Crunchyroll and Toei Animation have announced that Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO, the newest film in the iconic Dragon Ball anime franchise, will get a worldwide theatrical release this August.
This marks the first international theatrical run in Crunchyroll’s history. The company will distribute the film in North America, and globally in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO will debut in theaters in all continents, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. (The Asian release excludes Japan, which will have its own opening date on 11 June.) Audiences will be able to see the film in both its subtitled Japanese and dubbed versions.
“For more than 30 years, the Dragon Ball franchise has delighted fans around the globe who have followed the world’s greatest warriors who defend Earth from forces of evil,” Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with Toei Animation to bring fans the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super to the legion of super fans eager to continue the adventure and to grow the anime audiences who are discovering it for the first time.”
Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO is the second feature spawned from the Dragon Ball Super series, which first aired in 2018. The first Super film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, holds the record for fifth-highest grossing anime movie at the box office in the U.S., and was nominated for a Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2019.
Here’s the official synopsis for Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO: “The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals, who carry on its spirit, have created the ultimate Androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. These two Androids call themselves ‘Super Heroes.’ They start attacking Piccolo and Gohan… What is the New Red Ribbon Army’s objective? In the face of approaching danger, it is time to awaken, Super Hero!”
Franchise creator Akira Toriyama delivered the original story, screenplay, and character design for Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO. The film is directed by Tetsuro Kodama. The Japanese voice acting cast features Masako Nozawa (Gohan, Goku and Goten); Toshio Furukawa (Piccolo); Yūko Minaguchi (Pan); Ryō Horikawa (Vegeta); Mayumi Tanaka (Krillin); Aya Hisakawa (Bulma); Takeshi Kusao (Trunks); Miki Itō (Android 18); Bin Shimada (Broly); Kōichi Yamadera (Beerus); Masakazu Morita (Whis); Hiroshi Kamiya (Gamma 1); Mamoru Miyano (Gamma 2); Miyu Irino (Dr. Hedo); Volcano Ota (Magenta); and Ryota Takeuchi (Carmine). Voice actors for the English version have yet to be revealed.
