Will 'Dragon Ball Heroes' Be Licensed Outside of Japan?

Dragon Ball fans have been missing the anime series ever since Toei Animation brought Dragon Ball Super to an end earlier this year, but lately there's been a glimmer of hope in the new anime project based on the Super Dragon Ball Heroes game in Japan.

But will the new Dragon Ball Heroes anime make its way out of Japan with an official license? Anything can happen, but current signs unfortunately point toward not likely.

The new anime has already been confirmed to be a promotional title, meaning that the series is going to be made with the explicit purpose of promoting the current "Prison Planet" arc of the digital card game. Expected to go live at a special event in July, the anime is said to be a short one with a currently unannounced number of episodes.

But what does that mean for licensing? Unfortunately, given the tentative nature of the new anime it does not stand too good of a chance of being brought stateside officially. Given that the original Dragon Ball Heroes card game has been running for the last eight years since its 2010 debut, and has yet to be licensed outside of Japan in any form, the chances of a promotional anime for it getting an official release is equally as slim.

There is a bit of hope in that the official website for the series has some English menu options outside of its standard Japanese, but this still does not confirm that the series will receive official subtitles in other languages. But that does not mean it's all doom and gloom from here either!

Details for the new series are still cropping up, and we definitely will keep you posted on any future information as soon as it arrives. If you're unaware of this cool game the anime will be based on, Super Dragon Ball Heroesis the latest digital card fighting game and the top earner in the digital card arcade scene in Japan. Developed by Dimps, the update brought enhanced graphics and the ability to play as seven characters at the same time.

If you're waiting for more Dragon Ball Super instead, the first Dragon Ball Super film is set to release this December in Japan, and it has just released its first trailer. The film will focus on the Saiyans, the "origins of Goku's power," and potentially the story of the very first Super Saiyan. Not only does it aim to be the best film in the series, original creator Akira Toriyama will be contributing to the film's script and character designs.