Dragon Ball Super fans are still waiting for the series to return, but they might need to wait much longer than they were expecting. It has been a bit tough for Dragon Ball Super fans since Akira Toriyama passed away and the future of the franchise became uncertain.

The manga concluded the Super Hero Saga before going on a long hiatus in March 2024 (with a short-lived return in February 2025), leaving fans eager for the next arcs, especially the long-awaited Black Frieza Arc.

picture: a part of dragon ball super volume 24 cover, with goku ultra instinct, beast gohan and vegeta ultra ego

'This Was a Story I Just Couldn’t Leave Untold':Toyotaro's New Message Gives Dragon Ball Super Fans Hope That The Manga Will Return Soon

Dragon Ball Super is still on hiatus, but a new message from Toyotaro might suggest it will return soon.

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By Laura Gassert

Dragon Ball Super Won't Return in 2025

A few days ago, Dragon Ball Super co-creator Toyotaro, V-JUMP editor and Dragon Ball Super editor Victory Uchida, and former Dragon Ball editor and legendary Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Torishima were at Paris Japan Expo 2025, held in France. There, Toyotaro and Uchida answered fans and media outlets regarding Dragon Ball Super's potential return.

Toyotaro gave a statement that made fans relieved: he believes continuing Dragon Ball Super is possible, though challenging. According to him, the story was written in two ways: either Toriyama would send him plotlines, and he would write the story and send them back for review, or he would create scripts himself and hand them to Toriyama so he could give his opinion and suggestions. Therefore, as Toyotaro was also actively creating the story, he believes he could continue it (especially since Toriyama likely talked to him about where he thought the story should head).

However, Victory Uchida gave disappointing news to fans: he commented during the event that the manga won't return this year. Apparently, he didn't explain why, but he made it clear that the manga won't return in 2025. Naturally, this disappointed many fans, but at least they have a concrete answer regarding what not to expect for the rest of the year.

Why Won't Dragon Ball Super Return This Year?

As mentioned, Uchida didn't give a concrete answer (or, if he did, it couldn't be published). However, there are a few things that could be related to the hiatus lasting at least until 2026. The first of them was something announced during the event: Toyotaro had been working on an original one-shot. V-JUMP published the drafts on their website. At Japan Expo, Torishima gave his opinion on the one-shot, with some honest, if blunt, feedback. Toyotaro might still make some changes after Torishima's comments before the final version is out.

Therefore, Toyotaro will probably be focusing on finishing his original story before turning his attention to Dragon Ball Super again. Furthermore, it's clear in his answer that continuing the manga without Toriyama is hard, so he is likely struggling to come up with a new arc, especially if it's an anticipated arc like the Black Frieza Arc, where the expectations will be high.

I was a huge fan of Toriyama's work and I sort of appropriated his universe without permission to tell my own stories, in my own way and with my own art.

— Toyotaro at Japan Expo

There might be other factors related to the hiatus. One is the reported litigation for the rights to the franchise. According to some reports, Shueisha and Capsule Corporation Tokyo are involved in a complex legal dispute over the rights to Dragon Ball, which will probably affect the future of Dragon Ball. In any case, Shueisha might be in a position where it is complicated to release new original content for the series, although they released a new Dragon Ball Super chapter in February and are still working with game producers.

Another potential factor could be regarding the continuation of the Dragon Ball Super anime. As there is no concrete information about it, it seems unlikely that Toei or another studio is working on DB Super Season 2, though Toyotaro and Uchida might still be involved in related discussions.

Is Dragon Ball Super Canceled?

Dragon Ball Super won't return before 2026.
Expecting more concrete news in mid-2026 or early 2027 might be a reasonable approach.

With such frustrating news, some fans are wondering whether the manga has been canceled. While neither Uchida nor Toyotaro suggested the manga would return soon, they also haven’t announced a cancellation. It seems more like they are struggling with the series rather than giving up on it. V-JUMP magazine still advertises Dragon Ball Super as one of its flagship titles, suggesting they still intend to continue the manga at some point.

When Could Dragon Ball Super Be Back?

Considering Uchida's answer, fans can hope that the manga will return in 2026. It will likely return after Toyotaro publishes the final version of his original manga in V-JUMP. However, fans shouldn't expect it to return in the first days of 2026. Perhaps expecting solid news around mid-2026 or early 2027 would be more reasonable.

Dragon Ball Super is available to read on MANGA Plus in English and Spanish.

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Release Date: 2015 - 2018
Network: Fuji TV
Showrunner: Tatsuya Nagamine
Directors: Ryota Nakamura, Masanori Sato, Kenichi Takeshita, Takao Iwai, Hideki Hiroshima, Masato Mitsuka, Kazuya Karasawa, Ayumu Ono, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Nagamine, Kôjiro Kawasaki, Kouji Ogawa
Writers: Ryu King, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Franchise(s): Dragon Ball