Dragon Ball Super‘s manga has been on an indefinite hiatus ever since Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s passing, and a new update has revealed that this hiatus will be continuing through the rest of the year at the very least. Dragon Ball is currently at a crossroads as following the late creator Akira Toriyama’s passing, the franchise is now moving forward with a brand new anime series featuring a new story and characters from Toriyama himself, Dragon Ball Daima. This will be the final project featuring the creator’s direct influence, and that means that the future of the also running Dragon Ball Super manga has since been a mystery as well.
Those behind the Dragon Ball anime have expressed their desire to continue with new entries following Dragon Ball Daima, but it’s been a different case for Dragon Ball Super. It was getting direct influence from Akira Toriyama for how it was expanding the canon beyond the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero arc before it entered its hiatus earlier this Spring, and unfortunately won’t be returning anytime soon as noted by @DbsHype on X who stated that the next issue of Shueisha’s V-Jump doesn’t have a new chapter or an update for a potential December 2024 release either.
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Dragon Ball Super Is Still On Indefinite Hiatus
Following Toriyama’s passing earlier this Spring, Shueisha had announced that Dragon Ball Super would be going on an indefinite hiatus. This came after the release of Chapter 103 on March 20th, and the end of the epilogue to the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero arc. This brought the manga to line up with the final anime release for the franchise at the time, but there are still teases about the future that fans are hoping to see followed up on such as the debut of the new strongest warrior in the universe, Black Frieza.
Naturally this has meant that fans are curious to see if Dragon Ball Super will ever return with new chapters, but it’s a very delicate situation. The artist behind the series, Toyotaro, expressed his desire to continue with the manga series in the future, but that’s much easier said than done. The anime is very much its own beast and is currently in the midst of brand new stories, but Toyotaro would unfortunately be tasked with crafting what’s next to come in the official timeline for the late Toriyama’s story without the creator’s guidance. It’s a tough path forward.
Will Dragon Ball Super Ever Return?
It’s likely that Dragon Ball Super‘s manga will return in the future with new chapters, but it’s going to take a lot of time and effort to get there. This is a unique situation for all those involved as now Dragon Ball is going to essentially be in the hands of Shueisha, and thus any future material for the story from now on will be ideas generated without Toriyama’s explicit consent. It’s not an impossible feat to continue the series, however, as there is a precedent for continuing a manga following a creator’s passing with the likes of Berserk, for example.
It’s going to be tough, but if Toyotaro has the ideas to take Dragon Ball Super into the future, and has the support of Shueisha to make it happen, then we could see the manga return in the future. It’s also going to take the fans’ support to help it succeed as well. If Dragon Ball Super returns with new chapters in the future, fans will have to support future releases if they want the story to continue. At least to continue long enough to settle the fight with Black Frieza.
