"Dragon Ball Super" Series Official Announcement & Discussion Thread

[IntangibleFancy]

it's not impossible.
But wouldn't it make more sense head if fe head of DB Room Akio Iyoku would do that (or the new director of the project), if Nagamine himself is no longer busy with Super?

He's the one that told the world about the new movie in the first place. I can't believe I forgot all about him...Is he going to be appearing too?

I don't know. That guy can be unpredictable.
At JF 2017 he appeared out of nowhere on a Heroes or games stand to announce a new movie (Broly) was in the works.

Well if he doesn't appear then Nagamine is the only chance we have for another tiny drop of info assuming they keep animators from different shows in-the-know.

This is pretty sad.... I can't tell if our situation is better or worse than the last two years.

[Mister_Popo]

He's the one that told the world about the new movie in the first place. I can't believe I forgot all about him...Is he going to be appearing too?

I don't know. That guy can be unpredictable.
At JF 2017 he appeared out of nowhere on a Heroes or games stand to announce a new movie (Broly) was in the works.

Well if he doesn't appear then Nagamine is the only chance we have for another tiny drop of info assuming they keep animators from different shows in-the-know.

This is pretty sad.... I can't tell if our situation is better or worse than the last two years.

What i presume is that 2 years ago a new anime was effectively planned (there were too many rumours to suppose nothing was going on), but because the franchise concluded it kept making enough money without anime, at the last moment they changed their plans of investment.

Nagamine became the director of One Piece in May 2019, just around the time Supers return was predicted.
That man should normally have become the director of the new Super-series.

Something could always be announced at JF, but i certainly would not count on it.
And just remember, the fact the interview with Nagamine is there and the special about Goku's battles ...
It's TOEIs topselling franchise, even when they don't have anything planned or more concrete to offer for the time being, they can't affort to give it any attention at the worlds biggest (online) manga event.

[SupremeKai25]

I don't know. That guy can be unpredictable.
At JF 2017 he appeared out of nowhere on a Heroes or games stand to announce a new movie (Broly) was in the works.

Well if he doesn't appear then Nagamine is the only chance we have for another tiny drop of info assuming they keep animators from different shows in-the-know.

This is pretty sad.... I can't tell if our situation is better or worse than the last two years.

What i presume is that 2 years ago a new anime was effectively planned (there were too many rumours to suppose nothing was going on), but because the franchise concluded it kept making enough money without anime, at the last moment they changed their plans of investment.

Nagamine became the director of One Piece in May 2019, just around the time Supers return was predicted.
That man should normally have become the director of the new Super-series.

Something could always be announced at JF, but i certainly would not count on it.

They 100% had something planned, because the ToP arc literally ended with these words:



A "B R I E F" parting. It's pretty obvious what the writers were saying here. Maybe they had a new series planned for 2020-21 but Covid ruined their plans or something...

[DBZ_Lee]

Super will be repeated on Fuji TV's Satellite channel "BS Fuji TV". I think the "BS" is very ironic. So, unlike Fuji TV, which is a basic channel which everyone has in Japan, you need a satellite subscription to be able to watch the repeats. I've no idea if it'll be airing 5 nights a week, or one.

[IntangibleFancy]

Super will be repeated on Fuji TV's Satellite channel "BS Fuji TV". I think the "BS" is very ironic. So, unlike Fuji TV, which is a basic channel which everyone has in Japan, you need a satellite subscription to be able to watch the repeats. I've no idea if it'll be airing 5 nights a week, or one.

Is that a good sign?

[Alruneia]

Super will be repeated on Fuji TV's Satellite channel "BS Fuji TV". I think the "BS" is very ironic. So, unlike Fuji TV, which is a basic channel which everyone has in Japan, you need a satellite subscription to be able to watch the repeats. I've no idea if it'll be airing 5 nights a week, or one.

Is that a good sign?

I remember talking about something like this before:

It appears that Super is returning at last!
...As in, there'll be a re-run on Adult Swim. I'm mainly posting this here so that no one gets fooled by misinformed hype.
Though on a serious note, if broadcasters are deciding to start doing re-runs, then that could mean they're not expecting any new Super episodes to arrive for a long time, since I doubt they'd want the dub to be over a year behind the sub again.

It's not the exact same situation, since this is on a different channel, so it wouldn't occupy the spot new releases would be in. However, the idea of being comfortable enough to do a re-run, not worrying about lagging behind as new episodes are made, should still apply to at least some degree.
It does depend on the re-run's release schedule, though. If it's daily, that has different implications than if it's weekly.
Hey, if it's one episode per week, maybe they'll transition over to a new Episode 132 after the re-run of Episode 131, like how Kai transitioned into Super. July 2023, here we come!

[Matches Malone]

Super will be repeated on Fuji TV's Satellite channel "BS Fuji TV". I think the "BS" is very ironic. So, unlike Fuji TV, which is a basic channel which everyone has in Japan, you need a satellite subscription to be able to watch the repeats. I've no idea if it'll be airing 5 nights a week, or one.

Is that a good sign?

It's just a rerun, no different from the countless reruns any other show gets once it's over.

A "B R I E F" parting. It's pretty obvious what the writers were saying here. Maybe they had a new series planned for 2020-21 but Covid ruined their plans or something...

Toei has been putting out multiple shows (world trigger just got a 3rd season announcement at jump festa), so I don't think it was Covid. I do agree that there was a plan to continue the show (as multiple reliable people said there was), or even a new movie every 2-3 years (we got confirmation that a new one was green lit). However, I think the unexpected financial success the franchise has been receiving since 2018 has resulted in the suits coming to the conclusion that DB doesn't need anything animated to remain profitable, and that those budgets would be better off spent on other franchises that do need said anime adaptions. As painful as this is to say, I think animated DB content will remain exclusive to Heroes until further notice.

Since you have the exact numbers and apparently the foresight could you provide an explanation of the drop in numbers, based on facts, not opinions?

The average anime episode costs around $165,000, meaning that Toei spent roughly $660,000 per month on Super. Of course those costs can go up if you have really talented people working on them. These are the franchise's profits over the years:

2021 (expectations): ¥109 billion.
2020: ¥134.9 billion
2019: ¥129 billion
2018: ¥97.9 billion
2017: ¥61.1 billion
2016: ¥34.9 billion

Not only are the companies spending significantly less on animated material (an episode of heroes costs significantly less than an average Super episode, as well as only releasing one a month compared to Super's four a month.), they're making significantly more than they were when Super was airing. Even with things going down in 2021, they're still better than what they were during Super's run. Even if things somehow get below what they were during Super's run, it will still be good due to the lack of productions costs. No matter how you look at it, No major DB animated material is a win-win for everyone involved at the corporate level.

That of course doesn't mean we'll never get another show or movie, as I think a new movie is only a matter of time due to Broly's massive success, but if the plan was to release a movie every 2-3 years, I think that's now been changed to every 4-5 years. The franchise is simply too successful for its own good.

[omaro34]

Reairing old Super episodes? Anyone can watch that on crunchyroll and other sites, this is stupid.

What a disappointment, but not surprised. The staff that worked on Super are preoccupied with other shows unfortunately.

[Matches Malone]

Reairing old Super episodes? Anyone can watch that on crunchyroll and other sites, this is stupid.

DB's other shows have been getting reruns for years in Japan, so this isn't surprising.

[Jord]

Well if he doesn't appear then Nagamine is the only chance we have for another tiny drop of info assuming they keep animators from different shows in-the-know.

This is pretty sad.... I can't tell if our situation is better or worse than the last two years.

What i presume is that 2 years ago a new anime was effectively planned (there were too many rumours to suppose nothing was going on), but because the franchise concluded it kept making enough money without anime, at the last moment they changed their plans of investment.

Nagamine became the director of One Piece in May 2019, just around the time Supers return was predicted.
That man should normally have become the director of the new Super-series.

Something could always be announced at JF, but i certainly would not count on it.

They 100% had something planned, because the ToP arc literally ended with these words:


A "B R I E F" parting. It's pretty obvious what the writers were saying here. Maybe they had a new series planned for 2020-21 but Covid ruined their plans or something...

There was a brief parting but perhaps you've interpreted it different.

Dragon Ball Super's run
Original run July 5, 2015 – March 25, 2018

Super Dragon Ball Heroes
July 1, 2018 – present

There was a brief parting with the characters of the Dragon Ball world lasting about 3 months before they would appear again in the next anime, Super Dragon Ball Heroes.

Since you have the exact numbers and apparently the foresight could you provide an explanation of the drop in numbers, based on facts, not opinions?

The average anime episode costs around $165,000, meaning that Toei spent roughly $660,000 per month on Super. Of course those costs can go up if you have really talented people working on them. These are the franchise's profits over the years:

2021 (expectations): ¥109 billion.
2020: ¥134.9 billion
2019: ¥129 billion
2018: ¥97.9 billion
2017: ¥61.1 billion
2016: ¥34.9 billion

Not only are the companies spending significantly less on animated material (an episode of heroes costs significantly less than an average Super episode, as well as only releasing one a month compared to Super's four a month.), they're making significantly more than they were when Super was airing. Even with things going down in 2021, they're still better than what they were during Super's run. Even if things somehow get below what they were during Super's run, it will still be good due to the lack of productions costs. No matter how you look at it, No major DB animated material is a win-win for everyone involved at the corporate level.

That of course doesn't mean we'll never get another show or movie, as I think a new movie is only a matter of time due to Broly's massive success, but if the plan was to release a movie every 2-3 years, I think that's now been changed to every 4-5 years. The franchise is simply too successful for its own good.

Those numbers are super interesting. Thanks for the detailed explanation!
It's amazing how the numbers soared after Super's cancellation. I can see how Broly did a lot to bring the numbers up but that was 2018-2019. Do you have an idea why the numbers kept going up? Perhaps the video games or Heroes?

[Matches Malone]

There was a brief parting with the characters of the Dragon Ball world lasting about 3 months before they would appear again in the next anime, Super Dragon Ball Heroes.

This is a good point that I never thought of, as chances are they knew Heroes would be a thing when they ended Super. If I'm not mistaking, I think heroes follows directly after the events of Super, so technically speaking, Heroes is a "sequel" to Super. Heroes, like it or hate it, is doing what the companies want, sell cards and toys. Why bother investing in a big budget show or movies when a low budget, 10 minute per month show will bring in the same results ? Fans need to realize that the days of DB being made to sell a story ended back in 1997, the main purpose of the franchise now is to sell merchandise, be it cards, games, toys, dlc, etc... and Heroes is doing an A+ job at that.

Do you have an idea why the numbers kept going up? Perhaps the video games or Heroes?

This is just an educated guess, but considering Heroes has been front and Center for 2.5 years now, I assume it's the main reason the franchise is doing so well. Back in 2008 when Bandai wanted a new show, it was for the purpose of introducing new characters to sell, but now they don't have to rely on a show, they can introduce everyone in the games themselves.

This is why I'm not so sure about Super's return, because the needs of having a decent-high budgeted anime can be fulfilled elsewhere for cheaper. Super was made to help Heroes, but now Heroes is big enough to sustain itself.

[SupremeKai25]

Dragon Ball Super's run
Original run July 5, 2015 – March 25, 2018

Super Dragon Ball Heroes
July 1, 2018 – present

There was a brief parting with the characters of the Dragon Ball world lasting about 3 months before they would appear again in the next anime, Super Dragon Ball Heroes.

Are you really comparing a fully-fledged anime to a promotional anime for a videogame with 10 minutes-long episodes? Come now

[Jord]

Dragon Ball Super's run
Original run July 5, 2015 – March 25, 2018

Super Dragon Ball Heroes
July 1, 2018 – present

There was a brief parting with the characters of the Dragon Ball world lasting about 3 months before they would appear again in the next anime, Super Dragon Ball Heroes.

Are you really comparing a fully-fledged anime to a promotional anime for a videogame with 10 minutes-long episodes? Come now

I'm not comparing the shows in length or quality but SDBH was the animated return of the characters from the Dragon Ball World and it was a return after a brief break. Seeing as how the indeed promotional anime was now run for 2,5 years, it's quite successful as well. As shown in Matches Malone's posts, during the time when Heroes ran as an anime it made the franchise more money than Super.

There was a brief parting with the characters of the Dragon Ball world lasting about 3 months before they would appear again in the next anime, Super Dragon Ball Heroes.

This is a good point that I never thought of, as chances are they knew Heroes would be a thing when they ended Super. If I'm not mistaking, I think heroes follows directly after the events of Super, so technically speaking, Heroes is a "sequel" to Super. Heroes, like it or hate it, is doing what the companies want, sell cards and toys. Why bother investing in a big budget show or movies when a low budget, 10 minute per month show will bring in the same results ? Fans need to realize that the days of DB being made to sell a story ended back in 1997, the main purpose of the franchise now is to sell merchandise, be it cards, games, toys, dlc, etc... and Heroes is doing an A+ job at that.

Do you have an idea why the numbers kept going up? Perhaps the video games or Heroes?

This is just an educated guess, but considering Heroes has been front and Center for 2.5 years now, I assume it's the main reason the franchise is doing so well. Back in 2008 when Bandai wanted a new show, it was for the purpose of introducing new characters to sell, but now they don't have to rely on a show, they can introduce everyone in the games themselves.

This is why I'm not so sure about Super's return, because the needs of having a decent-high budgeted anime can be fulfilled elsewhere for cheaper. Super was made to help Heroes, but now Heroes is big enough to sustain itself.

Well, like it or hate it, Super Dragon Ball Heroes, is a crazy random show and it does introduce a LOT of new characters and forms, so when it comes to introducing new merchandise they don't have to worry about things like power scaling or logic. I'm constantly surprised but what kind of crazy characters they come up with. I mean.... Super Baby Trunks?

[Grimlock]

Whar about Super Baby Trunks?

And why I keep seeing Heroes "doesn't have to worry about power scaling or logic" when that's present (or it's absent) in every piece of work in modern Dragon Ball? Or do you actually believe Dragon Ball Super is coherent?

[IntangibleFancy]

Did anything happen last night besides the rerun announcement?

[Matches Malone]

Did anything happen last night besides the rerun announcement?

Nope. At this point fans should forget about anything animated outside of Heroes' monthly 10 minute "episodes". I think the most we can hope for is Super's episodes releasing every 2 weeks instead of once a month.

[IntangibleFancy]

Did anything happen last night besides the rerun announcement?

Nope. At this point fans should forget about anything animated outside of Heroes' monthly 10 minute "episodes". I think the most we can hope for is Super's episodes releasing every 2 weeks instead of once a month.

Does that at least mean Bandai will give up and make some Moro content?

[Matches Malone]

Does that at least mean Bandai will give up and make some Moro content?

They didn't announce anything today at Jump Festa so if they do, it won't be for awhile. Bandai is very focused on their own characters being introduced in Heroes.

[sangofe]

Did anything happen last night besides the rerun announcement?

Nope. At this point fans should forget about anything animated outside of Heroes' monthly 10 minute "episodes". I think the most we can hope for is Super's episodes releasing every 2 weeks instead of once a month.

Does that at least mean Bandai will give up and make some Moro content?

Wait, what rerun announcement where? And isn't jump festa on the 21st?

[Matches Malone]

Wait, what rerun announcement where? And isn't jump festa on the 21st?

It started today. Super will be rerunning on Fuji's other channel following the conclusion of GT's reruns currently airing on that channel.