More than a year after the tragic passing of Akira Toriyama, cartoonist Toyotar pays tribute to his mentor in a beautiful drawing. We tell you everything!
Toyotar's beautiful tribute
In March 2024, the legendary Akira Toriyama passed away from an acute subdural hematoma, leaving behind a community of grieving fans. The death of the father of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump sparked many reactions, also in the manga world; we remember, for example, that Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto) and Eiichirō Oda (One Piece) paid him a vibrant tribute. Purely by chance, the year 2024 was an important year for fans of the master: several important releases were released throughout the year, giving this very special period an air of commemoration. We are thinking in particular of: the anime Sand Land, the video game Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO or the animated series Dragon Ball DAIMA.
All these releases allowed fans to be patient while waiting for the return of the manga Dragon Ball Super, developed by Akira Toriyama and drawn by Toyotarō, which was interrupted for eleven months, following the tragic event that we are experiencing. On February 19, 2025, the manga finally resumed its publication with the release of chapter 104. The release in Japan of volume 24 of Dragon Ball Super was the opportunity for fans to discover an original illustration by Toyotarō paying homage to Akira Toriyama.
We can see a whole galaxy of characters created by the master, including among others: Son Goku from Dragon Ball, Arale Norimaki from Dr. Slump, Beelzebub from Sand Land, the Neko Majin from the eponymous collection, Jaco from Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, Kajika, Ackman from Go! Go! Ackmanor Paifu from the manga Cowa!. All these characters are gathered around a banner on which is written "Toriyama's World Forever!!" (in French, "Toriyama's World Forever!!"). A very touching tribute, certainly, which confirms Toyotarō as a worthy heir to the master, while the publisher Shūeisha has recently been the subject of strong criticism from three former editorial managers of Akira Toriyama who accused him of having disrespected the father of Dragon Ball.
And you, what do you think of this illustration? Don't hesitate to tell us in the comments section!
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