When it comes to shonen anime, there's only one series that stands atop all as the biggest inspiration, and that is Dragon Ball, an 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 beyond the realms of anime and manga. Dragon Ball and Son Goku have attained unprecedented levels of fame in the last few decades.
My Hero Academia: Horikoshi Pays A Big Tribute To Dragon Ball And Akira Toriyama
Horikoshi, the creator of MHA, pays tribute to the late Akira Toriyama.
Sadly, with the unfortunate death of Toriyama, the series has taken a rather uncertain pause. That said, next week, on January 25th, 2026, all this is set to change. Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri is finally approaching fast, and fans expect huge projects to be unveiled pertaining to both the anime side of things, as well as video games. Fans are very excited to see what the future of Dragon Ball entails, especially after the last few rough years.
Dragon Ball Is The Father of Shonen Anime
- An Iconic Series that Kickstarted in 1984
Dragon Ball has always been the father of modern shonen as it inspired a generation of mangaka and continues to inspire more to this day. Shonen series before and after Dragon Ball are night and day apart, and the only reason for that is Dragon Ball itself. All major Shonen have taken, at the very least, some inspiration from Dragon Ball, and that includes series like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and many others. Akira Toriyama's work, which kickstarted in 1984, still holds tremendous weight now in 2026, 42 years later.
"It Would Be Meaningless To Fight You Now; You're Too Scared And Ashamed. Live With The Shock. Keep It Bottled Up Inside Of You. Goodbye, Frieza, May You Live The Rest Of Your Life In Peace."
While Dragon Ball isn't the best-selling manga of all time, it still maintains a position in the top ten best-selling manga of all time, with over 260 million copies in circulation worldwide, which is quite an impressive number for such an old series. With the release of newer series, it has only been growing, and now, with the expected return of Dragon Ball in 2026, fans are incredibly excited about the major upcoming revival soon.
Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri Is Taking Place Soon
- Genkidamatsuri will be held on January 25, 2026
- The biggest Dragon Ball event to celebrate the 40th anniversary
Dragon Ball is a fan favorite series that has experienced 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 up later this month. Indeed, on January 25, 2026, the biggest Dragon Ball that will make some massive reveals will finally take place, and needless to say, fans are incredibly excited.
"And This... Is To Go Even Further Beyond!"
This upcoming event is called Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri. As some fans might already know, this Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri event is in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the anime, and it is an exciting day for any fan of the franchise, especially as it could change the future of Dragon Ball forever.
Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri Could Change The Future of the Series
- After the death of Toriyama, the series took a big break
Dragon Ball is, of course, one of the most well-known and profitable anime and manga franchises in the whole world, and not many series can compare to it in that regard. The only anime series that can truly compete in popularity or surpass Dragon Ball are the likes of Pokémon, One Piece, and Naruto.
Nevertheless, despite its huge popularity, Dragon Ball has faced some very big issues. In 2024, the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, passed away, and with that, the franchise slowed down significantly.
Without Toriyama, the franchise can technically never get any canon content ever again, and even the likes of the manga, Dragon Ball Super, have halted.
After all, the brand is also facing some legal issues with the rights of the series. That said, the upcoming event for its 40th anniversary, Genkidamatsuri, could be what alters the future of this franchise for good. Instead of dying off, Dragon Ball will have quite a few projects unveiled and they could revive the series and bring fans in, 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 over.
Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri Will Reveal Big Projects
- A New Video Game
- New Animated Content
- Stage Event with the Voice Actors
With Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri that is coming up in a week, fans are definitely wondering what could be in store for the series. At the moment, nothing is fully confirmed, but there are a lot of leaks floating around, and some are actually quite credible.
Firstly, Dragon Ball fans are expecting a new video game to come out. It’s not been too long since the last Dragon Ball video game. After all, the latest was Dragon Ball: Gekishin Squadra in 2025. However, fans do anticipate a bigger game coming up. Dragon Ball is quite known for its spectacular video games, and the next one could be its biggest yet. If Dragon Ball does get a new game, fans hope for some information to drop during the event, such as the name of the game or perhaps even a small teaser.
Aside from video games, what fans really want to see is new animated content. The latest animated content for Dragon Ball was in 2024, with Dragon Ball Daima. Daima was one of Akira Toriyama's last works, and fans do hope for a return with a second season. The story was quite fun, and fans would love for it to continue.
Of course, Dragon Ball Daima might not be the only animated content fans see. Fans hope for a new movie to be announced, and while this movie will not be overseen by Toriyama, fans want to see the series live on and get new theatrical releases. The last Dragon Ball movie was in 2022, so the series is definitely overdue for one.
The biggest thing 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 could be getting a remake soon. Fans also expect a continuation eventually, with the Moro arc being highly anticipated, and Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri would be the perfect event to unveil that.
All this aside, there is also the possibility of the Dragon Ball Super manga continuation being announced. As fans know, the DBS manga stopped after the death of Toriyama, 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.
All that aside, fans can also expect events featuring the voice actors, such as Goku's voice actress, Masako Nozawa, to take center stage.