News

Quick LinksThis Movie Takes Place Long After Goku's Death'Dragon Ball Gt: A Hero's Legacy' Is HeartbreakingFans Will Remember the Ending of 'Dragon Ball Gt: A Hero's Legacy' Forever

Originally conceptualized by Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama (R.I.P.), the world of Dragon Ball and its numerous anime series and theatrical animated films have been going strong for the past 40 years. For American audiences, it all started in 2001 when Cartoon Network aired dubbed episodes of Dragon Ball. A boy with monkey-like abilities named Goku teams up with a girl named Bulma who is trying to find the seven dragon balls. Along the way, they encounter villains and enter the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Even though the original series ended two years later, fans of the franchise were fortunate enough to see Goku (all grown up this time) in Dragon Ball Z, once again defending Earth from various aliens,...

Toei Animation's popular One Piece anime series has revealed an official first look at its Los Angeles Lakers merchandise, exclusive to its upcoming crossover event this February.

Via a press release, fans got their first look at the upcoming merchandise for the highly anticipated One Piece x Los Angeles Lakers NBA crossover night on Feb. 28, 2025. Those in attendance will receive a limited-edition Lakers x One Piece t-shirt and a poster featuring newly revealed artwork of the beloved Straw Hat Pirates in Lakers’ purple and gold. Further experiences include a One Piece Bounty Rush photo op via the booth on the main concourse inside Crypto.com Arena. Readers can check out the merch, more information, and the first look at the full One Piece x L.A. Lakers collaboration visual below.

RelatedDragon Ball Editors Reveal Its Creator Originally Had No Clue Who Future Trunks Was: 'Not Even Toriyama Had Decided'...

In October 2024, Toei Animation released One Piece Fan Letter -- a one-off TV special that looks at the life and the adventures of the Straw Hats through the eyes of various side characters. Because of the episode's unique narrative structure, a few major staff members, including animation director and character designer Keisuke Mori, were initially fearful that it would not be accepted by anime fans.

Anime News Network recently shared a translated version of NewType's joint interview with Mori, One Piece Fan Letter director Megumi Ishitani and screenwriter Momoka Toyoda. Here, they opened up about the creative process behind developing the special, which has become extremely popular with One Piece fans. "After it aired, people were saying things like, 'I want to go back and read the original.' And that made me so happy. I feel so relieved now," Ishitani stated. The idea for Fan Letter originated from Tomohito Ohsaki's light novel,...

Dragon Ball Super artist Toyotarou recently spotlighted two retro characters from Dragon Ball and Go! Go! Ackman, to the delight of long-time Akira Toriyama fans.

A Dragon Ball enthusiast on X (formerly Twitter) highlighted two of Toyotarou's latest character portraits. The first illustration depicts Ackman, the main star of Toriyama's 1993 manga series Go! Go! Ackman. Unlike Dragon Ball, Go! Go! Ackman's main cast consists of devils and demons instead of overpowered aliens. While Ackman somewhat resembles Trunks, he is actually a 200-year-old demon child. Meanwhile, Spike the Devilman made his debut in Chapter 103 of the original Dragon Ball manga series, where he fought Goku on behalf of Fortuneteller Baba.

Related Dragon Ball Reveals Limited-Time Sneak Peek of Storyboard for Super Chapter 100 The 100th chapter of Dragon Ball Super will soon be published, with the franchise's website offering a preview of the milestone manga installment. Last and this month’s special...