After More Than a Year on Hiatus, Dragon Ball Super Is Finally Coming Back
If you’ve been keeping up with the Dragon Ball Super manga since it quietly went on hiatus after Chapter 104 in March 2025, you know the wait has been absolutely brutal. But the latest updates from V-Jump and Toyotarou himself are pointing to something huge: the manga is coming back, and when it does, it’s going to blow every expectation out of the water.
For the first time in over a year, there’s genuine, concrete evidence that a return is imminent — and it’s not just wishful thinking from desperate fans. Let’s break down everything we know, why the Black Frieza saga is going to be legendary, and why this comeback might be the most important moment in the franchise’s history.
The Evidence: All Signs Point to a 2026 Return
V-Jump has been giving fans the same “the latest chapter is on break” message for months, which is pretty standard operating procedure. But this time, things are different. Here’s the mountain of evidence stacking up:
Toyotarou’s X Bio Update: Back in March, the Dragon Ball Super manga artist quietly changed his X (formerly Twitter) bio to read, “Everything is for the return of the series.” That’s not the bio of someone sitting on the sidelines — that’s an artist actively preparing content for a major comeback.
The August Livestream Event: The Official Dragon Ball Site is currently running a fan poll for favorite Dragon Ball Super cover art, set to conclude in August. Toyotarou himself will host a livestream announcing the winner and drawing a brand-new cover. Think about the timing — this is the perfect stage to announce the manga’s return to millions of fans.
Volume 25 Spine Art Leaked: Last month, leaked spine art confirmed that Toyotarou has already drawn cover art for Dragon Ball Super Volume 25. Since each volume collects exactly four chapters, this means Chapters 105 through 108 must already exist in some form. The new chapters are real — they’re sitting in a drawer waiting to drop.
The Black Frieza Saga: What We Know So Far
Here’s where things get absolutely insane. The last thing we saw in the manga before the hiatus was Black Frieza casually one-shotting both True Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta. A single punch. The most powerful warriors in Universe 7, taken down in one hit. This wasn’t just a power-up — this was a statement.
But what makes the Black Frieza saga so compelling isn’t just the power scaling. It’s the direction the story could take.
1. The Stakes Have Never Been Higher
Previous Dragon Ball villains wanted to dominate, conquer, or destroy the universe. Frieza already did that — he’s conquered Universe 7’s underworld, accumulated unprecedented power, and returned with the express purpose of humiliated the Saiyans. Black Frieza doesn’t need an army. He doesn’t need a wish from the Dragon Balls. He just needs to show up.
2. Beerus Could Finally Be Taken Out
This is the most discussed theory in the Dragon Ball community, and for good reason. Beerus has always been the safety net — the God of Destruction who can bail everyone out when things get too intense. If Black Frieza kills Beerus, the entire safety structure of Universe 7 collapses. No more Deus ex Machina. No more godly intervention. Just Goku, Vegeta, and their friends against a threat that literally cannot be stopped by anyone currently alive.
3. The Five Warriors vs. One Villain Dynamic
By the end of Chapter 103, Dragon Ball Super had built up an incredible roster of powered-up fighters:
- Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku — Mastered his most iconic form
- Ultra Ego Vegeta — Embraced the Saiyan principle of growing stronger through damage
- Gohan Beast — The Sleeping Giant finally unleashed
- Orange Piccolo — The Namekian we didn’t know we needed
- Broly — The Legendary Super Saiyan with no ceiling
Five warriors, each at their absolute peak, versus one guy who beat two of them with one punch. That’s not just good storytelling — that’s anime gold.
4. Gogeta Might Not Be Enough
Here’s the most terrifying possibility: even Gogeta, the most powerful fusion in the franchise, might not be sufficient to defeat Black Frieza. We’ve seen Gogeta dominate Broly in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, but Black Frieza operates on an entirely different scale. If even fusion fails, what options are left? This is exactly the kind of cliffhanger that makes Dragon Ball Super manga worth reading.
What the Comeback Means for the Franchise
2026 is already shaping up to be the biggest year for Dragon Ball since the original Super anime premiered. Here’s what else is happening:
- Dragon Ball Super anime remake — Confirmed for Fall 2026, potentially covering the entire original Super storyline with modern animation quality
- A sequel series — Set to follow the remake, likely adapting the manga’s new arcs including Black Frieza
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 — New gameplay reveals are showing up, expanding the Dragon Ball gaming universe
- Dragon Ball Super: Beerus arc — Reports suggest this upcoming arc will be longer and more detailed than the original Battle of Gods
The manga’s return isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s the centerpiece of a massive Dragon Ball revival that’s going to dominate anime and manga culture for the next two years at minimum.
Why This Manga Return Matters More Than Ever
Dragon Ball Super’s manga has always been the testing ground for the franchise’s biggest ideas. The Granolah the Survivor Saga introduced Ultra Ego. The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga gave us Moro and Merus’s sacrifice. Every major arc in the manga has pushed the Dragon Ball universe in directions the anime never would have gone alone.
The Black Frieza saga has the potential to be the most consequential arc in the entire Dragon Ball Super run. It’s not just another power-scaling exercise — it’s a narrative reset that could redefine what Dragon Ball is capable of as a story. Frieza going from being a recurring joke villain to the single most threatening entity in the universe is a character arc that rivals any shonen manga rival development.
The Verdict: Get Ready for August
Everything is lining up for a major Dragon Ball Super manga announcement at the August livestream event. Toyotarou is ready. The chapters are done. The community is starving for new content. And the Black Frieza saga is poised to deliver the most exciting Dragon Ball story we’ve seen in years.
If you’ve been sleeping on Dragon Ball Super, now is the time to wake up. The next era of the franchise starts soon, and it’s going to be absolutely massive.
What do you think the Dragon Ball Super manga’s comeback will look like? Will Black Frieza kill Beerus? Can Gohan Beast actually be the one to take him down? Drop your theories in the comments — we want to hear them!
