Is ‘Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO’ Available to Stream? Will It Land on Crunchyroll, Netflix?
The latest “Dragon Ball Super” feature-length film, “Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO” was released exclusively in theaters on Friday, Aug. 19 and was distributed domestically by international anime streaming service Crunchyroll. Naturally, this unique partnership would lead one to wonder when this film could make its way to the streamer. Crunchyroll told The Streamable that they have not yet announced their post-theatrical plans. And Unfortunately, based on precedent, it might be a while for fans who want to stream the film after its theatrical run ends.
The last “Dragon Ball Super” film, “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” debuted in theaters in December 2018, when the streaming landscape was admittedly much different than it is now. The film was distributed as a joint effort between Toei Animation and 20th Century Fox, the latter of which handled the film’s release in North America. Once the film ended its theatrical run, it was released for purchase physically and digitally, and also made available on-demand via Starz. Unfortunately, that’s about it for availability — and it gets worse from there.
The two other films in the post-“Dragon Ball Z” era of the series, “Battle of the Gods” and “Resurrection F” are not available on-demand or streaming in any capacity. The only way to watch these films is to rent/buy them.
Luckily, many of the original “DBZ” films are available to stream via the Funimation app, which was acquired by Crunchyroll earlier this year. Funimation content started making its way to Crunchyroll back in March, and while the DBZ films aren’t there quite yet, it should only be a matter of time. However, only seven of the films were available to stream on Funimation — “Dead Zone,” “The World’s Strongest,” “The Tree of Might,” “Lord Slug,” “The Return of Cooler” (but not “Cooler’s Revenge, funnily enough,) “Super Android 13,” and “Wrath of the Dragon. The others are only available on the iTunes Store.
So what does all this mean for “Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO”? It can go one of two ways, of course. Either Crunchyroll adds the films to its streaming platform or it doesn’t. Crunchyroll hasn’t come out with a declarative statement on whether the film will head to streaming at any point, but it would seem strange to not showcase the first-ever Crunchyroll-helmed theatrical release on its own streaming platform.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is a subscription video streaming service catering to fans of anime with over 30,000 episodes. Viewers can see new episodes of shows one hour after they air in Japan, and read hundreds of chapters across dozens of manga titles. Some of their more popular titles are Dragon Ball Super, Attack on Titan, and Fire Force.
Crunchyroll was purchased by Sony just over a year ago, but in April 2021 Sony entered into a major, multi-year deal with Netflix beginning in 2022.
It is not clear how Crunchyroll would fit into this agreement since it was acquired after the deal was signed, and is itself a streaming service. However, whether it is on Netflix or Crunchyroll, it does appear that “Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO” has a much better chance of streaming relatively soon that its Dragon Ball predecessors.
About ‘Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO’
Check out the trailer for ‘Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO’
“Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO” is the second film in the Dragon Ball Super franchise. “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” was released in 2018 to fans around the globe. The film has grossed over $120 million at the box office globally and is the fifth highest-grossing anime movie at the U.S. box office in history.
While “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” was focused around Goku and Vegeta, “SUPER HERO” takes a different approach. The new film revolves around Goku’s son Gohan, his rival-turned-ally Piccolo, and the first major villain group he defeated — the Red Ribbon Army. Now, a group of individuals who carry on its spirit has created the ultimate Androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. These two Androids call themselves “Super Heroes”. They start attacking Piccolo and Gohan, leading to a battle for the ages.
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Dragon Ball Super: Broly
December 14, 2018Earth is peaceful following the Tournament of Power. Realizing that the universes still hold many more strong people yet to see, Goku spends all his days training to reach even greater heights. Then one day, Goku and Vegeta are faced by a Saiyan called ‘Broly’ who they’ve never seen before. The Saiyans were supposed to have been almost completely wiped out in the destruction of Planet Vegeta, so what’s this one doing on Earth? This encounter between the three Saiyans who have followed completely different destinies turns into a stupendous battle, with even Frieza (back from Hell) getting caught up in the mix.
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Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'
April 18, 2015One peaceful day on Earth, two remnants of Frieza’s army named Sorbet and Tagoma arrive searching for the Dragon Balls with the aim of reviving Frieza. They succeed, and Frieza subsequently seeks revenge on the Saiyans.
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Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
March 30, 2013The events of Battle of Gods take place some years after the battle with Majin Buu, which determined the fate of the entire universe. After awakening from a long slumber, Beerus, the God of Destruction is visited by Whis, his attendant and learns that the galactic overlord Frieza has been defeated by a Super Saiyan from the North Quadrant of the universe named Goku, who is also a former student of the North Kai. Ecstatic over the new challenge, Goku ignores King Kai’s advice and battles Beerus, but he is easily overwhelmed and defeated. Beerus leaves, but his eerie remark of “Is there nobody on Earth more worthy to destroy?” lingers on. Now it is up to the heroes to stop the God of Destruction before all is lost.
