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The Dragon Ball Super manga isn't generating a lot of interesting content at the moment. This has led to a lot of people thinking that the manga is on hiatus. However, that couldn't be further away from the truth as the manga is still active, and adapting the latest film Super Hero, in manga format.
That being said, it isn't news when it comes to the Dragon Ball Super manga. Ever since it began, the series, led by Toriyama and Toyotaro, has had a lot of moments where fans haven't been very interested. This is despite recent years seeing a massive improvement with the Moro and Granolah arcs. However, the recent recap of the Super Hero film hasn't been the greatest, especially involving the Goten and Trunks mini-arc.
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Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Dragon Ball Super manga and the author's personal opinion on the matter.
The current status of the Dragon Ball Super manga
Most anime series have to play catch-up to the source material but the Dragon Ball Super manga had to do it the other way around for many years.
It wasn't until the end of the Tournament of Power arc in the anime that ended in 2018 that Toriyama and Toyotaro had the chance to create manga-first material. This was something that proved to be the catalyst for this run to gain a lot of steam.
The Moro and Granolah arcs were generally viewed as positive and steps in the right direction because they gave the characters strong moments and arcs. Additionally, they also helped in building up the lore that was established.
Seeing Vegeta getting redemption with the people of Namek or Goku remembering his parents are some of the highlights of this run. The run also introduced interesting characters such as Granolah, who is connected to Bardock, adding another layer to the canon.
However, the recent arc, which is focused on adapting the Super Hero movie, saw a decline in interest. It was the same when adapting the Battle of Gods film as people already knew the final outcome. While it was fun watching Goten and Trunks have the spotlight for a moment, the extremely lighthearted approach got old for a lot of readers. The pacing for this new arc has felt a bit underwhelming for others as well.
The state of the franchise at the moment
While the Dragon Ball Super manga not be the hottest topic at the moment, the same can't be said for the franchise's future. After Akio Iyoku, a leading figure in the Dragon Room portion of Shueisha, which is focused on Dragon Ball, left the company, there were a lot of rumors about what this could mean for the band moving forward.
Iyoku, according to reports, felt that the franchise wasn't living up to its potential. He also wants his new company, Capsule Corporation Tokyo, to handle the series across all branches, except for the manga. There are also reports of some people in Shueisha feeling that Iyoku has been too possessive of the franchise and there were already rumors of letting him go before his resignation.
It's complicated to gauge how true these rumors are or where the franchise is heading, which is something that can have a strong impact on future projects. There hasn't been any major update regarding the Dragon Ball Super anime or any new movie, which is a factor worth taking into account.
Final thoughts
The Dragon Ball Super manga is very much active and kicking, although the current arc might be not of everybody's interest. Be that as it may, there are a lot of expectations about what the manga would show moving forward. This is especially so with the revelation of the Black Frieza transformation at the end of the Granolah arc and the power-ups that Piccolo and Gohan have received in this arc.
