Dragon Ball New Journey: a future series on Disney Plus?

Dragon Ball is one of the most popular and influential anime franchises in the world. Since its creation in 1984 by Akira Toriyama , it has seen numerous adaptations in manga , anime , films , video games and merchandise .

Recently, a rumor circulated online that Disney had acquired the rights to Dragon Ball and was preparing a live-action series titled Dragon Ball New Journey. Is this true? If so, what is the release date?

Dragon Ball New Journey: The Disney Plus series denied

Dragon Ball New Journey is the name of a supposed live-action Dragon Ball series that would be produced by Disney and broadcast on its Disney Plus streaming platform.

It all started with an image created by an amateur graphic designer, who imagined what young Goku would look like in the style of Disney Pixar animated films. You can see his work below. The image was circulated online with the title Dragon Ball New Journey and the Disney logo , leading some to believe it was an official project.

The article quickly went viral, and as you can imagine, this rumor didn't sit well with all fans of Akira Toriyama's iconic manga . Some expressed their anger and outrage at the idea that Disney could appropriate and distort the Dragon Ball universe.

On Twitter, hostile messages multiplied , as you can see below. Others preferred to take the rumor with humor or skepticism, pointing out that it was just a fan-made creation with no connection to Disney.

This is the definitive Goku we all know and love. No thank you Disney we don't need nor want your ugly version. pic.twitter.com/aBg7DxFbSL

— Froggyfrog34 (@Froggyfrog35) October 2, 2022

Omg… Disney’s serious with this? XD I can see them getting sued… Dragonball is one of the most famous franchises and yet the Founder of it won't let it go down like this.

— TheOfficialKingWillex (@KingWillex) October 2, 2022

Does Disney own the rights to Dragon Ball?

The answer is no . Disney does not own the rights to Dragon Ball, or at least not entirely. For your information, Disney acquired Fox in 2019, which gave them the rights to the Dragon Ball franchise. But that doesn't mean Disney can do whatever it wants with the universe created by Akira Toriyama.

Indeed, Disney only owns the rights to live-action film adaptations of Dragon Ball , which it can produce and distribute. It does not have the right to create animations based on the manga or anime .

In summary, the Dragon Ball franchise belongs to the Japanese company Toei Animation, which holds exclusive worldwide exploitation rights.

Toei Animation collaborates with other companies to distribute or adapt Dragon Ball in different media or regions . For example, Funimation holds the broadcasting and dubbing rights to Dragon Ball in North America, Bandai Namco holds the rights to Dragon Ball video games, and Shueisha holds the rights to the original Dragon Ball manga.

Disney therefore has neither the power nor the intention to produce a live-action Dragon Ball series without Toei Animation's agreement . Furthermore, Toei Animation officially denied the rumor on its Twitter account @toeianimation , stating that there are no live-action Dragon Ball series projects underway with Disney or anyone else.

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What are the real plans or intentions of Toei Animation or other companies related to Dragon Ball?

Toei Animation and other companies connected to Dragon Ball have numerous and varied projects and , but none of them involve a live-action series with Disney. Here are a few examples:

• Toei Animation is currently working on the production of the animated film Dragon Ball Super: Broly 2, scheduled for release in September 2023 in Japanese and French theaters. It is the sequel to the 2018 animated film Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which introduced the legendary Saiyan Broly into the official Dragon Ball continuity. The film tells the story of Goku, Vegeta, and Broly's new adventures as they face a threat from another universe.
• Toei Animation is also collaborating with Toyotaro, the artist of the Dragon Ball Super manga , to adapt the manga's new story arc, The Galactic Prisoner, . This original arc follows the adventures of Goku , Vegeta , and their allies as they face a formidable enemy, Moro , the planet-devourer. The anime is scheduled to return in 2023, after a four-year hiatus.
• Funimation continues to stream and dub episodes of the Dragon Ball Super anime , as well as Dragon Ball animated films, on its streaming platform and television channels. It also offers fans bonus content, interviews, podcasts, and events related to Dragon Ball.
• Bandai Namco continues to develop and release video games inspired by Dragon Ball , spanning various genres and platforms. For example, it recently released the 2D fighting game Dragon Ball FighterZ , the action-adventure game Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, the collectible card game Dragon Ball Super Card Game , and the mobile game Dragon Ball Legends .