The annual Jump Festa event, where publisher Shueisha typically highlights its most significant manga properties, will feature minimal presence from the Dragon Ball franchise this year. While the original series concluded in 1995 and the sequel Dragon Ball Super began in 2015 under Toriyama's supervision with art by Toyotaro, the manga has remained on hiatus since the author's passing in 2024. This absence marks a significant departure from previous years, leading fans to anticipate major shifts within the franchise.
The exclusion became evident in September 2026 when Dragon Ball characters were missing from the event's official visual. By November 2, the full lineup confirmed that Dragon Ball Super would not occupy space in the Jump Original Art World zone, a booth reserved for key series. Its spot was instead taken by Metaphor: ReFantazio, an adaptation of Atlus' RPG currently serialized in V Jump magazine. Notably, the anime side of the franchise remains active; Toei Animation will host an exhibition featuring Dragon Ball Super and its recent remake, Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, indicating that Shueisha is not attempting to cancel the IP entirely.
The prolonged hiatus and reduced visibility are widely attributed to the complicated division of rights among the Toriyama estate, Shueisha, Toei Animation, Bandai Namco, and Capsule Corporation Tokyo. The latter was founded by Akio Iyoku, a former Shueisha editor who served as Toriyama's right-hand man. Speculation suggests that this legal complexity may be preventing the manga's return while allowing pre-existing projects like Dragon Ball Daima to proceed. Adding to the uncertainty, construction has begun on the demolition of Bird Studio, the building where Toriyama worked for years, though no official statements have been released regarding its significance.
Despite the disheartening news from Jump Festa 2027, artist Toyotaro remains active, producing monthly character illustrations for V Jump and updating his social media bio to state that everything is being done for the series' return. However, with the manga absent from Shueisha's flagship event after more than two years of silence, many observers believe a future continuation under the publisher's banner is increasingly unlikely.
Sources: Polygon.