Dragon Ball Super[a] is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation, based on the manga seriesDragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. The original series aired inJapan on Fuji TV and other channels from July 2015 to March 2018, spanning 131 episodes. It is the first television series in thefranchise to feature a new storyline in 18 years and serves as amidquel toDragon Ball Z Kai (2009–2015).
Set during the time frame of Toriyama's original manga, the series follows the adventures of Son Goku and his friends during the ten-year timeskip after the defeat of Majin Buu. The series begins with a retelling of the events of theDragon Ball Z filmsBattle of Gods (2013) andResurrection 'F' (2015) before telling new story arcs. Two sequel films were released:Broly (2018) andSuper Hero (2022). Aremaster of theBattle of Gods arc,Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, will premiere in 2026, while a sequel to the anime and follow-up to the filmBroly,Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol, is also in production.
In a retelling of the filmDragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013),Son Goku works as a farmer and his family and friends live peacefully following the defeat ofKid Buu. However, the God of Destruction,Beerus, awakens after a dream about a warrior known as the Super Saiyan God, and along with hisAngel assistant and teacher,Whis, threatens to destroy the Earth if the warrior loses to him.[4] Goku uses the Dragon Balls and discovers that it takes six pure hearted Saiyans to archieve the transformation, which results in Goku becoming the Super Saiyan God. With the help of his friends, Goku battles Beerus and loses, but his efforts appease Beerus, who spares the planet and befriends Goku, allowing him to train on Beerus' world.
In a retelling of the filmDragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' (2015),Goku andVegeta train with Whis, while the remnants of theFrieza Force collect the Earth's Dragon Balls and resurrect him. After training for four months, Frieza returns to Earth, seeking revenge on Goku. Despite achieving his Golden transformation, he is defeated by Goku and Vegeta, who have mastered the Super Saiyan Blue (otherwise known as Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan), a transformation achieved by using and controlling God Ki. In spite, Frieza destroys the Earth, but Whis reverses time, allowing Goku to defeat Frieza.[5]
Beerus's twin brother,Champa, the God of Destruction ofUniverse 6, and his assistant andWhis's older sister,Vados, visit Beerus whileGoku andVegeta are in the middle of training. Champa hosts a tournament against Universe 7, the one where Goku and his friends reside. Universe 7 wins the tournament and gets to use the Super Dragon Balls, which can be used to do anything that the user may desire. Beerus desires to restore Universe 6's Earth for Champa. The tournament draws the attention ofZeno, who is the ruler of all twelve universes. He wishes to watch another tournament involving the rest of the universes in the future and befriends Goku with a handshake.[6]
Future Trunks returns with news of a new and powerful enemy with a dark and terrifying aura who resembles Goku, known asGoku Black, who has killed almost everyone in Future Trunks' timeline. They discover that Black's true identity isZamasu, a Kaioshin apprentice from Universe 10 of an alternate timeline. Zamasu used the Super Dragon Balls to steal Goku's body from alternate timeline and used the Time Ring to travel to Future Trunks' timeline to ally himself with Future Zamasu, as part of his plan to wipe out every mortal being.[7] Ultimately, Fused Zamasu (the union between Black and Future Zamasu) and the future timeline are erased from existence by Future Zeno, who accompanies Goku back to the present, where he becomes Present Zeno's friend. Future Trunks andFuture Mai leave for a new alternate timeline.
Both Zenos hold the Tournament of Power, where teams of ten fighters from eight of the twelve universes will battle, with defeated universes being erased from existence.[8]Goku,Vegeta,Gohan,Piccolo,Krillin,Android 18,Tien Shinhan, andMaster Roshi are joined byAndroid 17 and a temporarily revivedFrieza. They battle formidable warriors, such as Universe 11'sJiren. Goku attains a legendary god transformation known as Ultra Instinct -Sign-, allowing him to fight unconsciously and with very precise moves while reaching Mastered Ultra Instinct.[9] The tournament ends with Goku and Frieza eliminating Jiren along with themselves, leaving Android 17 as the winner for Universe 7. He is awarded one wish from the Super Dragon Balls, and restores the erased universes. As a reward for helping in the tournament, Frieza is permanently revived by Whis.
Dragon Ball Super was based on original story outlines and character designs by series creatorAkira Toriyama, with individual episodes written by different screenwriters. The first 27 episodes readapt the events of theDragon Ball Z filmsBattle of Gods andResurrection 'F' with anime-original plot elements.[10]
Toriyama explained his involvement with the "Future Trunks arc" of the anime by saying that he created the story based on suggestions from the editorial department, "As with last time, I wrote the overall plot outline, and the scriptwriters have been compiling and expanded the story content into individual episodes, making various changes and additions, and generally doing their best to make the story more interesting."[11]
The anime series was originally directed by Masatoshi Chioka.[12] Morio Hatano, series director ofSaint Seiya Omega (episodes #1–51), began sharing the series director credit with Chioka beginning with episode #28, before taking it over completely with #47. From episode #47 to #76, Morio Hatano shared the role of series director with Kōhei Hatano (no relation), another storyboard artist and episode director for the series.Toei Animation producer Atsushi Kido previously worked onDragon Ball Z for a brief time during the Frieza arc, while Fuji TV producer Osamu Nozaki said he has been a fan of the series since childhood.[13]
During theDragon Ball 40th anniversary event, an enhanced edition of the God of Destruction arc was announced under the titleDragon Ball Super: Beerus. The project is a remastered and re-edited version of the anime, featuring newly animated footage, general animation corrections, newly recorded voice performances, and a reconstructed storyline with new and redrawn cuts. Akio Iyoku stated that the work began several years earlier and involves a reconstruction of the story.[16][17]
Norihito Sumitomo, the composer forBattle of Gods andResurrection 'F', is scoringDragon Ball Super.[18] An original soundtrack for the anime was released on CD byNippon Columbia on February 24, 2016.[19]
The first opening theme song for episodes 1 to 76 is "Chōzetsu☆Dynamic!" (超絶☆ダイナミック！,Chōzetsu Dainamikku; "Excellent Dynamic!") byKazuya Yoshii ofThe Yellow Monkey in both Japanese and English. The lyrics were penned byYukinojo Mori who has written numerous songs for theDragon Ball series.[20] The second opening theme song for episodes 77 to 131 is "Genkai Toppa × Survivor" (限界突破×サバイバー; "Limit Break × Survivor") byenka singerKiyoshi Hikawa in Japanese and Nathan "NateWantsToBattle" Sharp in English. Mori wrote the lyrics for the rock song, whileTakafumi Iwasaki composed the music.[21][22]
The first ending theme song for episodes 1 to 12 is "Hello Hello Hello" (ハローハローハロー,Harō Harō Harō) by Japanese rock bandGood Morning America in Japanese and Jonathan Young in English.[20] The second ending theme song for episodes 13 to 25 is "Starring Star" (スターリングスター,Sutāringu Sutā) by the groupKeytalk in Japanese and Professor Shyguy in English.[23][24] The third ending song for episodes 26 to 36 is "Usubeni" (薄紅; "Light Pink") by the band Lacco Tower in Japanese and Jeff Smith in English. The fourth ending theme song for episodes 37 to 49 is "Forever Dreaming" byCzecho No Republic in Japanese andMystery Skulls in English.[25] The fifth ending theme song for episodes 50 to 59 is "Yokayoka Dance" (よかよかダンス,Yokayoka Dansu; "It's Fine Dance") by idol groupBATTEN GIRLS in Japanese and Dani Artaud in English.[26] The sixth ending theme song for episodes 60 to 72 is "Chao Han Music" (炒飯MUSIC,Chāhan Myūjikku) by Arukara in Japanese and Elliot Coleman in English.[27] The seventh ending theme song for episodes 73 to 83 is "Aku no Tenshi to Seigi no Akuma" (悪の天使と正義の悪魔; "Evil Angel and Righteous Devil") byThe Collectors in Japanese and William Kubley in English.[28] The eighth ending theme song for episodes 84 to 96 is "Boogie Back" by Miyu Inoue in Japanese and Lizzy Land in English.[29][30] The ninth ending theme song for episodes 97 to 108 is "Haruka" (遥) by Lacco Tower in Japanese and Zachary J. Willis in English.[31] The tenth ending theme song for episodes 109 to 121 is "70cm Shiho no Madobe" (70cm四方の窓辺; "By a 70cm Square Window") byRottengraffty in Japanese and Lawrence B. Park in English.[32][33] The eleventh ending theme song for episodes 122 to 131 is "Lagrima" byOnePixcel in Japanese andAmanda Lee in English.[34]
On April 28, 2015,Toei Animation announced that they are producing a newDragon Ball anime television series, titledDragon Ball Super.[12][13] It would be the first anime series in the franchise to feature an original story sinceDragon Ball GT (1996–1997). The first preview of the series aired on June 14, 2015, following episode 164 ofDragon Ball Z Kai.[35] The next day, the main promotional image forDragon Ball Super was added to its official website and unveiled two new characters,[14] who were later revealed to be namedChampa andVados, respectively.[36] A thirty-second trailer including the new characters was uploaded to the series' official website on June 26, 2015.[37]
The anime began airing on July 5, 2015, and was broadcast on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. onFuji TV.[38][12] On January 19, 2018, it was revealed thatSuper's timeslot would be replaced withGeGeGe no Kitarō starting on April 1, 2018.[39] According to Amazon Japan, the finalBlu-ray set indicated the series' end at episode 131.[40] The series ended on March 25, 2018, with the conclusion of the "Universe Survival Saga". Fuji TV stated that there were no plans to continue the series at that time.[41]
On January 25, 2026, it was announced that Toei Animation was producing a remastered version of the anime series'Battle of Gods arc as part ofDragon Ball's 40th anniversary celebrations.[42][43] The series will premiere in Fall 2026, under the titleDragon Ball Super: Beerus. Additionally, themanga's "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" story arc will also receive an anime project, titledDragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol.[44][45]
An English-subtitledsimulcast ofDragon Ball Super was made available in North America and Europe throughCrunchyroll andDaisuki.[46] Following the closure of Daisuki, the hostedDragon Ball Super episodes were transferred to theDragon Ball Super Card Game website in February 2018 and was available until March 29, 2019.[47][48] On November 4, 2016, Funimation (currently known asCrunchyroll, LLC) announced the company acquired the rights toDragon Ball Super throughToei Animation USA and would be producing an English dub, with many cast members of their previous English-language releases ofDragon Ball media reprising their respective roles. As well as officially announcing the dub, it was also announced they would be simulcasting the series on their streaming platform,FunimationNow.[49][50] The Funimation English dub ofDragon Ball Super began airing onAdult Swim on Saturdays at 8 p.m., with an encore showing in theirToonami block later that night at 11:30 p.m. starting on January 7, 2017, alongsideDragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters.[51][52][53][54] Toei Animation Asia-Pacific has commissioned a separate English-language dub ofDragon Ball Super produced byLos Angeles-basedBang Zoom! Entertainment for the Asian market. It premiered on theToonami channel in Southeast Asia (excluding Malaysia) and India on January 21, 2017.[55] A sneak preview of the English dub's first episode aired on December 17, 2016.[56] Production on the Bang Zoom! dub ended after episode 27 as Toonami Asia and India ceased transmission. Later in March 2022,Cartoon Network started airingDragon Ball Super in Hindi, Tamil, and Telegu. The first 26 episodes being licensed by Toei Asia-Pacific (Bang Zoom!) and the rest by Toei itself using the OkraTron 5000 dub.[57][58][59] In Australia,ABC Me started airing the series on November 3, 2018, with a new episode every Saturday at 2:45 pm. In the United Kingdom, the series aired onPop from July 1, 2019, with episodes first airing at 7 pm on weekdays. As of 2022, the series now airs onCBBC and can also be found onBBC iPlayer.[60][61]
In Japan, the anime series was released on DVD andBlu-ray byHappinet between December 2015 and July 2018, with each "box" also containing textless opening and closing credits sequences and packaged with a booklet.[62] In North America, Funimation began releasing the series from July 2017, again on both DVD and Blu-ray, containing both English-dubbed and English-subtitled Japanese versions; the Blu-ray releases generally also contain interviews with the English cast and textless opening/closing credits sequences. Funimation's localized releases are distributed in the United Kingdom and Australasia byManga Entertainment andMadman Entertainment respectively.
The manga adaptation is illustrated byToyotarou, based onAkira Toriyama's original story outlines.[111] It began serialization inShueisha'sshōnen manga magazineV Jump on June 20, 2015, two weeks before the anime series began airing. Although the anime ended in March 2018, the manga continued with original story arcs.[112] The manga is currently on indefinite hiatus after Toriyama's death in March 2024.[113]
An animated film,Dragon Ball Super: Broly, was the first film in theDragon Ball franchise to be produced under theSuper chronology. Released on December 14, 2018, with a new art style, most of the film is set after the "Universe Survival" story arc (the beginning of the movie takes place in the past).[114] A secondDragon Ball Super film was confirmed to be in pre-production on June 4, 2019, by Toei executive Akio Iyoku. Iyoku feels that the film's original story "will probably be totally different [fromBroly]."[115][116] On July 23, 2021, the sequel's official title was revealed asDragon Ball Super: Super Hero.[117] The film was released in Japan on June 11, 2022,[118][119][120] and internationally on August 19, 2022.[121][122][123]
Bandai announced that a line ofDragon Ball Super toys would be available in the United States in summer 2017.[124] Bandai has also announced the updatedDragon Ball Super Card Game that starts with one starter deck, one special pack containing 4 booster packs and a promotional Vegeta card and a booster box with 24 packs. It was released on July 28, 2017.[125] A line of sixDragon Ball SuperHappy Meal toys were made available at JapaneseMcDonald's restaurants in May 2017.[126]
The anime television series received generally positive reviews from critics and fans. The first episode was highly praised from initial reactions for its improved quality.[127] Richard Eisenbeis ofKotaku praised the series'title sequence and said "My middle-school self is so happy right now, you guys."[128] Jamieson Cox ofThe Verge also praised the title sequence and said that "Dragon Ball Super's intro will have you begging for its North American release". Cox was also surprised that, considering how popular the franchise is, the series did not launch internationally at the same time. He called it "a move that wouldn't be unprecedented" givingSailor Moon Crystal as an example.[129]
The original animation for episode five (left) was widely criticized by viewers and was redrawn for Blu-ray and DVD release (right)
However, the fifth episode received harshly negative responses from Japanese and Western audiences due to its poor animation style compared to the previous four episodes. These problems continued at episode twenty-four, and several more episodes onward.Dragon Ball Kai andResurrection 'F' producer Norihiro Hayashida felt that the criticism was overblown. He said that people were criticizing the entire series based on a few bad sequences that were done by new animators. He went on to explain a quality decline in the anime industry that he believes is the result of studios cutting time given for post-production and not allowing for reviews of the final product.[130][131][132]
Despite this, the Champa arc was praised for improving its animation. Episode 39 was noted improved animation and praised fighting sequences. Attack of the Fanboy reported that "Dragon Ball Super" episode 39 may be the best installment of the series to date.[133] Goku and Hit's fight "starts off explosively from the get-go."[134] The Future Trunks arc also garnered positive response from fans and critics alike.IGN's Shawn Saris acclaiming episode 66, stating that, "episode 66 ofDragon Ball Super has a few missteps but ultimately leads to a great final battle with Zamasu."[135]Anime News Network criticized the poor animation but praised the Goku Black narrative as "the most Super has allowed itself to be a shameless soap opera" based on the handling of the cast.[136] In the same arc,Den of Geek noted Gohan's lighthearted self was not fit for Trunks' dark storyline and heavily contrasted the previous characterizations of Gohan Trunks used to see.[137] In a later review, the same site enjoyed how the anime mocked Gohan's heroic persona but had mixed feelings in regards to its handling in gag episode. The site addressed fans' complaints about how Gohan's character was nearly forgotten by the staff members as well as his marriage with Videl.[138]
The final arc, Universe Survival arc, particularly episodes, 109/110 and 116 have been cited as some of the Super series' best episodes due to Goku's new power up form known as the Ultra Instinct;[139][140] Despite this praise, Jay Gibbs ofComicsVerse criticized the series for its inconsistent narrative, having heard "an explanation within an episode, then see that very explanation invalidated seconds later."[141] Sam Leach from Anime News Network noted that fans of the series tend to joke Piccolo is a better paternal figure to Gohan than his actual father, Goku, and felt thatDragon Ball Super emphasized it more when Piccolo started training him again for this arc.[142] On the other hand, Leach criticized howSuper tries to teach "life lessons" to a mature Gohan. The fact that Piccolo calls him "arrogant", despite Gohan's kindness and humility, was seen as a bad plot point by the reviewer.[143]
The United States premiere ofDragon Ball Super obtained 1,063,000 viewers for its 8 p.m. showing on Adult Swim.[144] Episodes 130 and 131 werelive streamed in various cities acrossLatin American countries includingMexico,El Salvador,Bolivia,Ecuador, andNicaragua for free in public venues.[145][146] The public screenings drew large record audiences, which included filling stadiums in Mexico and other Latin American countries,[147] with each screening drawing audiences numbering in the thousands to the tens of thousands.[148]
One episode ofDragon Ball Super episode received a complaint by Japan's Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization as the part of the story involvedMaster Roshi attempting to sexually assault a female character.[149]
^"日本コロムビア | ドラゴンボール超 オリジナルサウンドトラック" [Nippon Columbia | Dragon Ball Super Original Soundtrack]. 日本コロムビア | ドラゴンボール超 オリジナルサウンドトラック. March 7, 2016. Archived fromthe original on May 27, 2020. RetrievedMarch 7, 2016.
^"「ドラゴンボール超」新キャラ登場のビジュアル、Vジャンではマンガ版始動" ["Dragon Ball Super" unveils visual of a new character; manga version begins in V Jump.].Natalie (in Japanese). June 20, 2015.Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. RetrievedJune 26, 2015.
^"ドラゴンボール超 TVシリーズ コンプリートBlu-ray BOX 上巻" [Dragon Ball Super TV Series Complete Blu-ray Box Set Part 1] (in Japanese). Neowing.Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. RetrievedMay 11, 2022.
^"ドラゴンボール超 TVシリーズ コンプリートDVD BOX 下巻" [Dragon Ball Super TV Series Complete DVD Box Set Part 2] (in Japanese). Neowing.Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. RetrievedMay 11, 2022.
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