When it comes to shonen anime, there's only one series that tops them all as the biggest inspiration, and that's it Dragon Ballan iconic series created by one of the most well-known mangakas of all time, Akira Toriyama. Dragon Ball has been a worldwide sensation for decades, and its influence is such that it is known outside of anime and manga. Dragon Ball and Son Goku have reached unprecedented levels of fame in recent decades.
My Hero Academia: Horikoshi pays tribute to Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama
Horikoshi, the creator of MHA, pays tribute to the late Akira Toriyama.
Unfortunately, with Toriyama's unfortunate death, the series has taken a rather uncertain hiatus. That being said, next week, January 25, 2026, all of this will change. Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri is finally fast approachingand fans are expecting huge projects to be revealed that touch on both the anime side of things and video games. Fans are very excited to see what the future holds for Dragon Ball, especially after the last few rough years.
Dragon Ball is the father of Shonen Anime
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An iconic series that started in 1984
Dragon Ball has always been the father of modern shonen as it inspired a generation of mangaka and continues to inspire more today. The Shonen series before and after Dragon Ball are night and day different, and the only reason for that is Dragon Ball itself. All major Shonen have taken at least some inspiration from Dragon Ball, and that includes series like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and many others. Akira Toriyama's work, which started in 1984, still carries enormous weight now in 2026, 42 years later.
“It would be pointless to fight you now; you are too scared and ashamed. Live with the shock. Keep it bottled up inside you. Goodbye Frieza, may you live the rest of your life in peace.”
Although Dragon Ball is not the best-selling manga of all time, it still holds a position among the top ten best-selling manga of all time, with over 260 million copies in circulation worldwide, which is quite an impressive figure for such an old series. With the launch of newer series, it has only grown, and now, with Dragon Ball's expected return in 2026, fans are incredibly excited for the big revival coming soon.
Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri is happening soon
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Genkidamatsuri will be held on January 25, 2026
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The biggest Dragon Ball event to celebrate the 40th anniversary
Dragon Ball is a fan-favorite series that has seen great success all over the world, and fans of the series will be incredibly excited to know that the biggest day of all is finally coming later this month. On January 25, 2026, the biggest Dragon Ball that will make some huge revelations will finally take place, and of course the fans are incredibly excited.
“And this… shall go even further!”
This upcoming event is called Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri. As some fans may already know, this Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri event is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the anime, and it's an exciting day for all fans of the franchise, especially since it could change the future of Dragon Ball forever.
Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri could change the future of the series
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After Toriyama's death, the series took a big hiatus
Dragon Ball is of course one of the most well-known and profitable anime and manga franchises in the entire world, and not many series can match it in that regard. The only anime series that can really compete in popularity or surpass Dragon Ball are the likes of Pokemon, One Piece and Naruto.
Despite its immense popularity, Dragon Ball has faced some very big problems. In 2024, the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, passed awayand with that, the franchise slowed down considerably.
Without Toriyama, the franchise can technically never have any canon content ever again, and even the likes of the manga, Dragon Ball Super, have stalled.
After all, the brand is also facing some legal issues with the rights to the series. As said, the upcoming event for its 40th anniversary, Genkidamatsuri, could be what changes the future of this franchise for good. Instead of dying out, Dragon Ball will have quite a few projects revealed and they could revive the series and bring in fans, both old and new.
Dragon Ball is the legacy of Akira Toriyama, and it's already immortalized, with more content to come for decades. The story of Son Goku is nowhere near.
Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri will reveal big projects
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A new video game
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New animated content
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Stage event with the voice actors
With Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri coming up in a week, fans are definitely wondering what could be in store for the series. At the moment, nothing is completely confirmed, but there are many leaks floating around, and some are actually quite credible.
Firstly, Dragon Ball fans are expecting a new video game to come out. It hasn't been too long since the last Dragon Ball game. After all, the last one was Dragon Ball: Gekishin Squadra 2025. But fans are expecting a bigger game to come. Dragon Ball is quite famous for its spectacular video games, and the next one could be the biggest yet. If Dragon Ball is getting a new game, fans are hoping that some information will be released during the event, like the name of the game or maybe even a little teaser.
Aside from video games, what fans really want to see is new animated content. The last animated content for Dragon Ball was 2024, with Dragon Ball Daima. Daima was one of Akira Toriyama's last works, and fans are really hoping for a return with a second season. The story was pretty funny and fans would love for it to continue.
Of course, Dragon Ball Daima might not be the only animated content that fans see. Fans are hoping that a new movie will be announced, and while this movie won't be overseen by Toriyama, fans want to see the series live and get new theatrical releases. The last Dragon Ball movie was in 2022, so the series is definitely overdue for one.
The biggest of all, however, is the Dragon Ball Super anime. Fans know that DBS ended in 2018, and since then fans have been clamoring for more. The biggest rumor at the moment is that Dragon Ball Super might get a remake soon. Fans are also expecting a sequel eventually, with The Moro arc is highly anticipatedand the Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri would be the perfect event to reveal it.
All that aside, there is too the possibility of the Dragon Ball Super manga sequel being announced. As fans know, the DBS manga stopped after Toriyama's death, but fans still want to see how that story continues. Hopefully, a return date for the Dragon Ball Super manga will be announced at this event as well.
Aside from this, fans can also expect voice acting events, such as Goku's voice actress, Masako Nozawa, to take center stage.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
