Last month, Masanori Morita, the creator of the popular manga series Rookies delinquent, revealed his entry for the Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Super Gallery Project. However, he recently apologized to the late Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama for making major style changes to Krillin.
For his official gallery entry, Morita redrawn Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Krillin in his signature art style, giving the iconic Z-fighters a unique new look in a gangster-style. However, Morita recently apologized (possibly jokingly) via X for not depicting Krillin accurately. “Toriyama-sensei, I apologize for drawing Krillin with a nose,” he wrote. While he didn’t give a reason for this stylistic choice, it’s possible that his initial concern about the noseless Krillin design didn’t fit his own style, which is less cartoonish than Toriyama’s.
Shonen Jump's Masanori Morita apologizes to Dragon Ball creator over new artwork
Saikyo Jump's Dragon Ball Super Gallery project is a four-year serialization event featuring redrawn versions of classic Dragon Ball manga covers. Morita's entry, which placed 38th out of 42 planned entries, honors the original cover design for Dragon Ball Volume 24. Saikyo Jump's full roster of artists includes some of the biggest names in modern manga history, including Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Tatsuya Endo (Spy x Family), Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), Tite Kubo (Bleach), and Takeshi Obata (Death Note). Recent entrants include Slam Dunk creator Takehiko Inoue and Yoshihiro Togashi, the latter of whom is known for Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho. In June 2024, Toyotarou, an illustrator for Dragon Ball Super, submitted his own artwork, depicting a dynamic car chase featuring the fan-favorite duo Majin Buu and Hercule Satan.
While Morita has created many different manga series throughout his career, his two most famous to date are Rookies and Rokudenashi Blues (Good-for-Nothing Blues in English). Originally published in February 1998, the first series follows Koichi Kawato, who becomes the new manager of the Futakotamagawa High School baseball club. However, the entire team is made up of bullies and street thugs, who are initially only interested in fighting, smoking, and women. Over time, Kawato gradually helps the players prioritize their love of baseball over their less wholesome activities. Good-for-Nothing Blues, which premiered 10 years before Rookies, has a similar premise. The manga revolves around high school “delinquent” Taison Maeda, who hopes to one day become a world champion boxer. With the help of his friends, he trains to take on a group of famous high school boxers known as the “Four Heavenly Kings” and eventually joins their ranks. Toei Animation released two animated film adaptations of Rokudenashi Blues in July 1992 and July 1993.
Dragon Ball's 40th Anniversary Super Gallery Project to End in November
Saikyo Jump will publish the final entry for Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Super Gallery in November 2024. In the meantime, the Dragon Ball manga and its various sequels are available in English from VIZ Media. The series' respective anime adaptations, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super, are available to stream on Hulu and Crunchyroll. Dragon Ball Daima, the anime sequel, will have its television premiere in Japan on October 11, 2024.
Dragon Ball
Son Goku, a monkey-tailed warrior, along with a group of other strange characters, set out on a quest to find the Dragon Balls, a set of crystals that can grant the owner anything they desire.
Author Akira Toriyama
Artist Akira Toriyama
Release date November 20, 1984 Category Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Martial Arts
Chap 519
Book 42
Adaptation Dragon Ball
Publishing house Shueisha, Madman Entertainment, Viz Media
Extend
Source: Masanori Morita via X (formerly Twitter)