Even four decades since its debut, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series remains one of the most influential anime and manga franchises of all time. Since the mangaka’s death last year, the franchise hasn’t announced any new anime projects, and even the Dragon Ball Super manga has been on an indefinite hiatus. Toyotaro, the manga artist who supported Toriyama throughout Super’s serialization, will be taking the helm with both illustrations and storyboarding. He returned with a surprise chapter in February this year, but there have been no further updates regarding when the manga will resume serialization.
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Additionally, Toei Animation hasn’t released a sequel to Dragon Ball Super’s anime since 2018, which concluded shortly after hyping fans with Goku’s Ultra Instinct, one of the best transformations of all time that blends the protagonist’s techniques with a divine ability. The anime still has enough content from the manga to release a short season, but it’s evident that Toei has other plans for the series. While the franchise’s future looked bleak for most of the year, things are about to take a drastic turn in 2026. Next year will commence with a highly anticipated event named Dragon Ball Genki Dama Matsuri, which is sure to bring a lot of surprises for fans.
Dragon Ball’s 40th Anniversary Celebrations Are Far From Over
Dragon Ball Genki Dama Matsuri, a special event to commemorate the manga’s 40th anniversary, was confirmed in October this year. The event will be held on January 25th at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. Fans can expect new updates and information on the franchise’s future projects, including a new game. The latest promotional post by the anime’s official X handle gives a general idea of what will go down during the event, including an exhibition of Toriyama’s original artwork and the franchise’s 40th Anniversary Items All-in-One! exhibition. However, fans were mostly surprised by the mention of Dragon Ball Moments, which might be related to featuring some of the most memorable moments in the series. Although that’s merely speculation at this point, since there have been no details about what it could mean.
It’s not every day the world’s most iconic manga marks its 40th anniversary, which is why Shueisha and Toei Animation leave no stone unturned to celebrate this huge milestone. The manga completed its 40 years on November 20th, 2024, but the festivities are still ongoing. Among the many projects and promotions, the one that stood out the most was Dragon Ball Daima, an original 20-episode anime series written by the creator himself to commemorate the anniversary.
Additionally, a Dragon Ball Super Gallery project commenced in 2021, where forty-two renowned mangaka, including One Piece‘s Eiichiro Oda and Bleach‘s Tite Kubo, joined the project to honor Toriyama’s work over the decades. In May this year, the franchise confirmed that a box set, including double volume covers, was available for pre-order, which is currently exclusive to Japan.
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Image courtesy of Paramount+
