The Dragon Ball AF logo from Daizenshuu EX April's Fool Prank.

Dragon Ball AF is a non-existent anime or manga urban legend that is held in cult regard by fans of the Dragon Ball manga and anime franchise. Image File history File links DbAf_logo. ... Image File history File links DbAf_logo. ... For other uses, see Logo (disambiguation). ... “Animé” redirects here. ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ... An urban legend or urban myth is similar to a modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ... Fans of Janet Jackson, at Much Music in Toronto The word fan refers to someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking of a person, group of persons, work of art, idea, or trend. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

History

The Dragon Ball AF myth (in addition to many other, similar rumors with varying letter-combinations) seems to have begun in 1997, shortly after Dragon Ball GT ended in Japan. At the time, the supposed "GT sequel" was nameless, and the rumors relatively localized and short-lived. However, a piece of fan art began circulating around the Internet in 2000, bearing a logo reading "Dragon Ball AF", and promoting the supposedly new Super Saiyan 5 form. It was the inclusion of this logo that appeared to give it credence among some fans. In October of the same year, a lengthy article appeared on the now-defunct fansite Majin.com, which raised the image's profile even further. This article purported to have "information" on the "new series" from a "source in Japan", though it was largely self-contradictory; it is not entirely clear, however, whether the article's author was being serious or tongue-in-cheek. Although the webmaster later recanted his claims, the rumors had already grown beyond his control, and the site ceased to be updated a short time later. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Dragon Ball GT ) is the sequel to the anime Dragon Ball Z. It is said to stand for Grand Tour in the American adaptation by FUNimation, but may also be interpreted as Galaxy Touring, Great Touring, or Gran Turismo, depending on the Japanese source. ... For other uses, see Sequel (disambiguation). ... Fan art or fanart is artwork that is based on a character, costume, item, or story that was created by someone other than the artist. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Logo (disambiguation). ... October 2000 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Events October 1 - 2 - Nine Israeli-Arabs are killed by Israeli security forces after a riot/violent demonstration of solidarity with Palestinians under military rule in the West Bank and Gaza. ... A fansite or fan site, is a website created and maintained by the fans or devotees interested in a celebrity or a particular cultural phenomenon. ... Sarcasm is the making of remarks intended to mock the person referred to (who is normally the person addressed), a situation or thing. ... A webmaster is a person responsible for designing, developing, marketing, or maintaining Web site(s). ...

Thus, at the end of 2000, there began a new flurry of speculation and hearsay that grew over time into the rumors that exist now. Interestingly, despite the dramatic changes the rumors have undergone since the original Majin.com article (not to mention the obvious lack of a new Dragon Ball series since 1997), the myth of Dragon Ball AF has endured to the present day among many non-Japanese fans. However, the reason for the rumor's popularity most likely stems from a more-or-less constant influx of new fans, who are unaware that there is no new Dragon Ball in production.

The Daizenshuu EX Dragon Ball AF "April Fools'" print advertisement.

In 2004, the noted Dragon Ball fansite Daizenshuu EX played upon the long-standing rumors in an April Fools' prank.^[1] While not the first time that a fansite has "announced" the series as a joke (it is a tradition that goes back to April 2001), their version was certainly the most elaborate: both a printed flyer and a commercial were made using existing artwork, and a new logo was created in Adobe Photoshop. The prank, from its conception to its execution, is documented as an in-depth feature on Daizenshuu EX. Both the "flyer" and "commercial" were full of hints (in Japanese) that they were not genuine, though many fans who did not know Japanese were quick to believe them wholeheartedly, in spite of the date. Although well-intended and well-done, this hoax caused quite a bit of confusion, helping to increase (at least temporarily) the already-rampant amount of fan speculation. Both the logo and flyer created by the webmasters of Daizenshuu EX have since appeared, bereft of their original context, on other websites. Those who are unaware of this prank may then be even more likely to believe in the rumors, an unintended consequence of the ease with which information is disseminated over the Internet. The flyer turned out to be rather self-referential in its humour, e.g. under the logo it reads "It's true! I heard it from a friend!" Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (687x970, 400 KB)[edit] Summary The AD for Dragon Ball AF Aprils Fool Joke. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (687x970, 400 KB)[edit] Summary The AD for Dragon Ball AF Aprils Fool Joke. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April Fools Day and April Fools Day redirect here. ... April 2001 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December April 1: An EP-3E United States Navy spyplane collides with a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army fighter jet. ... A 1990 hand-drawn flyer advertising a Goa trance party from Israel. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Photoshop redirects here. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML...

Perpetuation and contribution

Rumors about Dragon Ball AF are chiefly spread through Internet forums and IRC, as well as Usenet and ordinary word-of-mouth. Those who read or hear these rumors may then set up web pages that serve to further propagate the myth. There are many supposed bits of "information" about the series, most of which stem from fans believing that fan art or fan fiction is from an official source. Fans have also embroidered upon the legend themselves, by adding new plot points and characters as they see fit. They likely mean such ideas to be mere speculation or wishful thinking, only to have their comments taken at face-value by others. Dragon Ball AF has been claimed, at various times by various individuals, to be a new or upcoming anime in Japan, a new manga series by Akira Toriyama himself, or a fan-made dōjinshi. The latter is probably the closest to the truth, but whether such fan-comics are the cause of the rumors or a product thereof is unknown. A typical Internet forum discussion, with common elements such as quotes and spoiler brackets A page from a forum showcasing emoticons and Internet slang An Internet forum is a web application for holding discussions and posting user generated content. ... “IRC” redirects here. ... Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. ... For other uses, see Word of mouth (disambiguation). ... Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ... Akira Toriyama ) born on 1955-04-05,[2] in Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, Japan,[2] is a widely known and acclaimed Japanese manga artist known mostly for his work in the Dragon Ball metaseries, as well as the media franchise of the same name which he began in 1984. ... Dōjinshi ) are self-published Japanese works, usually manga or novels. ...

Lack of validity

Within the realm of officially-licensed properties (those which are produced by or with the approval of Bird Studio, Shueisha, and Toei Animation), Dragon Ball AF simply does not exist. Any DBAF dojinshi, should they even exist, occupy the same legal status as fan fiction and fan art. There has been no new Dragon Ball material from Japan since 1997, other than the perfect edition manga (released 2002-2004) and the Dragon Box DVD boxed sets (released 2003-2006), which collect previously-existing material with some new artwork, but no new story arcs. Toriyama has publicly stated that he has no intentions of continuing the series (which he finished in 1995), though he has drawn a parody series, Neko Majin, in which several Dragon Ball characters appear, as well as a one shot Dragon Ball/One Piece crossover manga collaboration with One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda entitled Cross Epoch, which came out in December 2006. Shueisha ) is a major publisher in Japan, headquartered in Tokyo. ... Toei Animation Company, Limited ) (JASDAQ: 4816) is a Japanese animation studio owned by the Toei Company. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, Monthly Shonen Jump, Shonen Jump Original run April 1999 – February 2005 No. ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump Shonen Jump Original run August 4, 1997 – (ongoing) Volumes 47 volumes with 475 chapters TV anime Director Konosuke Uda Munehisa Sakai Studio Toei Animation Network Fuji TV GMA 7 Original run October 20, 1999 – (ongoing) Episodes 327 (current) OVA: Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzak Director... Eiichiro Oda , born January 1, 1975 in Kumamoto, Kumamoto) is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime One Piece. ...

The Dragon Ball fansite Daizenshuu EX has created a specifically-designed list^[2] of the features of AF that should disprove its existence to the especially obstinate. These are:

1. Lack of advertising in Japanese media.
   • This point includes print sources (such as the Japanese Shonen Jump), TV ads, and official Japanese websites. Since Dragon Ball is well-known throughout Japan, a sequel series would not be released unpromoted, nor would it go unnoticed by the Japanese population. Daizenshuu EX took advantage of this fact, however, as part of its 2004 April Fool's joke, creating both a "print ad" and a "TV commercial" from other sources. This material, bereft of its context, has since been cited as "evidence" for the existence of AF.
2. Lack of official announcements by Toriyama, Shueisha, or Toei Animation.
   • Tying in to the idea of "advertising" above, none of the official Japanese sources of Dragon Ball material have come forward with any news on the scale of AF. Such a series would warrant at least a comment, if not an elaborately-staged introduction, from one or more of these entities. Of course, this has not stopped fans from claiming that such an announcement has already taken place (though there is no record of one ever occurring).
3. Lack of articles, previews, or reviews of the series, in Japanese magazines or online blogs.
   • Note, however, that some Japanese fans have taken to commenting on the AF phenomenon outside of Japan, and this may be regarded as commentary on the "series" itself by those who do not speak Japanese. Indeed, the language barrier has often been a source of obfuscation, both for those who would believe the rumors, and those whose goal is to spread them further.
4. Lack of scans from manga releases or screen captures / movie clips from new episodes.
   • While many "faked" images (generally produced as humorous commentary on the rumors, or outside of AF but incorporated into it accidentally) do exist, there are no raw manga scans or unaltered screenshots available, anywhere. Particularly good artwork may be mistakenly viewed as "promotional art," but no media from within the manga/anime exists. Therefore, the burden of proof is on those who claim they own the series to put forth something they cannot possibly have (calls for such individuals to show whatever material they have are usually met by excuses or ad-hominem attacks).
5. Lack of scanlations or fansubs.
   • Ethical and legal issues aside, a series as popular as Dragon Ball would not long remain without a fan-translated version. The methods of digital distribution are such that it would be virtually impossible not to find such materials, even in a casual search. Neither of these two things exists, however.
6. Lack of official merchandise.
   • Dragon Ball is, and always has been, heavily marketed commercially. In Japan, a multitude of items, from action figures, to snacks, CDs, stationery, desks, and even children's eyedrops, have been sold as Dragon Ball products or endorsed by characters from the series. The lack of official AF merchandise, then, is a strong indicator that such a series does not in fact exist.
7. Official denial by both Viz Media and FUNimation.
   • Such denials would run counter to the financial interests of both of these companies (the distributors of Dragon Ball manga and anime in the US) were the rumors to be true. It is highly unlikely that they would categorically dismiss a property that could make them millions of dollars.

Weekly Shonen Jump, issue 40 (Japanese version) Weekly Shonen Jump (週刊少年ジャンプ ShÅ«kan Shōnen Janpu), with a circulation of over 3 million, is one of the longest-running, weekly manga compilations in Japan. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Screenshot of a KDE desktop. ... Scanlation (sometimes scanslation) is a term used for manga comics which have been scanned and translated by fans from its native language (usually Japanese or Korean) to another language, commonly English, French or Spanish. ... School Rumble with karaoke subtitles—typical for the original Japanese episodes and fansubs, but less common in licensed American releases. ... Zarbon action figure from Dragon Ball Z made by Bandai An action figure is a posable plastic figurine of a character, often from a movie, comic book, video game, or television program. ... “CD” redirects here. ... Viz Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, California, is a major American anime, manga and Japanese entertainment company formed by the merger of Viz, LLC, and ShoPro Entertainment. ... FUNimation Entertainment (previously known as FUNimation Productions) is an American entertainment company formed by Gen Fukunaga in the early 1990s to produce, merchandise and distribute anime and other entertainment properties in the United States and international markets. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

References