New 'Dragon Ball Super' Arc Confirms [SPOILER'S] Return

The future of Dragon Ball is quickly taking shape, and after the events of the Dragon Ball Super: Broly story arc the Dragon Ball Super manga series will be pushing ahead with the newly-announced "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" arc.

If the title of that storyline isn't enough of a clue, Dragon Ball Super's next will be bringing back some of the oldest characters in the Dragon Ball universe:

Oh. It's Jiya. pic.twitter.com/RSq0yVLlWd

— Cipher (@Cipher_db) November 18, 2018

This scene depicted above sees Goku and Vegeta making the acquaintance of the Galactic Patrol! Patrolman Jaco has had a run in with Goku and the Dragon Team of Earth during various points of Dragon Ball Super, but we've yet to see the Saiyans encounter the full Galactic Patrol. Also pictured in this scene are Patrolmen Jiya (alien in the robot suit) and Merus, the alien who is named as the "number one elite patrolman." Some early plot leaks reveal that is in fact Merus who gets the drop on both Goku and Vegeta with his "Anesthesia Gun," knocking them out so that they can be transported to Galactic Patrol headquarters.

In Dragon Ball lore, the Galactic Patrol (specifically Jaco and Jiya) appear during Dragon Ball Super - but the group's influence actually extends ten years before Dragon Ball started. Jaco was supposed to be looking for a wayward Saiyan that crashed on the planet (Goku), but instead got caught up in another adventure, ultimately missing his quarry. Jiya arrived on Earth for an adventure a year before Goku was sent to earth in the Dragon Ball Minus storyline - which Dragon Ball Super: Broly is making part of canon.

The fact that the Galactic Patrol will be central to this new story arc - which will also hinge on a major Dragon Ball Z character - proves that Toei and Akira Toriyama are truly committed to streamlining various elements of the franchise into a more cohesive canon.

Read below for more early details on what this "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" arc is all about:

"Shortly after the ToP and the events of DBS: Broly, Goku and Vegeta are training together when Bulma passes along a message from Mister Satan that a mysterious group has appeared at his house and is attempting to kidnap Buu. Goku and Vegeta go to investigate and indeed find a group loading the (still sleeping) Buu into a familiar-looking spaceship," the summary reads.

As it turns out, the group is able to knock out the Saiyans with a special gun, leaving Goku to wake up at the Galactic Patrol HQ. The organization is the one who kidnapped Buu, and they've done so to remove the Grand Kaioshin from the alien. The deity is needed as a criminal has escaped the Galactic Patrol, and the only one capable of stopping the baddie is the Dragon Ball Z Kaioshin."

Dragon Ball Super: Broly will hit Japanese theaters in December, and is expected to arrive in the U.S. on January 16, 2019. Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. ET. 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.