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Dragon Ball Superfans are discussing whether Toyotaro should keep his art style similar to Toriyama’s or if he should change and present a more “original” artwork with his own signature. Some think this would be the best way, while others prefer him to stick to Toriyama’s style.
Dragon Ball Superis about to start a brand-new arc when it comes back from hiatus— and there are reasons to believe that it will be the highly anticipated Black Frieza arc. With such high expectations, is there any reason for Toyotaro to change his style and distance himself from Toriyama, and is there any reason for him to do so?
Is There Any Problem With “Emulating” Toriyama’s Style?
One of the things that amazed fans whenDragon Ball Superbegan serialization was how much Toyotaro’s illustrations resembled Toriyama’s art style — while he is not exactly copying Toriyama, someone who didn’t know who the illustrator is could easily think the manga has been drawn by Toriyama.
My manga was popular and, then, in 2015, Shueisha offered me to draw Dragon Ball Super. I was impressed when I met Akira Toriyama-sensei. He cheered me up, saying that my work was delicate, and that I was full of ideas. He has chosen me as his successor. It is a great honor.
— Toyotaro
Toyotaro has stated in an interview thathe was chosen as Toriyama’s successor, and the similarity of his style to Toriyama’s was probably an important element for Toriyama to entrust the story to him. However, as the series progressed, Toyotaro added more and more of his own style to his art — for example, he made many covers that look a bit more “realistic” than the first ones. Many fans prefer these from being too similar to Toriyama’s style.
He Doesn’t Need to Do It to Leave His Mark in the Franchise
Now, without Toriyama,Toyotaro will probably have even more freedom to write the story. This could be a time to put more of his style into the art, and some fans may prefer the story to distance itself from Toriyama, and bring more fresh content to the series.
While this is understandable, Toyotaro was already givena lot of freedom to createDragon Ball Super. Toriyama gave him plot lines, allowed him to draw storyboards, and would only change what he felt didn’t fit the story.Dragon Ball Superis already a big mark that Toyotaro has left on the franchise, and he can do it with his current style. Changes can be refreshing, butDragon Ballis deeply tied to Toriyama’s art, and sinceDragon Ball Superis a sequel to the original story, it makes more sense for the art to be similar to Toriyama’s. However, Toyotaro might try to do something different when writing a possible spin-off series.
What Will Happen With Dragon Ball Now?
Since Toriyama’s death, the future of the series has become uncertain. WhileDragon Ball Daimawas released andSuperbriefly interrupted the hiatus with a new chapter, there is a dispute over the rights to the franchise behind the scenes, at least according to recent reports.
This dispute could affect the production offutureDragon Ballseries. SinceSupergot new content this year, it seems that it will not affect the development of this spin-off. However, since Toyotaro was chosen by Toriyama himself, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t be invited to join the production of future series when the dispute is finally settled and things become clearer.
When Will Dragon Ball Super Return?
Dragon Ball Superhas been on hiatus since March 2024, when Toriyama’s death was announced. This long break was briefly interrupted in February 2025, whenDragon Ball Super Chapter 204came out — while fans expected that the series would return, it went back on hiatus once again. This chapter was first announced as a special one-shot, but it was released as part of the main story (even though it works as a flashback).
No news has been announced since. However, in a recent interview,Toyotaro talked about plansfor the future of the series, which means that it has not been canceled yet. So fans should continue to wait for an announcement about the release of the next chapter.
Dragon Ball Superis available to read on MANGA Plus, in English and in Spanish. The release date of the next chapter remains to be announced by Shueisha.
