Manga
This is how Goku looks in the style of 'Slam Dunk' in a new and surprising illustration that pays homage to 'Dragon Ball'
Takehiko Inoue joins the Super Dragon Ball Gallery project with his own reinterpretation of one of the mythical covers from Akira Toriyama’s manga.
We continue to receive new contributions to the exciting Super Dragon Ball Gallery project, which aims to pay tribute to all the covers of ‘Dragon Ball’ manga through the reinterpretation of the most famous and celebrated mangakas of the moment. So much so, that after the magnificent contributions of such renowned authors as those of ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’, ‘Tokyo Ghoul’, ‘Undead Luck’, ‘One-Punch Man’, ‘Death Note’, now joins the vision of Takehiko Inoue, creator of the legendary basketball manga ‘Slam Dunk’ or ‘Vagabond’, with his illustration based on the art of the 17th volume of ‘Dragon Ball’ by Akira Toriyama.
Goku reinterpreted in the style of ‘Slam Dunk’
Mangaka Takehiko Inoue, known for his two most famous works ‘Slam Dunk’ and ‘Vagabond’, wanted to pay tribute to ‘Dragon Ball’ and Akira Toriyama himself by reinterpreting the cover of the 17th volume of the manga ‘Dragon Ball’, where Goku appeared practically on his back at the controls of a motorcycle, with several logos on the back of his jacket, such as Dragon Ball, the number 17 - in reference to the number of the volume -, Bird Studio or Capsule Corporation, in addition to equipping the magic staff. Incidentally, one of the Capsule Corp. logos changes to “Thank You” in the new art.
All these elements are present in Inoue’s new illustration, which is one of the most faithful to the original material of this initiative so far; yes, the style of the creator of “Slam Dunk” is noticeable throughout the illustration, especially in Goku’s face, which is very different from Toriyama’s particular style. As a curiosity, the colors of both the jacket and the pants change from white to blue and from yellow to black, respectively, we imagine that to differentiate a little more from the original illustration.
2024 is a special year for ‘Dragon Ball,’ as the franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary with upcoming releases such as the anime ‘Dragon Ball Daima’ and the video game Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO.