What Is Super Dragon Ball Heroes? Canon Status and Story Explained

Super Dragon Ball Heroes is one of the most unusual entries in the Dragon Ball franchise. Packed with impossible transformations, alternate versions of fan-favorite characters, and battles that would never happen in the main series, it has attracted both longtime fans and newcomers since its debut in 2018. However, because it features characters like Super Saiyan 4 Vegito, Evil Saiyans, and multiple versions of Goku fighting together, many viewers are left wondering whether the series is actually canon.

Unlike Dragon Ball Super or Dragon Ball Daima, Super Dragon Ball Heroes was never intended to continue the main storyline. Instead, it serves a completely different purpose while giving fans exciting “what-if” scenarios that expand the franchise in creative ways. Understanding its connection to the arcade game and its place in the overall timeline makes it much easier to appreciate. Here’s everything you need to know about Super Dragon Ball Heroes, its canon status, and how its story fits within the Dragon Ball universe.

Story and Canon Explained

Super Dragon Ball Heroes is a promotional web anime created to advertise the Japanese arcade card game of the same name. Rather than airing as a traditional television series, episodes were released online and typically ran for around eight to ten minutes. The anime adapts major story arcs from the arcade game while also incorporating elements from the accompanying manga, creating a fast-paced adventure focused almost entirely on spectacular battles.

The story begins with the Prison Planet Arc, where Future Trunks is captured by the mysterious scientist Fu. Goku, Vegeta, and several other powerful warriors are drawn into an experimental prison world where they must collect Special Dragon Balls to escape. As the series progresses, the scope expands dramatically, introducing multiversal tournaments, ancient Supreme Kais, time-travel conflicts, and original villains such as Cumber, Hearts, Aeos, and Majin Ozotto.

One of the biggest appeals of Super Dragon Ball Heroes is its willingness to ignore the normal rules of continuity. The series freely combines characters and transformations from different eras of Dragon Ball, allowing fan-favorite matchups that would otherwise be impossible. Viewers can watch Super Saiyan 4 battle alongside Super Saiyan Blue, see fusions never shown in the main story, and witness alternate versions of established heroes and villains sharing the same battlefield.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes is a promotional anime that explores alternate timelines and original storylines outside the main Dragon Ball continuity (Image via Toei Animation)

Despite using many canon characters, Super Dragon Ball Heroes is not canon to the main Dragon Ball timeline. The official continuity consists of the original Dragon Ball manga, Dragon Ball Super, and other stories that directly follow that narrative. Heroes instead exists as an alternate continuity designed specifically for entertainment and promotional purposes, giving writers complete freedom to experiment with new ideas without affecting the official storyline.

This creative freedom explains why power levels escalate so dramatically throughout the series. Characters unlock exclusive transformations like Super Saiyan Blue Berserk, Super Full Power Saiyan 4 Limit Breaker, and numerous fusion combinations that have never appeared elsewhere. While these forms are exciting for fans, they should not be considered part of the official progression established in the main franchise.

Because the anime is based on the arcade game, the pacing is also much faster than a standard Dragon Ball series. Episodes often move directly from one battle to another with limited explanation, assuming viewers are already familiar with the game’s storyline. As a result, newcomers may find the plot less detailed than Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Super, but longtime fans usually appreciate the constant stream of high-energy action and fan service.

If you’re wondering whether you need to watch Super Dragon Ball Heroes to understand the main Dragon Ball story, the answer is no. The anime has no impact on the events of Dragon Ball Super or any other canonical series. Instead, it should be viewed as an alternate adventure that celebrates the franchise by bringing together characters, transformations, and battles that would otherwise never happen. For fans who simply want to enjoy spectacular fights and imaginative “what-if” scenarios, Super Dragon Ball Heroes offers exactly that while remaining separate from the official timeline.