Dragon Ball Super entered an ongoing hiatus in March 2024, following the ing of series creator, Akira Toriyama. In the months since the tragic news spread, fans have expressed their gratitude for the manga master's work, while wondering what the future of Dragon Ball would have in store without its original author at the helm. The ongoing anime, Dragon Ball Daima, has been a nostalgic return to the franchise's roots, filling in a previously unexplored gap in the series' timeline.

The events of the wildly popular Dragon Ball Super manga, however, are still on hold, leaving developments with the ever mysterious Black Frieza to fans' imaginations. Super's TV anime finished airing all the way back in 2018, and despite the commercial success of the films which followed, no known continuation is in production,

The future of Dragon Ball is uncertain at best, and the true reason why has little to do with popularity or a lack of direction. According to a report from the Weekly Toyo Keizai magazine, the franchise has been stuck in an ongoing and heated battle over its rights, which began in 2023. Though meetings were taking place in order to establish who exactly would be overseeing the Dragon Ball IP going forward, Akira Toriyama's sudden ing has made the situation extremely difficult.

Shueisha and Capsule Corporation Tokyo Are Battling Over Dragon Ball's Rights

Two Seperate Entities Are In a Dispute Over Ownership of Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is in a sticky situation in of who exactly is the owner of its rights. Shueisha and Bird Studio, Toriyama's own company, owned Dragon Ball together, yet a dispute in 2023 caused friction between the two entities. Akio Iyoku, a previous editor for the magazine which publishes Dragon Ball Super, V-Jump, became the head of the Dragon Ball Room at Shueisha in 2016. Becoming a spokesperson for Toriyama at the time, the two grew close, and the franchise's creator trusted Iyoku to oversee the franchise.

However, Shueisha removed him from his position in 2022, angering both Iyoku and Toriyama, and prompting the former to start his own company, called Capsule Corporation Tokyo. Akira Toriyama, owning Dragon Ball in tandem with Shueisha, wanted Iyoku to handle the IP at his new independent company. Naturally, Shueisha was not thrilled with the idea, being owners of the franchise themselves, and a war over the series' rights officially began.

The dispute caused confusion about who exactly should be approached regarding matters related to Dragon Ball, and though meetings were held to sort out disagreements, Akira Toriyama sadly ed away before any solutions could be found. According to the report, the future remains unclear in regard to the dispute, though meetings have resumed and are ongoing. As of now, it seems the ultimate decision on how the franchise moves forward lies with Toriyama's family.

The Future of Dragon Ball Remains Uncertain, But Things Are Looking Up

Dragon Ball Super's Manga Is Set to Return, Though Not Entirely

Despite the ongoing feud between the two parties, the reveal that Dragon Ball Super's manga will be returning with a special one-shot is a good sign for things to come. Shueisha alone holds the rights to Dragon Ball's manga, so while it remains unclear whether an agreement has been put into place regarding who exactly owns what aspect of the franchise, it seems both parties are willing to move forward while still hashing out the details. The one-shot will focus on Goten and Trunks, and take place around Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero in the series' timeline.

It may not be the full resume of the manga's serialization that some fans expected, or the continuation of the long finished Dragon Ball Super anime, but an entry into the franchise during such uncertain times speaks to how both parties feel about continuing the series. Fans will have to hold on a little longer before Black Frieza is reintroduced to the story, but the one-shot could be the start of more activity to come.

Dragon Ball Super, along with the entire franchise, has been in a state of limbo since Akira Toriyama's ing, and there remains very little to hint towards where the disputing parties are in their disagreement. Nevertheless, the announcement of a new manga entry, as well as the ongoing Dragon Ball Daima anime, should be able to hold over any uneasy fans. The future of Dragon Ball is still unclear, though there are some glimmers of hope that it may one day be bright.

SOURCE: Weekly Toyo Kezai