Dragon Ball Super Addresses Return Rumors With Disappointing Update

Dragon Ball Super‘s original manga was transitioning to an all-new arc when news broke of Akira Toriyama’s tragic, untimely passing in March 2024. As the entire anime community mourned the loss of the one-of-a-kind manga master, Dragon Ball Super‘s monthly serialization was put on an indefinite hiatus. After nearly a year of rights disputes and relative silence on the matter, the series finally returned with a special one-shot chapter on February 19, 2025.

The chapter, titled “The Birth of Saiyaman X”, focuses on Trunks and Goten, and the story of how the former came to be obsessed with superheroes. Filled with references to both canon and non-canon heroes of the past, the one-shot comes off as a celebration of the series’ many often overlooked saviors of the past, and gives the two half-Saiyans some much-needed shine after both faded into the background during Dragon Ball Super‘s anime and manga runs. Fans hoped the chapter would be the beginning of a full return for the series. However, they may want to temper expectations.

Dragon Ball Super’s Latest Chapter Shows No Signs of a Full Return

The All-New One-Shot Doesn’t Provide a Return Date

When the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super was announced, the planned entry was met with a mixed response. Many were happy the series was returning in any capacity, while others were upset it wouldn’t be a continuation of the main story. The majority of fans all agreed the announcement was a sign of good health, however, and hoped the one-shot would kick off Dragon Ball Super‘s full return. Unfortunately, the preview for the next issue of V Jump offers no insight regarding the manga’s future, instead advertising the Dragon Ball Super Divers game, One Piece, and other popular properties.

Dragon Ball Super‘s information page on the international Manga Plus app still displays a message informing readers of the series’ hiatus, though the final page of the chapter contains a ‘to be continued’ notice. The same notice on the Japanese version of the one-shot reads “The End”, though it should be noted that Dragon Ball Super‘s chapters all usually end with the same message. Nothing has been confirmed yet, though it seems the series is informing readers that there will not be a new release in the coming month.

Dragon Ball Super Still Has More Story to Tell

The Manga Paused Serialization As a New Arc Was Beginning

Dragon Ball Super‘s last chapter before the series’ long hiatus was transitioning the story into its next big arc, and seemed to be gearing up to feature Broly and Gohan in prominent roles. Though it may take some time to return, Dragon Ball Super still has more story to tell, and it’s incredibly likely fans haven’t seen the last of the series yet. A rights dispute over the manga has played a large role in the prolonged break from serialization, though the latest chapter’s release is a good sign that issues are being resolved.

Related

I Really Want Dragon Ball Super to Return, But Don’t Expect It to Happen Anytime Soon

Dragon Ball Super may have released a special one-shot chapter, but its future remains uncertain since there has been no update on Chapter 105.

Dragon Ball Daima‘s finale is just around the corner, and its absence will leave a hole that Dragon Ball Super‘s manga would fill nicely, whenever it’s ready to fully resume. Until then, however, fans will want to have some patience. Series’ illustrator, Toyotarou, displayed excellent artwork throughout the newest one-shot chapter, proving the manga is in good hands going forward.

TV Show

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Dragon Ball Super

7/10

Release Date

2015 – 2017

Showrunner

Tatsuya Nagamine

Directors

Tatsuya Nagamine

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