Dragon Ball Artist Toyotaro Returns for ‘Heroes’ Finale With Special Artwork

Dragon Ball Heroes first premiered in 2010 as a “Trading Card Arcade Game”, weaving a story that took heroes and villains from the shonen franchise’s past and smashed them all together in unexpected ways. Along with the video game continuing to create new storylines, both the manga and anime series have presented some wild adventures for the Z-Fighters and the Time Patrol. To help say goodbye to this spin-off series, Dragon Ball Super’s artist Toyotaro recently shared some special artwork to honor the side story. Considering Toyotaro’s background and love for the shonen franchise, his involvement with Heroes’ farewell seems like a match made in heaven.

When it comes to Toyotaro’s “origin story”, he got his initial start in manga thanks to a fan Dragon Ball manga he had created in Dragon Ball AF. Eventually, the artist was given his shot at the “big leagues” by being offered to author and draw Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission. Starting in 2012, the manga tie-in with the arcade game would offer Toyotaro the chance to work on Dragon Ball Super, where he has remained ever since. Following the tragic passing of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, Toyotaro has stated that he plans on creating new chapters of the manga and will play a major role in the franchise moving forward.

A Farewell Worthy of Heroes

Luckily, the Heroes’ universe will continue with a new arcade game titled Dragon Ball Super Divers. As of the writing of this article, it hasn’t been revealed if the spin-off will receive its own manga and anime adaptation, though considering the franchise’s popularity overall, it is definitely a possibility.  While no release date has been revealed for Divers, it’s sure to be a major arrival in Japan in arcades. 

This October, the Z-Fighters will return in a new anime series, Dragon Ball Daima. Taking place in between the ending of Dragon Ball Z and the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, this television series will be one of the last projects from Toriyama. Transforming Goku and the Z-Fighters into miniaturized versions of themselves, Daima is hinting at some wild surprises for the anime heroes.

Want to see what the future holds for Dragon Ball, in both its main series and its spin-offs? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on the Z-Fighters.