News culture Long before he died, Akira Toriyama imagined Son Goku as an older person. This drawing will delight Dragon Ball fans
The ax fell on March 8, 2024, saddening all generations past and present who grew up with the adventures of the Z Warriors. Akira Toriyama died on March 1, 2024 at the age of 68. Since his death, several forgotten drawings have resurfaced. The mangaka had imagined Son Goku in particular as an older person. This is all the more touching because he will ultimately never reach this old age.
The tributes continue to flood social media. Mangakas, fans and several personalities were quick to publicly express their condolences and respect to the Japanese author’s family and loved ones. The President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, the State of El Salvador, the actor and martial artist Jackie Chan, but also the actor Justin Chatwin (Shameless), who played Son Goku in Dragonball Evolution in the cinema, spoke not without emotion. The latter also apologized for “missing the adaptation so much.” A genius has died and planet Earth is in mourning.
An older version of Son Goku
The illustration is from 1989 and was only published in the Dragon Ball Z Anime Special magazine. 35 years later, after the announcement of Akira Toriyama’s death, The image resurfaced among the countless tributes that surfaced online to his memory. We discover an older Son Goku with a mustache and white hair and the famous staff of Master Roshi (Great Turtle). The illustration was accompanied by a “Question/Answer” section in which a debate raged about the possible ending of Dragon Ball. It was also about Son Goku showing the weight of the years.
The future of Dragon Ball in anime
This year the Dragon Ball saga celebrates its fortieth anniversary. Aware of the symbolic milestone of the saga, Toei Animation wants to revive the interest of the general public with an original animated series. Broadcast from November 2024 on Japanese television and on the simulcast platform Crunchyroll, Dragon Ball Daima officially joins the franchise and is set between the events of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. It’s about a spell that hits Son Goku, Vegeta and Kiao Shin and gives them back their child bodies. They then head to an unknown planet in the hopes of finding a solution to a situation that is, to say the least, problematic. When the project was announced, Akira Toriyama commented to clarify things and promised to be much more involved in this anime than Dragon Ball Super:
Good morning My name is Akira Toriyama. I’m currently working on a new Dragon Ball. The title is “Dragon Ball DAIMA”. “DAIMA” is a made-up term that would be “大魔” in Japanese characters or something like “Evil” in English. Due to a conspiracy, Goku and his friends became small. To make things right, they will set off for a new world! It’s a great adventure with intense action in an unknown and mysterious world. Since Goku has to compensate for his small size, he uses his Nyobo (Power Pole) to fight, something that hasn’t been seen in a long time. I invented the story and the settings as well as most of the drawings. In fact, I’m a lot more involved than usual! Things will happen that will allow us to better understand the mysteries of the world of Dragon Ball. I hope you all enjoy these different, sweet and powerful battles!
