In many ways, Dragon Ball is thriving these days. The series is enjoying a well-met manga arc and a Dragon Ball Z video game is on the horizon. Son Goku has made a major comeback in the West, but it seems the franchise's anime cannot figure itself out. After going dark more than a year ago, Dragon Ball has yet to roll out a mainline since, and this weekend proved to be a breaking point for some.
Only days ago, Japan began its annual Jump Festa, and it was there millions of anime fans gathered to celebrate all things otaku. The shonen festival paid tribute to series like One Piece and Boruto along with Haikyuu and many more. Dragon Ball was also visited, and many had hoped the convention would be the place where Dragon Ball Super 2 was announced.
Of course, that did not happen. The Dragon Ball panel was focused on the franchise's video games and manga. There was no mention of a mainline anime whatsoever, a fact which left many bereft. Without even a film to lean back on, the Dragon Ball anime fandom is having a hard time keeping up its spirit.
And to be honest, a good few are wondering if the TV series will ever push out a follow-up to Dragon Ball Super.
As you can see in the slides below, conversation about a sequel is rampant online. Fans have waited well over a year for some update, and they have been given rumors at best. Now, there are fans saying it's time to abandon their anime hopes in favor of the manga, so here's to hoping their patience has not been in vain.
What do you make of this whole Dragon Ball debacle? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
The Japanese-language and English dub releases of Dragon Ball Super are now complete and available to stream with FunimationNOW and Crunchyroll. Viz Media is releasing new chapters of the manga at a monthly rate that can be read entirely for free through the Shonen Jump digital library, and Dragon Ball Super's big movie, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Fans in Japan are also able to enjoy fresh non-canon adventures from the franchise with new episodes of Super Dragon Ball Heroes' promotional anime series.