Dragon Ball fans welcome Toriyama’s latest contribution

Dragon Ball fans wanted to thank Akira Toriyama for his latest contribution to the Dragon Ball Super manga, following the mangaka’s recent death.

It was recently revealed that a particular scene in Dragon Ball Super (DBS) manga chapter 103 was fixed by Akira Toriyama himself before his death. A scene which is full of meaning, since it is the last panel of the last chapter of the manga before its break. Faced with the emotional dimension of this announcement, fans wanted to pay a final tribute to the famous mangaka, thanking him one last time for his contribution.

In the drafts of DBS Chapter 103 by Toyotarō, the author and illustrator of DBS, the final scene of the chapter showed Goku, Gohan, Pan, and Piccolo flying away, leaving Janet behind. But Akira Toriyama fixed the scene, with Piccolo turning to wave at Janet. His correction note asked “Piccolo to say goodbye to the kindergarten teacher.”

The panel with Piccolo waving is the last panel of the chapter, which almost makes it seem like Piccolo is bidding farewell to the readers. An end of chapter which is all the more painful for fans because it coincides with the disappearance of the creator of Dragon Ball, who marks his last contribution to the manga, thus serving as a farewell gift for some.

In Toyotaro’s rough draft for the final page of DBS ch.103, the gang just flies off, with their backs to the reader. Toriyama’s final correction was for “Piccolo to wave farewell to the kindergarten teacher” (which therefore looks as if he’s waving goodbye to us) https://t.co/N6yIjZBTed

— Todd Blankenship (@Herms98) March 28, 2024

“In Toyotarō’s draft for the last page of DBS chapter 103, the gang flies away, their backs to the reader. Toriyama’s final correction was to say ‘Piccolo has to say goodbye to the kindergarten teacher’ (which makes it sound like he’s saying goodbye).”

But there’s also another heartbreaking detail that Dragon Ball fans recalled, which is that Piccolo was Toriyama’s favorite character. By waving goodbye to his favorite character, it’s as if the mangaka himself was saying goodbye to his fans.

These are all the reasons that have aroused the emotion of fans of the franchise. Touched by Toriyama’s latest contribution to the manga, Internet users expressed their gratitude on social networks, and in particular on Reddit.

“Sad because Piccolo was also his favorite character. A final goodbye,” one user wrote, while another said, “And it gets even sadder when you consider the fact that Piccolo was Toriyama’s favorite character.” “Here I am crying again, thank you again, Toriyama sensei,” confided another fan.

The reaction to this news clearly shows the impact of Toriyama’s latest contribution to the manga, but also and above all the place that the mangaka occupies in the hearts of the public. And to learn more about the franchise, you can also discover the first teaser announcing the new Dragon Ball theme park.