Could 'Dragon Ball Super' Do Its Own Adaptation of the 'Universal Conflict' Arc?

Right now, the Dragon Ball franchise is split into several key factions, constantly competing for the attention of the fandom. The main Dragon Ball Super anime is on hiatus right now, but the series is still continuing on, thanks to the new Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie. Meanwhile, a big new story arc has begun within the Dragon Ball Super manga, and the Dragon Ball Heroes promo anime has kicking off a bold new storyline, as well.

In the case of Dragon Ball Heroes, that new story arc is called "Universal Conflict: Dawn of War", and it sees six powerful villains escape from the deepest depths of the "Prison Planet" and band together for a truly nefarious purpose: taking out the gods of the multiverse! The group (known as the "Core Area Warriors") doesn't waste any time launching a malevolent invasion of Universe 6 upon their escape - including one member of the group whose presence has massive implications for Goku and Vegeta: Fused Zamasu, having somehow survived the events of Dragon Ball Super's "Future Trunks Saga". The Core Area Warriors want no less than to destroy the Omni-King, Grand Zeno, which would be a major game-changer for the Dragon Ball universe.

Of course, Dragon Ball Heroes is just a non-canon promotional anime for the Super Dragon Ball Heroes arcade game - but could the official series also be headed down this path?

It's definitely a possibility. On the manga side, Dragon Ball Super's current "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" arc involves a ancient sorcerer who escaped from a galactic prison and is trying to use the Dragon Balls to rekindle an evil magic that once threatened the gods themselves. The arc already has far-reaching implications for the Dragon Ball Super status quo, and could easily end with the reveal that other prisoners besides "Planet-Eater Moro" are now out and running amok. In short, "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" could easily serve as lead-in to the official Dragon Ball Super "Universal Conflict" arc within the manga.

On the anime side, Dragon Ball Super currently is a blank slate. The Broly movie teases the next step, with Goku thirsty to get out in the multiverse and find strong opponents to fight - like those he met in the Tournament of Power. Part of Dragon Ball Heroes' "Prison Planet" and "Universal Conflict" have Goku and Vegeta on a universal tour, meeting alternate universe versions of themselves as well as some new villains. Given where things are after the ToP, it wouldn't take much to steer Goku and Co. to the Prison Planet, after encountering that arc's two main villains, Fu and Cumber the Evil Saiyan. From there, the end of the "Prison Planet" arc would lead right into the "Universal Conflict" anime arc - or the anime could first follow the manga's "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" arc, and take a similar path towards a "Universal Conflict Arc" as the one described above. The arc is still taking shape, but Dragon Ball Super has definitely been building to this type of storyline for some time.

What may be the biggest determination of whether or not this "Universal Conflict" arc is how the fandom responds to it. Dragon Ball Heroes is very much a testing ground of sorts, and if that test provides positive buzz, then the relevant storyline could easily be adapted for the main series. The question is: is that something you want to see happen?

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