DBS Anime Future

[Hulk10]

I'm inclined to think that the Dragon Ball Super anime is finished for good. Since the manga is getting very close to the time Goku leaves with Uub.

[capsulecorp]

I'm inclined to think that the Dragon Ball Super anime is finished for good. Since the manga is getting very close to the time Goku leaves with Uub.

When it went off the air, people said it was inevitable that it would come back soon. They told me this, with great confidence, because it would make money for Toei.

They were wrong. I think you are right.

[Bardock God of Time]

There are two manga arcs they can adapt and reap the profits in from merchandise (new forms, characters, etc.)

Who knows when it'll come back, it will come back

[sangofe]

I don't know why it's taking so long but there's no reason not to make an animated continuation some day, right?

[Hellspawn28]

Maybe they wanted to stay behind so that they have plenty of content to animated.

[super michael]

I'm inclined to think that the Dragon Ball Super anime is finished for good. Since the manga is getting very close to the time Goku leaves with Uub.

When it went off the air, people said it was inevitable that it would come back soon. They told me this, with great confidence, because it would make money for Toei.

They were wrong. I think you are right.

A anime can take years and even decades to return. A perfect example is Bleach, took decades to continue the anime even though the manga was over.

Inuyasha took years for Inuyasha Final Act to get made. Then Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.


Toei should take all the time they need to continue. They should improve their writers and make it less censored.

[JulieYBM]

A new Dragon Ball animated series will come out eventually. Toei Animation is busy right now as it is, they'll get around to it when all parties involved are ready to produce a new series.

In the meantime, have fun doing something else.

[Omori]

Exactly, should be just a matter of time.
They can retell the Broly movie, adapt Moro & Granolah, then retell the Super Hero movie including the manga prequel...
There's a lot of content, but no rush. It's coming when it's coming.

The situation with getting close to the 28th tournament is something the manga might have to deal with by the end of the year.
Curious whether there will be another arc before that.

[Cipher]

Potential hurdles right now (all conjecture):

• DB appears to be doing fine financially just based on games, films, manga and merch, so the resources and timeslot that might be spent on a new anime would be better spent cementing other properties
• A direct sequel to the first run of Super would be too specific to hook a new batch of young fans, while the ones who watched the first run of DBS have already aged out (longterm/adult fans are a bonus)
• The cast is aging, including its main characters, and the commitment of a long-running TV series is different from one-off projects like films

Or any combination of the above. I suspect we'll see DB on TV again when it makes sense, but even then, I don't know if it'll make the most sense for it to just be Super 2, picking up right where the first anime left off, at that time. And I say this as someone who likes the manga.

Better to just enjoy the storylines in their current form rather than holding out for them to get animated, of which there's no guarantee.

[JulieYBM]

I really do think that it's time for a complete recasting. I think giving one of the studios' young directors a shot to spearhead a rebooted retelling makes the most sense for the sake of everyone involved.

[ATA]

Potential hurdles right now (all conjecture):

• DB appears to be doing fine financially just based on games, films, manga and merch, so the resources and timeslot that might be spent on a new anime would be better spent cementing other properties
• A direct sequel to the first run of Super would be too specific to hook a new batch of young fans, while the ones who watched the first run of DBS have already aged out (longterm/adult fans are a bonus)
• The cast is aging, including its main characters, and the commitment of a long-running TV series is different from one-off projects like films

Or any combination of the above. I suspect we'll see DB on TV again when it makes sense, but even then, I don't know if it'll make the most sense for it to just be Super 2, picking up right where the first anime left off, at that time. And I say this as someone who likes the manga.

Better to just enjoy the storylines in their current form rather than holding out for them to get animated, of which there's no guarantee.

Before DBS existed, I was very much okay with getting new DBZ movies every now and again due to the age of the Japanese cast. I feel the same now. I'm fine with new DBS movies every few years. I grew up with FanFiction being the only way to get DBZ(or DBGT in some cases) sequels. So I'm not overly pressed for a new anime series because I'm grateful for the fact we had Super in the first place. It's funny because when I see reports of DBS returning it reminds me of 2007-2012 Youtube where "NEW DB SERIES COMING SOON" was used for clickbait.

I really do think that it's time for a complete recasting. I think giving one of the studios' young directors a shot to spearhead a rebooted retelling makes the most sense for the sake of everyone involved.

Yeah I agree stu. I don't think we're getting a recasting until DB is rebooted. I also don't think DB is getting rebooted until Nozawa(God Bless her) passes away. I think when the day comes...Goku, Goten, and Gohan won't have same voice actors in Japanese no more. At least while they're adults. While cute I always thought it was a lor (little in my language) weird/lazy to have every male in Goku's family be voiced by the same person with the exception of Raditz. I can understand maybe as kids but as adults I would've loved to hear different voice for the Son family. Not that Nozawa did a bad job. I think she did amazing and international fans were too hard on her back in the day. If I'm not mistaken Dragon Ball Super Super Hero's lead animator Chikashi Kubota publicly disclosed his desire to work on a Dragon Ball Remake "if Toei ever made one". So who knows the future of Dragon Ball in terms of an official Anime series.

[ClutchBangstrip]

I still believe that the anime taking so long to comeback mostly stems from the games, toys and everything else easily being able to carry the franchise.

That said, I still do think its return is inevitable, I just hope the quality reflects that it's one of the biggest fictional franchises in the world. Why Toei treated Super on the same level of Naruto and One Piece seems criminal.

I should also note that their were signs with DBSSH's advertising that Toei's become aware that Dragon Ball is officially a global brand. At least I hope they're aware.

[GreatSaiyaman123]

I don’t think there’s any way to logically discuss and speculate on when/if it’s coming back, because it was a irrational decision to end the anime to begin with.

Knowing Bleach was canned and came back after 10 years makes me sigh in relief though. I wouldn’t say Toei os doing the same thing, but it’s the soundest theory I’ve seen.

[YamiGoku]

Is there any chance a new movie gets announced for next year?

I want the anime to come back way more than a new movie but at this point i'll take what I can get.

[JulieYBM]

If anything is getting announced it's probably in 2024, which would be the the fortieth (40th) anniversary of the original Dragon Ball (1984) comic.

[ChronoTwigger]

It's hard for me to quote it, but I'm 100% sure a producer told how messy and chaotic was DBS anime production, so they're taking their time for something new.
That doesn't mean you'll have another DBS anime. My sensation is Toriyama is granted rights to pull the strings of the story, adding whatever arc up to conclusion. End of Super era, take time, come with something more manageable and carefully planned since the start, instead of randomly popped up arcs like so far.
I never seen DB going back decades (if not for retells). DBS:SH is already past such events.
And, to be honest, an animated Granola arc will sucks atrociously for many reasons - TOEI aware of it.
To me, Super anime is gone. People will be hyped by the next Dragon Ball + Suffix, and forget about Moro entirely.
Up to them to explain why Frieza and Vegeta are now switching colors.

[super michael]

I really do think that it's time for a complete recasting. I think giving one of the studios' young directors a shot to spearhead a rebooted retelling makes the most sense for the sake of everyone involved.

If they decide to reboot Dragon Ball, I hope it doesn't turn into a disaster like Digimon Adventure Reboot. Toei are not capable of coming up with anything good when it comes to writing.

Dragon Quest Dai Great Adventure turned out good, because they just followed what was written on the manga. That anime puts DBS and Digimon Adventure Reboot to shame.

I don't have much faith in the return of DBS or DB reboot being good. Toei are not good at their job, they have no pride in what they do they only care about cash.

[Xeogran]

Toei are not capable of coming up with anything good when it comes to writing.

I completely disagree. Toei pulled off all the important/major DBS moments relatively well. Compare UI Goku's anime debut against Jiren to his manga one. They had the same outline from Toriyama, and look how they absolutely nailed it, three times no less (UI Omen vs Jiren, VS Kefla and MUI). Or heck, the entire Hit fight which was such a non-event in the manga.

When it comes to Super, following the manga to a T would be a noticeable downgrade.

[JulieYBM]

I really do think that it's time for a complete recasting. I think giving one of the studios' young directors a shot to spearhead a rebooted retelling makes the most sense for the sake of everyone involved.

If they decide to reboot Dragon Ball, I hope it doesn't turn into a disaster like Digimon Adventure Reboot. Toei are not capable of coming up with anything good when it comes to writing.

Dragon Quest Dai Great Adventure turned out good, because they just followed what was written on the manga. That anime puts DBS and Digimon Adventure Reboot to shame.

I don't have much faith in the return of DBS or DB reboot being good. Toei are not good at their job, they have no pride in what they do they only care about cash.

These big-name series are typically written based on committee. Tomioka Atsuhiro—the head writer of Digimon Adventure (2020)—explained in an interview that he has to balance his own ideas with those of other members of the staff when writing the scripts. Ultimately, these things become the result of dealing with producers who want to shill a new character, toy or transformation¹ and then have to be balanced against what the production itself is ultimately able to do. Having followed Tomioka's work across the Pokemon franchise closely I would actually be very hyped to see him—and the prospective series director—given more room to be creative and actually have control over the story of a new Dragon Ball reboot or even just adaptions of the films and comic arcs into a television series format. Letting your writer—especially the legendary Tomioka Atsuhiro—actually write and your series director actually direct free of the constraints of producers who want to sell merchandise and follow broadcast standards would actually be nice.

A new animated retelling would also be a great chance to do Dragon Ball without the weird misogyny and sexism. >_>

¹BRYAN HIKARI HARTZHEIM expands on this in their paper Pretty Cure and the Magical Girl Media Mix.

[ZombieVito]

Toei are not capable of coming up with anything good when it comes to writing.

I completely disagree. Toei pulled off all the important/major DBS moments relatively well. Compare UI Goku's anime debut against Jiren to his manga one. They had the same outline from Toriyama, and look how they absolutely nailed it, three times no less (UI Omen vs Jiren, VS Kefla and MUI). Or heck, the entire Hit fight which was such a non-event in the manga.

When it comes to Super, following the manga to a T would be a noticeable downgrade.

Indeed.

My hope is that there's another movie that bridges the gap between Super Hero and End of Z and then do a new series that takes place after that. Ignore Moro and Granolah. Nothing of value is lost.