7 Announcements We’re Dying to See at Dragon Ball’s Genki Dama Festival This Month

For last month’s Jump Festa event, many shonen fans were stunned that one of the biggest franchises was nowhere to be found. Dragon Ball decided not to have a stage at this recent news-worthy gathering, because Goku and his fellow Z-Fighters were set to house an event all their own. On January 25th this month, the Dragon Ball Genki Dama Festival is planning to reveal quite a few updates for everything revolving around Akira Toriyama’s beloved franchise. With this event only a few days away, now seems like the right time to break down what we are hoping to see from the Genki Dama Festival.

7.) Dragon Ball Super’s Anime Return

Ever since Dragon Ball Super’s original anime ended in 2018 with the Tournament of Power’s conclusion, anime fans have wondered if the Z-Fighters would return to document some of the other manga’s tales. Specifically, following the fight against Jiren in the Universal Tournament Arc, the Dragon Ball Super manga would focus on Goku and company fighting the likes of the energy-absorbing wizard Moro and the alien bounty hunter known as Granolah. These two storylines could give anime fans quite a few episodes, so fans are hoping to see them eventually translated to the small screen. Speaking of the source material…

6.) Dragon Ball Super’s Manga Return

Following the tragic passing of creator Akira Toriyama, the status of the Dragon Ball Super manga has been in limbo, outside of releasing a handful of chapters. The latest chapter focused on a chapter examining how Goten and Trunks decided to become masked vigilantes. While nothing has been confirmed, all the signs are pointing toward the heir apparent, Toyotaro, taking the reins of the shonen sequel. In fact, Toyotaro was a much larger part in forging the recent Super stories, as most of the beats were created by the artist for Toriyama’s approval. With Dragon Ball Super’s manga most likely set to take place after the events of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the sky is the limit for where the printed story would go.

5.) Dragon Ball Daima Season 2

Dragon Ball Daima was presented as a brand-new anime series that would bridge the gap between the finale of Dragon Ball Z and the beginning of Dragon Ball Super. While many anime fans were skeptical of whether this story was necessary, Daima proved many wrong by giving long-time Z-Fighter fans moments they felt would never arrive. Goku welcomes Super Saiyan 4 into the official canon while Vegeta unveils his own Super Saiyan 3 form, creating some jaw-dropping moments. While a second season isn’t assured, the latest Dragon Ball offering does hint that there are more adventures set to transpire within the Demon Realm thanks to a post-credits scene.

4.) A New Dragon Ball Movie

The main conveyance of Dragon Ball’s future following the conclusion of the Tournament of Power has been on the screen. After the fight against Jiren and Goku discovering Ultra Instinct, shonen fans witnessed a new iteration of Broly entering the main continuity in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Once the fight against the Legendary Super Saiyan ended, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero brought back the Red Ribbon Army under new management. Creating the biological nightmare known as Cell Max, Gohan and Piccolo alike received new transformations as a result of the battles. Should the anime continue, it would not be a surprise if the next project arrives on the silver screen.

3.) A New Dragon Ball Video Game

Of all the possibilities on this list, the Genki Dama Festival introducing a new Dragon Ball video game feels like the safest bet. For years, the shonen franchise has been bringing the Z-Fighters to multiple platforms, even spanning waters outside of the traditional fighting game offerings. Dragon Ball FighterZ and Dragon Ball Sparking Zero are still receiving new updates to this day, so we fully expect more to arrive for these two digital entries. With other offerings like Dragon Ball: The Breakers and Dragon Ball: Gekishin Squadra still running, it seems like there’s always room for more Son Goku.

2.) The Return of Black Frieza

Whether it be in an anime adaptation, the manga’s potential return, a video game, or elsewhere, the lack of Frieza in his ultimate form has been a major piece of Dragon Ball that has been missing for years. Arriving as the crescendo to the Granolah the Survivor Arc, Frieza achieved a new form that has made him the strongest living being in the universe (outside of the gods, that is.) For all intents and purposes, Z-Fighter fans have bet that Frieza will be the next big villain that the anime heroes will fight. Considering that “Black Frieza” defeated Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta with one hit each, this villain’s return is one of the most anticipated moments of the franchise.

1.) A Dragon Ball Remake

Whether it be a remake of the original story that started it all, the sequel that introduced us to elements like Super Saiyans and alien worlds, or even by recreating the events of Dragon Ball Super to stick closer to the manga, this franchise needs an anime remake. During Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, we were able to briefly witness what modern animation techniques would look like in documenting the original stories that introduced fans to Goku and friends. Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z are two series that could work well with a new remake, so fingers crossed that the Genki Dama Festival confirms that these anime will return.

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