Why did Dragon Ball take 20 years for the manga to continue?

If you’ve been a fan of Dragon Ball, you probably already know the series has had one of the longest and most influential runs in manga history. But here’s the strange part: after Akira Toriyama wrapped up the original Dragon Ball manga in 1995, fans had to wait nearly 20 years before an official continuation appeared. That’s a long gap for a story so beloved around the world. So, why did it take so long? Let’s dive into the history, the decisions behind the scenes, and the reasons this legendary story stayed on pause for two decades.

You can also catch up on the full series and the continuation over at readdragonball.net.

The end of an era in 1995

When Toriyama finished Dragon Ball in the mid-90s, he had already been working nonstop on the series for over a decade. Weekly serialization is brutal, and Dragon Ball wasn’t just a side project; it was a cultural phenomenon. The story had expanded far beyond its humble beginnings as a lighthearted martial arts adventure. By the time of the Cell and Majin Buu sagas, the stakes were cosmic, the battles were massive, and the pressure on Toriyama to keep topping himself was enormous.

Toriyama has admitted in interviews that he was simply exhausted. Ending the manga was less about running out of ideas and more about regaining his life. After all, he had given the world 42 tankōbon volumes and created a cast of characters that would live forever in pop culture. Stopping in 1995 wasn’t abandonment; it was closure.

Anime kept the fire alive

Of course, Dragon Ball didn’t just vanish after the manga ended. The anime world picked up the torch. Dragon Ball Z had already become a household name globally, and Toei Animation decided to continue with Dragon Ball GT in 1996. While GT wasn’t based on Toriyama’s manga and had mixed reviews, it showed just how desperate fans and studios were to keep the Dragon Ball legacy alive.

The early 2000s also saw a resurgence of interest thanks to video games, endless reruns of Z, and the rise of internet fandom. Even though no new manga was being published, Dragon Ball was still everywhere. In some ways, that constant presence made the absence of a continuation even more noticeable.

Why wait until 2015?

So here’s the big question: why did it take until 2015 for Dragon Ball to return in manga form with Dragon Ball Super? There are a few key reasons.

1. Toriyama’s reluctance – After finishing the original manga, Toriyama wanted a break from long-term weekly work. He contributed to small projects, character designs, and spin-offs, but the idea of jumping back into the grind of serialization wasn’t appealing.

2. Saturation of the brand – Between Dragon Ball Z, GT, video games, movies, and merchandise, the franchise never really left. Because of that, the publishers weren’t in a rush to demand new manga. The brand was still making money without new chapters.

3. The right timing – By the mid-2010s, a new generation of fans had grown up watching Dragon Ball. Nostalgia was at its peak, and manga as a global phenomenon had exploded. That created the perfect moment to relaunch the series in a way that could satisfy both old fans and new ones.

4. Toriyama’s new role – Importantly, Dragon Ball Super didn’t demand the same workload from Toriyama. Instead of drawing every chapter himself, he provided the story outline and designs while Toyotarou, his chosen successor, handled the artwork. That made it possible to restart the manga without burning Toriyama out.

Fans filled the gap in their own way

During those 20 years, Dragon Ball fans didn’t just sit around waiting. The fandom created countless fan comics, theories, power level debates, and fanfiction. Online forums in the 2000s kept the universe alive, with people speculating about what could come next. In a sense, the community itself became the caretaker of the franchise until Toriyama was ready to step back in.

It’s also worth noting that some fans considered Dragon Ball “complete” after the Buu saga. For them, the 20-year gap wasn’t really a gap—it was simply the story being finished. Super was more like a bonus gift than a missing puzzle piece.

Dragon Ball Super: The Revival

When Dragon Ball Super finally launched in 2015, it was met with explosive excitement. The manga and anime revisited classic elements like tournaments and transformations, but also expanded the universe with gods, alternate timelines, and multiverse arcs. It felt both familiar and new, giving long-time fans the continuation they’d dreamed of while introducing younger readers to Dragon Ball for the first time.

What’s fascinating is that the 20-year break might have been exactly what the franchise needed. Instead of fading into overexposure, Dragon Ball came back fresh. The wait made fans hungrier, and when the new chapters and episodes arrived, the world was ready to embrace them again.

So was the wait worth it?

Looking back, the two-decade gap between Dragon Ball’s end and continuation wasn’t wasted time. It gave Toriyama the space to recharge, allowed the anime and games to carry the brand, and set up a nostalgic return that hit harder than if the manga had just continued without pause.

Today, Dragon Ball Super proves that the story of Goku, Vegeta, and their ever-expanding universe still has endless potential. And maybe that’s the real lesson: sometimes stepping away is what keeps a story alive.

If you want to relive the full journey or catch up on the continuation, you can start here: readdragonball.net.