‘Dragon Ball Super’ Episode 73-74 Leaks: Goku Lives, Mystic Gohan, Android 17 Returns For Universe Survival Arc

A fresh leak from the upcoming February 2017 issue of Japanese anime/manga themed magazine V-Jump has managed to get Dragon Ball Super fans extremely hyped. The image, which was posted just a handful of hours ago, teased the next big arc of the anime, and it seems to be everything that avid fans of the series wanted, plus more. From what could be seen in the leaked image, Gohan would be back to fighting form, and Android 17 is set to make a return, too. Finally, Goku seems to be alive and well, dispelling rumors that the Saiyan would die in this week’s upcoming episode.

It appears that the producers of Dragon Ball Super are definitely listening to their fans, with the series’ progression seemingly being designed to address comments and wishes that longtime supporters of the franchise have expressed over the years. A very good example of this would be Gohan, a character who was nerfed significantly during the initial arcs of DBS. Due to the fighter’s past, Dragon Ball fans have demanded that Gohan is returned to fighting form, even starting the hashtag #MakeGohanGreatAgain.

As it turns out, that is exactly what Toei Animation intends to do. As could be seen in the leaked image, Gohan seems ready to fight beside the other Z-fighters once more. In a lot of ways, the return of Gohan has already been teased during the last few episodes of Dragon Ball Super. When the character bid goodbye to Future Trunks, he appeared to be in his Mystic form, and in the filler episode following that, Gohan seemed to be unaware of his strength again. With the leaked V-Jump image in mind, it seems that the Gohan everyone knows and loves is definitely coming back.

The upper left corner identifies this poster (commemorating the announcement of the new arc) as from the extra-large February V-Jump. pic.twitter.com/aJkThX9Yv2

— Todd Blankenship (@Herms98) December 14, 2016

Gohan’s return is not all that was teased in the February 2017 V-Jump scan, however, as other characters such as Master Roshi and Tien Shinhan were also included in the lineup of fighters. What’s more surprising, however, is that Android 17 is also part of the spread. The character was last seen in Dragon Ball Z, and fans have welcomed the return of the deadly Android to the battlefield very warmly.

Apart from the leaked lineup of fighters in the next big arc of Dragon Ball Super, the V-Jump image also revealed the name of the next saga, as well as its start date. From what could be determined so far, the next arc would be called the “Universe Survival Arc,” and it would start airing on February 5, 2017. Prior to that date, the anime would be covering another set of filler episodes. While the specifics of the upcoming saga remain unknown for now, it appears that the next arc would finally cover the grand tournament that Zeno, the Omni-King, referenced in the final moments of the Universe 6 arc.

The titles of Dragon Ball Super Episode 73-74 have also been leaked, thanks to Japanese TV guide scans from notable DB source GojiitaAF. DBS Episode 73, titled “Gohan Gets Made Into A Film!?” and Episode 74, titled “For The Purpose Of Who He Loves,” appear to be filler episodes. While the episodes for January 22 and 29 have not been revealed as of date, there is a good chance that Episode 75 and 76 would be a build up for Episode 77, which would be the beginning of the Universe Survival Arc.

With these official leaks in mind, it appears that the alleged death of Goku under the hands of the assassin Hit have just been proven false. Over the last few weeks, it has been widely speculated and reported that the powerful Saiyan would meet his end on Dragon Ball Super Episode 71, especially since the title of the episode, “Death to Goku! A Hit-Job That Can’t Be Refused” seemed to refer to the death of the iconic character. As much as the premise was interesting, however, a handful of reports have also debunked this premise, stating that killing off the powerful Saiyan on the eve of the anime’s grandest arc makes little sense.

Apart from this, the title of Dragon Ball Super Episode 72, “Counterattack!? An Unforeseen Assassination Technique!!” also seemed to suggest that Goku’s fight against the assassin would continue well into the next episode. Thus, while the threat to Goku’s life might seem as legitimate as it could be, the chances of Goku dying within the next episodes are extremely slim. After all, Goku seems to be alive and well in the V-Jump leak, and the filler episodes for January do not mention the death of a character at all. Thus, for all intents and purposes, the rumors speculating that Son Goku would die this coming Sunday could be considered fully dispelled.

Dragon Ball Super is proving itself to be quite a formidable anime, giving its fans what they want while maintaining its narrative integrity. While the anime had a pretty rocky start, Dragon Ball Super has nonetheless managed to gain steam as it continues. The recently-concluded Future Trunks arc was an example of this, featuring arguably the darkest DB story to date. With the Universe Survival Arc almost upon the anime and with the Episode 73-74 leaks in mind, fans of the Dragon Ball franchise should consider themselves very fortunate. After all, if there is anything that could be inferred for now, it is that Toei Animation would do all it can to make sure the next saga gives fans what they desire.

[Featured Image by Toei Animation]