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As part of celebrations for the 40th anniversary of mangaka Akira Toriyama’s original Dragon Ball series, each of the 42 covers in the series are being redesigned. The news of the series getting a celebration for its 40th anniversary is hardly surprising, with both the original series itself and the entire franchise being one of the most popular of all time.
What is particularly surprising about the Dragon Ball anniversary celebration is the fact that other mangakas who were likely inspired by the series are doing the redesigns. Several have already been released, each being done by a different author and illustrator, with one volume cover redesign set to be released each month until November 2024.
Dragon Ball 40th anniversary celebration’s latest redesign release features artwork from Food Wars!’s Shun Saeki
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The latest redesign entry in the series focuses on the original Dragon Ball series’ 10th volume, which has been redesigned by Shun Saeki. Saeki is best known as the illustrator behind the Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma manga series. Other series the illustrator is known for include the Tenmaku Cinema manga and the Active Raid anime series.
Saeki’s contribution to the 40th anniversary celebration project sees him redesign one of the most famous volume covers of the original series. In Toriyama’s original artwork, Bulma is the main focus, wearing a pair of pants with one of the legs fully cut off. She holds an assault rifle-like gun in her left hand, with her right hand on her hip as she smiles into the camera. A shocked Goku and a motorcycle can be seen in the geometric background.
Saeki’s redesign keeps Bulma as the main focus, recreating her look and accessories from the original while having her adopt a slightly different pose. Similarly, Saeki’s own unique artstyle is used rather than trying to recreate Toriyama’s style. Goku is also in the foreground with his shocked expression, while the motorcycle is behind him in a much more subtle appearance. Additionally, Saeki chose to include a rock wall that Bulma seems to be standing against.
The celebration project began in August 2021, with Naruto’s Masashi Kishimoto kicking things off by redrawing the volume 11 cover. The project recently crossed the halfway mark with Dr. Stone’s Boichi redesigning the volume 26 cover. Saeki’s redesign is set to be officially released as part of the May 2023 cover redesign, marking the 22nd of 42 total covers.
Be sure to keep up with all Dragon Ball anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
