This article contains spoilers from the Dragon Ball series.
Known to be the father of Shonen, Dragon Ball is a phenomenal series the legacy of which continues to live to this day, especially in the way in which it has shaped the anime industry. Without Dragon Ball, most modern Shonen would’ve never been created, or at the very least, they would've been a far cry from what the fans know them to be. Dragon Ball is the creation of the talented Akira Toriyama, and after his sad and unfortunate passing in 2024, the series has been thrown into chaos.
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It is no surprise to know that Toriyama’s death had a major impact on the franchise, as it even caused the ongoing manga, Dragon Ball Super, to go on an indefinite hiatus. It’s been over a year since the manga stopped, and every day, its return seems less likely, especially since issues concerning the rights of the series remain up in the air, which puts shackles on Toyotaro, the one now in charge of the manga. If Toyotarou leaves the manga behind, it will definitely mark the end of the series, and anime and movie content will be the only thing for fans of Dragon Ball to look forward to.
Fans Say Goodbye To Dragon Ball As Toyotarou Seems To Be Focused On Other Projects For Now
- Toyotaro revealed new artwork for the Gundam card game
- He also worked on a new one-shot original manga called Lost Samurai
Dragon Ball was first created in 1984 by none other than the legendary Akira Toriyama. The series quickly gained popularity, and even decades later, its popularity is such that it still gets a lot of content. Dragon Ball even had an ongoing manga, Dragon Ball Super, which was worked upon by Toriyama and Toyotaro, but was illustrated solely by the latter. However, this series went on an indefinite hiatus following the sad passing of Toriyama, and its return is becoming more uncertain by the day.
There are many issues stopping the manga from returning, mainly on the legal side of things concerning the rights to the manga. Fans want Toyotarou to continue the manga on his own and take the lead, but for now, he can’t do that even if he wanted to. At the same time, Toyotarou can’t sit around forever waiting for it to get greenlit.
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Toyotarou has been handling other projects at the moment. He recently created an artwork for a Mikazuki Augus card in Bandai’s Gundam Card Game, a series he is a big fan of. At the same time, Toyotarou also has works of his own, such as the original one-shot series, Lost Samurai. Clearly, he has been busy, and he might take on even more projects that aren't related to Dragon Ball if the situation doesn't change.
Toyotarou Might Want To Create His Own Series After Toriyama’s Passing
Toyotarou has always been a huge fan of Dragon Ball, creating artwork for it before he was ever hired to work on Dragon Ball Super. It goes without saying that he has enjoyed his time working on the series, but at the end of the day, it will never truly be his work, even if he creates his own original arcs moving forward. Dragon Ball will always be associated with Toriyama, and Toyotarou might want to create his own original series. After all, he did work on a one-shot original series recently.
Fans Await Exciting Content From Toyotarou
If Toyotarou wants to take on the challenge of being the mangaka of his own original series, he has to leave Dragon Ball. After all, he’s already almost 50 years old, and can’t push his projects back forever while legal battles surrounding Dragon Ball get settled. One thing that's certain is that fans will show any work of his immense love. Toyotaro is a good writer and his art is decent as well. Dragon Ball or not, fans eagerly await his return to the manga industry because he certainly has the talent for it.
Dragon Ball Super, despite the current hiatus, still has 107 chapters out at the moment that fans can check out. The Dragon Ball Super manga is available to read on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- 1986 - 1989
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Osamu Kasai, Daisuke Nishio, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Minoru Okazaki, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Yoshihiro Ueda, Yutaka Satoh, Yûji Endô
Cast
-
Masako NozawaSon Goku (voice) -
Mayumi TanakaKrillin (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
Goku, a young, powerful boy with a tail, spends his days hunting and living off the land. His life changes when he meets Bulma, a teen genius on a quest to collect seven magical Dragon Balls that summon a dragon capable of granting any wish. Together, they set off on an adventure filled with powerful martial arts battles, formidable foes, and unlikely alliances.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
- Creator(s)
- Akira Toriyama
