Although there's still no word on whether a true sequel to Dragon Ball Super will ever arrive, that doesn't mean that the wheels on the Dragon Ball bus have stopped spinning entirely. As well as the additional manga content detailing the story of the powerful fugitive Moro, new content continues to be churned out in the form of Super Dragon Ball Heroes.
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What started out as a Japan-only trading card game has evolved into a completely different beast entirely; complete with its own manga and anime adaptations. The series introduces many new heroes and villains while also bringing back some of Dragon Ball's most memorable antagonists from previous arcs. Although the new sagas focus more on action than they do story, there is still a fairly compelling overarching narrative that ties everything together quite nicely.
Updated on August 11, 2021 by Tom Bowen: With the latest arc of Super Dragon Ball Heroes nearing its epic conclusion and the first real information about the fourth Dragon Ball Super movie having recently been revealed, it's an exciting time to be a Dragon Ball fan. Given how wacky some of the storylines have been since Dragon Ball Super's initial run finished though, some fans are a little apprehensive about what the future holds for the franchise. For those in need of a recap ahead of the new movie or anyone who simply wants to get an idea of what's happened since Dragon Ball Super finished, the below synopses should do the job.
The Prison Planet saga takes place immediately after the events of the Tournament of Power and sees the Z Fighters embarking upon a dangerous journey to rescue Future Trunks from the titular Prison Planet. With the help of Fu, the King of the Demon Realm, Goku, Vegeta, and Mai are teleported to one of seven prison planets, although soon discover that they have walked right into a trap.
The heroes are tasked with obtaining seven special dragon balls which are held by a number of dangerous fighters, some of whom are villains from previous arcs. Perhaps the most notable, however, is a new Saiyan named Cumber, who together with Fu, serves as one of the saga's primary antagonists. The Z Fighters eventually gather the dragon balls and are able to escape the planet thanks to a wish from Oolong, who just so happens to show up midway through the saga.
The Universal Conflict saga picks up right where the last one left off and is comprised of several different sub-plots. It begins with the Supreme Kai of Universe 6, Fuwa, informing Vegeta and Future Trunks that his universe is under attack, and the pair offer to help out. Upon their arrival, they encounter two Tuffle twins who are absolutely destroying Hit and the Universe 6 Saiyans and immediately find themselves involved in the action.
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It's soon revealed that a new villain named Hearts and the returning Fused Zamasu are plotting to create a new universe using a Universe Seed and things go from bad to worse when the Tuffles begin to infect the heroes. A series of intense battles throughout the multiverse follow, with Jiren joining the action in Universe 11. The saga eventually wraps up with an epic showdown with Hearts involving Jiren, Hit, and Gogeta, who, with the help of some of the other Z Fighters, are seemingly able to destroy Hearts once and for all. Unfortunately, however, they fail to do so before the Universe Seed is fully powered up.
The Dark King Mechikabura saga centers around characters from the "Xeno" timeline; some of whom were first introduced in the Prison Planet saga. It takes place primarily in the world of Dragon Ball GT and the Demon Realm and introduces many powerful new characters to the series. There are quite a few returning villains as well though.
There are some great fights scattered throughout the saga, but none more so than Gogeta's battle with the new villain, Fin. Similar to Bu, the latter is eventually able to absorb Gogeta, prompting Gohan to transform into Super Saiyan 4. After overcoming Fin and several other powerful foes, the Xeno Fighters eventually find themselves up against the saga's true villain, Mechikabura, and an epic battle ensues. Rather than Goku or Vegeta, however, it is Xeno Trunks who eventually puts an end to the villain; sealing him away with a single strike from his Key Sword while in his Super Saiyan God form.
The Universe Creation saga begins with all 12 Gods of Destruction turning up with a warning about a strange bird that is predicted to destroy all life in every universe. A fight breaks out, although ends fairly quickly with the arrival of Xeno Goku and Xeno Vegeta. The pair tell everyone that the Universe Tree, which was grown from the Universe Seed in the Universal Conflict saga, is absorbing the life from planets everywhere.
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Not long after this, Fu appears once more and reveals that he plans to use the energy from the 12 universes to create a new universe of his very own. As Beerus sacrifices his energy to halt the tree's growth, the heroes set out to put an end to Fu's evil scheme and come up against many new and returning villains in the process. Fu eventually transforms into the new Dark King and successfully creates his new universe, where both Vegito and Xeno Vegito are seemingly sent.
The New Space-Time War saga is the most recent arc of Super Dragon Ball Heroes and is currently ongoing at the time of writing. It begins with a mysterious warrior in black standing atop a building as Goku does battle with Frieza and Meta-Cooler down on the streets below. It's explained that the hero is trapped inside Fu's new universe, although he is still able to communicate telepathically with Xeno Trunks.
Just as it looks as though Frieza and his brother are about to get the better of Goku, Hearts shows up and pins them down using his Gravity Cage technique. Having been manipulated by Fu, he is now out for revenge and teams up with Goku in the hopes of someday getting it. Together, the pair easily have the beating of Golden Frieza and Meta-Cooler, although this quickly changes when an unknown assailant infuses them with dragon balls. The episode draws to an end with the mysterious warrior in black still watching on.
Things all get a little chaotic from there, with Goku Black, Cumber, Cell, Bojack, and Super 17 all showing up in the following episodes. Though it's Goku Black who serves as the primary antagonist for the arc, each of the iconic villains is given their moment in the spotlight, with plenty of epic battles taking place. Viewers also get a chance to see Planet Vegeta again in all of its former glory, before returning to earth for the final showdown with Goku Black, who now seems to have mastered the Super Saiyan Rose 3 transformation.
Announced in early 2021, very little is currently known about the fourth Dragon Ball Super movie. If the short teaser trailer shown at Comic Con 2021 is anything to go by though, it looks set to be a CGI movie rather than one that uses traditional animation techniques. Some fans were left disappointed by this revelation, although, given the quality of some of the animation in earlier episodes of Dragon Ball Super, the switch in focus may actually end up being a good thing for the series.
When it comes to plot, the team behind the movie gave very little away, although concept art did reveal one or two new characters and also provided fans with an idea of who they can expect to return in the flick. New designs for Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, and Pan were all showcased, with each one featuring a few subtle differences from their respective characters' original designs. Multiple versions of a gray Frieza-like character were also shown, although whether they're a villain or just another member of the Galactic Patrol remains to be seen.