Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super picks up after the defeat of Majin Buu. Earth is at peace, and Goku and his friends have ordinary lives. That peace is broken when Beerus, the God of Destruction, wakes from a long sleep and comes looking for a worthy fight. His arrival shows the heroes that the universe is far larger, and far more dangerous, than they thought.

The series works as a sequence of sagas. Each introduces a stronger opponent, a new level of power and a wider view of the cosmos. The scale grows from Earth to other timelines to a competition between whole universes. Along the way it brings back old rivals and family members and adds new allies and enemies. These include angels, gods, warriors from other universes and the all-powerful Omni-Kings.

The final stretch is the Universe Survival arc. It is a multiverse tournament in which losing means a whole universe is erased. It puts Goku, Vegeta and their old enemies together against the strongest fighters in existence.

Dragon Ball Super says that strength has no ceiling and that the journey matters more than the destination. Goku's joy in fighting and improving, set against opponents who fight out of duty, pride or fear, shows how passion for self-improvement can be a moral force. The last arc also argues that real power is tied to trust and cooperation. Old enemies end up fighting side by side, and the winning wish is an unselfish one.

Some viewers read the tournament as a metaphor for rivalry and nationalism. Others see it as a test of the heroes' morality, because the hidden rule is that a selfish wish erases everything. A third reading treats the series as a celebration of the fighting-shounen genre itself and its escalation.

Dragon Ball Super revived the Dragon Ball anime after a long gap and continued the story after Dragon Ball Z, with Akira Toriyama's story ideas behind it. It introduced the multiverse and the Omni-Kings, and it fed the later film Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Critics noted that the Universe 6 saga was more enjoyable than the two before it, and that the Universe Survival arc was the series' high point, with the most beautiful animation of the show.

Reception was mixed in the early sagas, with criticism of the animation and of the pacing. The Universe 6 saga was seen as more enjoyable than the previous two, and the Universe Survival arc was widely praised for its spectacle and its animation. The finale was described as an emotional rollercoaster. Overall it is viewed as a flawed but entertaining return to a beloved franchise.