‘Dragon Ball Super’ Appears To Be Ending For Real

Dragon Ball fans were excited when the franchise made a long-awaited return back in 2015, but it seems that hype has all turned to dismay. New reports from Japan have signaled the end of Dragon Ball Super, and fans are not sure how to react.

Earlier today, a newspaper in Japan published an update about Fuji TV's schedule (via Reddit). The network is shifting its popular Sunday morning anime block to make room for GeGeGe no Kitaro which will return in 2018 for its 50th anniversary. The new show will take over the time slot Dragon Ball Super has filled, but the announcement makes it sounds like the shonen title is done for good.

According to translators, the announcement makes it clear that Kitaro will take over the 9 a.m. slot for Fuji TV on April 1st after Dragon Ball Super ends in March. No wordage about a hiatus was used despite on-going rumors, so it seems like the anime will wrap with 131 episodes.

So about DBS ending, here are the relevant points.

• Kitaro Anime will take Super's place starting April 1.
• DBS really is ending.
• Might come back in future (under a different name? who knows)
• Episode 131 will be the final episode https://t.co/Wfxh7Vdh78

— Ken Xyro (@KenXyro) January 19, 2018

Of course, there is a chance that Dragon Ball will live on in the future. Fuji TV stresses it has no plans to broadcast a new Dragon Ball show at the moment, but it did not sentence the entire series to death. The network stressed the virility of Dragon Ball's franchise in its announcement by saying "it's not like the series is over."

While plenty of fans are shocked by the sudden news, many saw the end coming. Dragon Ball Super's tight production schedule has long made the anime a difficult one. The overall franchise will get other projects this year as a feature film has already been announced for December 2018. There is always a chance Dragon Ball Super may be revived later down in 2019 or later, but it seems like Fuji TV is treating its impending loss as a finale. So, here's to hoping Dragon Ball Super gets re-branded for a return in 2019 or spawns off a new series entirely.

Are you sad to see Dragon Ball Super go? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!