Official Dragon Ball art by Slam Dunk creator revealed as tribute to Akira Toryama
At the beginning of March 2024, the world received sad news, as the unfortunate death of Akira Toriyama was confirmed, a mangaka who, directly and indirectly, changed the manga industry foreverThis artist is the father of many important works for the medium, such as Dr. Slump, SAND LAND and, logically, the Dragon Ball franchise.
After the news was released, many mangakas and colleagues in the media dedicated many words of recognition to this incredible human being who amazed the world. with some transcendental works that will live with us Forever. But these tributes have not stopped there, as Saikyo Jump magazine has presented a special cover with a special tribute to Akira Toriyama, being one of the nicest gestures towards the artist.
Slam Dunk creator pays tribute to Akira Toriyama with special art
Slam Dunk mangaka has made a special art as a tribute to Akira Toriyama
As we have mentioned, Akira Toriyama's influence on the manga industry is quite noticeable. In fact, many renowned authors have confirmed that They made the decision to dedicate themselves to the industry after being inspired by Akira and his much-loved titles. It is therefore natural that many of his colleagues decide to pay tribute to him.
And it cannot be denied that Dragon Ball has become one of the most important manga/anime franchises of all time. Although it started Its publication in the 1980stoday, remains very present not only in the industry, but also in the lives of millions of people and will continue to be so for generations.
Recently, artist Takehiko Inoue, creator of works such as Slam Dunk, one of the best Spokon, and Vagabond, has made a special illustration that is inspired by the mythical cover from volume 17 of Dragon Ball, this as part of the publication of the Saikyo Jump magazine.
Originally, the 'Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Super Gallery' was held in September 2021. This was a commemorative event where artwork from just over 40 Japanese mangakas was exhibited. And recently, the @WSJ_manga account, has shared Inoue's design through the X platformformerly known as Twitter. In this image we can see a new facet of Goku, now a motorcyclist.
The first thing we should highlight about this image are the Saiyan's facial features, as it is clear that it has been drawn by Inoue and maintains his more realistic artistic style of representation. But that's not all, since, on the back of the jacketthe title of Dragon Ball is shown, accompanied by the name of the production company founded by Akira Toriyama in 1983, Bird Studio.
In addition to this, we must point out that the artist has made a modification to the original design, adding a hidden message for Akira Toriyama as a tribute. An example of this is the logo of 'Capsule Corp.' which was originally on his arm, now says 'Thank You'. This is a change that is quite difficult to see, as it is written in small letters.
The story of Goku and company will live eternally among us
We can take this tribute as a kind of gratitude from Inoue to Akira Toriyama, since his work impacted the lives of millions of people and different generations that have grown up with the Dragon Ball franchiseIn fact, there are many well-known mangakas who have been influenced and inspired by the work of this great artist.
And Dragon Ball is a franchise that will live forever in our hearts and will be passed down from generation to generation. But that's not all, since Dragon Ball Super manga is still in publicationalthough it is on an indefinite hiatus for now. We can also point out the premiere of Dragon Ball Daima, which will be the new project of the franchise and much more. Definitely, Akira Toriyama's legacy is eternal.
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