There might be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of the franchise right now, but Dragon Ball fans might have gotten the best news of the year. A fan on X posted a clip of a recent interview with former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Kazuhiko Torishima, in which he seemingly leaks the news of a new Dragon Ball movie being in the works.

Now, fans should take this with a grain of salt since these are just passing comments from a former editor. But Torishima does make it sound like a new project is being worked on, which could be the start of a triumphant return for the iconic series.

The New Dragon Ball Movie Might Be Coming Next Year

According to Torishima, fans won't have to wait very long until this new Dragon Ball project is released. The long-time editor claims that the movie will be coming out next year, but he doesn't exactly sound optimistic about it.

With the mess we're in right now, we can't expect much from next year's movie, can we?

Torishima has been a vocal critic of modern Dragon Ball, recently complaining about the newly opened Dragon Ball Store in Tokyo Station. He also had some pretty harsh things to say about the most recent entry in the franchise, Daima, earlier this year. So his less-than-favorable outlook on the series and its future isn't new or surprising to hear.

That brings up the question of how he would know about a new Dragon Ball movie in the first place. Torishima is no longer involved with the franchise, so he likely wasn't consulted or had anything to do with planning out this potential new entry. But, with how involved he was in the series back in the day, it's likely that Torishima still hears things. So while he might not be a direct source of information, he's still more knowledgeable than most.

Back in May, Toei reportedly delayed a movie that belonged to one of its "International IPs". That could be a lot of series, but with this new rumor out there, could it have been the next major Dragon Ball project? That would conflict with Torishima's comments, though, since he seems to be stating that a movie will release in 2026, and the reported delay has pushed the mystery film back to 2027. This could mean that production might be ahead of schedule, or it could be that Torishima's information is inaccurate.

Who is Kazuhiko Torishima?

Torishima is a legendary, but polarizing figure in the Dragon Ball community. He first worked with Akira Toriyama as his editor on Dr. Slump from 1980-1984, going on to serve as his editor for Dragon Ball until 1995. Torishima's feedback throughout his run as Dragon Ball's editor helped Toriyama create some of the series' most iconic characters and moments, with Torishima said to have been the most stern of Toriyama's editors throughout Dragon Ball's run.

As you'd guess by reading his comments above, Torishima doesn't hold back when sharing his opinion. That trait is what made him such a successful editor, but it's also led to some comments over the years that have caused discussion among fans. He's never been shy about criticizing the direction modern Dragon Ball has gone in, and his strong opinions aren't just limited to the series he's most associated with. Torishima apparently didn't believe in One Piece when it started off, claiming that it wouldn't be a successful manga. That's a crazy take now that we know how popular it is.

Torishima's recent comments come off more as a statement of fact than anything else. It does sound like he's criticizing the direction the franchise is going in, which lines up with his usual routine, but the fact that he mentions an upcoming movie is noteworthy. This could have very well just been a slip of the tongue, where Toshima mentioned something that was shared with him in confidence during the flow of conversation. Or he could just be confused about what DB projects have or haven't been confirmed. We won't know for sure for a while either way.

Dragon Ball's Future is Still Uncertain

Whether or not what Torishima said ends up being true, there's no denying that fans of the series would love to get a new movie announcement soon. Dragon Ball has been in a bit of a slump for a while now. The last movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, was released in 2022. Dragon Ball DAIMA finished airing in February, but was a spin-off. The Super anime has been on hiatus since 2018, and though the manga has gone well beyond the anime, we haven't had a new chapter since chapter 104 in February, which was a one-shot prequel for the High School Saga that ended in 2023. The unexpected twist ending to the Granolah the Survivor Saga was all the way back in 2022, and fans have been waiting for a continuation ever since.

The series has struggled in the wake of the death of its iconic creator, Akira Toriyama. Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024, and while we have seen some new Dragon Ball content released since, legal battles between Shueisha and Capsule Corporation Tokyo head Akio Iyoku, and uncertainty surrounding the series' direction going forward seem to have put things on hold for now.

This new movie Torishima mentioned might not exist, or it might be the thing that jump-starts Dragon Ball's comeback. With the manga having gone beyond the Tournament of Power, there's a lot of material to work with. While most fans expected the return of the Super anime series to adapt the events of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, could a movie adaptation be in the works instead? And if so, would that lead into the Super anime kicking off with the popular Granolah the Survivor Saga? Maybe this is a movie-original story like Broly was, with a manga adaptation coming later on and serving as the return for both the anime and manga.

We could speculate about potential Dragon Ball projects endlessly, but at the end of the day, we don't really know what's going on. Torishima might, or he might not. For now, it sounds like he's sure that a new movie is coming next year. With Jump Festa right around the corner, we might get an announcement before 2025 is over.

Source: X

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