Ten years after Majin Bu fell at the hands of the Saiyans, the story of Dragon Ball Super commenced. The DBS manga is the youngest text in the vast Dragon Ball franchise. The three-year successful run of the anime proved that Dragon Ball is a franchise made for fans of all ages. However, after the release of Broly, the anime wing seems to have taken a leave from the screens. So, what happened to Dragon Ball Super after 2018? Why is there no Dragon Ball Super Season 2 as of yet? Is the studio fixated on continuing with movies? Here is all you need to know about the franchise.
Dragon Ball Super was first introduced in June 2015 with the release of the first chapter. The manga continued serialization in Jump Comics’ V Jump magazine. The ongoing manga has published seventeen volumes so far. Soon enough, Studio Toei Animation launched the anime adaptation of the manga in 2015. After listing 131 episodes in the franchise, the first season said goodbye in March 2018. Since then, two films have also been listed. But it is the second season that fans await with high hopes.
Dragon Ball Super has been an insanely popular franchise in terms of reception. Both the IMDb and the MyAnimeList score of the first season point towards a sparkling reception. More than twenty thousand users have rated the series above 8.3 stars on IMDb. On top of this, users of MAL have rated the franchise with a score of 7.4 stars. And during the run of the series, the viewership managed to surpass the numbers of many existing banners. Thus, it’s safe to say that DBS is one of the biggest names in the anime world right now.
Dragon Ball Super Season 2: Renewal Status
At the time of writing, Toei Animation and the maker of DBS continue to posy constant updates on the upcoming Dragon Ball Super Super Hero Movie. However, the makers have remained silent on the matter of the return of Dragon Ball Super Season 2. In fact, the makers have also been keen on rejecting any rumors about the production of season 2. At the time of the release Broly, David Syatt had pointed out that Toei Animation was not animating any of the new episodes in Dragon Ball Super.
However, the good news is that this statement is about four years old. This means the production company would have given a green signal to the animation work once again. Aside from the speculations, if there is one thing that can be stated with utmost conformity is the return of season 2. Dragon Ball is a franchise that has always been in demand regardless of the time and season. Fans always look forward to watching new seasons coming out from the anime wing.
Production Details!
As mentioned earlier, the animation company behind Dragon Ball has stayed away from revealing any plans about the upcoming season of Super. There have been several occasions when the makers could have hinted at the renewal. Starting from the Jump Festa 2022 event to the most recent comic con, nothing has been revealed at this point in time. The main reason for the silence could be the launch of the second movie. With a strict line-up for 2022, the makers do not want to take away the attention from the new project.
On top of this, if the makers decide to launch a new season, it would not be right after the release of a new movie. The makers would take a good long break between the two projects to brew enough hype until the release.
Why Is There A Delay?
While there has been no official update either from Toei Animation or from the franchise’s staff, there are many factors that play a role in the delay of the franchise. The Broly film came out in 2018, after which the pandemic hit the world. Thus, 2019 and 2020 could not see a renewal of the second season. On top of this, Toei Animation is easily one of the busiest animation companies in the industry.
Adding to this factor is the fact that Dragon Ball Super is the biggest franchise in the world right now. Thus, even if the company took its due time to recover from the losses of the pandemic, there would not be any change in the hype for the second season. Thus, a considerable delay seemed like the right choice for the makers. However, now that Dragon Ball Super Super Hero is lined up for a release, it is likely that Dragon Ball Super Season 2 will see renewal updates soon enough.
Is There Enough Source Material?
As of January 2022, the Dragon Ball Super Manga has released 79 chapters in total. Ever since the beginning of the franchise, it has been clear that Dragon Ball is a sincere adaptation of the storyline of the source material. So, the first anime was about to come out with 131 episodes in total. The first season ended up using only the first thirty-six chapters of the manga. After finishing the Universe Survival! The Tournament of Power Begins!! Arc, the season said goodbye to the fans. This leaves 43 chapters for an entire season.
In fact, judging by the pace at which the first season was adapted, it can be assumed that this much source material would end up serving more than 150 episodes for Dragon Ball Super Season 2. In fact, a small amount of content might also get left up for a third season.
What Will Be The Plot?
The next season will begin the eighth volume of DBS, which is the “Sign of Son Goku’s Awakening.” This includes four chapters, including “Awaken, Super Saiyan Kale,” “Universe 6’s Last Resort,” “Sign of Son Goku’s Awakening,” and “Jiren Vs. Universe 7.” The storyline will begin with Freeza continuing his fight with Caulifla. Soon enough, Kefla would fuse with Kale and Caulifla to eliminate an entire planet of Universe 6.
This arc deals with the fight between Goku and the five remaining fighters in Universe 7. Thus, Goku and Vegeta work ahead in order to save the helpless fighters who are being brutalized by the fighters from across the Universe. This storyline will be followed by the Battle’s End and Aftermath arc. This includes a decisive match against Jiren where Goku acquires the Ultra Instinct State for the first time.
This is the arc where Freeza comes back to intrude on the fight between these two. The main nemesis ends up sacrificing himself by dragging both Goku and Jiren out of the fighting ring. In conclusion of the match, Universe 7 and Android 17 ended up winning the title of the ultimate victors of the match. In a second storyline, Goku and Vegeta will find out that Majin Buu is getting kidnapped by a group of strange perpetrators. Thus, their chase begins in the new arc.
Dragon Ball Super Season 2: Release Date
For now, there is no official release date of Dragon Ball Super Season 2 as of yet. However, judging by the high demand and the hype surrounding the series, it can be assumed that fans will be able to get an announcement soon enough. However, they might have to wait until the release of Dragon Ball Super Super Hero. It is likely that fans will be able to catch a hint about season 2 in the movie itself.
In any case, the movie is not returning the screens before April 22, 2022. Right after the launch of the second movie, the market of speculations will begin to catch fire once again. In case of an announcement earlier than the speculated date, this section will be updated accordingly. Thus, keep an eye on this corner to get more updates on the same.