One Piece’s creator shared an emotional tribute to the late Akira Toriyama with a heartfelt tribute to Dragon Ball for the franchise’s 40th anniversary. Dragon Ball officially celebrated the 40th anniversary of the manga’s original debut with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine last Fall, and it capped off years worth of build up to the event with the reveal of the final volume makeover for a special exhibition. Dragon Ball was being honored with special covers with featured art from other famous Shueisha creators and artists taking on the original 42 volumes. And the final volume featured art from One Piece series creator Eiichiro Oda.
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Dragon Ball’s special 40th anniversary covers project ended with the release of Volume 42, which featured new art from series creator Eiichiro Oda. This isn’t the first time Oda has shared official art for Dragon Ball’s characters, but unfortunately this is the first real time that Oda has a new tribute shared without Akira Toriyama. It’s something Oda takes into account as well as along with the special art, Oda shared a heartfelt message of tribute (as spotted by @Herms98 on X) as the creator notes the absence of one of his heroes.
One Piece Creator Pays Tribute to the Late Akira Toriyama
“I kept on buying the Dragon Ball comics ever since the first volume came out when I was in elementary school, but actually I don’t have Volume 42,” Oda’s special tribute to Akira Toriyama began. “I read the story in Jump, and I knew the day the final volume came out, but when I went to the bookstore and saw this cover, I didn’t buy it. So I’m thankful to have been given this opportunity. I wish I could have shown this picture to Toriyama-sensei while he was alive!!” There’s a melancholy in Oda’s message, and it’s one that’s shared by fans all over the world.
This is one of the many tributes from Shueisha’s creators and many others that have come flooding in following Akira Toriyama’s passing last year. It was clear that Toriyama’s work with Dragon Ball and other series had a huge impact on fans from many different mediums and walks of life, and will continue to have an impact on creators like Eiichiro Oda for years to come. And given that these creators have inspired others with their works, Toriyama’s legacy will continue on for a long, long time.
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Shueisha Honors Akira Toriyama’s Legacy
Shueisha has been celebrating Dragon Ball’s 40th anniversary with this special exhibition, and will be releasing physical versions of the volumes featuring the new art in Japan. It’s yet to be revealed as to whether or not these new versions of the Dragon Ball manga will be releasing in international territories but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on in the future. But it’s not the only way that Shueisha continues to celebrate Akira Toriyama’s lengthy career either.
Dragon Ball Daima is now halfway through its run with new episodes premiering this month as part of the Winter 2025 anime schedule. This is a brand new series featuring a story from Toriyama with brand new characters, locations, and more never seen in the series before. This is likely the final brand new story from Toriyama before his passing, and the episodes shown thus far really showcase that influence with some significant reveals that have changed the Dragon Ball franchise forever.
It’s yet to be revealed how Dragon Ball will continue following Toriyama’s passing, but as long as creators continue to honor Toriyama’s passing then fans are in for a bright future.
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