Crunchyroll and Toei Animation have announced that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will have a global theatrical release this summer.
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise got its start in 1984. The now-familiar show and film series got its start as a regular release in the popular manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Inspired by the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West and martial arts films, the series follows Goku from his childhood adventures to his adult responsibilities as a Saiyan. The eclectic cast of characters that make up his crew of friends have each gone on to become distinct and important parts of the story in their own right.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is the newest release of the Dragon Ball franchise. The film picks up after the events of Dragon Ball Z in Age 784. The story follows familiar Dragon Ball characters and fan favorites, including Piccolo, Vegeta, and Goku, as they fight against the reformed Red Ribbon Army, a longtime enemy of Goku, and destroy their "ultimate evil weapon." There will be new androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, introduced as well.
The film serves as the first truly globally-distributed theatrical release and distribution for Crunchyroll in North America. Fans can expect Super Hero to arrive in theaters not only in North America, but Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The film will be directed by Tetsuro Kodama. It features the voice acting talents of Masako Nozawa as Gohan, Goku and Goten; Toshio Furukawa as Piccolo; Yūko Minaguchi as Pan; Ryō Horikawa as Vegeta; Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin; Aya Hisakawa as Bulma; Takeshi Kusao as Trunks; Miki Itō as Android 18; Bin Shimada as Broly; Kōichi Yamadera as Beerus; Masakazu Morita as Whis; Hiroshi Kamiya as Gamma 1; Mamoru Miyano as Gamma 2; Miyu Irino as Dr. Hedo; Volcano Ota as Magenta; and Ryota Takeuchi as Carmine. The English voice cast will be announced soon.
Toriyama’s original work has gone on to become a fan favorite for generations with references in popular culture outside of manga and anime. With such an international reach, it’s no wonder that the world of Dragon Ball is still going strong with the release of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Can these new androids be trusted? What will happen to the Dragon Ball crew? The answers to these questions will soon be revealed! Find out in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero!
Super Hero will be available in Japanese subtitles and English dub and will debut in theaters in Japan on June 11 with global theaters to follow in August. Check out the trailer for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero down below.