Dragon Ball tastes more content after DAIMA, but the future of the franchise is still uncertain

It’s an exciting time to be a Dragon Ball Fan. After the sadness of Akira Toriyama’s passing last March and the understandable pause in franchise activity that followed, Dragon Ball Fans now have a lot to look forward to. With the premiere of the all-new, original Dragon Ball Dima Anime series, the launch of a fresh DAIMA merchandise lineup, and discussions of a bold new future for the franchise, happy days seem to be back for Dragon Ball fandom. However, despite the franchise regaining its creative momentum, legal considerations now threaten to stop its further development.

One of the lesser-known challenges in creative industries like manga and anime is intellectual property (IP) ownership. When Toriyama created Dragon BallHe put it out in Weekly Sean JumpA magazine owned by Shueisha, who ultimately owns the rights to it, and has transferred them to third parties (Toei for the anime, Bandai and others for the merchandise). However, over the decades Toriyama managed to maintain a certain amount of control over his creation, even if the legal details are unknown. It is in the details that Dragon Balls future lies.

DAIMA Executive Producer teases more to come for the Dragon Ball franchise

Akio Iyoku plays a fundamental role in the future of Dragon Ball

To fully understand the potential legal limitations that may block Dragon Ball‘s future as a franchise, it is important to first grasp the context in which the limitations arise. The issues are set out in the July 8, 2024, issue of the prominent Japanese business magazine Weekly Toyo Keizaiwhich was later translated and placed on the people Dragon Ball Website consensus. According to the article, the heart of the problem lies in the competitive license Toriyama granted to Shueisha and Akio Ioku, his former lead contact at Shueisha, the head of the Dragon Ball Department and the executive producer of Dragon Ball Dima.

Iyoku seems confident that he understands Toriyama’s vision enough to continue developing Dragon Ball stories even after Toriyama’s passing. As reported by @SupaChronicles on X, during a special premiere event for DAIMAIyoku spoke to the fans, teasing more projects to come:

“We are still coming up with various plans, brainstorming many things and will continue to move forward.”

Over the years, Toriyama and Iyoku cultivated a close professional relationship, fostering a deep understanding between them. As a result, in 2022, when Iyoku left Shueisha to start his own IP management company, he called it Capsule Corporation Tokyo, and his main client was Toriyama. According to the article, while the rights to the manga belong to Shueisha, Iyoku was acting as Toriyama’s spokesperson. This caused confusion and controversy over all of these Dragon Ball PropertiesWhich of course was only made worse by Toriyama’s sudden passing. According to a Shueisha employee quoted in the article, “Now it is up to Mr. Toriyama’s family to decide.”

The future of Dragon Ball is uncertain after Toriyama’s passing

The battle for the rights of the franchise may delay new projects

The main question stems from what Shueisha holds the intellectual property right to the central element of the Dragon Ball Franchise: The Manga. The manga is what started it all and continues to serve as the foundation for these Dragon Ball Universe – it is the canon. In fact, this year’s celebration is the 40th anniversary of Dragon Balls debut in Shueisha’s manga lineup. As such, Shueisha has a clear and significant right to control how the franchise is developed, given its ownership of the most important canonical component.

However, Toriyama clearly put a lot of trust in Iyoku. Interestingly, the article also mentions that when Ioku left Shueisha, Toriyama was so upset that the company’s chairman Marue Horiuchi personally went to his residence in Aichi Prefecture, “but could not convince him.” Although details of the actual distribution of the rights are unknown, it is clear that Iyoku is an important player, and Shueisha is apparently trying to bring the Toriyama heirs to settle the dispute.

As a result, the ongoing dispute between Shueisha and Iyoku leaves Dragon Ball Fans are in a bittersweet predicament, making this both the best and worst time for the fandom. on the one hand, The promise of new anime content Stretching over the next few years is undeniably exciting. However, this optimism is tempered by the possibility that some of the content may be non-canonical, despite being well produced. Also, the subsequent battle for the rights of the Dragon Ball Franchise can become a quagmire, holding down all future projects.

Source: Cazenshw; @SupaChronicles (x)