is the upcoming eighteenth Japanese animated feature film based on the Dragon Ball series, set to premiere in Japanese theaters on March 30, 2013. It is the first Dragon Ball movie in 17 years to have a theatrical release, the last being the the tenth anniversary movie in 1996, which followed the first three Dragon Ball films and the thirteen Dragon Ball Z films. Battle of Gods is the first-ever Japanese film to be screened at IMAX Digital Theaters.
It is the first film in the series to be considered an official part of the Dragon Ball storyline, being set between chapters 517 and 518 of the original manga during the ten year time skip, with original creator Akira Toriyama deeply involved. The plot involves Bills, the God of Destruction, learning of the defeat of the galactic overlord Freeza by the hands of Son Goku. Seeking an opponent worthy of his power, Bills, along with his companion Whis, travels to the North Quadrant of the universe to challenge Goku to a battle.