Dragon Ball Z was a massive cultural phenomenon and could serve as an excellent introduction to the Dragon Ball universe. The genre-shaping shonen masterpiece of Akira Toriyama has garnered millions of fans worldwide, but its future is now unclear in 2025 following Toriyama’s passing in 2024. In the aftermath of his death, the Dragon Ball intellectual property has faced numerous challenges. Due to the intricate ownership rights over battle scenes, it’s only natural to ponder what lies ahead for this iconic martial arts story.
Dragon Ball Super: The True Heir to Toriyama’s Legacy
The Dragon Ball series has produced an enormous amount of content – ranging from animated shows and movies to video games, all adding new dimensions to its world. Spin-offs like Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball DAIMA have added depth to the storyline, but it’s Dragon Ball Super that truly distinguishes itself.
The ongoing story of Dragon Ball Super is directly penned by its original creator, Akira Toriyama, and supervised for adaptation along with Toyotarou. This close collaboration ensures fans old and new can experience the authentic touch of the franchise’s creator and the exhilarating action that made it famous. Additionally, Dragon Ball Super has been impressive in character development, notably giving Vegeta a transformation that truly reflects his character’s core.
The Dragon Ball Super Anime Stalemate Explained
The ownership rights for the Dragon Ball franchise are shared between Shueisha, who holds the primary rights to the manga, and Capsule Corporation Tokyo, a firm founded by Akio Iyoku – a close associate and creative partner of creator Akira Toriyama. It’s important to note that Iyoku was previously in charge of the Dragon Ball Division at Shueisha before leaving in 2023 to start his own business.
My observation reveals a series of events that have added complexity to the legal landscape of the Dragon Ball franchise. Toriyama’s passing, combined with Iyoku leaving Shueisha and establishing Capsule Corporation Tokyo, has instigated disputes over ownership rights. Shueisha retains control over the manga versions of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Super, whereas Iyoku at Capsule Corporation Tokyo, endorsed by Toriyama’s family and estate, manages other intellectual properties such as anime, films, and video games. This intricate distribution of rights has led to the inanimation of Dragon Ball Super manga past the Tournament of Power arc due to these legal battles.
The Future of Dragon Ball Super
In light of the ongoing court case, it’s clear that the production of the Dragon Ball Super anime has come to a standstill. This situation, however, raises significant concerns about the manga series, particularly whether or not Toyotarou has completed his work on it. The importance of this question is heightened given Akira Toriyama’s active role; though he didn’t pen the entire story, he did provide Toyotarou with plot outlines and revisions, thus establishing a crucial editorial partnership. With Toriyama’s absence, Shueisha finds itself in a precarious position due to the uncertainty of the manga series without his guidance. Since March 2024, the Dragon Ball Super manga has been on an extended break, directly mirroring this creative and legal limbo.
To date, Toyotarou has written only one Dragon Ball Super manga chapter without Akira Toriyama’s involvement – this is Chapter 104. It’s widely speculated, although not officially confirmed, that this chapter was penned to provide sufficient material for the final volume of Dragon Ball Super, Volume 24. Given that the previous three chapters might have been too brief for a complete release on their own.
At Japan Expo, Toyotarou unveiled a new single-edition manga titled “Lost Samurai.” Although it’s undetermined if this project will continue beyond its one-shot form, it is evident that Toyotarou has shifted his artistic focus to other projects during the pause in the Dragon Ball Super manga.
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2025-08-27 17:28