It’s been a few days now since the world learned of the death of the famous Akira Toriyama, and that’s why many people wanted to pay tribute to the creator of Dragon Ball, like these stars of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
The month of March began with this unfortunate news that saddened the whole world: Akira Toriyama is no more. Aged 68, the mangaka had rocked an entire generation with the cult Dragon Ball saga, a work which has become a classic in the eyes of shonen fans and which has very clearly had a major influence on the so-called “nekketsu” style that the can currently be found.
An influence that is not limited only to the land of the Rising Sun, as evidenced by the numerous tributes that we have seen since the announcement of Toriyama’s disappearance at the end of last week. Because if certain mangakas, such as Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) or even Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), wanted to pay tribute to him, other personalities also wanted to express themselves on this subject. This is particularly the case of Justin Chatwin, the interpreter of Goku having then apologized for the live-action adaptation Dragonball Evolution (2009).
And among the other American personalities who wanted to show their gratitude to Toriyama, we also find two WWE stars, who took advantage of a wrestling match to pay one of the best possible tributes to the father of Dragon Ball.
An iconic pose taken by these WWE stars
Indeed, it was during a recent event that stars Zelina Vega and Naomi wanted to pay a special tribute to Toriyama by reproducing one of the most emblematic poses from Dragon Ball.
FUUUUUSION! HA!!! @TheTrinity_Fatu #RIPAkiraToriyama 🙏🏽🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/CYlFXiXzl8
— ZV (@ZelinaVegaWWE) March 11, 2024
The pose in question is none other than that of the fusion dance (or Fusion Metamor), fusion being a technique used by the protagonists and which is certainly one of the most cult to date. Fans were able to discover it during the Majin Boo saga, when Goku aimed to merge Goten and Trunks in order to give birth to a super-powerful fighter, namely Gotenks.
But other characters have also seen the light of day thanks to this technique, this is notably the case of Gogeta, who is none other than the fusion between Goku and Vegeta that we first saw in the film animation Dragon Ball Z – Resurrection of the Fusion! Goku and Vegeta (1995) and in Dragon Ball GT. A character who will have pleased fans so much that he will even be entitled to a “canon” version, being back in the film Dragon Ball Super – Broly (2017).
Further proof of the impact that Toriyama had with his Dragon Ball manga, fans can then console themselves with this last moving message left by the mangaka just before he breathes his last.
Leave a Reply