Legendary DC Artist Jim Lee Pays Respect to Dragon Ball’s Akira Toriyama With Stunning New Goku Art

Akira Toriyama, the influential anime and manga creator of Dragon Ball, recently passed through Other World on his way to his next adventure, leaving behind an incredible legacy that fans will not soon forget. To honor Akira Toriyama as well as give his take on what Dragon Ball’s main protagonist would look like drawn by his hand, legendary DC Comics artist Jim Lee has whipped up his own Goku fanart that does Toriyama’s character justice.

A piece first drawn live on Twitch and then uploaded to Instagram by industry veteran and current Chief Creative Officer of DC Jim Lee (@jimlee), Mr. Lee is no stranger to sharing sketches both official and unofficial, utilizing his signature art style to bring to life some of the best fictional characters of all time.

In the past, Mr. Lee has shared fanart of Star Wars’ Baylan Skull and Darth Vader, Katana from Mortal Kombat fame, Ultraman, and even Marvel’s Black Panther, with this Goku illustration being a welcome addition to Jim Lee’s non-DC Comics work.

Jim Lee Honors Akira Toriyama With New Black and White Goku Sketch

Fanart Design By Jim Lee (@jimlee)

Making its mark as a manga from 1984 to 1995, adapted into an anime series in 1986, and then becoming a worldwide phenomenon by the time 1989’s Dragon Ball Z premiered, Dragon Ball has inspired audiences for 40 years now, with the current Dragon Ball Super and the upcoming Dragon Ball DAIMA series continuing its sprawling saga in earnest. Reaching the kind of popularity most series can only dream of, the fact that Jim Lee has finally taken a crack at drawing Goku says a lot about the reach of the Goku character and the series he hails from.

Illustrating Goku in his signature art style but also adding a bit of Toriyama flair in honor of his recent passing and his contributions to the nerd community, Jim Lee draws Goku charging up what can only be a Kamehameha Blast, posing him in a way that makes it feel like he’s floating in mid-air. Captioning his drawing, “In memory of the legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama who brought the world the amazing Dragon Ball Z,” Jim Lee’s black and white sketch is full of extra details and accents that nail the kinetic nature of Goku and his uncanny abilities.

Many creators like Naruto’s Masashi Kishimoto and One Piece’s Eiichiro Oda have paid tribute to Toriyama in the weeks since his unexpected passing, with the idea that his work has affected those in the comic industry and beyond only proving the importance of a series that will now need to live on without its caretaker there to guide it. Goku looks great when drawn by the legendary Jim Lee, so here’s hoping he finds the time to bring more iconic Dragon Ball characters to life as the start of a new chapter in the franchise, sans Akira Toriyama, begins.

Source: @jimlee