2026 is already promising to be a huge year for the entire anime/manga industry. Many of the biggest series are expecting huge releases that are set to change the entire landscape of the industry, and the legendary Dragon Ball franchise is no stranger to this. After almost 2 years off, many reliable leaks point to the series' return in 2026.

If this is true, fans of both the Dragon Ball Super manga and anime will be left with massive smiles on their faces for many reasons. So, in this article, let's go over what fans of the franchise can expect upon Dragon Ball's long-awaited return and see why every new addition to the series will only make it better than it has ever been before.

picture: frieza in dragon ball z poster.

Dragon Ball Super Needs to Start With the Black Frieza Saga When It Returns From Hiatus

The long-awaited Black Frieza arc is likely coming soon.

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By Laura Gassert

Leaks Suggest Season 1 Of Super Is Going To Get Remade

A Great Initiative

News has been circulating the internet recently about a remake of the first season of Dragon Ball Super, though this remains unconfirmed by any official sources. However, the leak has appeared multiple times from many different locations, all suggesting a remake of the first season and the reveal of a movie as well. At the current moment, this is all speculation, but the Genkidamatsuri event on the 25th of January 2026 may reveal full details.

This potential news has been met with mixed reviews, with most fans wanting a continuation of the events following the Tournament of Power, especially considering that those arcs have already been covered in the manga. Despite the criticism, this could be a good thing, since the start of Dragon Ball Super was notorious for having terrible animation, so being remade could do justice to earlier arcs.

The Villains Are Going To Be Much Stronger Than Ever Before

The Heroes Need To Step Up Their Game

As for where the manga left off at the end of the Super Hero arc, there were a lot of possibilities about where the story could go, especially considering the legendary roster of villains in the series. For one, the biggest threat in the entirety of Universe 7 remains the Galactic Tyrant Frieza, who has resurfaced with a terrifying new transformation.

With his Black Frieza state, the franchise's most iconic villain has finally made his presence within Universe 7 known for the first time since the conclusion of the Tournament of Power. At the current point, he is far stronger than even Goku and Vegeta in their most powerful forms, so the heroes have a lot more they need to do if they ever hope to stand a chance against him, with most fans believing that the inevitable confrontation with the Frost Demon will occur in a possible Black Frieza arc.

Meet Black Frieza. Achieving this form took plenty of toil, I'll have you know!

Moreover, villains are something that the franchise does well in all regards. Even the arcs after the Tournament of Power, namely the Moro and Granolah arcs, have some of the most captivating villains in all of Super, so even fans of the anime have something to look forward to on this front, assuming the adaptation of these two arcs is what is next.

In the past, Dragon Ball has often received backlash for the simplistic nature and motivations of its antagonists. While this is still worth nothing for the minor villains of the current arcs, the main adversaries of both these new storylines truly stand out due to how different the approach has been regarding their creation.

Dragon Ball: Z Broly Vs. Super Broly, Explained

Despite bearing the same name, Broly and Super Broly are technically different characters in the canon of Dragon Ball. Here is what separates them.

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By Alex Trent

Brand New Forms And Multiversal Adventures Await The Heroes

A Lot To Look Forward To

Forms are the bread and butter of the Dragon Ball franchise. From the Great Ape to the original line of Super Saiyan forms, it can be said that no other anime property does transformations as well as Dragon Ball, since every single form that the heroes or villains undergo ends up being incredibly iconic.

Of course, Super has confidently kept this tradition going by introducing Divine Transformations into the mix, with the series now being at its most exciting point due to all the main characters being on the same level of power, but through unique transformations that make use of their individual strengths instead of a blanket form that they all use. This has singlehandedly been one of the best decisions for the franchise as a whole, as it allows all the heroes to shine individually as well as collectively.

dragon-ball-strongest — The Strongest Heroes from Dragon Ball Super

Fans already got their first taste of this through Goku's Ultra Instinct, which he unlocked during the Tournament of Power, but it was only through Vegeta's achievement of Ultra Ego that this became a standard for all the main characters. As for how the franchise will deal with this aspect is anybody's guess, but many believe that even more new and exciting transformations await down the line in the manga.

This all leads to the possibility of seeing the rest of the multiverse far more, since the heroes will go on even more adventures to fantastical new places because of their newfound power. This also exists as the perfect opportunity to make much more use of the many side characters of the story, particularly those from the Tournament of Power. Where Dragon Ball currently is, the possibilities truly are endless.

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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