Bandai dropped the name “Story Booster 01” at the June 18 Next Plan Presentation and gave us basically nothing to work with. No card reveals, no character list, just a name and an August 21, 2026 release date. Cool thanks guys. Since then some reveals have started trickling out and the community has been going absolutely feral with speculation, so lets talk about what we actually know, what we think we know, and what this set needs to deliver if Bandai wants collectors to care.
What Even Is a Story Booster
This is a brand new product format for Fusion World. We already got the Manga Booster with SB01 and SB02 which pulled from the Dragon Ball Super manga continuity, so a Story Booster is presumably doing something similar but leaning into the classic anime arcs instead. Think Saiyan Saga, Frieza Saga, Cell Games, Buu Arc, the stuff that made people fall in love with Dragon Ball in the first place. The set is 85 total card types with 12 cards per pack at $5.99 MSRP, which is a slightly different pack structure than the standard Fusion World boosters.
The format shift matters from a collector standpoint because it signals Bandai is trying to build out different product lanes. Standard boosters handle the ongoing Fusion World story content, Manga Boosters handle the DBS manga, and now Story Boosters are going after the nostalgia crowd and the people who want cards of characters that the main set rotation has been sleeping on. That is a smart move honestly. There is a whole segment of the player and collector base that just wants a Krillin card with good art. Let them have it.
What We Know So Far From Reveals
Since the initial announcement, Bandai has been doing rolling card reveals and the community has been piecing things together. The confirmed leaders and characters shaping up for ST01 include Majin Vegeta, Vegito, Majin Buu, Krillin, Son Gohan Adolescence, Babidi, Son Goten, and more from the Buu arc era. There are also alt art versions of Vegito and Majin Buu Kid confirmed as battle cards.
The big news on the chase card front is that the two Secret Rares for ST01 are Vegito and Majin Vegeta. Majin Vegeta specifically is getting his first two star treatment in Fusion World which is a massive deal. That card is going to be a grail pull for a lot of people. Vegito Blue as an SCR is also not surprising at all, that character has been a fan favorite since Fusion World launched and any time Vegito shows up in a new rarity tier the market reacts.
The Majin Vegeta SCR Is the Card of the Set
I want to spend a second on this because it matters from a value perspective. Majin Vegeta is one of the most emotionally resonant characters in all of Dragon Ball. His sacrifice in the Buu arc, the whole “I do this for my pride” moment, it hits different. Characters with that kind of narrative weight tend to hold value on cards because the demand is not just from players, it comes from people who grew up watching the show and want a piece of that memory in their collection.
A first print run SCR of Majin Vegeta in a brand new product format is exactly the kind of card that PSA and CGC graders are going to go after hard. If the centering and surface quality on these Story Booster packs is anywhere close to what we have seen on the standard Fusion World boosters, a PSA 10 Majin Vegeta SCR from ST01 first print is going to be a long term hold. The pop report on that card is going to be interesting to watch in the months after release. Low pop PSA 10s on beloved characters in new formats have a track record of appreciating steadily, especially when the set does not get reprinted immediately.
What I Actually Want From This Set
Ok so here is my wishlist as someone who has been cracking Fusion World since launch. The Buu arc representation looks solid based on what has been revealed so far but I want to see Cell get a proper showcase too. Cell is one of the most visually striking Dragon Ball villains ever designed and his card art across every TCG he has appeared in tends to go hard. A Cell SCR or even a high rarity alt art in this set would be a massive win for collectors.
I also want Gohan. Not just Adolescence Gohan either, I want a proper adult Gohan moment. The Cell Games Gohan going Super Saiyan 2 is one of the most iconic scenes in the entire franchise and it has never gotten the card treatment it deserves in Fusion World. If this set is really leaning into story moments that defined Dragon Ball then that scene needs to be in here. The collector demand for a high rarity SSJ2 Gohan would be enormous.
Frieza is another one. We have gotten Frieza cards before in Fusion World but a story focused set that covers the classic arcs and does not include a proper Final Form Frieza alt art would be a genuine miss. That character is iconic globally, not just in the Dragon Ball community, and cards featuring him tend to have broader appeal beyond just the TCG crowd.
The Collector Angle on a New Product Format
Here is the thing about first editions of brand new product formats. They carry a premium that later sets in the same line do not. When Manga Booster 01 dropped it was the first of its kind in Fusion World and sealed product from that set held value better than a lot of people expected. Story Booster 01 is doing the same thing, it is the first of a new lane, and if the set is well received the sealed box value on ST01 first print could be interesting in six to twelve months.
The 85 card set size is relatively small compared to the main Fusion World boosters which means the chase cards are a smaller pool. Smaller pools generally mean slightly better odds on specific hits but they also mean the top cards in the set carry more weight because there are fewer of them. Both SCRs in a set this size are going to be the defining pulls and we already know what they are. If you are thinking about cracking cases versus holding sealed, the Majin Vegeta SCR is the card that makes cracking worth it, but sealed ST01 cases from the first print run are not something I would be in a rush to open either.
Keep an Eye on This One
ST01 drops August 21, 2026 and we are going to be stocking it here at JD Collectibles. If you are a Fusion World collector or even just a Dragon Ball fan who has been waiting for the right set to jump in, this one has the character lineup and the new format novelty to make it worth paying attention to. Follow us on social to stay up to date on our allocation and any preorder info as we get closer to release. The Majin Vegeta SCR alone is going to make this set one people talk about for a while.
Sources:
BANDAI CARD GAMES Next Plan Presentation June 2026 Report
Story Booster 01 Official Product Page
DragonBall.gg ST01 Overview
r/dbsfusionworld Story Booster Reveals Thread
Official Fusion World Twitter Release Date Announcement
