Summary
Ever since the untimely passing of the legendary Akira Toriyama,Dragon Ball Superwent on an indefinite hiatus. Although the franchise has returned with Chapter 104, which tackled the prequel adventures of how Trunks and Goten became Saiyaman X-1 and Saiyaman X-2 respectively, fans are still eagerly anticipating the return of the current story, with the heroes now being at the strongest state they have ever been in.
As such, the story is set to return at an unspecified date after this brief prequel arc has concluded. When it does come back, fans will be in for a spin, since the return ofDragon Ball Super’scurrent story will likelytackle the threat of Black Frieza, whose presence now looms overhead as the most powerful mortal in the entire multiverse who the heroes will have to stop. So, let’s take a look at what this arc could entail for the Z-Fighters.
Release Date
July 21, 2025
AlthoughSuperhas technically returned with the release of Chapter 104, this was more like a one-off prequel that briefly explained how Trunks and Goten ended up becoming vigilantes. When fans think about the proper return of the franchise, they want to see the resumption of the current story that went on a pause after Akira Toriyama’s death, which dealt withGoku, Vegeta, Gohan, Broly, and Piccolo togetherand at the same level of strength.
Because of this team-up and the events that transpired at the end of the Granolah arc, the common consensus among the community is that the next story arc that the franchise is heading towards is the Black Frieza arc, which everyone has been eagerly anticipating ever since the villain rejoined the cast of Universe 7. After a long and drawn-out battle at the end of the Granolah arc, the heroes' fight against Gas was drawing to a close, except the villain kept growing in strength and left the others behind.
However, this is precisely when the Galactic Tyrant entered the fray, and, in a single strike, defeated Gas. While this was an insane feat, at that moment, fans chalked this up toGas’s wish finally catching up to him, which Frieza quickly took advantage of. However, the next few panels revealed that this was not a fluke since Frieza had unlocked a terrifying new transformation that was far more powerful than anything else a mortal had shown before in the series.
The reveal of Black Frieza changed the entire playing field of theDragon Ballfranchise, as his unbridled power left Goku and Vegeta in the dust, despite the Saiyans being in their strongest forms. In the Tournament of Power, Goku finally unlocked the ultimate Martial Art in the universe, known to everyone as Ultra Instinct. This is the technique of the Angels that provides the greatest defense to those who use it. On the other hand, Vegeta eventually unlocked the ultimate offense with Ultra Ego, which is a technique used by the Destroyer Gods.
Meet Black Frieza! Achieving this form took plenty of toil, I’ll have you know.
In these states, Goku and Vegeta were far stronger than anyone else had ever been before. However, all of that power scaling changed with Black Frieza, who was so strong that he knocked both Saiyans out of these forms with a single punch, showingjust how superior he was to them. Black Frieza’s strength showed that even the techniques of Angels and Gods proved to be too weak for him to concern himself with.
This sets up the eventual return ofDragon Ball Super’scurrent-day story perfectly. Although Frieza is still leagues ahead of Goku and Vegeta, the inclusion of Gohan Beast, Full Powered Super Saiyan Broly, and Orange Piccolo brings up the strength of the Z-Fighters considerably, so this team-up may just make the difference. The potential to see a Black Frieza arc can mean many amazing things for the franchise, and may just have the greatest story development for many characters, Vegeta most of all.
How Did Frieza Even Get This Powerful In The First Place?
The Strength of Black Frieza
Frieza’s sudden surge in powerat the end of the Granolah arc certainly took everyone by surprise, but it’s not entirely unrealistic based on how the character has been since he was introduced. Frieza has the greatest potential out of every character in the entire franchise, so it doesn’t come as a shock that he can get a huge power-up in a small amount of time, as was seen in the Resurrection F film, where his Golden form was achieved in 4 months only and proved to be as strong as Super Saiyan Blue.
However, this time, Frieza learned from his mistakes and actually trained to hone his new Black Frieza transformation so that it wouldn’t fail him. Upon coming across a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on a planet he conquered, he got in 10 years' worth of training, where his unrivaled potential was taken to its limits and birthed a form so powerful that it defeated Goku and Vegeta’s strongest forms with a single punch.
