This is one of the best Toriyama special illustrations you’ll see in a long time.
As usual, the “Toriyama files” section is updated and presents us with unpublished content or, failing that, very rare content. Last January 7, 2025the website presented a very rare conceptual art where we can see Akira himself cosplaying Goku. This premise is very curious and hilarious, characteristics worthy of this legendary mangaka.
It is important to note that this section of “the Toriyama files” has left us with a lot of unpublished character designs, rare or special covers and More content worth viewingespecially if you are a fan of this mangaka’s work. And on this occasion, we must talk about that time when Akira cosplayed as Goku in a very curious illustration.
This official illustration shows us Toriyama as Goku from Dragon Ball
In a special art, Toriyama has cosplayed Goku
Again, we must highlight that this illustration belongs to the “Toriyama files” section, which arose after the unfortunate death of the mangaka at the beginning of March 2024leaving a great void not only in the industry but in the hearts of millions of people who grew up with Goku’s adventures.
The content presented in this section is characterized by being unpublished, very rare or special, which means that no fan should miss each update. And, on this occasion, We must highlight what is possibly one of the most peculiar drawings made by the mangaka at some point in his career.
And not everyone knows that Akira Toriyama once dressed up, so to speak, as Goku, the protagonist of his magnum opus. The result is fantastic and will surely make you smile, as it reminds us of the essence of the mangaka.
We should note that this illustration is from the original cover that debuted in January 1986 of the Bird Land Press newsletter. And the most notable thing about this drawing is that it Toriyama has reimagined himself as he joyfully flies on the Flying Cloudwhile passing by a Goku who looks very confused with the situation. This whole scene is hilarious.
The purpose of this cover was none other than to commemorate the premiere of the Dragon Ball anime, which began broadcasting in February 1986. But that’s not all, since, together with Toriyama, we can appreciate Minoru Maeda himselfthe live animation of the series.
Among the characteristic features of Toriyama and Maeda’s cosplay we must highlight that they wear Goku’s classic orange gi and They have their own version of the Magic Staff of the little Saiyan. The result is hilarious and represents the essence of the franchise.
Toribot was Toriyama’s avatar with which he represented himself in the mangas.
Evidently, this is not the first time that Toriyama has inserted himself into a story of his creation, as he usually did so through the design of his “Toribot” avatar. which appeared in some panels of his workssometimes trying to go unnoticed and other times trying to be obvious. In fact, we could see this adorable robot in Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and in Dr. Slump, one of the mangas he created before his great success.
However, the truth is that this cover is also one of the few times in which Toriyama introduced himself directly into an illustrationleaving aside the Toribot avatar.
2024 marked the beginning of the 40th anniversary of the Dragon Ball franchise, but this is not over, since 2025 looks like it will be another extraordinary year for the saga, especially since fans are waiting for the return of the manga of Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball Daima is being a resounding success.
