Finally, there is a first sign of life regarding the manga of Dragon Ball! Toyotarou released a new sketch for a one-shot that revolves around two Saiyans.
What is the sketch about? In the Weekly Dragon Ball News, a sketch by Toyotarou was shown. Toyotarou took over the official manga of Dragon Ball Super, after the creator Akira Toriyama passed away.
The sketch features Trunks and Son-Goten in their teenage years (via YouTube). The two are staring intently at the television, which is showing a video game featuring Clean God. This is a superhero character that the two Saiyans literally idolize.
The sketch is a first teaser for a one-shot set to be released on February 20, 2025. The story is expected to be available for just one week, presumably on the official site. Simultaneously, the one-shot will be published in the V-Jump magazine. More information is expected to be released on February 13.
In the last arc of Dragon Ball Super, Son-Gohan was at the center of events:
New one-shot expands the story of Dragon Ball Super
How does the one-shot fit into the official manga? The one-shot highlights how the two Saiyans came into their alter egos. It is essentially a prequel to the current arc of Dragon Ball Super.
The Clean God is the reason why the two take on a superhero identity, much like Son-Gohan did as Saiyaman. Trunks and Son-Goten don their uniforms and call themselves Saiyaman X-1 and Saiyaman X-2. Their techniques are named after their idol, the Clean God.
The story represents the first major focus on the two Saiyans. We experience some slice-of-life moments from their school days and how they lead an carefree life. It’s less about hard training and battles against gods, but rather about normal, everyday things.
Why is there only now a continuation of the manga? After the death of creator Akira Toriyama, it likely had to be organizationally clarified how the manga would proceed. It was clear that Toyotarou would take over the manga, but he first had to process the death of his beloved mentor and finish his own manga.
Additionally, there seems to have been a legal dispute behind the scenes. Now that the manga is picking up pace again, it could be that the start of a new arc of Dragon Ball Super is finally within reach.
Besides the official manga, there are many spin-offs to Dragon Ball. One of these stories is an isekai, where a Dragon Ball fan is reborn in the world of the manga – but as their favorite character: There is an isekai for Dragon Ball, where a fan is reborn into the world of Son-Goku
