Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri will be held on January 25 as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the manga that kicked the franchise off in 1984. However, that’s not all. The free event (set to be livestreamed) this Sunday will bring fans exciting new announcements for a franchise whose future has been in limbo since the death of creator Akira Toriyama back in 2024. A new video game reveal has been confirmed.
The first Dragon Ball anime started in 1986, but it was Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996) that was many overseas fans’ entry point to the series and played a major role in popularizing Japanese anime abroad, especially in the U.S. At home, the influence of Dragon Ball could be felt in subsequent shonen series like One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. Dragon Ball is also known for its video games, letting players perform their favorite Saiyans’ flashy attacks. Almost every major console since the NES days has had at least one Dragon Ball game, even if not all of them made it outside Japan.
However, the future of Dragon Ball has been uncertain since the death of its creator, legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama (who is also known for his character design work for games like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger). Toriyama passed away in 2024, leaving many saddened that we will never experience any new Son Goku adventures from the pen of the original creator.
Dragon Ball’s 40th anniversary event will not only celebrate the franchise’s iconic characters but will also reveal what’s next for Toriyama’s beloved creations. Dragon Ball Genkidaimatsuri’s main event will be held at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo on January 25, 2026. The in-person event will feature several exhibitions, a whole host of merch booths, game areas and more. For those who can’t make it, the main stage announcements, talk shows and performances will be livestreamed on YouTube by Toei Animation.
The event will kick off with some exclusive announcements from Son Goku’s Japanese VA Masako Nozawa and Dragon Ball series executive producer Akio Iyoku. It’s possible that this could be a new anime series or OVA. Dragon Ball Daima aired in Japan in 2024, but Toriyama’s death made it unclear whether the series would get a follow-up. Rumors of a Dragon Ball animated movie, set to release in 2027, have also been circulating around fan communities for a while, and Sunday’s event might finally show if there is any truth to this gossip. Given the international success of films from anime series like Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man in recent years, now could be a good time for a Dragon Ball movies announcement.
What we do know for certain is that Dragon Ball is getting a new video game, something that has been teased since late last year. At 11am (JST) on January 25, Dragon Ball games producer Masayuki Hirano, Sparking Zero! producer Jun Furutani and others are set to reveal the new game. The most recent games in the franchise are team fighting game Dragon Ball Sparking Zero! (which kamehameha’d onto consoles in 2024) and FTP mobile title Dragon Ball: Gekishin Squadra (2025). Although Sparking Zero! was praised upon release for its huge cast of over 180 playable characters (delivering a big nostalgia hit which truly allowed fans of even the most obscure characters to make their dream team), the game has unfortunately suffered with balancing issues, bugs and online mode instability.
Although many Dragon Ball titles have been fighting games, the series has also flirted with other genres such as strategic card games (2024’s Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World), card-based RPGs (Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu on the DS) and even a MMORPG (2010’s Dragon Ball Online) in the past. It’s possible that the new game might explore a different genre (perhaps an open-world RPG?), or it could be a fighting game set in a different arc of Dragon Ball, possibly featuring the chibi cast of Dragon Ball Daima.
Sunday January 25 will certainly be a big day for Dragon Ball, and diehard fans won’t want to miss the livestream.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
