Last month, Masanori Morita, creator of the iconic Rookies delinquent manga, unveiled his submission for Dragon Ball‘s 40th Anniversary Super Gallery Project. However, he recently apologized to Dragon Ball‘s late creator Akira Toriyama for making a major stylistic change to Krillin.
For his official gallery entry, Morita redrew Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Krillin using his signature art style, which gives a unique delinquent-esque makeover to the iconic Z fighters. However, Morita recently apologized (possibly in a tongue-in-cheek manner) via X for failing to depict Krillin accurately. “Toriyama-sensei, I’m sorry for drawing Krillin with a nose,” he wrote. While he doesn’t give a reason for this stylistic choice, it may have been due to his initial concerns about a noseless Krillin design not meshing well with his own style, which is comparatively less cartoonish than Toriyama’s.
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Shonen Jump’s Masanori Morita Apologizes to Dragon Ball Creator for New Artwork
Saikyo Jump‘s Dragon Ball Super Gallery project is a four-year-long serialization event featuring redrawn versions of classic Dragon Ball manga covers. Morita’s entry, which is #38 out of 42 planned submissions, tributes the original cover design of Dragon Ball Volume 24. Saikyo Jump‘s complete artist lineup includes some of the biggest names in modern manga history, including Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Tatsuya Endo (Spy x Family), Hirohiko Araki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), Tite Kubo (Bleach) and Takeshi Obata (Death Note). The most recent participants include Slam Dunk creator Takehiko Inoue and Yoshihiro Togashi, the latter of whom is especially known for Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho. In June 2024, Toyotarou, the illustrator for Dragon Ball Super, submitted his own artwork, which depicts a lively car chase featuring fan-favorite duo Majin Buu and Hercule Satan.
While Morita has created several different manga throughout his career, his two biggest claims to fame by far are Rookies and Rokudenashi Blues (Good-for-Nothing Blues in English). Initially published in February 1998, the former series follows Koichi Kawato, who becomes the new manager of Futakotamagawa High School’s baseball club. However, the entire team consists of bullies and street punks who are initially only interested in fighting, smoking and women. Over time, Kawato gradually helps the players prioritize their love of baseball over their less wholesome pursuits. Good-for-Nothing Blues, which launched 10 years prior to Rookies, has a similar premise. The manga revolves around “delinquent” high school student Taison Maeda, who hopes to one day become a world champion boxer. With the help of his friends, he trains to take on a group of renowned high school brawlers known as the “Four Heavenly Kings” and ultimately joins their ranks. Toei Animation released two anime film adaptations of Rokudenashi Blues in July 1992 and July 1993.
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Dragon Ball’s 40th Anniversary Super Gallery Project Comes to an End in November
Saikyo Jump will publish the final entry for its Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Super Gallery in November 2024. In the meantime, the Dragon Ball manga and its various sequels are available in English from VIZ Media. The series’ respective anime adaptations, which include Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super, are available to stream on Hulu and Crunchyroll. Dragon Ball Daima, the anime’s next major installment, will have its televised premiere in Japan on Oct. 11, 2024.
Dragon Ball
Son Gokû, a fighter with a monkey tail, goes on a quest with an assortment of odd characters in search of the Dragon Balls, a set of crystals that can give its bearer anything they desire.
- Author
- Akira Toriyama
- Artist
- Akira Toriyama
- Release Date
- November 20, 1984
- Genre
- Adventure , Fantasy , Comedy , Martial Arts
- Chapters
- 519
- Volumes
- 42
- Adaptation
- Dragon Ball
- Publisher
- Shueisha, Madman Entertainment, Viz Media
Source: Masanori Morita via X (formerly Twitter)