Akira Toriyama, the creator of the globally popular Dragon Ball franchise, also worked as a character artist for virtually every installment of Square Enix’s beloved video game series, Dragon Quest. Toyotarou, the illustrator for Dragon Ball Super, recently created new artwork depicting the hero of Dragon Quest‘s first official series adaptation.
Featured on Dragon Ball‘s official website, the aforementioned artwork is the latest entry in the ongoing “Toyotarou Tries To Draw” series, in which the artist frequently highlights Toriyama’s lesser-known projects. This month, Toyotarou chose to draw Abel, the titular protagonist of Studio Comet’s Legend of Abel anime series. While Abel somewhat resembles Goku, the former chooses to wield a sword instead of bare fists and energy blasts. He also sports a unique feathered headpiece. CBR readers can check it out below.
Dragon Ball Super’s Toyotarou Inks New Artwork From Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel
The first Dragon Quest game was released in 1986. Initially released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the single-player RPG follows a nameless hero who sets out on a quest to save his world from an evil being known as the Dragon Lord. The game went on to become a massive hit in Japan and was eventually brought to North America and other regions under the title Dragon Warrior. Released in 1989, The Legend of Abel tells a brand-new narrative set in the Dragon Quest universe. Dragon Ball‘s site briefly describes the plot: “It tells the story of the protagonist Abel, who goes on an adventure with his friends to defeat Baramos, the evil dark emperor who is plotting to take over the world.”
Thanks in part to Toriyama’s endearing art style, Dragon Quest‘s popularity has persisted for well over three decades. Since Legend of Abel, several other anime adaptations have been released, the most recent of which is a Dragon Quest spinoff titled The Adventure of Dai. Adapted from Riju Sanjo and Koji Inada’s titular manga, the series follows boy hero Dai as he sets off on a journey to avenge his friend after the latter is killed by a demon lord named Hadlar. The anime adaptation ran for 101 episodes from October 2020 to October 2022.
Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate Is Still in Development Following Akira Toriyama’s Passing
Square Enix is currently developing a new installment titled Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate, which Toriyama was working on prior to his death earlier this year. In the meantime, Square Enix is also whipping up a triad of stunning 2D-HD remakes of the original Dragon Quest trilogy. The first release, which includes Dragon Quest III exclusively, is scheduled to launch on Nov. 14, 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Part 2, which features Dragon Quest I and II bundled together, is scheduled to drop sometime in 2025 for the same set of platforms.
Currently, The Legend of Abel is not available on most conventional streaming services. However, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is available via Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video. The Dragon Ball Super manga, in addition to Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, are available in English from VIZ Media. Dragon Ball‘s respective anime adaptations are available on Hulu and Crunchyroll.
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First Film
- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball (1986)
- Upcoming TV Shows
- Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First Episode Air Date
- April 26, 1989
- Cast
- Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil
Summary
Dragon Ball is the labor of writer/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball back in 1984. The series originally started as a serialized manga back in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade until it expanded into the anime franchises it is most known for today. Dragon Ball was later adapted into two animes, with one being Dragon Ball Z, the most universally known series in the entire Dragon Ball canon. The franchise has continued to expand lore via films, video games, and additional sequel TV series, such as the more recent Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Dragon Ball centers mostly around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face off against intergalactic threats and seek out the titular dragon balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant the wishes of whoever so gathers them. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to be one of the most well-known and beloved animes of all time, with over forty different countries airing it, and has had a tremendous impact on Western culture as a whole.
Source: Dragon Ball official site