Akira Toriyama became famous for Dragon Ball. However, there are other mangas in which characters from Dragon Ball had cameo appearances. In one of these mangas, we even learn how Son-Goku is doing after the events of Dragon Ball Z.
What kind of manga is this? Akira Toriyama published eight issues of Nekomajin from 1999 to 2005. The manga is primarily known for its chapters “Neko Majin Z,” in which the author created a parody of Dragon Ball. Accordingly, characters from Dragon Ball appear repeatedly in the chapters.
You can view an excerpt of it in the following reddit post:
The manga takes place at the same time as Dragon Ball. We experience the adventures of some characters of the Neko-Majin race, who live on Earth. They are cats that possess magical abilities and are fans of martial arts.
There are many allusions to Dragon Ball, even beyond the cameo appearances of Son-Goku and friends:
- Neko Majin, the protagonist of the same-named manga, possesses a staff that can stretch, just like Son-Goku, and a flying cloud.
- Instead of the Kamehameha, he uses the Nekohameha.
- There are characters like Onio, a corpulent Super Saiyan, and Kuriza, the son of Frieza.
Due to the appearances of certain characters, one can guess the time in which Nekomajin takes place. Son-Goku wears a blue training outfit and trains Oob, the reincarnation of Boo. Additionally, Pan is already past kindergarten age.
Accordingly, the manga is set after the Peaceful World Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Thus, we see how Son-Goku is doing after the victory over Boo.
Dragon Ball is further continued with Dragon Ball Daima:
Son-Goku makes an appearance in Toriyama’s spin-off
How is Son-Goku doing? In chapter 7, there is a scene where Neko Majin meets his master Son-Goku. The two begin a training match, which Son-Goku can decide in his favor with a trick.
Afterwards, Son-Goku teleports with him to his house. There, Oob, Chi-Chi, the Ox-King, Pan, and Son-Goten greet the cat creature. It is supposed to catch a mouse in the storage that has settled there.
The story shows that Son-Goku, despite training with Oob, stays with his family. Even though he has taken care of the reincarnation of Boo, he does not neglect his loved ones. And that, although he had temporarily forgotten what his own granddaughter’s name is.
Is the story canon? As it is more of a parody, the story is not part of the official Dragon Ball narrative. However, the manga still illustrates how Son-Goku might fare after Dragon Ball Z. It was drawn personally by Toriyama and fits well into the story of Dragon Ball.
There are several people who could take on Son-Goku’s legacy. Besides Oob and his two sons, there is another person who could qualify as the protector of Earth: The heir of Son-Goku is neither Gohan nor Goten: Another character could be the future of Dragon Ball.
