Will The New 'Dragon Ball' Anime Be Considered Canon?

If you’re looking to stir up drama within the Dragon Ball fandom, all you have to do is bring up [...]

If you're looking to stir up drama within the Dragon Ball fandom, all you have to do is bring up the canon. Over the years, few things have managed to get fans as riled up as the franchise's canon, and the recent announcement of a brand-new anime brought that debate to light again.

So, if you are wondering whether or not Dragon Ball Heroes will be canon, then you better take a seat. Most fans are adamant the project will not, but there are a few fans willing to push back against the argument.

For those of you unaware, it looks like Toei Animation is working on a special new anime for Dragon Ball. After Dragon Ball Super ended its television run this March, the franchise will release a promotional anime title Dragon Ball Heroes this July before a Dragon Ball Super film drops in December. The massive announcement caught the fandom off-guard, and many went on the offensive to explain why Dragon Ball Heroes will never be canon.

As you might have guessed, the new venture is being overlooked because of its nonexistent manga ties. Most fans tend to align the Dragon Ball canon with the stories creator Akira Toriyama vetted himself. As such, all of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z get a thumbs up since those anime came from the original manga. As for Dragon Ball Super, its canon status was acknowledged since Toriyama provided story outlines for its arcs as well as character designs.

As for everything else in the Dragon Ball realm, well — not so much. Most franchise films are considered non-canon as their original stories didn't come from Toriyama, and the same goes for video games. These titles may have gotten approval from the creator, but their lack of source material makes them suspect to fans. And, since Dragon Ball Heroes started off as a video game, fans are certain its anime adaptation will not non-canon as well.

Still, there are others who are willing to overlook those majority-rule conditions when it comes to Dragon Ball Heroes. If the title ends up connecting to the last-known arc of Dragon Ball Super, some fans aren't opposed to adding the adaptation to their personal canon, and Super Saiyan 4 Goku will be glad to hear it.

What do you hope to see from this Dragon Ball anime? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!

Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on Funimation, VRV, and Crunchyroll.

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