Dragon Ball Super’s Manga Return Hits a Bumpy Road
Oh boy, grab your Dragon Balls and prepare for some explosive news because Dragon Ball Super’s manga saga just took a wild turn! Since its hiatus in March 2024, following the heartbreaking loss of the legendary Akira Toriyama, fans have been itching for action. Sure, we got a tad taste of nostalgia with a standalone Goten and Trunks one-shot that rolled out as chapter #104 in February 2025, but it’s been mostly radio silence since then.
But fear not! Our hero, illustrator Toyotarou, kept the flames of hope alive by dropping monthly sketches in V Jump and giving fans the much-needed pep talk back in August 2026 that “everything is for the return of the series.” Unfortunately, hope just slammed headfirst into a concrete wall of corporate chaos!
Jump Festa Shenanigans
Things started going south when the promotional poster for Jump Festa 2027, set to take place on December 19-20, was unveiled. And guess what? Goku was surprisingly missing from the artwork! Right when the fans needed to see him the most, he ghosted! The situation escalated on November 2 when Shueisha stealthily updated its Jump Original Art World gallery, completely axing Dragon Ball Super from the lineup to make way for the Metaphor: ReFantazio manga adaptation. Cue the dramatic music!
With Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball SD, and Dragon Ball Super Divers all taken off the table, plus the ominous demolition of Toriyama’s Bird Studio building this past October, the outlook for Dragon Ball Super is looking like that time Goku went to train on a deserted planet. Pretty grim!
The Behind-the-Scenes Drama
So, what’s causing this catastrophic manga delay? Buckle up! It all circles back to a fiery rights feud igniting back in May 2023. Akio Iyoku, formerly the head honcho of Shueisha’s internal “Dragon Room” and Toriyama’s right-hand man, decided to start his own gig – Capsule Corporation Tokyo.
Ever since Toriyama passed on, the franchise has turned into a bit of a soap opera, with Shueisha clutching onto the manga and print rights like a Dragon Ball while Iyoku’s crew took the reins for anime and games. This explains why the screen adaptation is thriving with titles like Dragon Ball Daima and remakes like Dragon Ball Super: Beerus while the manga is, ironically, stuck in this boredom-inducing content drought.
What Happens Next?
Now here’s the real kicker! Fans might be wondering if Dragon Ball Super could ever switch gears and land a new home under Iyoku’s banner instead of Shueisha’s. If Shueisha and Capsule Corporation Tokyo can’t settle their differences, we could be looking at Dragon Ball Super relaunching in a new magazine or even a digital platform, leaving V Jump scratching its head.
And let’s not even get started on what happens with Toriyama’s estate because the gossip mill is busy churning away. Just last October, Toriyama’s historic Bird Studio building was brought down, and Toyotarou even paid a little homage by dropping by a nearby café to leave an autograph. But hold up, Bird Studio has officially relocated to a condo in Tokyo, and all eyes are on the power players in the boardroom.
What Lies Ahead?
In the end, the biggest tear-jerker is knowing that the story is far from complete! Ultra Instinct Goku, Ultra Ego Vegeta, and the looming threat of Black Frieza are just hanging there in suspense. Toyotarou was handpicked by Toriyama to be the torchbearer, and there’s a mountain of untold stories just sitting in limbo! We’re all left tapping our toes and waiting for corporate execs to hash out who gets to tell the next chapter of Dragon Ball Super.