The first clips of completed scenes from the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie were shown at New York Comic-Con.
The new clip showcases the 21st Dragon Ball movie's new CG art style, which attempts to blend 3D computer-generated animation with the personality of Akira Toriyama's iconic visual style. The clip shows off several of the new characters, including two characters in super hero-esque costumes named Gama 1 and Gama 2, that Goku, Vegeta and crew will meet up with and presumably fight in the new film. Several of the new characters are apparently associated with Red Ribbon Army, the organization that Goku faced off with in the earlier parts of the Dragon Ball manga. Piccolo and an older Pan were also briefly shown in the clip, along with the promise that both characters would play a major role in the movie's plot. The producers also revealed that Pan has received martial arts training from Piccolo, who also trained her father, Gohan. It was also confirmed that Super Hero takes place several years after the previous movie, Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Movie PV. pic.twitter.com/0TgIFpTw7C
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The producers also revealed new character designs for several returning characters, including a new outfit and haircut for Bulma. The producers also revealed a new, older design for the Namekian child Dende, who is now grown-up. The new redesigns were created by Toriyama himself.
A final release date for the movie was not revealed, but the movie's producers confirmed that the film is still on track for a 2022 release in Japan. They also said that they are also working to ensure that the movie makes its international debut as soon as possible following the movie's Japanese premiere.
In the than 37 years since its original 1984 debut in Weekly Shonen Jump, Dragon Ball has managed to stay one of the most popular anime and manga franchises in the world. Akira Toriyama's martial arts epic is one of the top three best-selling manga of all time, with over 250 million copies in circulation worldwide. The series is often cited as one of the most influential shonen manga ever published, and its various anime adaptations are credited with playing a key roll in expanding anime's mainstream popularity outside of Japan. The franchise continues with the on-going Dragon Ball Super manga, which is supervised by Toriyama and features art by the self-taught illustrator Toyotarou.
Source: New York Comic-Con
