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The hiatus of Dragon Ball Super has cast uncertainty over the manga’s future. However, recent signs indicate a potential revival. Despite fears that DBS might not return after Akira Toriyama’s passing, new developments hint at a possible comeback for both the manga and anime in the foreseeable future.
These hopes are fueled by two significant Dragon Ball announcements expected from Akio Iyoku, the founder of Capsule Corp Tokyo, during the Genkidamatsuri event scheduled for January 2026. This news coincides with whispers of a new agreement on the Dragon Ball intellectual property rights between Shueisha, the manga’s publisher, and Capsule Corp Tokyo that may have been reached behind closed doors.
Should the manga make its return, fans widely anticipate that Toyotarou’s next arc in the DBZ sequel will delve into the Black Frieza Saga. While this assumption holds some truth, many enthusiasts may be mistaken about the true nature and focus of the Black Frieza Saga.
If the manga does come back, the consensus around the fandom is that the next arc in Toyotarou’s DBZ sequel will be the Black Frieza Saga. That’s probably true, but most fans are actually wrong about what the Black Frieza Saga will really be all about.
Frieza Won’t Be The Main Villain of Dragon Ball Super’s Next Major Saga
Since Black Frieza’s first appearance at the end of the Granolah The Survivor Saga, Frieza has remained a subtle-yet-constant force in the background of the story. As Goku and Vegeta train throughout the Super Hero Saga in the manga, their ultimate goal is to surpass Frieza, whose Black transformation has taken him to new heights of strength.
Infamously, Black Frieza was able to defeat both Goku and Vegeta with a single punch each, proving himself the strongest mortal fans have seen in Dragon Ball Super’s multiverse so far. Of course, Frieza’s history as a villain and his love for committing acts of evil have fans convinced he’ll be the major villain of his own Black Frieza Saga. While that’s reasonable to assume, the reality of Frieza being the Black Frieza Saga’s final villain may be different than most fans expect.
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When looking at the story so far, it’s exceedingly likely that Frieza will not be the main villain of the next arc. His entire character arc has actually leaned toward a slow redemption, instead. In short, the Black Frieza Saga will actually turn Frieza into a hero. Frieza may start out as the main antagonist of the so-called “Black Frieza Saga” at first, but a villain will likely arise that’s even stronger than he is, forcing him to join forces with Goku and Vegeta to defeat a mightier foe.
Frieza’s Redemption Arc is Already Further Along Than Most Dragon Ball Fans Realize
The signs of Frieza’s redemption arc in Dragon Ball Super have been plentiful and obvious over the course of a long period. In fact, Frieza’s role in every appearance he has made since the Golden Frieza Saga has been as something more like an anti-hero or a reluctant ally to the Z Fighters than a straight-forward villain.
Obviously, his role as an ally in the Tournament of Power was forced due to shared interests out of the hope for survival; but then again, isn’t that how both Piccolo ane Vegeta’s own villain-to-hero arcs began? Piccolo only fought alongside Goku because he couldn’t fight Raditz alone, and the same can be said from Vegeta’s team-up with Gohan and Krillin against the Ginyu Torce.
After the TOP, Frieza’s next canon appearance during the Broly Saga was definitely more villainous in nature. At least at first. Frieza was the main mastermind in setting up Goku and Vegeta’s fight against Broly in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. However, his plan backfired in the end, and he still wound up having to help Goku and Vegeta to defeat the legendary Super Saiyan Berserker anyway. This instance was, again, more out of forced necessity than anything else, but it’s just another indicator that Toriyama saw the value of Frieza’s status as an iconic character who belongs alongside the main cast.
Toyotarou has also seemed to hint at Black Frieza inevitability joining the heroes in recent art. In his cover art for the latest Dragon Ball Super volume release, Volume 24, which covers the conclusion of the Super Hero Saga, Toyotarou drew an awesome look at Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo and Broly in their most powerful forms.
This was a way of clearly highlighting the most powerful heroes in the series right now. And on the back cover, standing alone and parallel to the new Z Fighter line-up, was none other than Black Frieza. It’s as though Toyotarou has been dying to draw Black Frieza alongside the heroes, but Frieza still has yet to earn his place among them in the story.
Black Frieza is Already an Anti-Hero Whether Dragon Ball Super Fans Admit it Or Not
It’s Frieza’s latest appearance during the Granolah The Survivor Saga that really seemed to solidify the start of Frieza’s true redemption arc. When Frieza first appears, he immediately defeats Gas with ease using his Black Frieza form, before going on to knock out both UI Goku and UE Vegeta in a single blow. However, it’s what Frieza does next that’s most telling.
At pretty much every point in the past, Frieza would’ve either killed Goku and Vegeta immediately, taken them as his prisoners to force them into subservience, or tortured them both to prove his dominance until they begged for death. This time is different, though. Instead of killing Goku and Vegeta, Frieza decides to spare them both, because he wants them to grow stronger so he could fight them again in the future.
Black Frieza showing mercy to Goku and Vegeta is the perfect thematic setup for Frieza’s redemption. In fact, it’s exactly something Goku would do. Goku spared Piccolo and Vegeta for precisely this reason. Even though they were both immensely powerful and presented existential threats to humanity, Goku took that risk because, as he told Krillin as Vegeta crawled away from the battlefield in the Saiyan Saga: “Vegeta was so far above me! I was shocked, scared. But somewhere inside I was happy, I was thrilled to be fighting such power.” Frieza gets that same “thrill” from fighting Goku and Vegeta, which is why he has developed respect for the two people he once hated the most.
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It’s easy to get wrapped up in seeing Frieza as a villain considering all the evil deeds he has committed throughout Dragon Ball’s history. As the most frequently appearing villain in the franchise, it makes sense that it’s hard for many fans to perceive him as an eventual hero. However, Dragon Ball history has proven time and time again that the greatest heroes and Goku’s best friends have always started out as the worst of villains. It’s a classic move that Toriyama loved to employ. Considering that most of Goku’s allies were originally villains, it’d actually be more surprising if Frieza didn’t eventually become a hero in the Black Frieza Saga, rather than if he did.
