The latest trailer for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero reveals another new form for Piccolo, and this one might definitively confirm the movie’s place in the Dragon Ball timeline. As of now, there still isn’t a definitive statement of when Super Hero takes place in relation to other storylines beyond it taking place after Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Even with that, however, the latest trailer provides an idea of when the movie might take place ,because of how it can connect to one specific moment from an arc in the manga.
In the lead-up to Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s release, one thing that’s been kept vague is when it’s supposed to take place in Dragon Ball’s timeline. While Super Hero is the first animated project since Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the Dragon Ball Super manga has had two arcs that take place after Broly: the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc and the Granolah the Survivor arc. The Super manga portrays things differently from the Super anime, but its stories are still part of the Dragon Ball canon. With no references to Super Hero in either one, it’s been unclear when the movie is supposed to take place in relation to them.
Fortunately, there might finally be an answer because of how Piccolo’s second new form, Orange Piccolo, has him using his giant form again. The reason why that’s important is that during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc, Gohan expressed familiarity with Piccolo’s giant form when Seven-Three used it after copying his powers, even though there isn’t a canon instance of Gohan seeing Piccolo use that technique. With Orange Piccolo having Dragon Ball‘s Piccolo turn giant-sized again, this could be the first canon instance of Gohan seeing Piccolo’s giant form which, in turn, could squarely place Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero before the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc.
When Does Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Take Place?
That being said, Orange Piccolo still isn’t definitive proof of when the movie is supposed to take place. With how close Gohan and Piccolo are, it’s entirely possible that Piccolo either showed Gohan the technique during one of their training sessions or told Gohan about the technique at some point in their relationship. The Saiyan saga established that Goku told Gohan about Piccolo at some point before Dragon Ball Z, so Goku could have brought up the technique then.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s place in the timeline is still vague, but Piccolo’s new Orange Piccolo form helps to potentially narrow it down. With Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero‘s Orange Piccolo being the first canon instance of Piccolo using his giant form since Dragon Ball, Orange Piccolo could be how Gohan first learned about the form, and thanks to a line of dialogue from the manga, that could definitively place the movie before the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc. There are various other means of explaining that dialogue from the manga, but Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has the advantage of having Piccolo’s giant form appear onscreen, so that’s a clear point in its favor over other options.
