Summary
In March 2024, the legendary creator of theDragon Ballfranchise, Akira Toriyama, unexpectedly passed away, leaving his seminal work unfinished. This came as one of the biggest shocks to the entire anime/manga community since Toriyama is largely considered to be the godfather of Shonen anime, withDragon Ballbeing recognized far and wide as one of the most iconic franchises of all time.
Following his passing,Dragon Ball Superwent on an indefinite hiatus after Chapter 103, with seemingly no return in sight. The lack of any news regarding its return, coupled with therumors that Toriyama’s successor, Toyotarou, was working on other projects, the series' return seemed unlikely to happen at all. However, recent details have shed light on its return, making fans rejoice over some of the best news about the franchise in over a year.
Dragon Ball SuperMay Return Sometime Later This Year
Toyotarou Is Set To Speak On It At Japan Expo
Earlier this year, theDragon Ballcommunity was abuzz with speculation after it was revealed that Toyotarou would be attendingthe Japan Expo Paris in July 2025. However, this anticipation quickly dissolved into disappointment when news began floating around the internet which mentioned a “new project” in the same breath as Toyotarou’s appearance at the event.
This caused most fans to believe that, following Toriyama’s passing, the manga ofDragon Ball Super, just like the anime, would be left unfinished and in an indefinite hiatus. This feeling was made even worse due to the ongoing legal troubles between Toriyama’s official spokesperson, Akio Iyoki, and the management of Shueisha, who are the publishers ofDragon Ball, leaving the series in an even greater state of limbo. However, all confusion regarding the manga’s future has been cleared up, since mistranslations gave an inaccurate account.
NEWS: After clarification with Japan Expo, it turns out that Toyotaro is NOT working on any new manga, the site phrased the panel description badly. Toyotaro is set to talk about DRAGON BALL SUPER Manga with Torishima on July 6th!Thanks to:@Red_Ribbon_DBZfor confirmation!pic.twitter.com/jTBqnXoKhS
Due to the poor phrasing of the Japan Expo as well as unofficial mistranslations making the rounds on the internet, a lot of nuance was taken out of what was said. It was revealed that Toyotarou will, in fact, be using the opportunity to talk aboutDragon Ball Super, which could very likely disclose details regardingthe potential return of the mangawith the release of Chapter 105, which many believe will be the case.
On top of this, Toyotarou recently released a brand-new illustration to celebrate the 10th anniversary of theDragon Ball Superseries, adding to the hype. Naturally, fans were upset that there wasn’t more done to commemorate the legendary franchise, but they understand this was probably done because of the upcoming event. Moreover, another reason why many believe there to be a positive future for the franchise is because V-Jump teased a “certain project” to be revealed at a later date, strengthening fan speculation even more.
Debut Date
May 12, 2025
Speculation regarding the return ofSuperhas been the primary activity for fans of the series for over a year at this point, due to its future remaining uncertain. Fortunately, the placeDragon Ball Superended in was a great one, withthe heroes being stronger and more importantthan ever before and the opportunities for the next arc of the series being incredibly rich.
The most common sentiment here is that the series will return with the Black Frieza arc, which will show the heroes going up against their greatest foe who is now even stronger than them in their strongest forms. At the end of the Granolah arc, Frieza showed that he used the time after the Tournament of Power to train, unlocking a new form in the process that was strong enough to defeat Goku and Vegeta’s Divine Forms in a single hit.
Since then, he has been running rampant across the universe, completely unchecked, since not even the most powerful warriors can hope to challenge him. This is the perfect next step for the arc as it would not only showthe main heroes of Universe 7working together, but it would also bring the entire story around perfectly as the Saiyans would definitively defeat the ultimate villain of their entire race.
Because of this, the Black Frieza has all the makings of the perfect final arc for the franchise. However, it’s not the only possibility, since fans have expressed the desire forDragon Ballto visit the concept of the multiverse again, possibly opening the door for the much-awaited Universe 6 and Universe 11 arcs. Whatever the case may be, fans can only wait to see what the future has in store, which may just be revealed on July 29, 2025.
