Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Super chronicles the ongoing adventures of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and the rest of Earth's heroes as they go up against godly individuals and face a whole multiverse of obstacles. Dragon Ball Super has produced 131 episodes, two feature films, and 103 manga chapters, which is no small feat. The series first debuted back in 2015, which means that Dragon Ball Super has been entertaining audiences for the better part of a decade.
It's never easy to say goodbye to a beloved series, but it's arguably even more disappointing to watch a franchise regress into mediocrity and overstay its welcome. Endings are a necessary inevitability for any franchise, especially one that's as prolific as Dragon Ball and been around for four decades. There are many ways in which Dragon Ball Super could extend its story and blaze new trails, but there's heavy evidence supporting why Dragon Ball Super should be the franchise's ending and the best place to conclude its canonical narrative.
Akira Toriyama Is No Longer Around To Guide The Series Forward
Dragon Ball Has Lost Its Creator & Creative Mastermind
One of the biggest reasons it’s time for Dragon Ball Super to wrap up the series is that Dragon Ball’s creator and mastermind, Akira Toriyama, sadly passed away in March 2024. Dragon Ball and the manga & anime industries have experienced major changes since the series’ debut, but none have been as significant as Toriyama’s passing. Toriyama’s absence has led to an extended hiatus for Dragon Ball Super’s manga, which just finished the series’ Super Hero Saga in Chapter 103.
Dragon Ball has never been a singular effort and Dragon Ball Super’s manga was even headed by both Toriyama and Toyotarou, the latter of whom handled the manga’s artwork. Toyotarou will presumably carry on Dragon Ball Super’s manga when it makes its return and there’s no one more qualified for this role. That said, there are still some fans who feel like a Dragon Ball series without Toriyama is inherently flawed. Toriyama likely had plans and notes for what’s to come next in Dragon Ball Super, which Toyotarou will expand upon, but after that it’s all brave, new territory for the franchise. If there’s ever been a logical point to end Dragon Ball, this is it.
Even the more controversial chapters in Dragon Ball’s history that operated without Akira Toriyama as a dominant creative force – such as Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Z’s many movies – still featured his involvement. Toriyama was responsible for Dragon Ball GT’s character designs, as well as the look of many movie villains, even if he wasn’t directly involved. Moving forward, this will be the first time that there’s zero involvement from Toriyama in Dragon Ball content, which is too much for some to bear. On top of that, while Dragon Ball Super may end, the franchise can still indulge in side story projects like Dragon Ball DAIMA, if need be. There are also countless Dragon Ball video games that aren’t going anywhere. Dragon Ball Super’s end doesn’t need to actually mark the franchise or characters’ goodbye.
Dragon Ball Super’s Main Characters Have All Gone As Far As They Can Go
More Transformations Would Start To Feel Ridiculous
Goku and the rest of Dragon Ball Super’s characters always find ways to surpass their limits and accomplish unbelievable milestones. That being said, there’s a certain point where new transformations begin to feel cumbersome, ludicrous, and even sometimes like a parody of past victories. Dragon Ball Super, from very early on, rewards Goku and Vegeta with the power of Gods and they’ve only pushed this to greater heights. The introductions of Goku’s True Ultra Instinct and Vegeta’s Ultra Ego are incredible, but it’s hard to imagine where else these characters can plausibly go next. This is usually a good sign to start wrapping up a series up instead of growing increasingly outlandish or formulaic.
There was previously speculation that Goku and Vegeta would step out of the spotlight while other characters become Dragon Ball Super’s protagonists, but DBS has already resorted to this tactic. Gohan has ascended to Gohan Beast and Piccolo has become Orange Piccolo. These character-specific transformations have seemingly pushed every character to their natural limits and given them closure in this department. These satisfying developments begin to feel silly if Gohan suddenly discovers Gohan Beast 2 mode or Piccolo becomes Red Piccolo or Blue Piccolo. Furthermore, Dragon Ball Super’s villains have reached such grandiose places that there’s not much else that can be done without the whole concept of strength and power scaling losing all meaning.
Dragon Ball Super’s characters have also received substantial closure going far beyond strength. Vegeta has made peace with his endless rivalry with Goku, while Goku has come to terms with his Saiyan heritage and limited knowledge regarding his father, Bardock. Gohan has also received closure with Goku regarding his own strength and potential by confidently taking his father on in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103. Dragon Ball Super has even casually teased the idea that Goku and Vegeta are destined to become Beerus and Whis’ replacements as Universe 7’s God of Destruction and Angel duo. This would be a satisfying conclusion to the characters’ story as they properly become guardians who watch over the planet. If this comes to pass, then it really feels like Dragon Ball Super has reached its natural conclusion.
Black Frieza Is The Perfect Final Villain For The Series
One Last Battle Against Frieza Brings The Series & Its Characters Full-Circle
Dragon Ball Super’s Super Hero Saga wraps up several loose threads and character arcs. In many respects, it would be the perfect conclusion to the series. The one big threat that continues to loom over the characters – and the series – is Black Frieza’s pledge to take over the multiverse. Surprisingly, Black Frieza was last seen in person back in Chapter 87, "The Universe's Strongest Appears," which was nearly two years ago. Fans have been patiently waiting for the villain’s return, while the heroes have been able to substantially improve their strength in the meantime.
A showdown against Black Frieza is the one big bucket list item that Dragon Ball Super needs to check off and he feels like the perfect final villain for the franchise. Frieza has been a persistent threat since Dragon Ball Z and there’s no villain who’s more hated or earned a greater reputation. There’s such a build-up to this battle that it’s hard to imagine a subsequent antagonist that would be more satisfying. Each of Dragon Ball Super’s main characters – Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, and Broly – all have unique and genuine grudges against Frieza that guarantee a fight that’s emotionally resonant and not just some superpowered showdown.
Several of these characters have either been personally killed by Frieza or watched the villain exterminate their loved ones. These are epic stakes ideal for Dragon Ball Super’s final villain and something that’s typically lacking with a completely new threat, like with Jiren, Moro, or Gas. Black Frieza’s true destruction could leave the heroes content that they’ve conquered the universe’s greatest evil. It’s also the first opportunity for Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Gohan to share a victory as they all work together against an impossible threat, which would also be a satisfying way to end the series after so many individual wins.
Dragon Ball Super’s Timeline Is About To Reach The “End Of Z”
The “End Of Z” Arc Is An Appropriate Place To End Super’s Story Once & For All
Dragon Ball Super is the sequel to Dragon Ball Z, but this successor makes the very unusual decision to set itself before Dragon Ball Z's proper conclusion. A ten-year time-jump separates Goku's victory over Kid Buu and the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament that functions as the centerpiece to Dragon Ball Z's Peaceful World/End of Z Saga. Dragon Ball Super exists entirely within this ten-year time-skip and all 131 episodes & 103 chapters technically take place between episodes 288 and 289 of the anime. During Dragon Ball Super's initial conception, Toriyama must have believed that ten years was enough time to tell this new chapter in the franchise.
This has proven to be true, but Dragon Ball Super's narrative has inched quite close to its End of Z Saga material and it's only a few months away from the 28th World Tournament. Dragon Ball Super has connected these dots in minor ways, such as turning Goten and Trunks into teenagers that more closely resemble their End of Z designs. The same is true for Super's heavy focus on Pan during its Super Hero Saga. Dragon Ball Super could technically go beyond this material and even begin to cover Dragon Ball GT era events, but there’s a certain egress of symmetrical satisfaction in Super closing this loop and ending with the same material that marked Dragon Ball Z’s finish.
This conclusion would be completely faithful to Toriyama’s intentions if his original plan was to tell one epic story that fits entirely within Dragon Ball Z’s epilogue. Dragon Ball Z doesn’t have a maligned conclusion, but it is somewhat polarizing with fans. This approach would help Dragon Ball Super smooth out its rough edges and retroactively redeem Dragon Ball Z’s ending in the process. There could be more time devoted to the 28th World Tournament and Goku could even talk to Uub about Ultra Instinct and see him as a natural candidate for this totemic transformation that wasn’t on his radar during Dragon Ball Z’s initial ending. It’s a smart way to bring Dragon Ball Super full-circle.
There’s Still Plenty Of Dragon Ball Super Material To Adapt Into An Anime
The End Of Dragon Ball Super’s Story Doesn’t Mean The End Of Content
It will be difficult to say goodbye when Dragon Ball Super’s manga decides to conclude its story. However, the franchise has created a unique situation for itself since Dragon Ball Super’s manga has covered a ton of content that’s yet to receive an anime adaptation. It's hard to believe that DBS' anime only corresponds to the first 42 chapters of the series’ manga. This means that there are still 61 chapters of the story that have largely gone untouched. This could easily correspond to at least 150 new anime episodes, or a series of feature films that adapt the Moro Saga, the Granolah the Survivor Saga, and beyond. This gives Dragon Ball Super the luxury of ending the series, but continuing to turn out “new” content that doesn’t require any guidance or input from Akira Toriyama due to his involvement in the existing manga.
This would be a brilliant way to extend Dragon Ball Super’s shelf life even after its story is over. A second Dragon Ball Super anime that covers the rest of the manga would please manga readers, but also surprise the large number of anime-only fans who have never read the manga. This could deliver years of more Dragon Ball material even though its story will be technically finished. There’s been a heavy push for the rest of Dragon Ball Super to get animated and it’s entirely possible that Toei has just been waiting for the manga to end before it engages in such an endeavor. It’s another touching way to celebrate Toriyama’s legacy that still allows his signature shonen series to gracefully end.
