Earlier this year, the world lost Akira Toriyama, a legendary artist who inspired an entire generation of anime and comic creators with his beloved Dragon Ball franchise. To honor Toriyama's legacy, a talented artist has dedicated a stunning new wall mural to the late icon.

Per PR Times, Yuki Yamamoto, a career painter and co-founder of the Japan-based mural company OVER ALLS INC., recently unveiled the new wall portrait, which adorns one of the exterior walls of OVER ALLS company headquarters at the Mural Square in Aoyama, Tokyo. The completed work depicts a youthful Toriyama smiling in front of a row of Dragon Ball tankoban manga volumes. Just like their real-world counterparts, each book spine depicts part of the body of Shenron, the eternal mascot of the Dragon Ball series. CBR readers can view the mural below.

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The concept for Toriyama's portrait was partially inspired by 2024's placement on the Chinese calendar, which designates it as the year of the dragon. Additionally, Yamamoto himself also has deep respect and admiration for the late artist. Like countless other manga creators, he grew up reading Toriyama's manga and doodling images of Goku. "During recess in elementary school, the first time a friend said to me, 'That's amazing!' when I drew a picture in my notebook; it was Goku from Dragon Ball," he recounted. "I'm sure there are many artists who have similar stories. Akira Toriyama, who inspired everyone's dreams, passed away this year, in the Year of the Dragon 2024."

The extent of Toriyama's influence became evident soon after his death. In late March, Weekly Shonen Jump published dozens of emotional farewell messages from Japan's leading manga artists, many of whom stated that Toriyama's works inspired and motivated them as children. Yamamoto also views Toriyama as a symbol of hope, and tried to reflect that in his mural. "I painted Dragon Ball with my hopes for the coming year," he explained. "I painted the first six volumes to coincide with the year of Reiwa [Era] 6, and plan to add volume seven in the new year. Next year is Reiwa 7. Seven Dragon Balls make wishes come true."

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Akira Toriyama's mural is located in the center of Tokyo's Gaienmae Intersection. Currently, Tokyo visitors and residents can view it alongside portraits of Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, current U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump and Japanese writer and philosopher Yukichi Fukuzawa. Dragon Ball and its ongoing sequel manga, Dragon Ball Super, are available in English from VIZ Media. While the latter series is currently on hiatus, V Jump recently announced that a new Dragon Ball Super one-shot starring Goten, Trunks and the elusive environmental hero, Clean God, will be published in the publication's April 2025 issue.

Source: PR Times