Honestly, if you’re searching for a Dragon Ball Super episode new episode right now, you’ve probably run into a mountain of clickbait. It’s frustrating. You see a thumbnail with Super Saiyan 5 Goku or some "leaked" trailer for a 2026 release, and it feels like the return of the TV anime is just around the corner. But here is the reality: as of early 2026, Toei Animation has not officially put a weekly Dragon Ball Super series back on the air.
The gap is massive. We haven’t had a weekly TV episode since March 2018. That’s nearly eight years. Since then, we’ve had Broly, we’ve had Super Hero, and we’ve had the Dragon Ball Daima project, which was Akira Toriyama's final gift to the world before his passing. But for fans waiting on the Moro Arc or the Granolah the Survivor Arc to be animated, the wait continues. It’s a weird time to be a fan. You’ve got all this manga content sitting there, ready to be adapted, yet the production pipeline remains strangely quiet regarding the "Super" branding.
The Production Bottleneck and the Daima Diversion
Why haven't we seen a Dragon Ball Super episode new episode on Fuji TV yet? It basically comes down to resources and the specific vision of the late Akira Toriyama. When Dragon Ball Daima was announced for the 40th anniversary, it took priority. Toei Animation only has so many top-tier staff members. You can’t have Shida or Takahashi working on three shows at once.
Daima was a massive undertaking. It wasn’t just a "side project"; it was a deeply personal story for Toriyama, where he was involved in the character designs, the world-building, and the actual script to a much higher degree than he was for the early parts of Super. This shifted the focus. Toei decided to celebrate the legacy of the franchise by going back to its roots—adventure and martial arts—rather than jumping straight back into the high-stakes cosmic battles of the Super manga.
Then you have the rights situation. It’s a mess. Between Shueisha (who owns the manga rights), Capsule Corporation Tokyo (Akio Iyoku’s new company), and Toei, there’s a lot of corporate maneuvering happening behind the scenes. Iyoku was the head of the "Dragon Ball Room" at Shueisha and was a key driver of the modern era of the franchise. His departure to start his own firm created a period of transition that many insiders believe delayed the announcement of any Dragon Ball Super episode new episode.
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What about the Manga Content?
If you're a manga reader, you know that the story has moved miles past the Tournament of Power. We have:
- The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga (Moro)
- The Granolah the Survivor Saga
- The Super Hero Prequel and Adaptation
- The mysterious "Next Steps" after the passing of Toriyama
The Moro Arc is specifically what fans want to see in a Dragon Ball Super episode new episode. It’s darker. It feels more like Dragon Ball Z. Moro is a villain who consumes planets and uses magic, which is a refreshing change from just "another guy who punches hard." Seeing Vegeta go to Yardrat to learn Spirit Fission is something that needs a high-budget TV adaptation. The problem? Pacing. If Toei started a weekly show today, they would catch up to the monthly manga in less than two years. They’ve been burned by that before, leading to the "filler" episodes that some fans disliked in the original run.
Why the Animation Quality Expectations Have Changed
Expectations are through the roof now. You can't just release a Dragon Ball Super episode new episode that looks like the infamous Episode 5 anymore. Since 2018, the industry has changed. Shows like Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and even Toei’s own One Piece (specifically the Wano and Egghead arcs) have raised the bar for what TV animation can look like.
Toei knows this. If Dragon Ball Super returns, it needs to look like a movie. The "movie-quality" shift started with the Broly film, which moved away from the shiny, plastic look of the early Super era toward a more fluid, expressive style led by Naohiro Shintani. Any new episodes will likely try to bridge the gap between the Shintani style and the 3D experimentation we saw in Super Hero.
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The Rumor Mill vs. Reality
Let's talk about the "leaks." You've seen them. "DBS Season 2 confirmed for Fall 2025!" or "New episode coming January 2026!" Most of these come from "insiders" on Twitter (now X) who are often just guessing based on production cycles. While some, like Geekdom101 or Ajay, have had solid info in the past, even they have been cautious lately.
The reality is that Dragon Ball is a multi-billion dollar machine. They don't just "drop" a Dragon Ball Super episode new episode. They announce it at a massive event like Jump Festa or Goku Day. If you haven't seen a press release from Toei’s official website or the Dragon Ball Official site, it’s not happening yet.
There is also the question of Toyotaro’s role. As the illustrator of the Dragon Ball Super manga, he has been carrying the torch. The manga went on a hiatus following Toriyama's death to figure out the path forward. Without a clear manga lead, the anime team is hesitant to start a long-running series that might deviate too far from the "canon" intended for the characters.
Where Can You Actually Watch New Content?
While we wait for a formal Dragon Ball Super episode new episode, there are a few places to get your fix:
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- Dragon Ball Daima: This is the current "active" series. It’s gorgeous, it’s fun, and it’s canon.
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes: This is a promotional web series for the card game. It’s non-canon and absolutely wild. Think Goku Black going Super Saiyan 3 Rose. It’s not "good" writing, but it’s fun fanservice.
- The Manga: Released monthly in V-Jump. This is where the actual "Super" story is living right now.
What to Look for in the Coming Months
The most likely window for an announcement regarding a Dragon Ball Super episode new episode would be a major anniversary milestone. We are currently in a period of mourning and transition for the franchise. The focus is on honoring Toriyama’s legacy through Daima and the Sparking! Zero video game, which has been a massive hit.
Typically, the anime industry works in "cours" (12-13 episode blocks). If Super returns, it might not be a continuous weekly show like it was before. Many experts suggest it could move to a seasonal format to maintain that high animation quality. This would mean 25 episodes a year rather than 50, but each episode would look incredible.
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you want to stay updated without getting fooled by fake news, do these three things:
- Follow Official Channels Only: Bookmark the Dragon Ball Official Site. If it's not there, it’s a rumor.
- Ignore YouTube Thumbnails: If a video has a red arrow pointing at a "New Form" and a clickbait title, it's 100% fake.
- Support the Official Releases: High viewership for Daima and high sales for the manga are the only things that prove to the suits at Bandai and Toei that the demand for a Dragon Ball Super episode new episode is still high enough to justify the budget.
The series will return. It’s too big to fail. The "when" is the only question. For now, we wait for the smoke to clear from the corporate shifts and the completion of the current projects. Stay patient; the Moro arc will be worth the wait.