Will The New Dragon Ball Super Movie Be Canon?

Dragon Ball Super is set to continue in the world of anime with an original story thanks to the creator of the Shonen franchise, and with this big announcement, we are left wondering whether this next chapter in the tale of the Z Fighters will take place in the main canon the series. With the manga continuing past the conclusion of the anime for Dragon Ball Super, which when on hiatus following the end of the Tournament of Power Arc, the reveal that this is an original story means it won’t be a translation of the Moro or Granolah The Survivor Arc.

Dragon Ball has created films that are both inside and out of continuity, with Dragon Ball Z specifically presenting a number of stories that took place outside of the main canon. Villains such as the original version of Broly, Janemba, Bojack, Turles, and others never found their way into the stories that “count”, aka things that have actually happened to Goku, Vegeta, and the other Z Fighters. Luckily for fans of the franchise, many of these villains have found a home thanks in part to the spin-off series of Super Dragon Ball Heroes, with the current “Space-Time War Arc” specifically focusing on some of these returning antagonists.

If we look at the past of the current series, every one of the Dragon Ball Super movies has taken place inside of continuity, from the arrival of Beerus in Battle of Gods to the return of Freeza in Resurrection of F to the introduction of the Legendary Super Saiyan Broly all having an effect on the lives of the living Saiyans. With the upcoming film being created specifically by Akira Toriyama, this is another big example of the animated movie taking place in the main story, following suit in the three films that came before it.

While it’s still up in the air whether or not the movie will take place in the main universe, based on what we’ve seen so far from the Dragon Ball Super series and Akira Toriyama’s involvement, it seems like a surefire bet that the upcoming film will in fact take place in the main canon of the Shonen series.

What are you hoping to see from the upcoming Dragon Ball Super film? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Dragon Ball.