The Biggest Plot Threads Dragon Ball Super Needs to Resolve When it Returns

The remaining story of Dragon Ball Super and its manga’s future is currently unknown due to its hiatus, but if it does continue, there are several lingering plot threads it can tackle. After the anime’s Tournament of Power arc, the DBS manga has released three exciting story arcs. Each arc developed the Dragon Ball universe further and even introduced several story elements that fans want to see expanded upon.

Fans, manga artists, and even World Leaders continue to mourn the passing of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. His work has inspired countless people worldwide to better themselves. While he served as a writer and supervisor for Dragon Ball Super‘s manga, his successor, Toyotaro, has been working extensively with the series as the manga’s illustrator. After the tragic passing of the legendary creator, Dragon Ball Super‘s manga has understandably gone on hiatus, but it is to be continued.

The last DBS manga arc to be adapted saw Gohan reach an incredible new level of power with his Beast Form. After doing so, he and Goku had a satisfying sparring match in a chapter that would be the perfect ending for Dragon Ball Super‘s overarching story. Still, if chapter #103 was the final chapter of the series, there are a few plot lines that have yet to be resolved.

Ruling Over One Universe Is No Longer Enough For Frieza

Dragon Ball Super written by Akira Toriyama, Illustrated by Toyotaro

Before the DBS manga adapted the Super Hero arc from the 2022 film, the Granolah arc introduced several new characters, including two who wished upon some Dragon Balls to become the universe’s strongest warriors. While Goku and Vegeta were able to become allies with one of them, Granolah, the trio greatly struggled to overcome the other, Gas. Still, after an epic showdown, Frieza was the one to silence Gas for good. He then decimated Goku and Vegeta with a single powerful strike with their new Black Frieza transformation, once again making the galactic tyrant a massive threat.

Several of his actions have proved why Frieza is the most iconic anime villain, which made their decision to spare Goku and Vegeta all that more interesting. After finding a place to train similar to Earth’s Hyperbolic Time Chamber (or Room of Spirit and Time in specific translations), Frieza trained for ten years in a small amount of time and attained the Black Frieza form. After showing up Goku, Vegeta, and the Dragon Ball-boosted warrior Gas, Frieza has once again become the universe’s most powerful threat and is no longer content with the idea of ruling over just his universe.

By attaining such incredible levels of power, the next arc of Dragon Ball Super could seriously see the universe’s balance upset by having Frieza kill Beerus, who is said to be the strongest God of Destruction. After learning about the other universes and the overwhelming might of the Omni-Kings, Frieza’s current goal is to seemingly find a way to surpass them and rule over not just his universe but the entire multiverse. A quest that should involve other Universes, including those who were not involved in the Tournament of Power.

More Dragon Ball Universes, More Dragon Ball Problems

While DBZ expanded the series lore by exploring the realm of the afterlife and introducing the Kais, Dragon Ball Super expanded things further by revealing that Goku’s universe was only one of eighteen. Grand Zeno, the one who rules over all of them and the strongest Dragon Ball character of all time, watches over them all and can wipe any from existence with no effort. It’s a feat they’ve done in the past, and it is why there are now only 12 universes.

Dragon Ball Super could explore what prompted Zeno to make such a bold action and what the previous six universes did (if anything) to deserve to be wiped from existence. However, there are several mysteries that the story could explore with the universes that still exist, especially those who did not participate in the epic Tournament of Power. Thanks to Goku, Zeno decided to conduct the universal Tournament, which saw its losers wiped from existence. However, universes one, five, eight, and twelve, considered far more advanced than the others, were exempt from participating.

Four universes did not have to join the Tournament of Power because, according to Grand Zeno’s scale, they had high mortal levels. A scale that is measured not by power levels but by how many functional civilizations the universe’s Kai and God of Destruction have propagated. These mysterious universes are home to the most advanced and potentially powerful characters in the multiverse, with Universe 1 being the highest rated. Goku and his friends have yet to have a reason to explore the other potentially dangerous universes, but Dragon Ball GT did, which could be where the story is going next.

The Future Of Pan And Her Possible Grand Tour Of The Multiverse

Gohan’s daughter Pan had several great moments during the Super Hero arc. Throughout the DBS storyline, she has grown from a mischievous baby to a three-year-old training with Piccolo, her grandfather Goku’s once greatest rival. Long-time fans of the franchise are well aware of the Dragon Ball GT series that prominently featured an older version of Pan and many other interesting plot developments, like the Super Saiyan 4 transformation and the Black Star Dragon Balls.

Judging that Pan is ten years old at the beginning of the Dragon Ball GT anime, it’s safe to assume that it takes place seven years after Dragon Ball Super‘s Super Hero arc. In that series, a disgruntled and elderly Emperor Pilaf discovers the hidden Black Star Dragon Balls, considered more powerful than Earth’s regular set. While interrupted by Goku, he accidentally wishes for the Balls to make Goku young, hoping it would make him easier to defeat. Unfortunately, the wish comes true but with scarier after-effects than Goku and his friends are used to dealing with.

After a wish is made on the Dark Star Dragon Balls, they scatter across the universe and must be gathered in one year, or Earth explodes. Dragon Ball GT‘s first few arcs deal with the aged-down Goku, Pan, and teenage Trunks embarking across the universe. With the manga’s publisher, Shueisha, officially confirming that Dragon Ball GT is canon to the franchise’s timeline, fans may see elements of its stories re-appearing or even being remade in the future.

New Dragon Ball story arcs may remake GT or at least borrow fan-favorite elements from it to tell exciting new stories that could see the heroes exploring other universes. One story arc saw the Dragon Balls grow corrupted after too many vain wishes were made. The Super Hero arc teased that Bulma consistently makes frivolous wishes on the Dragon Balls. Instead of re-introducing GT‘s new set of mystical balls, a future arc could mirror GT by having the regular Dragon Balls become corrupted, possibly triggering a multiverse Dragon Ball hunt for future arcs to explore.

An Entirely New Dragon Ball Series Could Explore A Multiversal War And More

With future timelines, multiple universes, and a slowly rising tension growing between Gods and Mortals, Dragon Ball‘s storyline has many places it could go after Dragon Ball Super‘s chapter #103. Another example is a multiversal war between the gods and mortals of Dragon Ball’s universes that fan theories have hoped for. Newly introduced characters like Pan and Broly could have more significant roles to play in the series in the future. Vegeta also promised the alternative universe’s Saiyan Cabba that he would someday visit the other universe’s Saiyan homeworld, a promise that fans have yet to see fulfilled.

There has yet to be any indication that the Dragon Ball Super manga will be ending after Akira Toriyama’s passing or how much the upcoming anime, Dragon Ball Daima, will expand on the series. The legendary mangaka chose his successor, Toyotaro, who has done a great job drawing the DBS and creating new characters. Still, suppose Toyotaro continues the series without his mentor. In that case, there are more than a few exciting places he can take Dragon Ball Super‘s story, and many fans would be excited to continue reading his work.

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