The Dragon Ball franchise is alive and well with Dragon Ball DAIMA, but fans of Dragon Ball Super in particular have had a rough go of it up until recently. Not only has news of the Super anime returning been entirely null since 2022’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film, things became even more dismal when the monthly release of the Dragon Ball Super manga was put on an indefinite hiatus following the sudden passing of Akira Toriyama in March, 2024. After nearly a year without any substantial update, the Super manga is finally confirmed to be returning in February with a one-shot story written entirely by Toyotarou.

While the one-shot is reportedly mostly focused around Clean God, Goten and Trunks’ favorite fictional superhero, the overall news of Super’s return is a promising proposition. Dragon Ball Super’s last chapter, Chapter 103, felt like a fitting farewell to Toriyama, but it still left a lot to be desired in terms of the overall storyline. Super’s hiatus left many of the series’ biggest mysteries and questions up in the air, so its return offers a lot of exciting possibilities about the fascinating new things fans might learn about Dragon Ball’s world and lore.

Rymus Was First Mentioned in Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 9

Not since Dragon Ball Super’s initial run that a series has unveiled as much new lore regarding the Dragon Ball Universe as the series’ latest anime, Dragon Ball DAIMA. Along with some exciting details about the Demon Realm, the biggest lore reveal of the series by far was the creation of the Universe by Super Majin Rymus. While Zeno was always viewed as the strongest entity in the DB multiverse, Rymus’ existence immediately calls everything fans previously knew into question.

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While it could definitely be something that’s addressed in Dragon Ball DAIMA itself, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see DAIMA push Rymus’ backstory aside as it hones in on the Z Fighters’ conflict with Gomah, Arinsu and Majin Duu. That would leave the rest of Rymus’ story up to Super to flesh out. Considering Dragon Ball DAIMA reveals that the Demon Realm existed first until Rymus created the rest of the Universe, it’s possible to consider Rymus as a sort of father to Zeno. However, their true connection will hopefully be more thoroughly explored by Toyotarou in future arcs.

9

Who Will Beerus Choose as The Next God of Destruction?

Beerus Has Made it Clear He’s Looking for a Replacement For When He Retires

A recurring plot thread that’s continued to crop up in Dragon Ball Super is who exactly Beerus will want to appoint as the heir to his position as Universe 7’s God of Destruction. There have been multiple potential candidates he has outwardly considered in dialogue, such as Goku, Gohan, and of course, Vegeta. In the case of all these, though, there are valid reasons for their not being ideal candidates. Aside from the obvious choices which Beerus himself has mentioned, there are a few notable characters fans frequently theorize about having a shot at becoming a GOD.

One oft-repeated candidate is Frieza. With his new Black Frieza form, Frieza is closer than ever to reaching Beerus’ level, and he has already undergone a quasi-redemption arc by way of the Tournament of Power and his decision to spare the Saiyans during the Granolah the Survivor Saga. Another strong candidate to become a God of Destruction would be Broly. Broly’s immense potential is arguably unmatched by any character in Dragon Ball, let alone any Saiyan, and his training on Beerus’ planet gives him as close a proximity to Beerus as anyone.

8

Will Granolah Finally Join the Heroes as Part of the Main Cast?

Granolah Turned Down Goku’s Offer to Train With Him, But That Doesn’t Mean He’s Gone For Good

Granolah is one of Toyotarou’s proudest achievements in terms of character design, and most fans tend to agree with his assessment. Considering how great and popular a character Granolah is, it would be a shame to let him fall forever into obscurity without at least rejoining the Z Fighters one last time to fight the forces of evil. Granolah turned out to be the key missing piece to Goku and Vegeta’s tag-team, as his long-range ki blasts were the perfect contrast to Goku’s and Vegeta’s up-close-and-personal combat tendencies.

The last Granolah was seen in Dragon Ball Super was following the arrival of Black Frieza. Upon Gas’ death at Frieza’s hand, the Saiyans resolved to head back to Beerus’ planet to train for the impending threat that Frieza’s new form introduced. Granolah sacrificed much of his remaining life span due to his wish on the Cerealian Dragon Balls (he only has three years left out of his original 150 years), so the sooner he returns in the series, the better chance he has of sticking around for a bit longer.

7

How Strong is Orange Piccolo Compared to the Saiyans?

Piccolo’s Latest Power-Up Will Make Him More Relevant in Super’s Next Big Battle

Piccolo rarely gets much love as a powerful fighter in Dragon Ball, which is why his huge power-up during the Super Hero Saga was such a welcome one for many fans. As it stood, Gohan Beast was a huge wild card in terms of strength, but his sparring match with the rest of the Saiyans in the Super Hero Saga’s final few chapters proved definitively that he at least had more raw power than UI Goku, even if he didn’t quite match his dad’s skill just yet.

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While Orange Piccolo isn’t quite as strong as Gohan Beast, he seems to at least have caught up to the Saiyans to a substantial degree. With Gohan stronger than both Piccolo and Goku at this point, it paints an interesting picture for Orange Piccolo, who could be closer to Goku than he has been since Super Saiyan God became a thing. Even as the other main cast members like Krillin, Tien and Yamcha get left further behind, Piccolo’s new power-up at least makes him a relevant member of the team for whatever the next major conflict might be – whether Black Frieza or otherwise.

6

Is DAIMA Canon to Super?

Some Aspects of DAIMA Have Contradicted Super, While Others Hint The Two Are Connected

Dragon Ball DAIMA will likely be the final anime series Akira Toriyama worked on directly during his life, making it a vital moment in the franchise’s history. This is a story that naturally builds off the Buu Saga, contributing to the perspective that it’s canon to the original manga. Considering Dragon Ball Super was previously the most canon story to Toriyama’s original series, it makes sense fans would question whether the two series fit together into a cohesive story.

In many ways they do. Dragon Ball DAIMA works perfectly fine as a brief story that fits right after the Buu Saga but before the start of Super. On the other hand, small details such as how Shin was defused from Kibito, and Vegeta’s lack of Super Saiyan 3 against Beerus have apparently been retconned from Super. If DAIMA does end up being canon to Super, it’s possible popular new characters like Glorio, Panzy or Hybis could see their return in Toyotarou’s manga.

5

Is Vegeta Actually Stronger Than Goku Now?

Goku and Vegeta Will Always Be Trapped in an Endless Cycle of Trying to Surpass One Another

There’s no greater rivalry in shonen anime history than Goku and Vegeta. The two live to surpass one another, and Vegeta’s new SSJ3 transformation in DAIMA only serves as the latest example of the constant back and forth between the pair. In Dragon Ball Super, however, there’s reason to believe Vegeta could finally be more powerful than Goku – at least as of the end of the Super Hero Saga. Throughout Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Vegeta and Goku engage in an epic sparring match that ultimately ends with Vegeta just barely scraping by as the winner.

Given these series of events, it would appear the Saiyan Prince currently has one up on his eternal rival. At this point, Vegeta is at the very least an equal to Goku. While Goku briefly showed more promise during the prior arc, Vegeta had only just achieved his own Ultra Ego form, so it’ll be interesting to see how he further develops his latest transformation, just as Goku did with Ultra Instinct.

4

Is Broly Going To Get a New Form?

Broly’s Training Has Lasted Long Enough in Super

Broly has always had a unique history with transformations. After all, his own Super Saiyan form was very different from any other Saiyan in the series, at least up until Kale was introduced in Super. Now, Broly’s strongest form is the SSJ Berserker form, which makes him feel slightly less “legendary” than his DBZ counterpart was. That doesn’t mean his legend has to die just yet.

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Now that Broly’s joined the main cast as a Z Fighter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him unlock a new transformation, just as every single other major Saiyan in the series has. Broly has spent the entire past three arcs since his introduction training on Beerus’ planet just to get a grasp on his powers. Now that he finally demonstrated that he could control his abilities during the Super Hero Saga, it’s the perfect time for Broly to push things to the next level and become the legendary warrior he was always meant to be.

3

Can Black Frieza Defeat Beerus?

Frieza’s Newest Form Gets Closer Than Ever to Super’s Most Infamous Moving Goalpost

Black Frieza’s surprise debut at the climax of the Granolah the Survivor Saga left a lot of questions up in the air. How does Frieza have that much potential? Is Frieza still even a villain? By far, the most important question raised by Black Frieza’s swift take-down of UI Goku and UE Vegeta in one punch was definitely whether Frieza had finally become strong enough to challenge Beerus. While Black Frieza is certainly incredibly strong, there’s no real indication in the series he’s actually surpassed Beerus just yet.

There was a point in the anime canon when Goku had apparently already caught up to Beerus by the Tournament of Power, but future events covered in the manga have since proven those statements to be little more than an exaggeration. Beerus is still at the top of the food chain in Universe 7, deferring only to the Angels and Zeno. Considering Black Frieza’s full power hasn’t yet been shown, however, there’s still the definite possibility Beerus may have to wake up from his nap to join forces with the heroes as a means of self-preservation upon the return of Dragon Ball’s greatest recurring villain.

2

Who is Zalama, Really?

The Most Powerful Being in The Dragon Ball Mythos is Still an Utter Mystery

With Dragon Ball DAIMA placing a greater emphasis on the Demon Realm and the Namekians’ origins therein, this is an ideal time to expand on the lore of the series even further. Dragon Ball Super provided many surprising developments as Dragon Ball lore is concerned, and Toyotarou has a big chance to expand on this even more when the series returns with the enigmatic Dragon God Zalama. Not much is currently known about Zalama other than the fact that he’s the creator of the Super Dragon Balls.

Even his actual race is unknown, though it’s likely he’s either the ancestor of the Namekians or even an Eternal Dragon himself. In the English Dub of Dragon Ball Super, the Dragon summoned by the Super Dragon Balls was called Zalama, though this was likely the result of a mistranslation, as the Japanese version simply calls him Super Shenron. Considering there’s no limit to the wishes Super Shenron can grant (even allowing him to reverse Zeno’s Universal Destruction as in the Tournament of Power), Zalama may very well be the highest god in Dragon Ball.

1

Will Dragon Ball Super Go Beyond the End of Z?

Dragon Ball GT is the Only True Post-Dragon Ball Sequel Series, But Toyotarou Could Finally Change That

According to Akira Toriyama, the Super Hero Saga is extremely close in the Dragon Ball timeline to the Peaceful World Saga marked the End of Z. All indications in the arc corroborate that claim. The 10-year time skip saw a young Pan who was old enough to fight in the World Tournament, and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero detailed Pan’s training under Piccolo and even taught her to fly. Similarly, Trunks and Goten are both teenagers as of Super Hero, just as they are during the Peaceful World Saga.

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With the new one-shot coming February placing a greater emphasis on Goten and Trunks, it’s possible Toyotarou is already gearing up to move beyond the end of Z with an upcoming arc. It would be an interesting decision for the first real “canon” post-DBZ Saga to get underway following Toriyama’s death. It would be as good a time as ever to begin a literal new chapter in the Dragon Ball Universe, preserving Akira Toriyama’s original vision while then moving beyond it with Toyotarou’s new perspective.

With Majin Buu defeated half-a-year prior, peace returns to Earth, where Son Goku (now a radish farmer) and his friends now live peaceful lives.

Release Date

July 5, 2015

Finale Year

November 30, 2017

Cast

Sean Schemmel
, Jason Douglas
, Christopher Sabat

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Directors

Tatsuya Nagamine

Based On

Manga

MyAnimeList Score

7.46

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