Dragon Ball fans have praised Akira Toriyama’s final contribution to Dragon Ball Super manga after the author’s recent death.
It’s recently revealed that a particular scene in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 was corrected by Akira Toriyama himself before his death. This scene is coincidentally the last panel of the manga’s last chapter before it went on an indefinite hiatus. The emotional implication of this has fans remembering the legendary author fondly and hailing him for his contribution.
In the rough draft of DBS Chapter 103 by Toyotaro, the author and illustrator of DBS, the final scene of the chapter featured Goku, Gohan, Pan, and Piccolo flying away, leaving Janet behind. But Akira Toriyama corrected the scene with Piccolo turning back once to wave at Janet. His correction note was for “Piccolo to wave farewell to the kindergarten teacher”.
The panel of Piccolo waving is the last panel of the chapter and it looks as if Piccolo is waving goodbye to the readers instead. This notion is all the more painful given Toriyama’s death following this chapter, making it his last work and his last gift to his fans.
In Toyotaro’s rough draft for the final page of DBS ch.103, the gang just flies off, with their backs to the reader. Toriyama’s final correction was for “Piccolo to wave farewell to the kindergarten teacher” (which therefore looks as if he’s waving goodbye to us) https://t.co/N6yIjZBTed
— Todd Blankenship (@Herms98) March 28, 2024
Another heartbreaking detail that Dragon Ball readers remember is that Piccolo was Akira Toriyama’s favorite character. By making his favorite waving goodbye, it’s as if the author himself is bidding farewell to his fans.
The revelation of this has the Dragon Ball fandom in a roar. Fans are touched by Akira Toriyama’s final contribution to the manga and are expressing their gratitude for the author on various social media platforms.
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“Sad because Piccolo was his favorite character too. A final wave goodbye,” writes a user on the Dragon Ball subreddit.
“And it becomes even sadder when you consider the fact that Piccolo was Toriyama’s favorite character,” another user writes.
“Here I am crying again, thank you again, Toryiama sensei,” says another fan.
The response to this news makes it clear how impactful Akira Toriyama’s final contribution to the manga is and how fondly he’s remembered.