Saikyo Jump's Dragon Ball Super 40th Anniversary Collection has just announced its latest work. In its September 2024 issue, the publication highlights a work by shounen manga artist Masanori Morita, who gives Goku and his fellow Z-Warriors a completely different look.
Masanori Morita is best known as the creator of Rookies, a popular sports manga that follows the careers of a high school baseball team whose members are street thugs and delinquents. Shared on X (formerly Twitter) by many Dragon Ball fans and shonen news outlets, Morita's artwork honors the original cover of Dragon Ball volume 24, which also featured Goku, Krillin, and Vegeta. In it, Morita redraws the three heroes—plus a young Gohan—in his signature art style, giving Goku and company a uniquely creepy vibe. CBR readers can check it out below.
Dragon Ball's Goku, Vegeta, Gohan and Krillin redrawn by Rookies author Masanori Morita
Dragon Ball Super Gallery is part of the manga series' official 40th anniversary celebration. Every month, Saikyo Jump magazine features new Dragon Ball artwork by a prominent manga artist, each based on one of the 42 cover illustrations from the original Dragon Ball manga. The four-year art exhibition began in August 2021 with a submission from Naruto series creator Masashi Kishimoto. Since then, the Gallery has hosted submissions from dozens of other prominent artists, including Tite Kubo (Bleach), Tatsuya Endo (Spy x Family), Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), Yuki Tabata (Black Clover), and Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk), among others. The August 2024 issue of Saikyo Jump features illustrations by Hunter x Hunter creator Yoshihiro Togashi. Super Gallery will publish the final submissions in November 2024.
Masanori Morita's 'Rookies' was a Shonen Jump classic in the late 90s and early 2000s
Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from February 1998 to August 2003, Morita's Rookies manga revolves around a teacher named Koichi Kawato, who becomes the advisor for the baseball club at Futakotamagawa High School. Despite their natural talent, the students are often obsessed with street fights, smoking, women, and other questionable activities. With Kawato's help, the team members gradually realize their love for the sport and begin to focus more time and effort on training. Eventually, they get the chance to fulfill their ultimate dream: to compete in the Japanese national baseball championship. The success of the manga led to a television adaptation and a live-action film, released in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Morita is also known for his 1988 manga, Good-for-Nothing Blues, which was adapted into two animated films by Toei Animation.
Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga and its sequels are available in English on 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. Additionally, Toei Animation is currently wrapping up production on its latest anime series, Dragon Ball Daima. The series is scheduled to premiere in October 2024, with a specific television release date yet to be announced.
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball tells the story of a young warrior named Son Goku, a strange boy with a tail, who embarks on a journey to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, which, upon collecting all 7 Dragon Balls, can grant any wish.
Created by Akira Toriyama
First movie Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Ruby
Latest movies Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes
First TV show Dragon Ball (1986)
Upcoming TV Shows Dragon Ball DAIMA
First episode air date April 26, 1989
Cast Sean Schemmel, Laura Bailey, Brian Drummond, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil
Summary
Dragon Ball is a manga series created by author/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball in 1984. The series originally began as a serialized manga in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade before expanding into the most popular anime series today. Dragon Ball has since been adapted into two anime series, one of which is Dragon Ball Z, the most popular series in the entire Dragon Ball series. The series has continued to expand the lore through films, video games, and sequel television series, such as Dragon Ball Super and the more recent Dragon Ball Super Heroes. Dragon Ball primarily revolves around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face intergalactic threats and search for the Dragon Balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant wishes to anyone who collects them. The Dragon Ball series continues to be one of the most popular and beloved anime series of all time, with over forty different countries broadcasting it and having had a huge impact on Western culture as a whole.
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