Welcome to a new episode of Weekly Dragon Ball News!
Last Week’s News
Dragon Ball Super: My Favorite Cover Poll
Victory Uchida, manga editor for Dragon Ball Super, welcomes readers to a special edition of the Weekly Dragon Ball News alongside Toyotarou, co-creator of Dragon Ball Super. This week’s feature focuses on the results of the Dragon Ball Super: My Favorite Cover Poll, which was held on the official Dragon Ball website to celebrate Goku Day on May 9.
Fans were asked to choose their favorite front-and-back cover illustration set from the 24 Dragon Ball Super volumes currently available in Japan.
Each volume has a distinctive illustration on its front cover, while removing the book jacket reveals an alternate illustration on the back. Toyotarou explained that the hidden back-cover artwork is deliberately kept from promotional materials so readers can discover it when they purchase the volume.
The original back-cover illustrations were generally printed using two colors or a limited color palette. For this special feature, however, all 24 illustrations were presented in full color, allowing fans to appreciate the artwork in greater detail and see the complete collection together for the first time.
Poll Results: 10th to 4th Place
The first group of results revealed the covers that placed between fourth and tenth:
- 4th place: Volume 23
- 5th place: Volume 14
- 6th place: Volume 11
- 7th place: Volume 1
- 8th place: Volume 4
- 9th place: Volume 15
- 10th place: Volume 3
Toyotarou was pleased by the variety represented in the results. The rankings were not dominated by one particular arc or style, with both action-focused and more light-hearted illustrations receiving strong support.
Volume 1’s seventh-place finish was particularly meaningful to Toyotarou because its design pays homage to the original Dragon Ball Volume 1 cover by Akira Toriyama, featuring Goku and Shenron.
Toyotarou also noted that he enjoys creating lighter, more playful cover illustrations. He generally tried to alternate between peaceful compositions and covers that emphasized the intensity of the battles, giving the overall series a mixture of moods.
One of Toyotarou’s personal favorites that did not reach the top ten was Volume 7, featuring the Gods of Destruction. It was the first volume where he deliberately broke his personal rule of always including Goku somewhere on the front cover.
The cover features all 12 Gods of Destruction, while the back cover features the 12 Angels and the back of the book jacket features the Supreme Kais. Toyotarou wanted to showcase the many characters introduced around the Tournament of Power, particularly because he had a personal connection to the characters he designed himself or helped develop with Akira Toriyama.
This Week’s News
Third Place: Volume 18
Toyotarou revealed Volume 18 as the third-place winner.
The cover prominently features Bardock, with a striking red color scheme that gives the illustration a sense of danger and urgency. Toyotarou explained that he wanted to emphasize Bardock’s cool factor while giving the illustration a distinctive visual identity.
The cover was created during the Granolah the Survivor arc, when Toyotarou had the opportunity to explore Bardock’s character in greater depth. He had wanted to feature Bardock in the series for some time and discussed the idea with Akira Toriyama, who approved it.
Because of that connection, Volume 18’s cover holds a special place for Toyotarou, making its third-place finish particularly meaningful.
Second Place: Volume 24
Volume 24 took second place overall and proved especially popular with international readers. It ranked first among voters from English-, French-, Spanish-, and German-speaking audiences.
The cover brings together several of the strongest forms seen throughout Dragon Ball Super. Toyotarou said this was one of the covers he spent the most time working on because the series was on hiatus, allowing him to focus more carefully on the composition and coloring.
He gathered the strongest forms together and paid close attention to the colors of each character. The result was a powerful group illustration featuring characters who could each have carried an entire cover on their own.
Toyotarou described the opportunity to place all five characters together as something of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He had deliberately saved the concept of a large group illustration for a special occasion.
The back-cover illustration also broke one of his usual conventions. It was inspired by Trunks’ backstory, which appears in the one-shot at the end of Volume 24. Rather than following the usual front-and-back cover structure, Toyotarou chose to feature Trunks, Goten, and Cleangod together.
Cleangod, a character designed by Akira Toriyama, receives particular prominence in the illustration. Toyotarou explained that he wanted to highlight the character and give him a stronger presence, making the piece one of his personal favorites.
First Place: Volume 19
The winner of the poll was Volume 19.
Its front and back covers form a connected composition centered on the relationship between Bardock, Goku, and their families. The illustration reflects Bardock and his family on the surface of the water while Goku and his family stand prominently above them.
Toyotarou explained that the connection between Bardock and Goku was central to the story, inspiring him to create a cover that explored their familial bond. The composition also mirrors the relationship between the two generations, with both Bardock and Goku shown carrying their sons.
The pose is inspired by moments from the original manga, including Bardock carrying the Space Pod and Goku carrying Gohan. Toyotarou used those visual parallels to connect the different generations of the family.
The back cover extends the idea by incorporating Gohan’s family and introducing another generation. Toyotarou was particularly satisfied with how the two illustrations together convey the connection between three generations of the family.
Toyotarou’s Alternate Volume 19 Illustration
To celebrate the first-place result, Toyotarou also created a new alternate illustration inspired by the winning Volume 19 cover.
When he learned that Volume 19 had taken first place, he immediately began thinking about how to create an additional illustration connected to its themes. He ultimately chose Vegeta and his family.
Toyotarou had originally considered using Vegeta’s family for the back cover of Volume 19. Because Vegeta and King Vegeta both have families with two children, he realized that the same visual structure could be adapted to Vegeta, his son, and his daughter.
The illustration also contains a mysterious character whose identity remains hidden. Toyotarou worked around the character while preserving the mystery, even pointing out that Bulma’s reflection provides a subtle clue without revealing who the character is.
He said that working within the creative limitations of the Volume 19 concept helped inspire him. Rather than drawing something completely unrestricted, he was able to build on an illustration that fans already knew and loved.
Dragon Ball Super Giveaway
To celebrate the winning illustration, the Japanese Dragon Ball Official X account is holding a giveaway featuring a special reprint of the Volume 19 front-and-back cover set.
Fans in Japan can enter by following the Dragon Ball Official X account and reposting the campaign post. The campaign is limited to participants living in Japan.
Toyotarou’s Final Thoughts
Toyotarou expressed his appreciation for the poll and said that seeing fans respond so positively to his work was a great honor. He also explained that the results could serve as a useful reference for future projects.
The experience of creating the alternate Volume 19 illustration was especially enjoyable because the existing cover provided creative constraints. Knowing that the illustration was connected to a familiar and beloved cover gave him a clear direction while also allowing him to explore a new idea.
With the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Beerus anime set to begin airing this fall, the Weekly Dragon Ball News concluded by looking ahead to another exciting chapter for the franchise.
That’s it for this week’s Dragon Ball News, thanks for tuning in and we hope you have a Super Week!
