Summary
Ever since the passing of the legendary mangaka of theDragon Ballfranchise, Akira Toriyama, the manga has gone on an indefinite hiatus. The story is one of the most beloved in the entire industry and the characters are the most iconic, so fans have had to swallow quite a bitter bill due to there being no new content regarding the modern setting of the franchise for over a year, since the anime also went on an indefinite hiatus back in 2017.
However, there is some hope for fans of the series, since it has been confirmed to continue in the hands of Toriyama’s successor, Toyotarou. Recently, he set the fandom ablaze byrevealing the cover for Volume 24of the manga, which is arguably the best cover thatDragon Ballhas ever gotten. Not only does this give everyone the hope that the series will return, but it also shows the main characters going forward, so let’s break them down.
The Greatest Defense In The Multiverse
First Appearance
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 129, “A Transcendental Limit Break! Autonomous Ultra Instinct Mastered!”
Story Arc
Tournament of Power Arc
Dragon Ball Superhad a different approach to transformations than what the series had done previously. Although the Super Saiyan God forms essentially served the Super Saiyan role, the Tournament of Power marked a drastic change, where Goku unlocked the legendary power of the Angels called Ultra Instinct.Though he got off to a rocky start, Goku eventually mastered the form which was teased at the very start ofSuper as the greatest defense in the multiverse.
Power comes in response to a need, not a desire. You have to create that need.
This technique allows the body to move on its own, giving the user the chance to focus completely on offense to make it as potent as possible. After the Tournament of Power ended, Goku has only gone on to further perfect this form and, going forward into the future of the franchise, he serves as the ‘leader’ of the Universe 7 protectors. Being the symbol of peace and the greatest Martial Artist around, Goku is at the forefront of things for the future ofDragon Ball.
Granolah the Survivor Arc
With the introduction of Ultra Instinct, the concept of Divine Techniques became the norm for the series. With Goku realizing the power of the Angels, Vegeta stepped in to fillthe role of the inheritor of the Destroyer’s power, which he did with Ultra Ego in his battles against Granolah and Gas. Though it hasn’t been mastered yet, the offensive capabilities of Ultra Ego are second to none, since its special ability is to take damage and make the user’s subsequent attack exponentially more powerful.
Damage is nothing but fuel for me. Do you know what that means? I’m only getting stronger!
Despite having a lot of flaws that need ironing out, Ultra Ego performed better against Granolah than even Goku’s Mastered Ultra Instinct did, showing just how powerful Vegeta has become. Through opening the door for character-specific transformations, Vegeta seems to be the tank for the main team of Universe 7, inheriting the power of the Gods of Destruction in order to deal incredible damage to whoever he faces.
Super Hero Arc
Gohan has always been built up as acharacter with unparalleled potential, which has historically granted him the ability to close massive gaps of power by putting in relatively little effort, since his arsenal relies mostly on his rage and emotions. Because of this, and the little bit of training he did off-screen, Gohan was able to unlock his amazing Beast transformation, which put him on the same level as Goku and Vegeta’s strongest states.
My goal is an ultimate form that no one has ever seen before!
This has been quite divisive for some fans, since many are upset about the fact that Gohan can equal Goku and Vegeta simply by getting stronger while they have to train non-stop. However, Gohan has always been able to do this, and his new Beast form is so powerful that he managed to spar equally with Goku’s Mastered Ultra Instinct. This just shows the latent talent this character has, and in the roster of Universe 7, he is likely to play a role that overwhelms his opponents with brute force, making him incredibly difficult to deal with.
First Canon Appearance
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Much like Gohan, Broly is a character whose strength comes solely from his latent potential, though in his case, it is far greater than just about every other hero in the series. In his first appearance in canon, Broly was an enemy who wasfar superior to both Goku and Vegeta, though he could never control his powers or his insane potential, which turned him into a raving monster who would destroy everything in sight. However, this has changed as of Chapter 103.
Indeed, Broly does give off the Beast vibe, doesn’t he…?
Here, Broly was finally shown to control his monstrous strength, allowing him to use the unrivaled power of his ‘legendary’ Super Saiyan form, but without completely losing his mind in the process. His spar with Beast Gohan showed that although he still has a long way to go in mastering this strength, he has what it takes to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of them. Once he finally gets a full grasp on his power, he has the potential of being the strongest out of them all, also fitting into a tank or fully offensive role for Universe 7.
One of the biggest criticisms that theDragon Ballfranchise received as a whole was that far too many of the non-Saiyan characters were placed on the back burner, especially in terms of power. However, theSuper Herofilm changed that by officially making the fan favoritePiccolo reach the same tier of strengthas his Saiyan counterparts. This is a decision that fans of the series unanimously love, since Piccolo remains one of the franchise’s best and most beloved characters.
I’m a smidge different than before.
Piccolo has never really been too much of a brute in terms of how he fights, always preferring strategy and a smarter way to tackle any situation. As such, the role of a tactician would suit him perfectly for the new roster of Universe 7, because although he is definitely at a relative level of strength as the others, he isn’t as offensively capable, so this kind of role would be perfect for him. However, this isn’t to say he is weak by any means, so his power will be more than enough when it comes to taking on dangerous opponents.
