There may be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the franchise's future right now, though Dragon Ball fans may have received 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 in progress.
Now fans should take this with a grain of salt as these are just comments from a former editor. But Torishima makes it sound like a new project is in the works, which could be the start of a triumphant return for the iconic series.
The new Dragon Ball movie might come next year
According to Torishima, fans won't have to wait very long for this new one Dragon Ball the project is released. The longtime editor claims the film will be released 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 the mother Dragon Ballwho recently complained about the newly opened Dragon Ball Store in Tokyo Station. He also had some pretty harsh things to say about the latest entry in the franchise, Alwaysearlier this year. So his less-than-favorable view of the series and its future isn't new or surprising to hear.
That begs the question of how he would know about a new one Dragon Ball film 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 this potential new entry. But with how involved he was in the series back in the day, it's likely that Torishima is still hearing things. So while he may not be a direct source of information, he is still more knowledgeable than most.
Back in May, Toei reportedly delayed a film belonging to one of its “International IPs”. It could be many series, but with this new rumor out there, it could have been the next big one Dragon Ball project? However, that would conflict with Torishima's comments, as he appears to be stating that a film will be released in 2026, and the reported delay has pushed the mystery film back to 2027. This could mean that production could be ahead of schedule, or it could be that Torishima's information is incorrect.
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, continued to serve as his editor for Dragon Ball until 1995. Torishima's feedback throughout its run as Dragon Ball's the editor helped Toriyama create some of the series' most iconic characters and moments, with Torishima said to have been the strictest of Toriyama's editors throughout Dragon Ball's run.
As you'd guess from 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 debate among fans. He has never been shy to criticize the modern direction Dragon Ball has stepped in, and his strong opinions aren't just limited to the series he's most associated with. Torishima apparently did not believe One Piece when it began, claimed that it would not be a successful manga. It's a crazy notion now that we know how popular it is.
Torishima's latest comments seem more like fact than anything else. It sounds like he's criticizing the direction the franchise is going in, which is in line with his usual routine, but the fact that he mentions an upcoming movie is notable. This could very well have been just a blurb, with Toshima mentioning something that was shared with him in confidence during the flow of conversation. Or he could just be confused about what DB project has or has not been confirmed. We won't know for sure for a while either.
The future of Dragon Ball remains uncertain
Whether what Torishima said turns out to be true or not, 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 Herowas released in 2022. Dragon Ball DAIMA stopped airing in February, but was a spin-off. The Super The anime has been on hiatus since 2018, and while the manga has gone well beyond the anime, we haven't had a new chapter since February's Chapter 104, which was a one-off prequel to the High School Saga that ended in 2023. The unexpected twist ending to Granolah the Survivor Saga was a continuation for all of 2022 and has been a continuation for 2022 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've seen a few new ones Dragon Ball content released since then, legal battles between Shueisha and Capsule Corporation Tokyo boss Akio Iyoku, and uncertainty surrounding the direction of the series going forward seem to have put things on hold for now.
This new movie that Torishima mentioned might not exist, or it might be the bootleg thing Dragon Ball's comeback. Since the manga has gone beyond the Tournament of Power, there is a lot of material to work with. While most fans expected the return of Super anime series to adapt the events of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, could a film adaptation be in the works instead? And if so, it would lead to Super anime starts with the popular Granolah the Survivor Saga? Maybe this is a film-original story that Broly var, with a manga adaptation coming later and serving as the return for both 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. At the moment, it sounds like he's confident that a new film will arrive next year. With Jump Festa right around the corner, we might get an announcement before 2025 is over.
Source: X
Dragon Ball
- Release date
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1986 – 1989
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Osamu Kasai, Daisuke Nishio, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Minoru Okazaki, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Yoshihiro Ueda, Yutaka Satoh, Yûji Endô
- Author
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Akira Toriyama, Keiji Terui, Toshiki Inoue, Takao Koyama, Michiru Shimada, Yasushi Hirano, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Yuichiro Oguro, Miho Maruo, Shunichi Yukimuro
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Masako Nozawa
Son Goku (voice)
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Mayumi Tanaka
Krillin (voice)
