Dragon Ball’s 40th Anniversary Aims Big: Playable New Game and Two Major Reveals Incoming

The Spirit Bomb of Hype: Why This Caught My Eye

Dragon Ball turning 40 was always going to be loud, but Toei Animation and Bandai Namco are going for a full-on Genkidama with the Dragon Ball “Genkidamatsuri” on January 25, 2026 at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo. The pitch is simple and punchy: a brand-new Dragon Ball video game playable on-site and two separate “major announcements” spaced across the day. Free entry via lottery invite, a talk show featuring Goku’s legendary voice Masako Nozawa, card game stations, a digital demo area, and a concert from series theme icon Hironobu Kageyama. That’s not just a showcase-it’s a reset button.

• A new playable Dragon Ball game will be on the floor-meaning this isn’t a distant teaser.
• Two “major” reveals suggest moves beyond one title, potentially across anime, manga, or a new multimedia push.
• Free entry via lottery makes this a fan-first party, not just a trade event.
• The curation (Nozawa talk, Kageyama concert) screams “legacy meet reboot,” which is exactly what the series needs.

Breaking Down the Genkidamatsuri

Let’s separate signal from marketing. The schedule highlights a morning stage billed as a “new video game reveal,” followed by two sessions promising “major new developments.” On the floor, expect booths for the Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World and a station for the digital title Dragon Ball Super Divers-clearly, Bandai Namco and Toei want every pillar of the brand visible, from cardboard to controllers. The event is free, but you’ll need to win an invite via lottery. Translation: they want a packed house of diehards for the hype shots, accessible enough that the community buzz spills out online.

Crucially, “playable” is doing a lot of work here. If it’s hands-on, the build is far along—at least a vertical slice. That points to a shorter wait between reveal and release than we’ve gotten with some anime tie-ins. Still, playable doesn’t guarantee 2026; it might be a tight demo polished for the floor. We won’t know until we see how deep the systems look.

So, What Could This New Game Be?

Dragon Ball games generally orbit a few proven stars:

• Arc System Works’ Dragon Ball FighterZ defined the modern anime fighter: crisp 2.5D visuals, tag-team chaos, and a competitive scene that refused to die. A sequel with day-one rollback, full crossplay, and a next-gen art pass would instantly own fighting game discourse.
• Dimps’ Xenoverse formula—create-a-Saiyan, hub social features, time-patrol fan-service—has been supported for an absurdly long tail. If Xenoverse 3 finally happens, the question is whether they modernize live-service systems without drowning players in grind.
• CyberConnect2’s Kakarot proved there’s appetite for a single-player RPG tour of the saga. A “Kakarot 2” that actually leans into Dragon Ball Super arcs, better side quest variety, and open-zone structure could work—if it commits to systemic depth over nostalgia tours.
• Spike Chunsoft’s Budokai Tenkaichi revival, Sparking! ZERO, brought back the arena fighter spectacle. If this new project isn’t a follow-up, expect it to differentiate hard—either smaller and competitive, or bigger and more exploratory.

The fact there’s also a dedicated space for Dragon Ball Super Divers suggests the playable reveal is something else. My money? Either a competitive-forward fighter making an esports push or a modernized RPG/sandbox that tries to be the “ultimate fan fantasy” with current-generation tech. If it’s the latter, they’ll need to prove it isn’t just Kakarot with prettier skyboxes.

Why This Matters Now

Recent Dragon Ball output has been uneven. Daima split the community, and while Sparking! ZERO delivered pure spectacle, plenty of players bounced off progression systems and post-launch cadence. For the 40th anniversary, the bar is higher than “another safe crowd-pleaser.” The brand can’t just recycle the Saiyan saga for the 50th time; it needs a project with mechanical teeth, robust online infrastructure, and a plan that respects players’ time.

That’s why the event’s framing matters. A playable build means the team is confident. Two major reveals beyond that? Sounds like Toei/Bandai Namco syncing the anime, merch, and game calendars—something they historically do when they’re about to shift eras. If one of those reveals points to a new animation initiative with a consistent art direction (and not just a short-run experiment), expect the next games slate to align tightly with it.

What Gamers Should Watch For

• Netcode and crossplay: If this is a fighter, rollback and full crossplay are non-negotiable in 2026. No excuses.
• Grind vs. progression: Dragon Ball games love their unlock trees. Great—just don’t bury the fun behind hours of XP chores.
• Post-launch roadmap: Season passes are fine if transparent. Gacha-adjacent systems are not. Spell out pricing and cadence.
• PC parity: A clean PC port with scalable settings and fair anti-cheat is the fastest way to win back skeptics.
• Story scope: If it’s an RPG or open-world, avoid yet another retread of the Z greatest hits. Super and GT material, done thoughtfully, would be fresher.

One more practical note: attendance is by lottery invite. If you’re local or traveling, get your application in early and assume demand will be wild. For everyone else, expect the reveals to hit official channels swiftly—this is the kind of beat you don’t bury in regional streams.

TL;DR

Dragon Ball’s 40th anniversary party isn’t just nostalgic fireworks: a playable new game and two major reveals signal a coordinated reset. If Bandai Namco pairs flashy trailers with real commitments—rollback, crossplay, fair progression—this could be the moment Dragon Ball games level up again. If not, it’s just another spirit bomb that fizzles.