7 Ideas for the Next ‘Dragon Ball’ Anime Series

Dragon Ball Super is coming to an end, and a lot of fans simply aren’t prepared for it. The story of the “Universal Survival” saga has hard far-reaching effects on the series, opening the door for so much more to come, and yet we’ve heard no plans from Toei or series creator Akira Toriyama about what’s next.

Admittedly, there’s not much that could even be revealed at this point. Dragon Ball Super is in the final minutes of its Tournament of Power storyline, with fans on the edges of their seats, hopes hanging on every new spoilery episode detail that leaks. If any information about the next Dragon Ball series plans were to come to light, it would almost inevitably hint as to how the Tournament of Power (and larger “Universal Survival” saga) will end.

Taking that into account, here are seven ideas for the next Dragon Ball series after Super, which encompass the various ways the “Universal Survival” saga could end.

Universal Resurrection

This is based on the idea that there will be a big twist at the end of Dragon Ball Super: namely that Universe 7 doesn’t win! If that’s the case, then Goku and company are going to either get a last-minute save from destruction, or find themselves in the hereafter — whatever that may be. In either case, the premise for the following series would be pretty clear: The Z Fighters exploring whatever world(s) are in the physical and/or spiritual realms to resurrect Universe 7 and all of the other realms lost in the Tournament of Power. 

Multiverse

One reason Dragon Ball Super fans are so baffled by this abrupt ending to the series is that the “Universal Survival” saga just opened up entire new worlds of story possibilities. We’ve just met so any new warriors from many new universes, some of whom (Cabba, Hit, Jiren) fans have been aching to learn more about. However DBS ends, it stands to reason that the next series could extend the battlefield across the entire Dragon Ball multiverse, with the Z-fighters questing to obtain a new type of Dragon Ball. It would be a perfect opportunity to bring back major figures from the two big tournament arcs in Super and make them central figures. 

Retcon

The latest Dragon Ball Super spoilers have seemed to put a frame on how the Tournament of Power will likely end, and that ending has Freeza possibly emerging as the ultimate MVP. Goku and Jiren are set for a final battle, but Freeza is currently hiding out, which could leave him as the last creature standing. In that case, one speculative theory about Freeza’s wish is that it could reset the universe in a way that brings him back to life as the ultimate power in the universe. To do that, Freeza would essentially need to erase the events that catapulted his Saiyan enemies to greater heights of power — namely, by retconning the events of Dragon Ball Super entirely.

That would leave the evil might of Golden Freeza intact, but all the Super Saiyan God, SSB, and Ultra Instinct powerups would be gone. Goku and friends would need to discover all-new powers in order to set things right. It would be something akin to Dragon Ball GT — only worthy of canon status, this time.

Timelines

Closely related to the idea of a new series set around the wider Dragon Ball multiverse is a series that would actually explore the various different timelines that have been established in the mythos. Again, it’s an easy premise to pull in different ways: the Z-Fighters could be gathering new Dragon Balls from different eras or timelines to either bring back their own timeline or fix some other problem.

A series set around exploring different Dragon Ball timelines is also a great way to bring some dangling elements of both DBS and DBZ together. After all, a Cell and Goku Black meet-up, or “Android 21 Saga,” isn’t something that should only exist in Dragon Ball FighterZ. Like all stories about different timelines, there would be new versions of our favorite characters to introduce and get to know.

Divine War

Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one. The next Dragon Ball series could simply pick up right where Dragon Ball Super left off. During the Tournament of Power, it’s been hinted at that there’s a threat out there in the universe that’s bigger than the gods, kais, zenos, and angels we’ve met, something that’s motivating someone as powerful as Jiren to fight and expand his power and possibly train others like Goku and Vegeta to do the same. Dragon Ball Super could be going on hiatus simply to prepare for and produce a “Divine War” series that’s already been planned out. 

Peaceful World

One the biggest hangups of the Dragon Ball series right now is how Dragon Ball Super will eventually connect to the famous final epilogue of Dragon Ball Z. That epilogue is set ten years after the Buu Saga during the “Peaceful World Tournament” when Goten and Trunks are teenagers, which is clearly years after the events of Dragon Ball Super. There’s some continuity discrepancy when it comes to the sorts of power levels Goku has at the end of DBZ and during the events of DBS, so a series focused on bridging that gap would be welcome addition. 

Saiyan World

Vegeta promised Cabba that he would resurrect Universe 6 and come visit the Saiyan homeworld of Sadala, and that oath has definitely felt like something of a foreshadow throughout the Tournament of Power. The 2018 Dragon Ball movie will also be a prequel that’s likely set on the Universe 7 of Sadala before it was destroyed. That movie, along with Vegeta’s repeated oath to Cabba, could be indications that the next chapter of the Dragon Ball saga will be all about Saiyan world. Since Saiyans are the most popular characters in Dragon Ball, getting a whole new series of them would be pretty exciting for fans. 

****

What do you think the next Dragon Ball series will be?

Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swimairs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m, and is now available to stream on FunimationNOW and Amazon Video.

[Embed id=56853]Dragon Ball Super (TVShow: dragon-ball-super)[/Embed]