Dragon Ball Is Coming Back With a New Goku Transformation

Dragon Ball’s future has been a bit uncertain since DAIMA’s conclusion early this year. With the Dragon Ball Super manga on an indefinite hiatus, and Akira Toriyama no longer around to guide the franchise’s future storylines, it has been difficult to predict what will happen next with the series. That’s finally about to change.

Come January 25, 2026, Dragon Ball will host a “Genkidamatsuri” event as part of its ongoing 40th anniversary celebration. The Dragon Ball website announced that a two-part “super announcement” will be made by Capsule Corporation founder Akio Iyoku, regarding “new developments” for the series. Rumors have since spread that this two-part announcement will actually reveal 2 major new anime projects. Taking context into consideration, it’s clear that Dragon Ball is officially coming back, and it’ll bring with it an exciting new transformation for Goku.

Dragon Ball Returns in a Big Way Next Year

While not much has been officially revealed about what Iyoku’s “two-part super announcement” may be, there are a few possibilities to consider. First is that Iyoku’s Capsule Corporation Tokyo owns the rights to the Dragon Ball anime series. For Iyoku to be making the announcement himself, it’s pretty obvious that at least one part of Iyoku’s two-part announcement will be in regard to the Dragon Ball anime. There have long been rumors that a new Dragon Ball movie could be on the way, so a new anime movie announcement is certainly not outside the realm of possibility.

Promisingly, recent developments involving Toei (the company that produces the Dragon Ball anime), further suggest a Dragon Ball anime return could be on the horizon. Toei recently announced that, starting in January, their other big anime project, One Piece, is officially going on a three-month break in preparation for the next arc. This is huge for the Dragon Ball franchise because it frees up space for Toei to focus on new major projects.

One Piece going on hiatus the same month Iyoku makes a “super announcement”, presumably regarding the Dragon Ball anime seems to be more than mere coincidence. It would be fair to reasonably assume that Iyoku will announce a new Dragon Ball anime project, potentially even two of them, considering it will be a “two-part” announcement. It wouldn’t at all be surprising to learn that at least one of these announcements was a follow-up to Dragon Ball DAIMA, especially considering the anime left off on a bit of a cliffhanger in its final episode.

On the other hand, the Dragon Ball website’s claim that this will be a “super announcement” could very well be a hint at Dragon Ball Super’s return. Amid rumors of a movie, there have also been many rumors circulating that the ongoing rights battle for the Dragon Ball franchise between Capsule Corp and Shueisha may have reached an amicable conclusion. If that really is true, it could mean that fans will finally be in for the return of the Dragon Ball Super anime with the highly anticipated Moro and Granolah the Survivor Sagas.

Whether Dragon Ball Super, DAIMA, Or Otherwise – A New Goku Transformation is Imminent

Whatever Iyoku’s upcoming super announcement regarding the Dragon Ball anime will be, they would pretty much all involve a new Goku transformation at this point. While it would’ve been less likely to assume a new transformation was coming at the start of Dragon Ball DAIMA, things are different amid the prospect of DAIMA 2 or Dragon Ball Super 2. Either of these scenarios would result in a new Goku form.

For example, in the case of the Dragon Ball Super anime’s return, anime-only fans will be in for the treat of witnessing Goku’s eventual Mastered Ultra Instinct transformation during the Granolah the Survivor Saga. Alternatively, DAIMA strongly hinted at a fusion throughout the series, only for it to fail to deliver on that front in the end. If DAIMA returns with a Part 2, it’s a strong possibility Goku will have a brand new fused form that’s different from Gogeta or Vegito.

Other members of the Dragon Ball fan community have suggested that part of Iyoku’s announcement will be the return of the Dragon Ball Super manga, which has been on an indefinite hiatus since the release of Toyotarou’s one-shot for DBS Chapter 104 in February 2025. While likely a long-shot considering how bleak things have looked for the manga for a while, that return would make a new Goku form even more likely as the manga heads into new territory and Goku faces off against Black Frieza or some other similarly overpowered threat. As Black Frieza already proved, Ultra Instinct simply isn’t enough anymore.

It’s an exciting time for Dragon Ball as the series heads into a new paradigm. Iyoku’s super announcement will determine an unpredictable new direction for the most iconic shonen battle anime series ever made. If nothing else, both in terms of the franchise’s future without Akira Toriyama and Goku’s next major power-up, it’s truly a transformative moment for Dragon Ball.