Dragon Ball franchise owners have started shifting creative leadership to manga artist Toyotarou following the death of series creator Akira Toriyama. Recent production updates show that Capsule Corp Tokyo, Shueisha, and Toei are using Toyotarou’s work as their main guide. As the franchise moves into a new production phase, Dragon Ball Super reflects this changing creative direction through television releases and printed material [1].
Toyotarou and Dragon Ball Super
Toriyama chose Toyotarou to illustrate the Dragon Ball Super manga starting in 2015, working together on character designs and story outlines for nearly a decade. That close creative partnership changed when Toriyama died in March 2024, leaving the manga on an indefinite hiatus after the release of Chapter 104. Chapter 104 was the first chapter Toyotarou drew without Toriyama’s direct editorial guidance, prompting discussions about who would steer the franchise in the coming years. While Toriyama may have left behind preliminary notes detailing basic plot concepts for upcoming story arcs, any future storyboard drafts and exact character dialogue will come directly from his chosen successor without Toriyama’s oversight [1].
For decades, official promotional art relied almost exclusively on Toriyama’s classic manga panels and color covers. That pattern is now shifting toward Toyotarou’s drawings. A recently released official T-shirt features an illustration of Ultra Instinct Goku drawn directly from Chapter 41 of the manga. New collectible cards from Diramix also copy Toyotarou’s book covers [1].
The Diramix lamincard set showcases Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan Blue forms, matching Toyotarou’s art from the French dual Volume 1 and Volume 2 book release. The anime adaptation is also leaning into Toyotarou’s specific manga contributions instead of repeating older television scripts. In the Dragon Ball Super: Beerus television remake, several sequences come straight from Toyotarou’s pages. A pre-release trailer showed Goku using Super Saiyan God against Frieza, a fight choice that appeared only in Toyotarou’s brief three-page manga scene and never in the 2015 anime or the Resurrection ‘F’ film. Episode 1 added Goku mentally training against Frieza, Cell, and Buu, restoring another scene from the manga [1].
New Anime Scenes and Merchandise
The broader television effort began taking shape at the Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri event, which celebrated the anime’s 40th anniversary. Organizers announced that an enhanced edition titled Dragon Ball Super: Beerus would begin airing on Fuji TV in Fall 2026. The project employs updated visual tools to deliver greater visual power and immersion across all battle sequences [2].
The official website stated that the project features “extensive new cuts, revisions to existing scenes, a complete re-rendering of all footage, newly recorded dubbing with added score and sound effects, and a full reconstruction of the story” to better match original worldbuilding. That overhaul aims to remove earlier animation errors and filler material from the broadcast [2].
The production team also updated the visual identity of the show by swapping the gold lettering in the logo for bold blue text. Broadcast episodes run every Sunday on Crunchyroll and Hulu in North America. Fans tracking the anime can watch how Netflix streams Dragon Ball Super Beerus on Saturdays following each Japanese television broadcast. Reports differ on the run’s length, as early leaks suggested the storyline would span only six episodes before transitioning into a Golden Frieza remake, while later reports indicate it will last 19 episodes through the Universe 6 Tournament [1, 3].
The Galactic Patrol and Future Arcs
The main project on the horizon is an adaptation of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, titled Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol. Toyotarou confirmed he wrote this entire storyline himself for the manga, creating an original narrative that introduced the ancient wizard Moro. The storyline gives supporting fighters like Piccolo and Krillin room to fight [2].
Production leaks suggest that staff members from the Beerus remake will transition to the Galactic Patrol project once the current run wraps up. Toei no longer airs Dragon Ball and One Piece at the same time on Fuji TV, which means the two properties may trade television time slots across upcoming seasons. If One Piece does not immediately take back its morning block when the Beerus storyline concludes in February 2027, the Galactic Patrol adaptation could debut as early as March 2027. However, if One Piece returns for a short television run first, the new series would likely arrive later in 2027 or early 2028, with rumors pointing to movie-level visual polish for Moro’s battles [3].
Following the Moro storyline, the manga moved into the Granolah the Survivor Saga, which featured Vegeta unlocking Ultra Ego and a flashback showing Goku’s father, Bardock. That story culminated with Black Frieza appearing to defeat both Saiyans in a single blow, setting up an unresolved threat that fans expect to serve as the series’ next major climax [4]. Adapting these manga-original arcs onto television will place Toyotarou’s concepts at the center of the anime for years [2]. By bringing these arcs to the screen, the studio validates Toyotarou’s role as the ongoing creative architect [1].
Dragon Ball Super Hiatus and Side Projects
The Dragon Ball Super manga has remained on hold since February 2024, leaving readers waiting for Chapter 105. Executive Akio Iyoku stated that more Dragon Ball projects are in development, but ongoing rights issues and licensing negotiations have slowed production across several mediums. These disputes have also kept manga-exclusive characters and forms out of fighting games [4].
While the manga remains paused, Toyotarou has explored other creative work outside the Toriyama universe. He produced a 45-page draft for an original one-shot manga titled Lost Samurai, which could potentially become a serialized story if picked up by Shueisha. He also drew card artwork for Mikazuki Augus from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, published in the November 2025 issue of V-Jump. These side efforts show the artist expanding his portfolio beyond Toriyama’s shadow while waiting for manga production to resume. When Chapter 105 finally arrives, it may lead directly into a final confrontation with Black Frieza to conclude the current overarching saga [1, 4].
Resolving that storyline would provide closure for fans who have followed the series since 2015. However, Toyotarou could also take the story past the original End of Z storyline, exploring Goku’s training with Uub and a rematch with Beerus. Toyotarou can’t rely on Toriyama’s direct oversight anymore, making any continuation his own distinct creation [1].
Video Game Delays and Updates
Gaming adaptations are adjusting their schedules as well. Bandai Namco confirmed that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, originally revealed as Dragon Ball Project: Age 1000, will not arrive until the second half of 2027. Set 148 years after the events of Xenoverse 2 in West City, the title incorporates lore and character designs that Toriyama contributed before his death in March 2024 [5].
The storyline connects to Toriyama’s Age 1000 concepts first explored in Dragon Ball Online, where Piccolo stands as the sole surviving Z-Fighter. Producer Masayuki Hirano explained the reasoning behind the revised launch window in an official message to players. “DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE is a series that we build together with the players through launch, and throughout its post launch life as well,” Hirano said, adding that extra development time will help realize ambitions for post-launch content [5]. The game will feature six playable races, including a newly added Android race, with 130 characters and combat customization options [6].
While fans wait for major sequels, smaller digital releases continue to supply new content. Minecraft launched an update for its Dragon Ball Z Legends DLC, priced at $8.99, which adds Bardock, Teen Gohan, Vegito, and Gotenks in block form. The update includes four new Story Mode battles and an eight-bracket Tournament Mode based on the Tenkaichi Budokai ring first seen in manga chapter 24 [7]. These digital offerings arrive with other merchandise expansions, including the Lego Dragon Ball Shenron and Goku set revealed for construction toy fans.
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- ONLINE NEWS Fontes, R. (2026, January 26). It’s the Dawn of a New Era For Dragon Ball Super. GameRant. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Fontes, R. (2026, October 6). It’s Officially A New Era For Dragon Ball. GameRant. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Kurland, D. (2025, October 1). A New Era of Dragon Ball is About to Begin. CBR. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Reyna, L. (2026, October 22). Dragon Ball Officially Confirms Disappointing 2027 Release Update. CBR. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Carter, C. (2026, September 7). The Future Of Dragon Ball Officially Unveiled As New Era Begins. ScreenRant. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Cardaro, B. (2026, October 21). Dragon Ball Z Officially Returns With a Brand-New World Tournament. CBR. [Article Link]
