The Dragon Ball franchise is set to cap off its 40th-anniversary celebrations with a massive fan event, the Dragon Ball Genki Dama Matsuri, which will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, on Jan 25, 2026.
This festival promises to bring together all facets of Dragon Ball content, featuring stage presentations, revealing the latest information on console games, app games, card games, figures, toys and snacks.
Playable demos for upcoming titles like Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will also be available, alongside exclusive event-original merchandise and pre-sale items.
However, some stage line-ups at the event are fueling speculation of a major new anime announcement.
The presence of Iyoku is particularly notable. Iyoku, who also heads the Capsule Corporation Tokyo company, has been the public face for the Dragon Ball Daima series and recently stated that the team is “working hard to move various things forward”.
He had also revealed that “The Dragon Ball series will continue from here on as well,” leading to widespread belief that the Genki Dama Matsuri will be the platform for revealing the next major anime project.
With Daima being a new canonical entry point, it is possible that the future works will build on the groundwork laid down by the anime series – though fans continue to wish for the rest of Dragon Ball Super‘s manga to be adapted.
While new anime announcements are hoped for, many fans are also desperate for news regarding the Dragon Ball Super manga itself.
The manga has been on an indefinite hiatus since March 2024 (excluding the Goten and Trunks one-shot), following the tragic passing of legendary creator Akira Toriyama. The story was left on a cliffhanger after concluding the Super Hero arc, and it remains unknown if or when illustrator Toyotarou will resume the series.
The main stage programming for the Genki Dama Matsuri will also feature presentations on numerous Dragon Ball games, including Dokkan Battle and Legends.
The event will conclude with a Genki Dama Matsuri Special Live Stage, featuring a special concert by Hironobu Kageyama, the celebrated singer behind iconic theme songs like “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” and many other tracks from the Dragon Ball anime series.
While the event is free, fans can only attend it if they have an invite.
Source: Oricon
