The Dragon Ball Franchise has Several Fan-Favorite Characters

 The Dragon Ball franchise has several fan-favorite characters, but it continually returns to focusing on Goku and Vegeta. This has become egregious in Dragon Ball Super, where the other Z Fighters are continually glossed over. It now seems almost impossible to pass the narrative torch onto these heroes' sons, but another shonen franchise is the perfect blueprint for doing so.

Naruto eventually gave way to Boruto, focusing on a brand-new generation of shinobi. Dragon Ball could easily do the same, especially given that the likely new protagonists are already well-liked. Thus, by following the formula of Boruto, Akira Toriyama can finally achieve his goals for the series.

While it's almost impressive that Goku has remained the focus of Dragon Ball this long, it's almost become played out by now. The fact of the matter is that the constant increase in scale comes off more as a joke than a raising of the stakes. Threats now have to exceed near-cosmic levels in order to really test the overpowered Saiyan patriarchs, and the power creep as a whole not to mention the tension has been ruined in the process. All the while, other characters are thrown to the wayside, largely because they'd be pretty useless against these new threats who are literally gods. There's not really been a passing of the torch to the next generation of characters, despite that happening in another major series.

When Naruto ended, the sequel wasn't Naruto 2 or Naruto Z. Instead, it was fittingly titled Boruto, focusing on Naruto's eponymous son and his generation of compatriots. Sure, Naruto and the others he grew up with are still around, but they're much less of a focus as the next group of ninjas comes into their own. It's a way to keep older readers still invested and not throw out everything that came before while still progressing the franchise and keeping things fresh. Whenever Dragon Ball Super comes to its official end, it'd be wise to continue the story but by finally doing what Boruto did.

Boruto was definitely a marketing gamble, but it ended up working on several levels due to how it was handled. Replacing iconic characters is never an easy feat, but Dragon Ball has an advantage due to how much fans already like Goten, Trunks, Gohan and others beyond Goku and Vegeta. In fact, it's the clamoring for a spotlight beyond the latter two that could make a Dragon Ball: Next Generations work so well. It'd also allow for new warriors to be introduced as contemporaries of the half-Saiyans, much like how Goku's group of friends grew along the way. The different characters could also have a wider range of story potential due to their personalities further keeping things fresh amid a formula that's gotten a bit too comfortable.

Gohan should arguably remain a scholar and family man, fighting only local threats in the guise of Saiyaman and becoming something of a renowned hero in this capacity. These more slice-of-life elements would invert Goku's story as the patriarch, all while embracing the brighter future that Future Trunks saw in Gohan's timeline. It'd be similar to how parallel themes are handled in Boruto. Likewise, the young Goten and Trunks could partake in more adventurous stories, essentially being action-focused updates of the original Dragon Ball.

Other characters such as Uub, Pan and even some of the older Z Fighters could show up, but it's definitely time that the main kids of the franchise's heroes get time alone in the spotlight. This would finally bring creator Akira Toriyama's idea of Gohan being the new protagonist to fruition, moving away from Goku and Vegeta while still embracing fighters whom fans already love. Since the creator himself would likely have no objection to it, following the Boruto model could definitely be a recipe for success.