The news that Dragon Ball Super is ending in spring and will remain on indefinite hiatus has caused a lot of impassioned reactions from fans. A lot of that reaction has been outright bewilderment, as Dragon Ball Super is ending it run at a time when it's never been hotter. With the "Universal Survival" saga opening up new doors of possibility and power for the Dragon Ball characters, it seemed as though Dragon Ball Super was poised for the next chapter to unfold seamlessly, as the Tournament of Power finally came to end.
Now that we know there won't be a "next chapter" after the Universal Survival saga, it's time to discuss just why Dragon Ball Super is going on hiatus, and why it may actually end up being a good thing.
Asset Application
Toei Animation only has so many resources, and with the announcement that a new Dragon Ball movie is coming in 2018, may have had unexpected consequences for the Dragon Ball Super TV series.
This 2018 movie will reveal the highly-anticipated history of the Saiyan homeworld Sadala, and series creator Akira Toriyama is investing a lot of his own effort into making it. There's already been boasts that Toei and Toriyama are trying to make this the greatest Dragon Ball movie yet, which suggests that it's getting first-rate treatment to make its projected December release.
If so much is being put into making this new movie the best, it stands to reason that proper assets (directors, writers, animators) couldn't be applied to both the movie and the weekly Dragon Ball Super anime, and have both be up to par.
Well-Deserved Break
Dragon Ball Super has pumped out a lot of episodes since its 2015 debut, and even if the team working on the series isn't the same exact lineup also working on the movie, there's still the possibility that attention on the movie was the perfect opportunity to give the makers of Dragon Ball Super a well-deserved break.
It's been clear as the eye can see that animation quality and direction has gone up in quality as the Tournament of Power nears its finale, with each subsequent episode of Dragon Ball Super leaving us with another new "classic" or "iconic" moment. After such effort, the creative team could use a break to recharge their collective spark, before the next saga begins. After all, there's still a new DBS Dub saga about to begin; a highly-anticipated game is dropping; and there the movie coming. If ever there was a time for DBS to go away and still make its presence felt, 2018 is the time.
Time to Plan
Following closely behind the idea that the creative team at Toei needing a break, is the idea that that same break could be needed for time to plan the next chapter of the series.
As stated, the "Universal Survival" Saga has opened Dragon Ball Super's mythos up to an entire multiverse of new possibilities, with an entire new universes now set up for exploration. That's a much larger map to plan a course through, and with all of the story threads and character arcs that the Tournament of Power introduced, the showrunners may need a longer span of time to sit down and plot out where things go from here.
...and that's not at all a bad thing! Proper planning makes for better storytelling, and fun new character evolutions, so hopefully this hiatus time is being used wisely.
Next Evolution
No, we don't mean the sequel to the Dragonball: Evolution live-action movie, because no one (except Maze Runner star Dylan O'Brien) wants that. What we do mean is that a hiatus in Dragon Ball Super's story could be used effectively to help the series evolve into its next form.
We don't yet know any plans for the series' return; conceivably, Toei could launch a new show that's not even called "Dragon Ball Super" anymore. That would make a certain amount of sense, really: after all, with the Tournament of Power, we've gotten the biggest contest for use of the Super Dragon Balls that a series called "Dragon Ball Super" could ever hope for. The show's core concept may have already been fulfilled.
Depending on how the Tournament of Power ends, and the final episodes of the "Universal Survival" saga play out, Dragon Ball may need time to plan, produce, and promote an entire new show. Given how far Super has brought the mythos, the next level is going to get more badass and exciting.
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Dragon Ball Super's "Universal Survival" arc is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swim airs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m, and is now available to stream on FunimationNOW and Amazon Video.
