Regularly, the current artist of Dragon Ball Super has taken the opportunity to explore the anime franchise’s catalog by creating new art of forgotten characters. Luckily, there are plenty of options when it comes to bringing back heroes and villains from the Z-Fighters universe, as Toriyama hasn’t been shy about designing new fighters. Surprisingly, Toyotaro recently took the opportunity to explore another universe created by Akira Toriyama, which is one that many anime fans might not be all too familiar with.
As of late, Dragon Ball hasn’t been the only creation from Akira Toriyama that has been featured in the limelight. Toriyama’s Sand Land received a feature-length film in Japan that covers the story of Beelzebub, the son of the devil, as he navigates through a desert world and encounters a number of allies to experience some wild adventures. In 1993, Toriyama created a manga series dubbed Go! Go! Ackman that followed a young demon looking to kill humans to send his master souls. The series did receive an anime adaptation in 1994, but it was relatively short and was the only time that such a production was made. Surprisingly, the series spawned a handful of video games that followed the tale of the short demon.
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Akira Toriyama’s Devils Return
Toyotaro took the opportunity to bring back both Ackman and one of the early villains of the original Dragon Ball series, Spike the Devilman. The latter initially appeared in the first series following Goku and company, working for the fortune-teller Baba as Son fought against the supernatural brawlers. Eventually, the fights saw Goku having a reunion with his deceased grandfather Gohan, making for one of the most touching moments of the original series.
Dragon Ball Super recently had Toyotaro recreating the Super Hero movie for the manga’s one-hundredth chapter. At present, the artist hasn’t revealed where the manga will go in the future, though fans are hoping that the Z-Fighters might have a rematch with Frieza following his ultimate transformation reveal. While the Super Hero Arc might have ended, Toyotaro has assured manga readers that there are plenty more adventures to come for the Z-Fighters.
What do you think of these fresh takes on old Toriyama characters? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Dragon Ball.