Does Dragon Ball Need A Reboot?

The Dragon Ball franchise continues to hang in a state of limbo, and at this point, fans are [...]

By Kofi Outlaw

The Dragon Ball franchise continues to hang in a state of limbo, and at this point, fans are beginning to ask one question above all others: Does Dragon Ball need a reboot? Dragon Ball Super brought the franchise to new heights of popularity, only to leave fans hanging when the series suddenly went on hiatus. It's now been over two years since Dragon Ball Super left the airwaves (in Japan), and there still hasn't been any indication of when the next Dragon Ball anime will arrive, and what kind of form it will take. So what to do from here?

Will Dragon Ball Super Continue?

The first big question to answer about a Dragon Ball reboot is what to do about Dragon Ball Super? As stated, the anime series went on hiatus back in spring 2018, and there's been no official announcement about if/when it will return. The Dragon Ball Super brand has been pushed forward into the feature film lane with the release of Dragon Ball Super: Broly - but again, no announcements about whether or not there will be any additional Dragon Ball Super movies.

While that might all seem like clear indication that Dragon Ball Super has reached its end, the manga has continued to move forward with a pretty pivotal new storyline, which has definitely pushed both Goku and Vegeta into new phases of power. It's a pretty mixed set of messages for fans to interpret and a long stretch of time to keep fans waiting. There needs to be an answer to the question of what Dragon Ball Super's fate is, before the franchise can truly move forward.

What Does A Dragon Ball Reboot Mean?

Dragon Ball Super Goku Ultra Instinct Powers Level Perfected Unstable Manga Anime

Once the issue of Dragon Ball Super's run is answered, there's an immediate follow-up question that goes along with it: what does a "reboot" of Dragon Ball even mean, at this point?

When it comes to Dragon Ball, there are many ways a "reboot" could take shape. The most traditional way would be the launch of a new anime series under a new title, just like Dragon Ball Super was a direct follow-up to Dragon Ball Z, which itself was a direct follow-up to the original Dragon Ball anime. Given where the DBS anime and movie left off, there's pretty good opportunity to launch a new series. The final Dragon Ball Super manga storyline is similarly feeling like it's angling toward a solid endpoint for the series; it would be perfect as a second Dragon Ball Super movie feature, that officially ended the anime. That seems like the path most fans want to follow - it doesn't seem like rebooting Dragon Ball from scratch is an idea most fans are behind.

Now that we know when/where Dragon Ball could be rebooted - the last question to answer is how to reboot Dragon Ball.

Is One Dragon Ball Series Enough?

Dragon Ball Super Moro Arc
(Photo: Toei)

We've been tackling this question ever since Dragon Ball Super went on hiatus: is it time for the next phase of Dragon Ball to offer fans multiple series, instead of just one? We won't go to deep into that question - you can read our breakdown of Dragon Ball spinoffs HERE. This is just a question that Toei Animation and Dragon Ball fans all have to think about as the series tries to move forward. What say you?

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