Yūsuke Watanabe

Yūsuke Watanabe wrote the screenplay for Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, the 2013 theatrical film that reignited the Dragon Ball Z franchise after a 17-year hiatus. Toriyama personally granted Watanabe the opportunity to work on the film, allowing him to develop an original story within the established Dragon Ball universe. The film introduced the concept of Gods of Destruction and their counterparts, establishing new power levels and divine conflicts that would define Dragon Ball's next era.

Watanabe graduated from Waseda University and has worked across multiple media formats including video games and television. He is notably credited with screenwriting the live-action film adaptations of Twentieth Century Boys (2008-2009) and the manga adaptation GANTZ (2011), as well as the drama series Bloody Monday (2008-2010) and Future Diary (2012). His experience adapting manga and comics into visual narratives made him well-suited to continuing Dragon Ball's legacy.