Dragon Ball Super Manga Author Reveals A Hidden Detail About Chapter 103 That Would Make Fans Cry

It’s the 28th of March, 2024 and a Thursday. For Dragon Ball fans, they might be thinking, “Oh, it’s another casual day with no chapter leaks, no news about the manga returning. It’s just another normal day“.

But then Toyotaro, the illustrator for the Dragon Ball Super manga, drops this bombshell on Twitter, revealing the FINAL correction Toriyama made for the manga, and I’m certain when they come to know this, they will see chapter 103 in an entirely different light!

WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers from the Dragon Ball Super manga. Read ahead at your own discretion!

In the final panel of chapter 103, we see Piccolo breaking the 4th wall and saying goodbye to the readers. In the following Twitter thread, Toyotaro reveals that, in the first draft, he had the characters all just fly away without turning back. But Toriyama later altered the panel, with Piccolo saying goodbye to Pan’s teacher.

(DBS Chapter 103’s final page, original draft by Toyotaro)

(Revised and final version by Toriyama, recreated by Toyotaro)

Toyotaro was informed of Toriyama’s death after he submitted the final draft of the chapter to V-Jump for publication. It was almost as if Toriyama knew that he’d die with this chapter being his last work and he wanted to say adios to his successor and fans by waving goodbye through his favorite character, Piccolo.

What hits even harder is knowing the fact that this is the last piece of art Toriyama drew before his death.

I CANNOT HELP BUT WEEP JUST BY THINKING ABOUT IT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

So this page of Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo picking up Pan was Toriyama’s last drawing for Toyotaro

This really just hits different knowing that pic.twitter.com/Sw7wAGSWqk

— Pota: 2099 (@BasedPota18) March 28, 2024

Toyotaro comments further on what working with Toriyama meant to him in the same Twitter thread as follows:

“So it was not with that intention that I drew Piccolo. But I can’t help but add another meaning to it. Toriyama-sensei, thank you very much for your hard work. To think that I was able to work with you for 9 years is like a miracle. Thank you very much. I pray for the repose of your soul.”

About Dragon Ball:

Dragon Ball is a manga series by Akira Toriyama. It first began its serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1984.

The manga was later adapted into a multitude of animated series, movies, and games.

The franchise consists of five different anime series, about 21 animated movies, and around 10 games spanning various platforms, from Famicon to Playstation and Xbox.

Synopsis of the Dragon Ball anime:

Goku Son is a young boy who lives in the woods all alone—that is, until a girl named Bulma runs into him in her search for a set of magical objects called the “Dragon Balls.”

Since the artefacts are said to grant one wish to whoever collects all seven, Bulma hopes to gather them and wish for a perfect boyfriend.

Goku happens to be in possession of a dragon ball, but unfortunately for Bulma, he refuses to part ways with it, so she makes him a deal: he can tag along on her journey if he lets her borrow the dragon ball’s power.

With that, the two set off on the journey of a lifetime.

Source: Toyotaro’s official Twitter