Dragon Ball Super's future has been unclear for over a year now, with some signs indicating it'll return, while others make it seem like the manga may be done, despite promises to the contrary. There is one new hint to add to the "Dragon Ball Super Returns" pile, however, and it's a surprisingly convincing one.

Dragon Ball Super was put on hiatus following the untimely death of Akira Toriyama, as the future of the manga was decided. It's been pretty clear at this point that, at the very least, Shueisha wants to make more Dragon Ball Super, but just hasn't quite figured out what the post-Toriyama era should look like. Toyotaro, Toriyama's artist, has taken over both writing and art duties for the manga, as was recently seen in the one-shot chapter 104 released in February. While new content was gladly welcomed by fans, the one-shot didn't advance the story, as it was a prequel to Super Hero, so where Super goes from here is difficult to say.

Dragon Ball Super's New Volume Hints It Will Continue

Dragon Ball Super Continues Its Long-Term Spine Art

Volume 24 of the Dragon Ball Super manga is set for release on April 4, 2025, and several fans have already gotten their hands on copies, including X (formerly Twitter) @DBSHype, who was able to confirm that the spine artwork, which is drawn across multiple volumes of the manga to create one large picture when the full series is assembled, is continuing with no signs of ending. That suggests that more volumes of Dragon Ball Super are planned to be released to finish the spine art, and that the full collection of Dragon Ball Super manga will be more than the existing 24 volumes.

It's always good to have further evidence that Dragon Ball Super will be returning eventually, but fans are starting to grow a little impatient. It's not quite clear exactly what the hold-up with new chapters of Super is; it could be a matter of getting the next story arc laid out and ready for production, now that Toriyama is no longer around to offer his input. There are also legal issues that have been ongoing with Shueisha and Capsule Corp Tokyo, although these issues shouldn't affect the manga's production (as evidenced by the release of Chapter 104).

Dragon Ball Super Will Return... But When?

Dragon Ball Super May Still Be a Way Off

There has been no sign that Dragon Ball Super will return to regular serialization any time soon; the best hope for fans is that the series may return in June 2025, but even that is starting to feel like a long-shot at this point. With exciting story elements like Black Frieza out there, along with new powers for Piccolo, Gohan, and even Broly, there's a lot to look forward to when Super does return. Many series probably wouldn't be able to weather a year-long hiatus, but if any manga can do so and survive, it's certainly Dragon Ball Super.