Anime producer and publisher Toei announced today that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will now release in Japanese theaters on June 11 following a cyber attack that disrupted the production of several of the studio’s projects. The film, Dragon Ball Super’s second feature, was originally scheduled to be released in the county in just over a week on April 22.
Super Hero features an original story from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama about the return of the Red Ribbon Army. But despite being the twenty-first film in the franchise, it’s just the fourth one Toriyama has personally worked on. Directed by Tetsuro Kodama, Super Hero has also drawn attention for its animation, featuring a new 3D animation style that some fans have been apprehensive about.
The film’s Twitter account tweeted out an apology alongside the new release date earlier this morning.
Dragon Ball Super is a sequel manga series to Dragon Ball featuring an original story from Toriyama but with illustration by manga artist Toyotarou. While the manga and its anime adaptation remain controversial among fans, the series’ first feature film, 2018’s Dragon Ball Super: Broly, set records in the U.S. as the fourth highest-grossing anime film in the market. It’s now the fifth highest-grossing anime film in the U.S. following the recent success of Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
Funimation distributed Broly in North American theaters, though there’s no word yet on a U.S. release date for the much-anticipated film. But, speaking at New York Comic Con last year, series executive producer Akia Iyoku and Toei Animation producer Norihiro Hayashida stressed they would like to see the film released internationally as soon as possible after its domestic release date.
