Image: BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION
AMBot | 07/21/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
The RTL Group is further expanding its anime engagement and has secured extensive rights to the globally successful Dragon Ball brand. As the company announced, RTL Consumer Products will in future take over the marketing of the franchise in German-speaking countries. As part of the partnership with Toei Animation Europe, the TV premiere of the latest series Dragon Ball DAIMA was also announced – for the first time with a German dubbed version.
Dragon Ball DAIMA, which aired on Japanese television on Fuji TV between October 2024 and February 2025, comprises 20 episodes. The series is one of the last projects in which manga creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in March 2024, personally contributed – he was responsible for the story, character design, and world-building. The focus is on an adventurous journey by Son Goku and his friends, who are turned into children by a conspiracy and set off into the mysterious demon realm to reverse the transformation.
Broadcast will begin in late summer 2026 on the free-to-air timeshift channel TOGGO plus. From September 2026, the series will also be available on the streaming service RTL+. RTL Consumer Products is pursuing a comprehensive 360-degree strategy that, in addition to TV and streaming, also includes digital offerings and activities in retail.
Beate Mitschke, Vice President Franchise & Product Development at RTL Consumer Products, commented on the deal: "With Dragon Ball, we are not only bringing one of the most iconic anime brands of all time into our portfolio, but also underscoring our ambition to think about relevant pop culture topics holistically. The enormous appeal of the brand allows us to stage it across target groups at all touchpoints and thus set sustainable impulses for the licensing market."
Ryuji Kochi, President of Toei Animation Europe, also commented: "Dragon Ball looks back on a worldwide success story. With regular new series and steadily growing popularity in Europe, the brand is continuously evolving. We are very pleased to enter into a new partnership today with RTL, one of the leading German TV broadcasters and licensing agencies. We have high expectations for Dragon Ball in Germany and are convinced that RTL Consumer Products will further develop the brand excellently in the region with a diverse and successful offering."
The announcement is part of a series of anime investments by RTL. Already in spring 2026, an extensive collaboration with the streaming service Crunchyroll was announced, and most recently RTL completed the acquisition of Sky Deutschland. Until now, the German premieres of the more recent Dragon Ball series – including Dragon Ball Super – were broadcast by ProSieben Maxx. With the new licensing agreement, the distribution of rights to the franchise in Germany could shift.
Concrete details about products or the exact start date of the broadcast on TOGGO plus are still pending. RTL announced that it will release further information in the coming months.
Dragon Ball DAIMA, which aired on Japanese television on Fuji TV between October 2024 and February 2025, comprises 20 episodes. The series is one of the last projects in which manga creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in March 2024, personally contributed – he was responsible for the story, character design, and world-building. The focus is on an adventurous journey by Son Goku and his friends, who are turned into children by a conspiracy and set off into the mysterious demon realm to reverse the transformation.
Broadcast will begin in late summer 2026 on the free-to-air timeshift channel TOGGO plus. From September 2026, the series will also be available on the streaming service RTL+. RTL Consumer Products is pursuing a comprehensive 360-degree strategy that, in addition to TV and streaming, also includes digital offerings and activities in retail.
Beate Mitschke, Vice President Franchise & Product Development at RTL Consumer Products, commented on the deal: "With Dragon Ball, we are not only bringing one of the most iconic anime brands of all time into our portfolio, but also underscoring our ambition to think about relevant pop culture topics holistically. The enormous appeal of the brand allows us to stage it across target groups at all touchpoints and thus set sustainable impulses for the licensing market."
Ryuji Kochi, President of Toei Animation Europe, also commented: "Dragon Ball looks back on a worldwide success story. With regular new series and steadily growing popularity in Europe, the brand is continuously evolving. We are very pleased to enter into a new partnership today with RTL, one of the leading German TV broadcasters and licensing agencies. We have high expectations for Dragon Ball in Germany and are convinced that RTL Consumer Products will further develop the brand excellently in the region with a diverse and successful offering."
The announcement is part of a series of anime investments by RTL. Already in spring 2026, an extensive collaboration with the streaming service Crunchyroll was announced, and most recently RTL completed the acquisition of Sky Deutschland. Until now, the German premieres of the more recent Dragon Ball series – including Dragon Ball Super – were broadcast by ProSieben Maxx. With the new licensing agreement, the distribution of rights to the franchise in Germany could shift.
Concrete details about products or the exact start date of the broadcast on TOGGO plus are still pending. RTL announced that it will release further information in the coming months.
This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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