The Dragon Ball official site was launched on May 9, 2021. And the first article on the site was about a sudden announcement of a new Dragon Ball Super Movie in the making.

This excited fans all over the world because Dragon Ball Super had been on hiatus since 2018 and no one knew what the series’ future would hold. For more information on that announcement, click here!

Two months later, another announcement dropped which talked about a special Dragon Ball Panel in the San Diego Comic-Con 2021. To celebrate Dragon Ball and the announcement of the upcoming Dragon Ball Super movie which is planned to hit the theatres in 2022, a special panel involving some key personalities appeared talk about the new film. Those personalities are:

• The voice actor of Son Goku, Ms. Masako Nozawa
• Mr. Akio Iyoku – The head of the Dragon Ball team at SHUEISHA who is also the Executive Producer of the series and editor for Akira Toriyama
• Mr. Norihiro Hayashida – Producer of TV animation and movies for the Dragon Ball series including [Dragon Ball Super: BROLY]

On Sep 16, 2021, the Dragon Ball Official Site gave a special announcement of a discussion panel to be held at New York Comic Con on October 7th.

The discussion, like the San Diego Panel, will be on the new Dragon Ball Super Movie and what goes around behind the scenes. The Panelists are as follows:

• Akio Iyoku
• Norihiro Hayashida
• Ian Sinclair (Voice Actor of Whis in the Funimation English Dub)
• Monica Rial (Voice Actor of Bulma in the Funimation English Dub)

Let’s dive into what we know about the upcoming movie so far. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Dragon Ball Super Movie!

Premise:

The official movie website summarizes the plot as follows (Unofficial translation by Herms & DBSChronicles):

Dragon Ball Super Broly (2018) was a mega-hit with worldwide box office revenue of 13.5 billion Yen. 4 years later, in 2022, a new movie in the Dragon Ball Super series has finally arrived with an even greater “awakening”! The Red Ribbon Army, an evil organization that was once destroyed by Goku in the past, has been succeeded by a group of people who have created new and the strongest Androids ever, Gamma 1 & Gamma 2. They call themselves “superheroes” and begin to attack Piccolo, Gohan and the others. What is the true purpose of the new Red Ribbon Army?
With danger looming over the world, now is the time to wake up! Awaken, Super Hero!!

While commenting on the title, Akio Iyoku said that this movie is all about the superhero vibes. According to him, Toriyama himself would say this to be the best Dragon Ball movie yet. So please look forward to it!

Norihiro Hayashida gives a clue about the tone of the plot. He says and I quote:

I think this new movie has a different appeal to the outrageously intense ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’. There are a lot more slice-of-life scenes that really put a spotlight on the rich world that Toriyama has created. Of course, that’s not to say the movie doesn’t have its share of intense scenes! It’s a perfect fusion of classic Dragon Ball and new aspects to the series, which is why I feel it might just end up being something truly original and groundbreaking!

Norihiro Hayashida on Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

In the NYCC Panel, it is revealed that an evil organization is moving in the shadows and it’s up to Earth’s heroes to dismantle their plans.

Trailers:

Special Video (Part 1)

In the SDCC panel, they released a single-minute teaser displaying Goku with the new visual style that’s been hyped about. Take a look:

The teaser doesn’t reveal any plot details at all but showcases a glimpse of the new animation. Commenting on this, Akio Iyoku said “The actual visual expression of Goku’s moves and such incorporate quite a lot of ingenuity using different technologies”. He also confirmed that this scene is not from the actual movie.

Special Video (Part 2)

In the NYCC panel, a trailer with actual scenes from the completed portion of the film is released (although it might require further polishing). This gives us a clue on what the final product could look like:

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Trailer 3

The 3rd Trailer of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is divided into 3 parts of 30 seconds each. Each part is a combination of new footage and already showed stuff from the previous trailers. Check them out!

Trailer 3 (Part 1)

Trailer 3 (Part 2)

Trailer 3 (Part 3)

Trailer 4

Trailer 4 is broken down into 5 parts of 15 seconds each. These short clips were released as part of the TV shots in Japan. Again, there is some old and new footage. Check all the 5 parts!

Trailer 4 (Part 1)

Trailer 4 (Part 2)

Trailer 4 (Part 3)

Trailer 4 (Part 4)

Trailer 4 (Part 5)

Character Artwork:

Along with the teasers, artworks of some of the characters who’ll appear in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero were displayed.

Here’s the first look of Piccolo in the new film:

Gohan and Piccolo are confirmed to be the main characters of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Norihiro Hayashida pointed out that the color of Piccolo’s upper arm is yellow as opposed to pink in the Anime series. He further added that the obi (sash) was blue in the Anime and now it’s the same color as in the Manga. Also, notice that there’s some scaling on his arms which weren’t there before.

In addition to his character design, the animators have added some brand new details – Piccolo’s house and its surroundings. Take a look:

“This is what’s called an imageboard that Toriyama-sensei gave us. Then we redesigned it for the Anime series” said one of the panelists.

Akio Iyoku said that Toriyama designed this house as well.

In the NYCC panel, Iyoku and the voice actor of Piccolo said the Namekian plays a fairly large role in this movie.

A large portion of his screentime is spent with Pan, and he acts as a grandfather figure who watches over his adored granddaughter. Aside from that, there are also times where he acts as a mentor of sorts. He infiltrates the Red Ribbon hideout by dressing up as a Red Ribbon soldier where he witnesses a terrifying plan in action.

Toshio Furukawa, the VA of Piccolo, when asked about his experience working on the film, said that he thought he was going to die by the end of the recording. This gives us an idea that he has given a lot of lines and scenes for Piccolo.

In the film, Piccolo unleashes a new form which is akin to Gohan’s Ultimate form (潜在能力解放, Senzainōryoku Kaihō – Potential Unleashed/Unlocked). The official description of the trailer tells that the latent power dormant inside Piccolo has been unleashed, giving rise to a brand-new form for the Namekian warrior.

As you can see, the skin tone has gotten lighter and the lines all around the body have vanished. We’ve yet to see the new form in action.

From the character front, next up is Gohan’s daughter Pan:

From the look of her uniform, Iyoku pointed out that she’s in kindergarten. Fans speculate she’s around 3 years old.

Masako Nozawa said that Gohan’s family will make an appearance in the film, which is a thing slightly different from the earlier movies.

Pan is the featured unexpected character Toriyama talked about in his comment in the movie – Akiyo Iyoku. She’ll play an active role in the film.

The next character on the list is Goku’s best friend Krillin:

From Dragon Ball Super Anime, we know that Krillin has joined the Police force and earns good money for his family. Iyoku says “He’s protecting peace on Earth as a policeman. So this is him in his uniform”.

Norihiro Hayashida pointed out that in the Anime, his eyes were skin-colored but here, they’re white. Someone asked them why he doesn’t have white eyes so they changed them to match the original Manga.

A movie exclusive character artwork was released in the San Diego Comic-Con Panel. The following is drawn by Toriyama even before the production of the movie began.

This is a brand new character we’ve never seen before in the series. Iyoku added that, even though they don’t usually show a new character, he wanted to display it in the panel to give a sense of how much Toriyama-sensei is invested in the film.

According to Herms, the translation for the small text underneath the character is as follows: “By rotating this part around you can select which bullet to use”.

In the NYCC panel, Iyoku reveals the names of the two characters – Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. The symbol Γ on his belt refers to the Gamma function in math. So it adds up.

It’s also confirmed that both the Gammas are part of the Red Ribbon Army. He has the logo on his uniform.

Next up is Dende:

Iyoku pointed out that Dende has gotten a little older since the last time we saw him in the “Dragon Ball Super” anime.

Also, notice the color change of his robe coat. In the Anime and the Manga, it was purple colored.

Bulma, Vegeta’s loving wife, gets a new character design. Check it out:

Judging by her outfit, it seems Bulma is geared up for some work!

Toriyama’s right-hand man was very particular with how Bulma should be portrayed and he thinks he nailed her character this time.

The next one is Toriyama’s new sketch of an old character. Have a look at Karin/Korin’s new design:

Iyoku notes that the design is the perfect balance between his body and feline (cat-like) attributes.

He had the impression that until now, Korin’s design wasn’t really defined in the Anime. So he asked Toriyama specifically to re-draw for this project. And it fixed stuff up from the Anime design. So we do have a definitive version this time.

Up next is Goten and Trunk’s new look:

Perplexed by their new design, Sascha asked Iyoku about the timeline of the film’s events. Iyoku vaguely answers by saying, “Since Pan is seen to have grown up, some time has passed after the events of Dragon Ball Super: Broly. That’s why Trunks and Goten have grown a bit older”.

The host then focused on the fusion pose and asked “will they fuse into Gotenks in the film?” The Panelists were initially hesitant to give a straightforward answer but Director Kodama does say that “When it comes to Goten and Trunks, Fusion is only natural”

Iyoku confirms this and added that Gotenks will appear in the film.

Cast & Crew:

【Staff】
■ Original Story / Screenplay / Character Designs — Akira Toriyama
■ Director — Tetsuro Kodama
■ Animation Direction — Chikashi Kubota
■ Music — Naoki Sato
■ Art Director — Nobuhito Sue
■ Color Design — Rumiko Nagai
■ CGI Director — Jae Hoon Jung

Tetsuro Kodama began making films after being inspired by “Cannon Fodder,” the third segment of the OTOMO Katsuhiro film Memories. He works as the head of ECHOES.Ltd, regularly creating original short animated films like PIANOMAN, “Minna no Uta”, E-Tele and so forth.

He was the CG Sequence Director for “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” and CGI Director for 11 “Hugtto! Precure” episodes. More about him and his animation company right here!

Animation Director Chikashi Kubota played a role in DBS Broly as part of the Key Animation team. He was also the Chief Animation Director & Character Designs for One Punch Man Season 1, Road to Hero (OVA) & One Piece Movie 6.

Apart from those, Kubota was in the Animation Team for Gurren Lagann, Naruto Movie 3 and Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom.

Art Director Nobuhito Sue was in charge of the Art settings and Background Art for Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 1 & 2, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer, One Piece Film Gold, One Piece Film Z, One Piece Stampede, Dragon Ball Super (Broly) and Beastars.

Musician Naoki Sato did the OSTs for Assassination Classroom.

【Cast】
Son Goku/Gohan/Goten — Masako Nozawa
Piccolo — Toshio Furukawa
Vegeta — Ryo Horikawa
Broly — Bin Shimada
Bulma — Aya Hisakawa
Beerus — Kōichi Yamadera
Whis — Masakazu Morita
Krillin — Mayumi Tanaka
Android 18 — Miki Itō
Trunks — Takeshi Kusao
Pan/Videl — Yuko Minaguchi
Cheelai — Nana Mizuki
Lemo — Tomokazu Sugita
Dende — Aya Hirano
Karin/Korin — Ken Uo
Yajirobe — Mayumi Tanaka
Gamma 1 — Hiroshi Kamiya (Trafalgar Law, One Piece / Levi, Attack on Titan)
Gamma 2 — Mamoru Miyano (Light Yagami, Death Note / Osamu Dazai, Bungou Stray Dogs)
Dr. Hedo — Miyu Irino (Ritsu Kageyama, Mob Psycho)
Magenta — Volcano Ota (Sasaki, One Piece)
Carmine — Ryota Takeuchi (Shiro, Assassination Classroom)

In regards to the script, Akira Toriyama is confirmed to be writing the plot. In fact, he’s writing the whole thing dialogue by dialogue.

Akio Iyoku said the following statements in regards to Toriyama-sensei’s involvement in the film:

• Toriyama was deeply involved in “Broly”, but he’s even more invested for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. He goes on to say that, when comparing the previous three films, Toriyama’s influence in the upcoming film is the biggest.

• The famous Mangaka already began writing the script while on the set of “Broly”. He recalls a behind-the-scenes moment when, after finishing the script for the Broly film and the production was W.I.P, he asked whether they should move to the next film, to which Toriyama agreed.

• Toriyama improved on the old characters as well as created brand new characters; he’s so energetic that others work day and night to catch up to him.

Release Date:

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will release on June 11, 2022, in Japan. The film was scheduled to be released on April 22 in Japan but was postponed due to the Toei Animation hack on March 6.

The movie is set to release in both subtitled and dubbed formats in North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia (excluding Japan), in the Summer via Crunchyroll.

The film is confirmed to release in the United States on Aug 19, 2022.

Sony Pictures India has confirmed the Indian release of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. So Indian Anime watchers may have the opportunity to witness the film in the same month as the global release.

Miscellaneous

NYCC Panel Q&A

Iyoku says yes. The movie connects to the story of Dragon Ball. But he didn’t touch upon how it is connected to the recent events of the Manga. And he mentions why in the next question.

Iyoku answers as follows:

He says the Granolah arc is still ongoing so he’d like to not talk about it cause’ it would enter spoiler territory.

But what he could say is this – the events of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero takes place after the Broly movie and before the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai where Goku fights Uub.

The final question adds a funny flavor to the panel:

Iyoku laughs and says Piccolo indeed has a mailbox. So if one sends a letter, it’d reach his mailbox.

Jokes aside, he admits that he doesn’t exactly know the address but the movie might contain some info on that. So he tells fans to look forward to it.

Key Visuals

Storyboards

Original Soundtrack

The official soundtrack for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero by Naoki Sato is out in Japan! There’s no theme song for this film. However, there are 23 OSTs that are listed so far. Click here to check out the soundtrack list and by clicking the headphone icon below the poster, you can listen to a 45-second preview of each soundtrack one by one.

Fan theories and speculations

• Word on the street is that the final boss in Hedo’s spherical machine could be a Kaiju Cell-like creature (like a hybrid). The speculation is backed by the fact that Dr. Hedo is the smartest scientist (even smarter than Dr. Gero) and his cyborg agent “Hachimaru” closely resembles the nanomachine Dr. Gero created to collect the Cells of our heroes used in the creation of the “Ultimate Evil”.

• After the T.O.P, Gohan goes back to his scholarly life but still trains as the strongest Earth’s defense force member.

• Gohan has at least 3 fights in the film. The climax involves a war-like scenario completely different from Gogeta Vs Broly.

• A June special V-Jump promotional scan for the movie (while describing Gohan’s growth) displayed a Manga panel of Piccolo and Gohan in the Moro arc. So fans speculate that the movie will take place after the Moro and Granolah arc.

• Gamma 1 and 2 are brainwashed by their creators into thinking that Goku, Vegeta, Buu and Mr. Satan are bad guys and need to be terminated. They think that they are Earth’s real heroes and the actual heroes are false.

About Dragon Ball Super:

Written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou, Dragon Ball Super is a Japanese manga and anime series that follows on from the original Dragon Ball manga. Having a monthly release schedule, it began serialization in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine V-Jump in June 2015. As of July 2021, the series is compiled into 16 volumes.

The events of Dragon Ball Super take place after the defeat of Kid Buu. Goku and his friends continue their journey to become the strongest as they face numerous foes who threaten their very existence. The story revolves around wish-granting orbs that can be used for both good and evil. It’s up to Goku and the gang to maintain peace within our world.

Currently, Granolah the Survivor arc is being serialized in the Manga. For articles and fun theories about the arc and Dragon Ball as a whole, click here!

The production team has launched a new website dedicated to the new movie. Click here!

This post will be updated as to when new information about the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero comes out. So stay tuned!