The Dragon Ball Rights Dispute: Shueisha, Capsule Corp Tokyo, and the Toriyama Estate

[shadd21]

Is it true that if Iyoku wins, all future animated projects won't be able to use or reference characters and concepts introduced in Super due to Shuesia retaining the rights to the manga?

[Vegard Aune]

One thing I'm curious about is, how long has this dispute been going on? Has it just been over the past year or two, or have things been brewing for a lot longer? Does this have something to do with the rumors of Super coming back (that I remember even Ajay thought were credible at the time) ultimately turning up nothing aside from a couple of movies and the manga being the only things keeping the Super brand "alive"?

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Does this have something to do with the rumors of Super coming back (that I remember even Ajay thought were credible at the time) ultimately turning up nothing aside from a couple of movies and the manga being the only things keeping the Super brand "alive"?

About that.... Ajay had a lot to say in the now locked thread about the possible continuation of Super.

But you may be on to something, as reading between the lines it seems that a lack of communication and coordination has been an issue for some time, not just for the different TOEI branches but also many international license holders too. And yes it seems evidence was pointing towards something Dragon Ball returning, even if, as you say the staff who knew they were working on something didn't know if it was the series or movie's.

Spoiler:

Ajay wrote:

- A European dubbing company (precise country redacted for privacy) were explicitly told by Toei that production on a new series is in the works.
- A meeting discussing a new series took place in Italy in April. They were told to prepare for an announcement in May.
- Two European VAs casually mentioned then redacted the existence of a new Super series.
- At no point were Funimation ever aware of a new series.
- Toei US denied the existence both publicly and privately to US staff.
- Toei US, Toei EU, and Toei JP are separate entities, and according to Brady Hartel from Discotek, these branches don't often communicate with one another synchronously.
- A dozen or so Toei Phils staff explicitly admitted the existence of a sequel Dragon Ball Super series. The sheer number of staff and precise details provided serve as the primary basis for the series' existence.
- Many of these staff repeatedly mentioned an air date of July and Fuji TV as the location of broadcast, though a few said that while they know of its existence, they're not sure when it'll launch.
- Their focus was always on Stampede, but depending on the Phils staff contacted, they were at different stages with regards to Super. Some had it on their calendars, while others had received production materials.
- Those with production materials specifically cited the designs being the same as the Broly movie, with many auxiliary characters falling back on Nakatsuru's DBZ designs.
- This information was procured over the course of several months, and they continued to say the same things right up until the predicted announcement. Following this, nobody seemed to know what was going on. However on July 31st 2019, after reaching out, a staff member said: "I don't know when the new series will release, but maybe next year. As far as I know, there's no Dragon Ball this year. We're making some Dragon Ball Heroes episodes, but nothing with the regular DBS series".
- Toei US stated privately that Toei Animation does not work with Toei Phils (Note: this is laughably incorrect. They work on every single episode of every single Toei show to this very day. (They even provided One Piece materials to me before an episode even aired). This absurd statement was one of the reasons why nobody really paid much attention to their denial.
- Following Super sequel claims, Masaki Sato tweeted "No way! All these questions... at this point it's industry talk and I shouldn't say more. Did something leak from somewhere? Overseas? Though I guess if it's already been revealed, it might be okay to discuss..." I DM'd him asking him to clarify if he was talking about Super, but all he said was that he'd return if he was offered an Animation Supervisor role.
- On March 20th, a Shueisha employee from the One Piece department mocked people claiming Super would return in July on their personal Twitter account. However, he was ignored as he has a history of making wild claims. His basis was that it would be too expensive to produce a movie and a new Super series within the same year... despite the fact that that's exactly what happened in 2015, and continues to happen every single year.
- On March 30th, Tu Yong-ce said he had never heard about any sort of follow-up series to Super. Tu works exclusively in the One Piece department.
- However a day later, another Toei animator (redacted for privacy) said: "I don't know anything about Dragon Ball Super's continuation, but I'm working on it "
- I was told Ryota Nakamura and Masato Mitsuka were on One Piece Stampede back on May 7th. However, Kazuya Karasawa's Twitter bio mentions "NEW WORK IN PREPARATION" for a (still!) unannounced project.
- I was told Yuya Takahashi was on One Piece Stampede back in January - he is serving as an animation supervisor.
- I was told Naoki Tate was on One Piece Stampede on May 31st.
- Animators on Stampede mentioned that the movie's schedule is very good, so claims that the movie's schedule affected Super, while not impossible, are probably misguided. That said...
- Toei have a well-documented history of postponing and/or changing projects and their formats. Some well-known examples: their anniversary project Pop in Q had its plans altered twice, Sailor Moon Crystal is in purgatory since they keep scrapping plans, a Hannah Montana anime pilot was created and then scrapped. They have a habit of putting things on the cards very early, so in a projects' infancy, things are subject to change.
- After consulting with "industry experts" from various publications like AnimeNewsNetwork and CrunchyRoll, the general consensus is that at some point, a Super series was likely set in stone for July, and then changed. Anything beyond that is far too unclear to determine based on the evidence.

I'm probably missing some stuff, but that's pretty much all the key bits of information. Bizarre situation. Whether this was all a big misunderstanding, a case of changed plans, or something else, hopefully one day we'll find out exactly what happened.

[Mister_Popo]

Is it true that if Iyoku wins, all future animated projects won't be able to use or reference characters and concepts introduced in Super due to Shuesia retaining the rights to the manga?

The intellectual rights and the rights to the characters are currently still owned by Shueisha. The rights to the anime belong to Capsule Corp and Iyoku. This is probably why we see characters from the movies appearing in the manga, but so far no exclusive manga material has been adapted into anime format.

This is essentially a money struggle. The DB franchise has never been more valuable. And whoever holds the rights gets the most money. As long as this dispute between the different rights holders is not resolved, I don’t think we’ll ever see an animated version of the manga-exclusive material (Moro, Granolah...).

It’s not unthinkable that this has been simmering for a long time, and that this dispute is the reason for the different continuities (anime vs. manga), making it all a bit of a mess. And the reason there are quality differences in the released material.

The worst/tragedic part of all this is that a sick Toriyama spent the last years of his life caught between these two fires, with parties already fighting over his legacy while he was still alive.

[JulieYBM]

The difference is down to crearive differences, not some legally imposed separate continuity issue. The mang and anime we always different between 2015-2018, and that continued into 2024.

[Mister_Popo]

The difference is down to crearive differences, not some legally imposed separate continuity issue. The mang and anime we always different between 2015-2018, and that continued into 2024.

Iyoku founded Capsule Corp for a reason: to create more anime, movies, and games. In other words, to make more money from Dragon Ball.

The differences between the various continuities might not be due to legal reasons (alone). That was my speculation, as this seems like a power struggle that's been going on for some time now. However, I don't think this dispute is solely about creative issues either. Dragon Ball has long passed the point of being mainly a creatively driven franchise, I'm afraid.

[WittyUsername]

The difference is down to crearive differences, not some legally imposed separate continuity issue. The mang and anime we always different between 2015-2018, and that continued into 2024.

Iyoku founded Capsule Corp for a reason: to create more anime, movies, and games. In other words, to make more money from Dragon Ball.

The differences between the various continuities might not be due to legal reasons. You are right about that. That was my speculation, as this seems like a power struggle that's been going on for some time now. However, I don't think this dispute is solely about creative issues. Dragon Ball has long passed the point of being mainly a creatively driven franchise, I'm afraid.

Well, I suppose that would offer a pretty good explanation for why the anime never returned, and why the video games and merchandise have avoided including any of the manga exclusive material, even though Ultra Ego should logically be a no-brainer.

Where does Toei factor into all this, though?

[JulieYBM]

The difference is down to crearive differences, not some legally imposed separate continuity issue. The mang and anime we always different between 2015-2018, and that continued into 2024.

Iyoku founded Capsule Corp for a reason: to create more anime, movies, and games. In other words, to make more money from Dragon Ball.

The differences between the various continuities might not be due to legal reasons (alone). That was my speculation, as this seems like a power struggle that's been going on for some time now. However, I don't think this dispute is solely about creative issues either. Dragon Ball has long passed the point of being mainly a creatively driven franchise, I'm afraid.

Dragon Ball has always been about money, so I would not argue against that at all. I would love to see other creative minds involved, however, but I am not sure that I foresee Iyoku allowing for creative expression in future films lest he begin expressing more than just "Respecting Toriyama" in all his interviews.

[Mister_Popo]

The difference is down to crearive differences, not some legally imposed separate continuity issue. The mang and anime we always different between 2015-2018, and that continued into 2024.

Iyoku founded Capsule Corp for a reason: to create more anime, movies, and games. In other words, to make more money from Dragon Ball.

The differences between the various continuities might not be due to legal reasons. You are right about that. That was my speculation, as this seems like a power struggle that's been going on for some time now. However, I don't think this dispute is solely about creative issues. Dragon Ball has long passed the point of being mainly a creatively driven franchise, I'm afraid.

Well, I suppose that would offer a pretty good explanation for why the anime never returned, and why the video games and merchandise have avoided including any of the manga exclusive material, even though Ultra Ego should logically be a no-brainer.

Where does Toei factor into all this, though?

TOEI would benefit the most from resolving this dispute quickly because they could then earn more money. They make the most from merchandise sales (toys, games, blu-rays, etc.). Currently, Dragon Ball remains TOEIs most profitable franchise, without the costs of a weekly anime. If Shueisha gives permission to Capsule Corp and TOEI to adapt the Super manga into anime format (which probably requires the dispute to be resolved first), more related merchandise can be made. TOEI would need to invest more, but they would earn even more from the additional merchandise sales.

[HarveyPlissken]

I really like to know how this could affect the home entertainment rights to the Dragon Ball anime. We're all familiar with Disney buying Fox's media assets and the film rights for X-Men & Fantastic Four went to Marvel, right? If Iyoku somehow gets the IP rights form Shueisha, could that also mean Crunchyroll wouldn't have the IP license anymore and is given to him and Capsule Corporation?

[eledoremassis02]

I really like to know how this could affect the home entertainment rights to the Dragon Ball anime. We're all familiar with Disney buying Fox's media assets and the film rights for X-Men & Fantastic Four went to Marvel, right? If Iyoku somehow gets the IP rights form Shueisha, could that also mean Crunchyroll wouldn't have the IP license anymore and is given to him and Capsule Corporation?

I assume all rights would have to be honored unless they're re-negotiated or violated up until the specified date in their original deal.

[sangofe]

What a bloody sad mess. I just hope that quality products will continue to be made after/alongside Daima. I don't care who has rights. I just wanna enjoy Dragon Ball manga, manga and games.

[YMK_8000]

I had a hunch trouble was brewing in this franchise ever since 2020 ish it seemed weird after the "success" broly had they never did anything to keep the ball rolling. I feel like this feud had been going on for about 4 years tbh we just were kept in the dark. The info ajay got about the anime i still believe was true cause he dosent seem like one to lie for engagement & he was on point about other stuff before.

Not sure why I'm seeing people say oh iyoku gives off evil vibes or alluding to it. If anything he just seems VERY incompetent and would benefit from others helping him out. i praise him for his attempts at at least trying to do something with the franchise but i think his issue is he is horrible with the execution.

If I'm Shueisha id get a hold of the narrative of this situation quick that whole AI meteaverse stuff sounds scary if true. The article makes Iyoku look like a hero and Shueisha & Toei (to some extent) as some out of touch scam artists who seems to just want to make money off the fans/brand while doing half-assed shit. Which the latter is somewhat true lol but still bad to have that perception out online about you.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Not sure why I'm seeing people say oh iyoku gives off evil vibes or alluding to it. If anything he just seems VERY incompetent and would benefit from others helping him out. i praise him for his attempts at at least trying to do something with the franchise but i think his issue is he is horrible with the execution.

It could have been jealousy over Iyoku's relationship with Toriyama. We live in an age where generations have grown up worshipping the man while thinking they would know what's best for the franchise, but its only a select few like Iyoku and Toyotaro who have received his blessing in the various ways they take it forward.

Equally it can be dangerous to give too much power to one person in any given area, and there may have been concerns about Iyoku's influence on the anime getting out-of-hand. The best of us can become control freaks, especially when one has the ability to attract yes men. Capsule Corporation Tokyo was to manage anything anime or games related, both of which are incredibly popular iterations of the Dragon Ball brand globally, so it's only natural to feel quality control independent of a single person's influence may be necessary.

[JulieYBM]

Lmao who is saying Iyoku gives off 'evil' vibes?

[Cure Dragon 255]

Lmao who is saying Iyoku gives off 'evil' vibes?

They are not like you and me which means they must be EVIL!

[YMK_8000]

Not sure why I'm seeing people say oh iyoku gives off evil vibes or alluding to it. If anything he just seems VERY incompetent and would benefit from others helping him out. i praise him for his attempts at at least trying to do something with the franchise but i think his issue is he is horrible with the execution.

It could have been jealousy over Iyoku's relationship with Toriyama. We live in an age where generations have grown up worshipping the man while thinking they would know what's best for the franchise, but its only a select few like Iyoku and Toyotaro who have received his blessing in the various ways they take it forward.

Equally it can be dangerous to give too much power to one person in any given area, and there may have been concerns about Iyoku's influence on the anime getting out-of-hand. The best of us can become control freaks, especially when one has the ability to attract yes men. Capsule Corporation Tokyo was to manage anything anime or games related, both of which are incredibly popular iterations of the Dragon Ball brand globally, so it's only natural to feel quality control independent of a single person's influence may be necessary.

Its like those stories you hear where the older grandpa or uncle who put in the work and built an empire passes and the biological children get pissed that in the will he left most if not all of his estate to the adopted sibling. If people mad iyoku is in charge cared that much about Dragonball & toriyama while he was alive they would have done everything in their power no matter how difficult it would have been to align themselves to get within that special circle to be able to get in his good graces make decisions/control the franchise.

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

Something I'm confused about is how this Iyoku guy got the anime rights. From what I read he was an employee at Shueisha, then he pulled this coup when they hanged his position in the company.
So by that logic after leaving the company wouldn't corporate still have the anime rights? Where exactly did he get his hands on them?

[YMK_8000]

Something I'm confused about is how this Iyoku guy got the anime rights. From what I read he was an employee at Shueisha, then he pulled this coup when they hanged his position in the company.
So by that logic after leaving the company wouldn't corporate still have the anime rights? Where exactly did he get his hands on them?

Can it really be called a coup? He was about to get demoted/fired but left the company to start his own before he did. If thats a coup to you then tons of people in the workforce since the beginning of time has "staged a coup" . I suspect he talked to toriyama and got them somehow? That other article before this one should be posted again it explains how iyoku has been friends with toriyama since the dragon quest days etc. This isnt some random person just suddenly forceably took the anime rights to DB like some disgruntled fans theorize

[Cure Dragon 255]

If Dragon Ball becomes embroiled in a rights war and ends up like Candy Candy, Toei must be thanking their lucky stars or God that they redubbed and relaunched One Piece when they did or they would be TOAST now.