Dragon Ball Super Artist Explains How Goten and Trunks’ Superhero Looks Were Created

January 11, 2023, 5:15pm

Dragon Ball Super has kicked off a new arc of the manga featuring a teenage Goten and Trunks becoming local superheroes, and the artist behind the series explained the thought process behind designing their Saiyaman inspired uniforms! The newest arc of the series is filling in the blanks leading up to the events of the recent Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero feature film, and that means the manga finally introduced the older versions of Goten and Trunks that were seen in the movie. But it’s also a much different look at them than fans expected as they are now the stars of the new “Super Hero” arc.

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The first chapter of Dragon Ball Super’s Super Hero arc kicked off its run last December, and with it introduced Goten and Trunks’ Saiyaman X-1 and X-2 hero personas. Speaking about the costumes with Dragon Ball’s official website, Dragon Ball Super artist Toyotaro explained that the concept behind the new looks was to make sure they weren’t really cool, and even a “bit unfashionable.” And original franchise creator Akira Toriyama even helped make it happen!

https://twitter.com/DB_official_en/status/1612358521160441858?s=20&t=AypV3n41rRwz4Ad21wRn_A

How Did Dragon Ball’s Artists Create Goten and Trunks’ Superhero Looks?

“I actually had the chance to make the first version of their designs, which I then gave to Toriyama to get his valuable feedback,” Toyotaro began. “The concept behind them was to come up with something that wasn’t overly ‘cool’ and that actually had a bit of a retro feel to it. The suits are actually a bit unfashionable, but our two half-Saiyan heroes personally think they’re great. So maintaining that balance is the real challenge.”

Elaborating further, Toyotaro explained that with this balance of retro and uncoolness, he is now able to put them in any kind of situation and tone, “I really put my all into the initial draft of the designs, but when I received Toriyama’s edited versions, I immediately thought, ‘These are perfect!’ Depending on how I draw them, I can either make them look cool or humorous by putting them in comical poses, and I think that balance is perfect.”

How do you feel about Goten and Trunks’ new superhero looks in Dragon Ball Super? How are you liking the newest arc of the series so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!