One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda concludes the Dragon Ball Super Gallery project with a beautiful redraw of Dragon Ball Episode 42 and a heartbreaking message. The project began in 2021 as a special tribute to Toriyama's manga.
To celebrate the manga's 40th anniversary, 40 famous mangakas participated in the project and redrawn the cover of a volume in their unique style. The project was launched as part of Shonen Jump magazine's anniversary activities.
The creators of famous manga series such as One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen, Jojo's Bizare Adventure, Hunter x Hunter and several others pay tribute to one of the most influential manga series of all time . Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga influenced several later works and etched its name in history as one of the best manga of all time.
Oda admired Toriyama since he was young and was greatly influenced by Dragon Ball. Additionally, Oda was one of the few people who spoke about Toriyama in his obituary published by Shonen Jump.
Eiichiro Oda shares his thoughts on the redrawn version of Dragon Ball Volume 42
The author's comments are shared on the right side of the story's cover. Eiichiro Oda expressed: “I bought the first volume of the Dragon Ball manga when I was in elementary school, but I didn't buy the second volume! I always read the chapters through WSJ magazine, and when the last volume 42 was released, I went to the bookstore and saw it, but I didn't buy it! I thank you for giving me the opportunity to redraw it! And now, I wish I could have bought this volume when Toriyama-sensei was still alive.”
Episode 42 is the ending episode of the Majin Buu Saga. In Oda's version, you can see Goku waving goodbye and thanking his fans, reflecting Toriyama's sentiments in the original. While the art style is indeed different, the biggest change is that Robotoriyama (Toriyama's avatar) pilots a flying saucer instead of Majin Buu, adding a personal and meaningful touch to the goodbye.
Since 2021, a new cover has been published monthly in V Jump magazine, each cover introducing the participating artist's unique interpretation of Toriyama's characters and scenes. Since the Super Gallery project has ended, Shueisha will soon republish the Dragon Ball manga with new covers to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The manga will be available in a special box set that includes all 42 volumes, each with two covers: the original version by Akira Toriyama and an alternate cover illustrated by another mangaka. A release date has yet to be announced, but since the project is finally complete, it should be revealed in a few months.
