazine and been featured in previews during its hiatus. If it were a cancellation, it wouldn’t keep getting space like that. Said features have even contained new illustrations from Toyotaro.

The hiatus is probably for one of, or a combination of, exactly what you’d expect/what’s been stated: a break for Toyotaro (after 19 volumes’ worth of consecutive content mostly at 40+ pages per month) and planning for the following storyline/related synergy with multimedia Super.

(Although Chapter 87 would be a pretty hilarious ending for the series.)

[LoganForkHands73]

When you look at Dragon Ball on a corporate level, I'm a bit fearful that Toei has become aware that Dragon Ball no longer needs a manga or an anime to make money from Dragon Ball.

Has there been ANY CREDIBILE leaks about the manga or even the anime as of recent? Dragon Ball has become Toei's true cash cow and it doesn't have an anime or manga. Is it ever going to come back in those forms? All I have seen is gaming and toys. Which is even more startling because I remember as a kid it was SO HARD to find Dragon Ball games and toys. The franchise has grown far beyond what I think people assume.

Indeed, that's also a cause for concern, but I'd like to hope that Toei aren't so overconfident that they think they can abandon storytelling mediums entirely. Most of the hype and speculation is generated by the new storylines after all. Even Dragon Ball Heroes (the arcade game itself and the manga more than the promo anime) maintains an ongoing storyline which... well, isn't that good, but it's something for people to latch onto.

There are contradictions everywhere. On the one hand, it often feels like if a series doesn't maintain regular output, it fades from pop culture consciousness alarmingly quickly. But on the other hand, decade-old shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad have gotten vastly more viewers since they ended than they ever did while they were airing. What those shows have in common with Dragon Ball is great word-of-mouth appraisal and widespread popularity that never seems to fade.

As for leaks, it is weird that I'm seeing hardly any credible ones. Aside from that Janemba one, of course.

DBS has consistently gotten features in the magazine and been featured in previews during its hiatus. If it were a cancellation, it wouldn’t keep getting space like that. Said features have even contained new illustrations from Toyotaro.

The hiatus is probably for one of, or a combination of, exactly what you’d expect/what’s been stated: a break for Toyotaro (after 19 volumes’ worth of consecutive content mostly at 40+ pages per month) and planning for the following storyline/related synergy with multimedia Super.

(Although Chapter 87 would be a pretty hilarious ending for the series.)

That's a bit reassuring, I suppose, but have there been any more specific updates as to what they're planning?

Alright alright, I should really give a more concrete example for why I'm so stubbornly skeptical about this one issue. The main case study where "indefinite hiatus" became really indefinite was the original Doctor Who run that ended in 1989. The BBC sneakily shuffled it off the TV schedule amid declining ratings and several shorter hiatuses but never explicitly cancelled it. They sliced the budget into more pieces than Mecha Freeza, laid people off left and right, and started producing seasons more sporadically, so that when the show was finally axed for real, people naturally assumed they were taking another short break. The BBC kept feeding fan magazines the same line that it was just on another hiatus to figure out the next arc for several years before fans cottoned on that it really wasn't coming back.

The higher-ups at Toei seem to be very lukewarm to the continued existence of the Super manga. I get the impression that it is seen as the red-headed stepchild of the overall franchise, kept in its own little corner with limited sphere of influence. There's that infamous promo interview for Super Hero where the speaker seems sheepish to even acknowledge the manga when questioned and gives a very noncommittal answer regarding where the movie and manga fit together in the timeline. As we all know, the manga generally doesn't get very much promotion at all. No merch, barely any acknowledgement, the Future Trunks DLC story pack for Kakarot being one of the only exceptions.

So while I do have higher expectations that Super will come back with Toyotaro hopefully in high spirits after a well-earned break, I have a suspicion that there will be further hiatuses in the future and the next one won't be a short vaycay.

[Skar]

The higher-ups at Toei seem to be very lukewarm to the continued existence of the Super manga. I get the impression that it is seen as the red-headed stepchild of the overall franchise, kept in its own little corner with limited sphere of influence. There's that infamous promo interview for Super Hero where the speaker seems sheepish to even acknowledge the manga when questioned and gives a very noncommittal answer regarding where the movie and manga fit together in the timeline. As we all know, the manga generally doesn't get very much promotion at all. No merch, barely any acknowledgement, the Future Trunks DLC story pack for Kakarot being one of the only exceptions.

I'm not sure if Toei has much say in the manga. Based on comments I've seen on here, Toei only has the license for the anime so everything still has to be approved by Shuiesha and Toriyama. That's why the "Dragon Room" was created by Shuiesha and not Toei. If anything was changing in the manga, I think it would have to Shuiesha and Toriyama's decision. It's hard to tell which "leaks" are accurate but I remember one of those guys claimed Toei wanted to continue the anime and Shuiesha had them wait for the manga to have more material.

[JulieYBM]

When you look at Dragon Ball on a corporate level, I'm a bit fearful that Toei has become aware that Dragon Ball no longer needs a manga or an anime to make money from Dragon Ball.

Has there been ANY CREDIBILE leaks about the manga or even the anime as of recent? Dragon Ball has become Toei's true cash cow and it doesn't have an anime or manga. Is it ever going to come back in those forms? All I have seen is gaming and toys. Which is even more startling because I remember as a kid it was SO HARD to find Dragon Ball games and toys. The franchise has grown far beyond what I think people assume.

Indeed, that's also a cause for concern, but I'd like to hope that Toei aren't so overconfident that they think they can abandon storytelling mediums entirely. Most of the hype and speculation is generated by the new storylines after all. Even Dragon Ball Heroes (the arcade game itself and the manga more than the promo anime) maintains an ongoing storyline which... well, isn't that good, but it's something for people to latch onto.

There are contradictions everywhere. On the one hand, it often feels like if a series doesn't maintain regular output, it fades from pop culture consciousness alarmingly quickly. But on the other hand, decade-old shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad have gotten vastly more viewers since they ended than they ever did while they were airing. What those shows have in common with Dragon Ball is great word-of-mouth appraisal and widespread popularity that never seems to fade.

As for leaks, it is weird that I'm seeing hardly any credible ones. Aside from that Janemba one, of course.

DBS has consistently gotten features in the magazine and been featured in previews during its hiatus. If it were a cancellation, it wouldn’t keep getting space like that. Said features have even contained new illustrations from Toyotaro.

The hiatus is probably for one of, or a combination of, exactly what you’d expect/what’s been stated: a break for Toyotaro (after 19 volumes’ worth of consecutive content mostly at 40+ pages per month) and planning for the following storyline/related synergy with multimedia Super.

(Although Chapter 87 would be a pretty hilarious ending for the series.)

That's a bit reassuring, I suppose, but have there been any more specific updates as to what they're planning?

Alright alright, I should really give a more concrete example for why I'm so stubbornly skeptical about this one issue. The main case study where "indefinite hiatus" became really indefinite was the original Doctor Who run that ended in 1989. The BBC sneakily shuffled it off the TV schedule amid declining ratings and several shorter hiatuses but never explicitly cancelled it. They sliced the budget into more pieces than Mecha Freeza, laid people off left and right, and started producing seasons more sporadically, so that when the show was finally axed for real, people naturally assumed they were taking another short break. The BBC kept feeding fan magazines the same line that it was just on another hiatus to figure out the next arc for several years before fans cottoned on that it really wasn't coming back.

The higher-ups at Toei seem to be very lukewarm to the continued existence of the Super manga. I get the impression that it is seen as the red-headed stepchild of the overall franchise, kept in its own little corner with limited sphere of influence. There's that infamous promo interview for Super Hero where the speaker seems sheepish to even acknowledge the manga when questioned and gives a very noncommittal answer regarding where the movie and manga fit together in the timeline. As we all know, the manga generally doesn't get very much promotion at all. No merch, barely any acknowledgement, the Future Trunks DLC story pack for Kakarot being one of the only exceptions.

So while I do have higher expectations that Super will come back with Toyotaro hopefully in high spirits after a well-earned break, I have a suspicion that there will be further hiatuses in the future and the next one won't be a short vaycay.

Dragon Ball wouldn't get the Doctor Who treatment because Dragon Ball isn't controlled by a TV network owned by a guy that hates Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball is a multi-partner production committee that requires those partners to work together and decide when is best for the series to get a new weekly series. Toei Animation has been busy for the last few years, of course they haven't produced a new series.

People are making a bigger issue out of this wait for another series than they should be. Go indulge in other hobbies and don't think about Dragon Ball for a while. We wouldn't get any announcements before JUMP Festa anyway.

[LoganForkHands73]

I'm not sure if Toei has much say in the manga. Based on comments I've seen on here, Toei only has the license for the anime so everything still has to be approved by Shuiesha and Toriyama. That's why the "Dragon Room" was created by Shuiesha and not Toei. If anything was changing in the manga, I think it would have to Shuiesha and Toriyama's decision. It's hard to tell which "leaks" are accurate but I remember one of those guys claimed Toei wanted to continue the anime and Shuiesha had them wait for the manga to have more material.

That's true, Shueisha call more of the shots, but I think that's precisely why Toei and Bandai Namco don't care much for it compared to everyone else involved in the Dragon Room. The storyline of the manga has grown in unpredictable ways that they have no control over anymore, in some places actively contradicting their own interpretation. I shouldn't have just mentioned Toei because that naturally implies that they alone have the authority to influence a manga in an unrelated magazine, but I'd already ninja-edited the post too many times at that point, lol.

Dragon Ball wouldn't get the Doctor Who treatment because Dragon Ball isn't controlled by a TV network owned by a guy that hates Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball is a multi-partner production committee that requires those partners to work together and decide when is best for the series to get a new weekly series. Toei Animation has been busy for the last few years, of course they haven't produced a new series.

People are making a bigger issue out of this wait for another series than they should be. Go indulge in other hobbies and don't think about Dragon Ball for a while. We wouldn't get any announcements before JUMP Festa anyway.

I know Toei have been busy, but the developments with the anime continuation weren't at all the focus of my previous posts. Also, DBS hasn't been living rent-free in my head or anything. Quite the opposite, really. After the first month of it being gone, I'd pretty much forgot about it and shifted my focus elsewhere. Life moves on.

Then I popped back here and suddenly realised, oh shit, it's been like three months with no chapter, wonder what that's all about eh. I didn't think I was making a big deal of anything, I came to discuss my thoughts as anyone else would. Now here we are, with me probably looking more and more like, uh...

So imma peace out right here.

[JulieYBM]

I know Toei have been busy, but the developments with the anime continuation weren't at all the focus of my previous posts. Also, DBS hasn't been living rent-free in my head or anything. Quite the opposite, really. After the first month of it being gone, I'd pretty much forgot about it and shifted my focus elsewhere. Life moves on.

Then I popped back here and suddenly realised, oh shit, it's been like three months with no chapter, wonder what that's all about eh. I didn't think I was making a big deal of anything, I came to discuss my thoughts as anyone else would. Now here we are, with me probably looking more and more like, uh...

So imma peace out right here.

That's the thing, though, if they were going to take a multi-month break this late in the year then it makes since that they wouldn't bring back the comic until some sort of announcement was made in December.

That or Toriyama simply hadn't come up with a plan for another story yet and the production committee being it's usual unadventurous self decided not to move forward with ideas that Toriyama himself wouldn't come up with.

I wasn't necessarily meaning to direct that specifically to you alone, simply that it's a general mood I've seen around a lot lately and this was just a springboard to get out a more generalized "Hey, come on folks" message.

[ClutchBangstrip]

All I'm doing is pointing out that Dragon Ball is no longer a manga or even an anime. It's a global franchise, so its original mediums may no longer be of the highest priority.

Acting like it's still just a popular manga and anime, may prove to be erroneous. It doesn't behave that way, anymore.

[MCDaveG]

All I'm doing is pointing out that Dragon Ball is no longer a manga or even an anime. It's a global franchise, so its original mediums may no longer be of the highest priority.

Acting like it's still just a popular manga and anime, may prove to be erroneous. It doesn't behave that way, anymore.

I agree.
Not only that, but to add to your post towards others, companies usually work completely different than fans would imagine or want to.
It's not like they are bleeding money over not having the series on TV anymore, quite the opposite actually plus hiatuses are normal to take breaks, people-wise and to head into pre-production phase and spend some time thinking, what and how to do the next thing.

If the manga was ending, we would probably get some info on that already.
So let's wait for an announcement, what the next arc will be.
The wildest thing that can happen is putting Toyotaro on different project and taking someone else to draw the manga instead, but I think that is highly unlikely.

[Hero]

DBS has consistently gotten features in the magazine and been featured in previews during its hiatus. If it were a cancellation, it wouldn’t keep getting space like that. Said features have even contained new illustrations from Toyotaro.

The hiatus is probably for one of, or a combination of, exactly what you’d expect/what’s been stated: a break for Toyotaro (after 19 volumes’ worth of consecutive content mostly at 40+ pages per month) and planning for the following storyline/related synergy with multimedia Super.

(Although Chapter 87 would be a pretty hilarious ending for the series.)

It'd be an awesome cliffhanger for Super, and a great launching point for a new series that starts after the EoZ. I mean, the EoZ already seems hard to mesh with Super, so I wouldn't be surprised if they retcon it altogether.

However, a hiatus is the most obvious answer haha.

[JulieYBM]

Honestly, if they just announced at JUMP Festa that Super was over and a new series was starting I would laugh my ass off so hard. As it stands Dragon Ball Super will be lasting eight years if it reaches 2023, whereas Dragon Ball Z only lasted seven years.

[Skar]

That's true, Shueisha call more of the shots, but I think that's precisely why Toei and Bandai Namco don't care much for it compared to everyone else involved in the Dragon Room. The storyline of the manga has grown in unpredictable ways that they have no control over anymore, in some places actively contradicting their own interpretation. I shouldn't have just mentioned Toei because that naturally implies that they alone have the authority to influence a manga in an unrelated magazine, but I'd already ninja-edited the post too many times at that point, lol.

Ah ok. It could similar to what happened before Kai that Toei and Bandai wanted a new anime to help gaming and merchandise sales but Toriyama refused at the time. I'm not too worried about the manga since it might only be slowing down as they get closer to EoZ. There's still that mystery yellow line in the manga's spineart which many assume is Uub riding the Kintoun.

By the way what's the proper spelling used on Kanzenshuu for the cloud? Kintoun or Kinto'un? I still call it Nimbus sometimes because I grew up with the Funimation dub and hard to forget them.

[batistabus]

One thing about manga in general: it's much more likely that a manga would end abruptly during serialization (with an author's comment) than go on hiatus (with stated intention to return) and fade away. A prominent example of the latter might be Hunter X Hunter, but that circumstance was due to the author's health complications, and it has recently returned to serialization.

[Dragmobot12]

I am very skeptical when it comes to 4chan and its fake stuff, but this one caught me off guard, could someone please confirm it if possible?
The art seems new, and the synopsis is pretty amusing.

[batistabus]

"The Super Dragon Balls have been stolen."

From who? They belong to nobody...anyone who is capable of collecting them is free to.

"Cult of Zalama"

Seems like baiting a fan-anticipated concept.

Art vaguely resembles Toyotaro's style but it's low res, generic, and basic.

It's presented as a V-Jump page but it's too early for that to leak.

I can't read Japanese, but I'm sure there are issues with the text.

That's all I got.

[Miracles]

Stopped at cult of Zalama.

[MCDaveG]

That sounds more like something from Star Wars... plus the jump into alternate universe.
This is some hard fan wishing that even Super Dragon Balls do not posses such power, to make it true.

Also, if being a part of the creative team, while some high stakes like that on universal and godly scale sound tempting,
as much as the power scale and the ranks of god beings are rising up, it is harder to come up with other stories in the future.
They already set the flood out with TOP, alternate universes, Gods Of Destruction and allmighty Zeno overlooking everything,
so while Granola was a bit underwhelming, I completely understand the focus on smaller and more personal stories.

But speculation aside, I will still wait for some true news

And there is the elephant in the room, Black Freeza. Wonder how that goes or if this is a spin on classic DB rivalry.
The only rival, who was at one point a part of the team, but has clearly different friendship values.
Hence they will cross their paths in the future casually, having some bouts and that's it.
I call it the Dr. Claw formula, where you know the hero, you know the villain, but all the show is about fighting his henchmen in endless war and having the small victories, but never win the war.

[Dragmobot12]

"The Super Dragon Balls have been stolen."

From who? They belong to nobody...anyone who is capable of collecting them is free to.

"Cult of Zalama"

Seems like baiting a fan-anticipated concept.

Art vaguely resembles Toyotaro's style but it's low res, generic, and basic.

It's presented as a V-Jump page but it's too early for that to leak.

I can't read Japanese, but I'm sure there are issues with the text.

That's all I got.

Nevertheless, it looks pretty convincing, but I couldn't do a reverse search.


But anyway, even if it is a fake, aren't the Super Dragon Balls under God's surveillance?

[Cipher]

The image uses a date format that’s basically never version used in Japan, especially in magazine teasers, and writes out “Begins!!!” in phonetic katakana, which is also basically never done. Also the text placement and formatting is fake as heck, it doesn’t have phonetic furigana text over the kanji, which V-Jump does religiously, and it uses an improbable, overly legalistic word for “heir,” instead of 後継者 or an equivalent.

It’s fake.

[Dragmobot12]

The image uses a date format that’s basically never version used in Japan, especially in magazine teasers, and writes out “Begins!!!” in phonetic katakana, which is also basically never done. Also the text placement and formatting is fake as heck, it doesn’t have phonetic furigana text over the kanji, which V-Jump does religiously, and it uses an improbable, overly legalistic word for “heir,” instead of 後継者 or an equivalent.

It’s fake.

Thanks for the clarification, hell, they almost caught me.
It's easy to trick anyone in the community who doesn't know japanese.

[LoganForkHands73]

Zamasu already stole the Super Dragon Balls in several timelines and nobody noticed.

I have every expectation that if Zalama does eventually appear, he will be either a comically unintimidating imp with godlike wish-granting power, or he really will be some ultimate badass -- no middle ground. Red or black.