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Yoshihiro Togashi's artwork for the Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Super Gallery

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This month, the official Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Super Gallery project features a piece by Hunter x Hunter creator Yoshihiro Togashi. For his entry, Togashi chose to have Goku cross paths with the spiky-haired icon of his beloved shonen franchise.

On X (formerly Twitter), Weekly Shonen Jump news outlet @WSJ_manga shared Togashi's latest art, which depicts Gon and young Goku speeding around on Capsule Corp. motorcycles.

Arte de Yoshihiro Togashi para Dragon Ball
Hunter X Hunter and Dragon Ball (Credits: Yoshihiro Togashi, Akira Toriyama and Shueisha)

This illustration is a playful revision of the cover art for Dragon Ball Volume 5, which originally featured only Goku. Saikyo Jump, the publication that hosts Super Gallery, will feature Togashi's art in its next issue, scheduled for release on August 2, 2024.

Dragon Ball Super Gallery is a four-year tribute to Akira Toriyama's iconic manga series, which has touched the hearts and imaginations of millions of readers around the world. Each month, Saikyo Jump dedicates page space to an illustration that pays homage to one of the classic Dragon Ball manga covers.

Arte de Yoshihiro Togashi para Dragon Ball
Hunter X Hunter Franchise (Credits: Yoshihiro Togashi and Shueisha)

The event began in August 2021 with a submission from Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the hit Naruto franchise. Since then, dozens of popular artists, primarily from the shonen manga industry, have contributed pieces to the gallery.

Prominent examples include Tite Kubo (Bleach), Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man), Tatsuya Endo (Spy x Family), Yusei Matsui (Assassination Classroom), Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk), and Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure). Togashi's entry marks 37 out of 42 planned entries, meaning the project will only run in Saikyo Jump for five additional issues.

Dragon Ball fans eagerly await new series and interim specials amid Toriyama's death

2024 was a challenging year for many Dragon Ball fans, still dealing with the lingering shock of Akira Toriyama's death earlier this year. However, Toriyama took steps throughout his life to ensure his beloved shonen series would be left in capable hands. Toyotarou, whom Toriyama named his official successor, will continue illustrating the Dragon Ball Super manga.

Although the series is currently on hiatus, its magazine publication, V-Jump, has confirmed that the series will return for at least one more story arc. In the meantime, Toyotarou is dedicating his extra time to the "Dragon Ball Super Interim Special," a monthly feature designed to keep fans engaged until the manga resumes.

Arte de Yoshihiro Togashi para Dragon Ball
Hunter X Hunter Franchise (Credits: Yoshihiro Togashi and Shueisha)

Last month, the special featured new art of Beast Gohan, which Toyotarou promoted as the version that “Toriyama-sensei wanted to be shown.”

Additionally, Toei Animation is finishing production on Dragon Ball Daima. Written by Toriyama, the series features Goku and his friends embarking on a new adventure after an unknown entity transforms them into children.

As seen in the Daima teaser trailers, the anime closely resembles the original Dragon Ball series, with returns to classic elements like Goku's Power Pole and the Flying Nimbus. Before its television premiere, the first episode of Daima will have three exclusive screenings at the Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center on October 6, 2024.

Arte de Yoshihiro Togashi para Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball Franchise (Credits: Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation, Shueisha)

The series is officially scheduled to air in October 2024, although a specific date has not yet been confirmed.

The Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Super manga are available in English from VIZ Media. The anime adaptations of the franchise, including Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super, are available to stream on Hulu and Crunchyroll.

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