Dragon Ball SD artist reimagines classic Toriyama cover with Gohan in drag racing scene.

Naho Oishi, the official artist for Dragon Ball SD, pays tribute to Akira Toriyama’s legacy by contributing a new piece to Shonen Jump’s 40th anniversary Super Gallery project.

Naho Oishi, the artist behind Dragon Ball SD, has contributed a fresh artwork to Shonen Jump’s ongoing Dragon Ball 40th anniversary Super Gallery event. Shared by the anime and manga news hub on X, formerly known as Twitter, Shonen Jump News (@WSJ_manga) unveiled Oishi’s latest addition to Dragon Ball’s Super Gallery to its followers.

Oishi’s submission features a redrawn version of the original cover of Dragon Ball Volume 18, portraying a young Gohan ready to embark on a journey in a vibrant yellow race car. While the original artwork showcased Goku, Gohan, and Master Roshi, Oishi’s rendition includes Krillin and Bulma, resulting in a delightful group composition.

DRAGON BALL Volume 18 by Naho Oishi (Dragon Ball SD).

This is part of the DRAGON BALL Super Gallery Project to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the series. Every month, different mangaka will redesign one of the 42 covers of the series until November 2024. pic.twitter.com/qEEnjbeKaB

— Shonen Jump News (@WSJ_manga) April 1, 2024

Debuting in November 1984 within the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, Dragon Ball has continued its saga for four decades, now chronicled in Shonen Jump’s monthly digital manga magazine, V-Jump. Commemorating its 40th anniversary, Dragon Ball’s Super Gallery project kicked off in September 2021 with a submission from Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the renowned Naruto franchise.

Since then, numerous artists from across Japan have joined in, offering their reinterpretations of classic Dragon Ball manga covers. Among the notable contributors are esteemed figures such as Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen), Tatsuya Endo (Spy x Family), Tite Kubo (Bleach), and Hirohiko Araki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure).

Naho Oishi’s Dragon Ball SD Draws the Franchise Characters in Chibi Form for Younger Fans

Oishi stands out as one of the select artists involved in the Dragon Ball franchise’s official releases. She gained recognition primarily for her work on Dragon Ball SD, a specially tailored rendition of the original manga aimed at younger audiences, featuring adorable, “chibified” versions of the main characters.

The abbreviation “SD” in the title denotes “Super Deformed,” a term commonly used for characters depicted in a chibi-like style. Dragon Ball SD premiered its inaugural chapter in December 2010 within Saikyo Jump magazine.

Moreover, Oishi contributed to the manga adaptation of Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock, a non-canonical sequel to the 1990 TV special Dragon Ball Z: Bardock, Father of Goku. As of April 1, Saikyo Jump has published 33 out of the 42 Super Gallery submissions. Notably, in February, Takeshi Obata, renowned for his work on the supernatural manga Death Note, presented his entry inspired by the cover of Dragon Ball Volume 29.

Obata’s rendition features Gohan and Piccolo attempting to fix their broken-down car, deviating from the original artwork where Gohan drives with Piccolo as his passenger. The 40th anniversary Super Gallery event is set to conclude this November.

English versions of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga are available through VIZ Media, while the corresponding anime adaptations can be streamed on Hulu and Crunchyroll.