"Dragon Ball Super (Manga)" Official Discussion Thread

[sangofe]

I also don't know how you can say with certainty that "that's just not how the industry works." Unless you have a source or insider knowledge, that's speculation too.

That's not how any industry works; if a project is paused, then no one is doing any major work on it. Maybe some employees will work on their own time to have some ideas ready to go when or if it gets approved to move forward again, but that's about it. The only way Toyotaro would have completed chapters ready to go would be if he was already working on them BEFORE Toriyama passes and the manga was paused, but not after.

You saying "hat's not how any industry works". Logically you'd think so, but this has been a very special case. But the thing is - I don't think you know anything of what's going on beyond what's known in public, and neither do I. Yet you keep writing as if you do. Do you have insider information? Since you keep writing that way and insisting on it that that's just how the way it is? This is the last reply I'll bother about this topic with you.

[The Dark Knight]

You saying "hat's not how any industry works". Logically you'd think so, but this has been a very special case.

How is it a special case when projects, whether in the manga industry or in any other industry, go on hiatus all the time; it's really not uncommon. The Super anime, the counterpart to the manga we're talking about, went on hiatus in 2018 and that was the end of it; you didn't have people secretly working on episodes behind the scenes while waiting for a green light from their higher ups; that's just not how things work.

But the thing is - I don't think you know anything of what's going on beyond what's known in public, and neither do I.

Is there a chance that the manga has been green lit internally and Toyotaro is getting paid to work on it in preparation for an official announcement and publication ? sure; that's possible, but would he be working on it without internal approval and especially without getting paid ? highly unlikely.

This is the last reply I'll bother about this topic with you.

There's like 3 active members on the site now; you're stuck with me.

[kemuri07]

I'm with TDK here. Kinda can't claim that "it's been decided it's coming back" then fall back to "well no one knows anything!!"

All I know is what's in front of me. If the plan was for the manga to come back--it would have already. It's been 4 freaking years. And if they were just gonna pull the trigger on it, then during that massive DB event where they announced all those video games and new anime would have been the time to do it. But nope, nothing. I'm sure there are drafts and ideas, and maybe some doodling and sketches about a possible future for the franchise. But if they were already to go, then we would have known by now.

[sangofe]

You saying "hat's not how any industry works". Logically you'd think so, but this has been a very special case.

How is it a special case when projects, whether in the manga industry or in any other industry, go on hiatus all the time; it's really not uncommon. The Super anime, the counterpart to the manga we're talking about, went on hiatus in 2018 and that was the end of it; you didn't have people secretly working on episodes behind the scenes while waiting for a green light from their higher ups; that's just not how things work.

But the thing is - I don't think you know anything of what's going on beyond what's known in public, and neither do I.

Is there a chance that the manga has been green lit internally and Toyotaro is getting paid to work on it in preparation for an official announcement and publication ? sure; that's possible, but would he be working on it without internal approval and especially without getting paid ? highly unlikely.

This is the last reply I'll bother about this topic with you.

There's like 3 active members on the site now; you're stuck with me.

Oh but we agree then, haha. Let's hope for the best. My dream would be Toyotaro has indeed been paid and is working on it internally... With Torishima!

[Vegard Aune]

All I know is what's in front of me. If the plan was for the manga to come back--it would have already. It's been 4 freaking years.

Okay why do people keep acting as if the Super Hero arc doesn't exist?

Look. You might not find Toyotaro's adaptation of the movie very compelling. You might find it a waste of time. But the last chapter came out 17 months ago. The one before that was ten months prior to that. Even if you discount chapter 104 which I guess is actually fair since it was basically just a one-shot to fill out volume 24 based off an idea that had previously been scrapped for time... the series was still in active publication up to a little over two years ago. ...And out of the 17 chapters that made up the arc, 7 of them were in fact wholly manga-original content so only a little over half of the arc is "just the movie".

The manga certainly has been in limbo for a long time, but it's not been four years. And while, yeah, one would expect after all this time they would actually say something about what's up, but on the other hand, one would think if they had just given up and decided that there is no continuing Super without Toriyama they'd stop saying the series "will be on hiatus for the next issue" every month. There's no actual good reason I can see why they would keep stringing us along like this if they'd actually decided that Super was done for good.

[VegettoEX]

one would think if they had just given up and decided that there is no continuing Super without Toriyama they'd stop saying the series "will be on hiatus for the next issue" every month. There's no actual good reason I can see why they would keep stringing us along like this if they'd actually decided that Super was done for good.

While I generally agree with everything being said, with regard to this specific section here, I will also note:

https://bsky.app/profile/VegettoEX.bsky ... gijccmis2u

Perspective for DBS manga fans:

As I'm doing some V-Jump documentation, I learned about Digimon World Re:Digitize Encode, which began in the June 2013 issue. After its 9th chapter, it went digital only. After 22, it went on hiatus. Today, in *2026*, V-Jump's website *still* lists it as on hiatus.

Funny follow-up on that: I made that post in March, and by the next month (April), that listing was gone from the respective page on the V-Jump website.

I take responsibility for finally killing their hopes and dreams.

[kiarasuraru]

Would genuinely not be surprised at all if the anime continues fully original after Moro and/or SH depending of if they re-do that too.
Let's be honest, the manga has always been the awkward middle child of the modern era. It's probably a lot easier for a bunch of people on high places to not have to bother with it anymore.

[The Dark Knight]

Would genuinely not be surprised at all if the anime continues fully original after Moro and/or SH depending of if they re-do that too.
Let's be honest, the manga has always been the awkward middle child of the modern era. It's probably a lot easier for a bunch of people on high places to not have to bother with it anymore.

This is a scenario I had honestly not considered before, but now that you bring it up, I think it could very well be possible. Considering Daima completely skipped the manga route, I think we could see a scenario where Toyotaro is just made part of the anime's writing room instead.

[Bardock God of Time]

I feel like the safest way to continue Super would be to remake the End of Z chapters with Uub.

Show what all these Super characters were doing during End of Z, Beerus & Whis trying out Food Stands during the tournament, etc.

Even if Frieza's still out there, I think retelling End of Z would be the perfect way to end Super

[The Dark Knight]

I feel like the safest way to continue Super would be to remake the End of Z chapters with Uub.

I think at one point this may have been the plan, however, that was before Toriyama passed away; would they really be comfortable redrawing and rewriting something Toriyama himself actually made ? to make things harder, it's the actual ending of Toriyama's original story. Another thing to consider is what Toriyama himself said about Super; he said he considered it a "casual continuation" of his original story. I don't even know how likely it would've happened with him alive, as he viewed it as being below his original work. At this point, I think there's a more likely chance of Super not continuing, but instead a new series being launched set after the end of Z. At the end of the Superhero arc, Goku returned to earth, so that nicely leads into the end of Z, which can then lead into a new series that resolves Super's plot points (Freeza), while also introducing new ones, both of which won't be tied down by the 10 year time gap we've been stuck in.

[kemuri07]

All I know is what's in front of me. If the plan was for the manga to come back--it would have already. It's been 4 freaking years.

Okay why do people keep acting as if the Super Hero arc doesn't exist?

I mean I'm saying all that with Super Hero in context. Hell the final panel of this arc, and so far the entire (manga) series, is a POV shot of Piccolo waving the audience goodbye. And I do recall that the sentiment was at the time, that if Super never came back it would make for a somewhat fitting end for the manga.

Granted, I'm not saying that Super is never going to come back. Toei will fart out something, slap Dragon Ball Super on the cover, call it day. I'm just not convinced that it being in hiatus is any evidence that they're gearing up for something. More likely being on "hiatus" sounds a lot less definite than "cancelled." Keeps people invested in the product without outright saying you have no real plans for it.


In regards to Super remaking EoZ:: At this point just make an ending exclusive to Dragon Ball Super that has no real bearing on EoZ. Of course, I know why people don't want that--it'd be all but admitting that Super is not some in-canon "midquel" to DragonBall Z, but instead far more similar to GT in that they're alt-universe stories.

[angeldreamZ004]

Jump Victory Carnival 2026 had Toyotaro on steroids making new art of Beerus in a autograph session:
https://x.com/Sekai_DB/status/2080960746867880248

And I thought the level of detail was already insane with his art of those "Old Man" characters. It actually makes me wonder if he will keep this more "realistic" approach for the cover arts in future volumes, I feel that he already kinda went that route with the latest volume.

https://bsky.app/profile/VegettoEX.bsky ... gijccmis2u

Perspective for DBS manga fans:

As I'm doing some V-Jump documentation, I learned about Digimon World Re:Digitize Encode, which began in the June 2013 issue. After its 9th chapter, it went digital only. After 22, it went on hiatus. Today, in *2026*, V-Jump's website *still* lists it as on hiatus.

Funny follow-up on that: I made that post in March, and by the next month (April), that listing was gone from the respective page on the V-Jump website.

I take responsibility for finally killing their hopes and dreams.

Ooooooh.... anyway, thank you MikEX, I honestly don't know what to think about this. So i'll only say that they might have someone watching you.

[The Dark Knight]

In regards to Super remaking EoZ:: At this point just make an ending exclusive to Dragon Ball Super that has no real bearing on EoZ.

Supre lives and breathes on reusing old ideas, as well as fan ones, so the chances of it getting something as exclusive as its own ending are slim to none.

[TKA]

I'm on the complete opposite side to you; I think the Moro arc is the one and only good arc to come out of Super so far. Champa was underwhelming, Zamasu was a train wreck, Jiren was all action and 0 substance, and Granola was just bad. Moro, despite its flaws, is an overall good arc; I can safely put it alongside Battle of Gods and Daima as the only three good stories to come out of this revival.

There are lengthy posts in the manga chapter threads I made every month, but we're so far removed from when Moro was contemporary at this point that I'd be pressed to remember everything said or what my specific problems were. When I am so disinterested in a thing, I flush it from my memory and do not re-visit.

But you are do completely off-base with the manga's Tournament of Power here. Toyotaro wrote Jiren with more depth and internal conflict than Toriyama would've (since that's not the type of writer Toriyama is for his arc villains). His rendition of the arc is not just leaps and bounds beyond the anime's shlock, but is genuinely just good storytelling from start to finish.

[PhantomSaiyan]

But you are do completely off-base with the manga's Tournament of Power here. Toyotaro wrote Jiren with more depth and internal conflict than Toriyama would've (since that's not the type of writer Toriyama is for his arc villains). His rendition of the arc is not just leaps and bounds beyond the anime's shlock, but is genuinely just good storytelling from start to finish.

It's super rushed though, fights end anticlimactically, sometimes off screen, not enough spectacle for a tournament of that size.
It ended up being super underwhealming

[Zephyr]

It's been a while, but I remember finding the anime's ToP to feature, and the manga's Granola arc to constitute, meditations on the nature of strength as a goal. What lies beyond strength? Is being the strongest enough? Is being the strongest something that lasts? In that way, both stories are pretty directly engaging with the core of Dragon Ball's story. So I look back on them both positively, despite both having other stuff I disliked quite a bit.

[JulieYBM]

The anime also gives us sexy emotionally stunted Jiren, so that's another point in its favor lol

I feel like most, if not all, of the fights kind of ask the question "what is power." Characters have internal struggles that they battle in external ways. Caulifla and Kale have their struggles, Toppo has his faith in 'justice' broken, Jiren has his faith in the strength of his solitude broken, Freeza has to rely on the strength of others, and #17 has to take a firm stance.

Like, I'm going to sound like I'm bitching, but the actual directors and writers do work on Japanese cartoons, folks!

[angeldreamZ004]

I think the same, that's a core element I love that continues exploring on how Goku and Vegeta grow spiritually and a very good evolution of what was seen in the original series and even feels close to when Goku trained with Roshi, Karin and Popo. I think that's actually in the manga ToP too and pretty much almost the entirety of Super since BoG / Beerus arc, with the only stories that don't seem to follow that being Super Hero movie and Manga, and maybe Broly, as these go for the more typical "physical strength is all" route. I may think Fukkatsu no 'F' / Golden Freeza arc is the weakest entry, but I really like a lot the parts where Goku and Vegeta train with Whis (and even Beerus in the anime, in some way) and the subliminal differences between SSJB and Golden Feeeza. I think it really helped me to start appreciating SSJB more, as I used to not like it, then made me love SSJG and UI.

[TKA]

It's super rushed though, fights end anticlimactically, sometimes off screen, not enough spectacle for a tournament of that size.
It ended up being super underwhealming

1. Fights ending abruptly and “anticlimactically” are strengths. Much ado was made about this being a battle royale. The manga delivered on it. I don’t want episodes upon episodes about Character X from Universe 9 fighting Krillin. Tell a focused story.

2. If you are reading for spectacle, and your definition of spectacle is explosions and such, I can see why one would be disappointed. I don’t engage with contemporary Dragonball for that kind of thing, so it was a plus to not be focused on these people I don’t care about exchanging fisticuffs.

3. Jiren benefits the most from the manga’s approach.
“He’s stronger than time?!” Utter woke nonsense.
“Baby just wants a pat on the shoulder from his master.” Peak.

[SupremeKai25]

“He’s stronger than time?!” Utter woke nonsense.

Can you elaborate what this means?

"He's stronger than time!" just seems like an average plot twist to make Jiren look more terrifying than a previous antagonist, Hit. Dragon Ball antagonists are generally stronger than previous ones, it's a constant rise in terms of danger and threat (Buu was more dangerous than Cell who was more dangerous than Freeza), so it just seems natural that Jiren would be more dangerous than Hit and have some kind of "built-in" protection against Hit's main technique.

I actually liked that part. I thought they wanted to portray Jiren in the anime not merely as a fighter, but as a true force of nature, like the very embodiment of strength itself. So I thought it fitting that he managed to bend even the rules of time, and not with a Time Ring as Zamasu did, but with his own strength. Seems like pretty harmless writing to me, just to flesh out Jiren's power a little.

“Baby just wants a pat on the shoulder from his master.” Peak.

I feel like you are severely misunderstanding Anime Jiren. He thinks that comradeship is worthless because his comrades, despite working together, were all killed by the evil demon. It's poetic that he was defeated by comradeship, and not just any comradeship, but Freeza working together with a Saiyan for the first and only time ever.

Is it corny? Maybe, but corny writing still has themes and some kind of character-focused narrative. Corny isn't a synonym of bad.