Geekdom101 Plus: Dragon Ball Super's Galactic Patrol Arc Reportedly Getting Subtle CGI Like One Piece's Wano Arc

Dragon Ball Super's Galactic Patrol Arc, better known as the Moro Arc, is likely going to begin next year, and production on it is ramped up right now. I expect updates on it soon, and I already have one worth sharing today.

A French insider whose work I have seen before, and who I think is correct on this because it lines up with something I heard as well, says the Galactic Patrol Arc might incorporate very subtle CGI in certain shots, similar to how the One Piece Wano Arc handled complex animations like Kaido's dragon form or the Thousand Sunny, while keeping a predominantly 2D style overall.

Dragon Ball Super's Galactic Patrol Arc may use subtle CGI, not full 3D like Super Hero

I have not seen the One Piece Wano Arc myself, so I cannot comment on its animation quality firsthand. I did see clips from it years ago when I was promoting it for Crunchyroll, and it certainly looked good at the time. What matters here is that this insider is not saying the Galactic Patrol Arc is going to be entirely in 3D or use 3D models the way Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero did. It is not going to look like that.

The idea is that the arc keeps a primarily 2D style but incorporates CGI elements in specific places, most likely for complex sequences rather than across the whole production. I wanted to clarify this before it gets misrepresented: yes, there will be some CGI in it, but probably not a lot. The insider even describes it as very subtle, meaning it may not be something most viewers notice, though I think most of us have an eye for it by now.

Naohiro Shintani is likely, though not yet confirmed, to lead the arc's animation

There is a very good chance, although it has not been confirmed publicly, that Naohiro Shintani will be the chief animation supervisor and character designer for the Galactic Patrol Arc. It has not been confirmed one hundred percent, but many people believe this to be the case. If that holds, it supports the idea that the arc keeps a primarily 2D style while still incorporating CGI elements, since that is the same approach Shintani has taken before.

Shintani was the lead animator on Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and even that film had CGI elements woven into it. Given that history, I would expect the Galactic Patrol Arc to look very nice, especially if Shintani ends up being the one in charge of the whole project.

Blending CGI into 2D animation is nothing new for this franchise or the medium

Using CGI within a 2D animated feature goes back decades. The Rugrats Movie had it in the 90s, A Goofy Movie had CGI before that, and even the first Pokemon movie had some CGI elements while remaining a 2D production. This is not a new technique being tried out for the first time.

One example from the manga that comes to mind is the part where Goku uses a technique to project an image of himself. I could see them incorporating computer graphics to enhance a moment like that, though I do not know for certain, and it is also a scene that could be done entirely with 2D animation. Computer graphics were already used to enhance all of the Ultra Instinct scenes during the Tournament of Power, so this would be consistent with what the franchise has done before. Don't expect it to look like Reboot or even Super Hero.

Since this detail is coming from an internal source, that likely means production already has models being worked on right now for this anime. I cannot confirm that as of this report, but I think they have models in progress, and it should look good visually once it drops.

Toei's Jump Victory Carnival booth was set to include a Beerus themed attraction

Separately, Toei Animation's presence at Jump Victory Carnival was scheduled for July 19 and July 25. A Dragon Ball Super booth was planned there with a number of attractions tied to the series, including a Beerus themed attraction and a character greeting. It sounds like it was likely just going to feature the trailer that had already been shown, along with action figures and similar items.

The event listing mentioned visitors possibly being able to meet Goku, but that means meeting someone in a Goku costume, not the voice actress, Masako Nozawa. Those costumed greeters are common at these kinds of events in Japan.

People are already asking about manga news tied to this event, and I would keep expectations super low there. I do not expect anything to get announced. Jump Victory Carnival has historically dropped some big stuff, but it has been a while since that happened, and I do not want every big event to be treated as though something major is guaranteed. I do not believe anything big will happen at this one, though I will keep an eye on it regardless.