Dragon Ball Super Lays Out Akira Toriyama's Continued Involvement

The future of Dragon Ball has been in constant debate, ever since Dragon Ball Super's anime ended [...]

By Kofi Outlaw

The future of Dragon Ball has been in constant debate, ever since Dragon Ball Super's anime ended in 2018. Fans have been calling for some indication of whether or not Dragon Ball Super will continue; whether or not a new series will debut; or if there will be some combination of the two, in the form of spinoffs. There's also been debate about whether or not creator Akira Toriyama still has the fire to lead Dragon Ball into the next era. Thanks to a new interview with Dragon Ball Super's editor, we now have a better indication of just how much influence (or not) Toriyama will have on Dragon Ball, going forward.

Dragon Ball Super editor "Victory" Uchida recently gave V-Jump an in-depth interview about what's going on with Dragon Ball Super right now. Uchida confirmed that Dragon Ball Super will continue in a new manga arc, once the current Moro Arc ends. When it comes to how much influence Akira Toriyama will have, here are some bullet point breakdowns of what the interview with Uchida reveals:

Dragon Ball Super New Arc Series Akira Toriyama Toyotaro Creative Team
  • Uchida says that he works out the story alongside Toriyama and Toyataro.
  • Toyotaro gives storyboards to the editor(s).
  • Editor(s) do their work and pass the storyboards to Toriyama for one last approval.
  • The combination of Toyotaro and Toriyama results in "unusually detailed" Dragon Ball Super storyboards.
  • The general normal flow of production now stands at the editor(s), Toyotaro, and Toriyama collaborating to narrow-down story ideas and concepts into something more refined.
  • Toriyama and his protege Toyotaro are said to have a true "compatibility" with their story planning. They never seem to clash, but rather feed and build off one another.

To sum-up the creative structure of Dragon Ball Super right now, Uchida says that he is the Yamcha to Toriyama's Goku, and Toyotaro's Vegeta. That should let any Dragon Ball fan know where things stand.

Unlike American comics, manga is typically the sustained vision of a single creator or creative team. While some Dragon Ball fans may be ready for someone new to take the creative reigns after 30+ years, it's not the obligation of any mangaka to vacate his/her post. The fact that Toriyama is trusting more and more of his vision to Toyotaro is already a big step. We'll see where things go from here.

Dragon Ball anime is still on hiatus. You can read new manga chapters free online HERE.

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