Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol: All of the Details We Know So Far

After less than three years on the air, Dragon Ball Super stopped before adapting some of the most truly exciting sagas from the manga. But with the latest 40th Anniversary announcement, Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol will bring anime fans back with a brand new anime adapting an arc primarily created by Toyotarou himself.

Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol's anime is the first animated project since 2022's Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes. Despite chronologically taking place before the latest film, Galactic Patrol appears to be the latest faithful adaptation of the Dragon Ball Super manga, introducing anime fans to an incredibly cool original villain, to boot.

Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol's Timeline Position, Explained

Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol is set to take place between Age 780 and 781, following the Age 780 events of Dragon Ball Super: Broly's movie. For fans of the original Dragon Ball Z anime, this also follows the events foretold by Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks, the alternate future in which the Androids killed Future Gohan.

Featuring a saga that actually unites the Z-Fighters properly much like the Tournament of Power did before, Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol is the anime's most exciting saga for hardcore fans of Dragon Ball legacy characters. The anime's official synopsis is as follows:

"This will be the story following the “Universe Survival Arc” of the anime Dragon Ball Super, which aired between 2015 and 2018. It also appears in the manga Dragon Ball as the 'Galactic Patrol Prisoner Arc.' The main character, Son Goku, and Vegeta, work together with the members of the Galactic Patrol, the peacekeepers of the galaxy, to begin a SUPER scale battle against a new enemy, 'Planet-Eater' Moro!"

While it means fans may have to wait for more Dragon Ball Super content, the good news is that the manga's following chapters are rich with unadapted sagas to follow. It stokes hopes for more adaptations like the Granolah the Survivor Saga, while also prompting a major question.

Is Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol a New Season or a Movie?

While there is not an official statement given whether Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol is a traditional anime series or movie, it's likely the former given the substantial saga it adapts. Containing 26 chapters from its monthly V Jump release, the Galactic Patrol Saga is easily the biggest manga arc yet for Dragon Ball Super, too big for one movie.

It also points toward prospects of other Dragon Ball Super anime being released in batch releases in the form of upcoming sagas like this. While the manga has yet to return, this could give Toyotarou the time to continue building out the series over the months and years ahead for the anime to adapt his work.

However, the use of Hans Zimmer's music in creating the thrilling retrospective video which preceded Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol's announcement certainly suggests Capsule Corporation and Toei Animation are taking this project enormously seriously. Given how precious Dragon Ball is to the anime fandom, this huge return, nearly a decade later, is being handled with the utmost care.

Who Is the Villain of Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol?

Featuring the original design and conception of Toyotarou, Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol will introduce fans to Moro, Consumer of Worlds. A demonic wizard and multiversal threat in his own right, Moro is one of the most powerful Dragon Ball Super villains ever created, in typical franchise fashion, he is formidable well before his final form.

Capable of feats reaching across traditional power and magic, Moro is a uniquely dangerous villain in the Dragon Ball rogues' gallery. He is able to absorb an entire planet's energy, growing his lifespan in the process, and eventually develops the skill to sense Dragon Ball locations. It's an especially dangerous ability, provided one forgets Giru from GT did it first.

Moro will fight Earth's mightiest defenders in the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, including Goku and Gohan. However, the most exciting fight may be a surprising force once considered a grave threat in an alternate future presents a natural counter to this planet-eating wizard. It's certainly worth keeping an eye out for Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol's release.

Will There Be More Dragon Ball Super Anime?

While this is an almost unequivocal yes, given Dragon Ball's prevalence in the anime fandom, the question is mostly not "if", but "when". Given the likely 2027 release window of Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol, it'll be reasonable to expect further development to be at least two or three years beyond that, given Dragon Ball Daima's similarly polished release.

However, it's also important to consider that Toei Animation has multiple irons in the fire at this point. Given the notable transition for even the prolific One Piece anime into a seasonal production model, this new Dragon Ball Super anime is an adjustment for longtime fans. However, Toei's newly-renewed polish will soon speak for itself, so stay tuned for updates.