In the anime community, “Dragon Ball” has had a resurgence. “Dragon Ball Super” drew in new viewers while also satisfying the nostalgia of those who grew up watching Toonami’s “DBZ” blocks in the aughts. From 2015 to 2018, “Dragon Ball Super” followed Goku and his allies as they rebuilt the world following Majin Buu’s defeat. In 2018, the anime had a spin-off movie, “Dragon Ball Super: Broly,” which gave the heretofore hilarious character of Broly honor and pathos.
During the 2021 San Diego Comic-Con @ Home “Dragon Ball” special panel, which was streamed on YouTube, the executive editor of the “Dragon Ball” manga, Akio Iyoku disclosed details about the next “DBS” movie. The movie is called “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.” Iyoku, Masako Nozawa, the voice of Goku since the 1980s, and Toei Animation producer Norihiro Hayashida were on the panel, moderated by MC Sascha. The panel discussed the team’s plans for “DBS: Super Hero,” when it will be released and previewed the animation.
When is Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero going to be released?
The premiere date for “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” is set for April 22, 2022. “Dragon Ball Super: Broly,” the last “Dragon Ball Super” movie, was released in Japan on December 14, 2018, but not in the United States until 2019.
“Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” was supposed to be released in Japan on April 22, 2022, followed by a North American release this summer. On March 18, Toei Animation announced that the movie’s release would be postponed indefinitely.
Why? According to Crunchyroll, Toei Animation was the target of an online hack on March 6. The company is still looking into the full scope of the breach, attempting to determine whether any personal information or documents connected to ongoing projects were accessed. Toei has shut down many internal systems as part of the investigation.
“DBS: Super Hero” is the twenty-first “Dragon Ball” movie; while many of the previous movies were never released in theaters in the United States, some were dubbed into English and debuted on Cartoon Network’s Toonami channel. Outside of Japan, some remain niche. Anime movies, however, are gaining traction at the global box office. After breaking Japanese box office records, “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” was released in the United States, becoming the highest foreign language film debut.
Which characters will appear in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero?
Many of the characters you’d expect to see in a “DBS” movie got new designs at the Comic-Con @ Home panel. Piccolo has returned, and his appearance is more akin to his manga counterpart. The panel also included two uniformed aliens with numbers on their coats and retrofuturist laser weapons, which were created specifically for the “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” movie.
What is the plot for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero?
Big, flowing colored hair and, of course, greater Kamehamehas! To be clear, the wicked Red Ribbon Army will return in “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,” an organization that has been disturbing Goku and crew since the first “Dragon Ball” manga and anime. The Red Ribbon is at it again, generating new Android threats in the same vein as Androids 16, 17, and 18. Dr. Hedo will use the resources of the organization to create Gamma #1 and Gamma #2.
Because Goku and Vegeta will be off-world for the duration of the movie, the heroic focus will shift to Gohan and Piccolo. Piccolo will try to sneak into a Red Ribbon base to find out what’s going on after being attacked by the Gamma androids. When Gohan’s daughter Pan is kidnapped by the Red Ribbon Army, it will be up to him to reclaim his fighting strength and take her safely home.
Piccolo’s “latent power” leads to a new form, according to the official website. Given that his father and Vegeta are both capable of the mega-powerful Super Saiyan Blue forms, Gohan should be able to gain new power as well. The more forms you have, the more power you have! That’s the “Dragon Ball” way of doing things!