Dragon Ball recently hit its milestone 40th anniversary, with Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of the iconic Z-Warriors ingrained in nerd culture to the point that the franchise may never truly come to a definitive end. Despite fans most likely never getting to see a true elderly version of Goku in continuity, series creator Akira Toriyama once teased fans with a drawing of what the perpetually unchanging Saiyan would look like if or when he eventually becomes old and grey.
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An illustration reshared on X by Dragon Ball Perfect Shots (@DBPerfectShots), this account specializes in “Daily Dragon Ball images and GIFs,” with recent focus shifting to discussing all things Dragon Ball Daima.
Titled “Old Goku by Akira Toriyama (1989),” this post uses a quote from an interview with Toriyama taken from Weekly Shonen Jump #43 — the issue he sketched this drawing for — where Toriyama notes, “...I don't really know when Dragon Ball will end or what will happen in the future. Maybe Goku will end up becoming an old man like this…” revealing an aged-up Goku with an all-white mustache!
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Goku Is an Old Man With a Mustache in Decades-Old Sketch From Dragon Ball’s Creator
Weekly Shonen Jump #43 - 1989 (Akira Toriyama)
Sporting a similarly bushy upper lip as his adoptive grandpa Gohan and eventual martial arts mentor Master Roshi, Toriyama draws Goku with his signature hairstyle looking a little less spiky and well-defined than his usual design. Drawn smiling underneath his mustache if his gleefully raised eyebrows are of any indication, Goku holds one hand behind his back and the other gripping a very Master Roshi-like walking cane, with this older version of Goku donning his go-to orange and blue fighting gi, bringing the character’s visual design full-circle in a way that pays tribute to Goku’s always epic Dragon Ball adventures.
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What’s so cool about this geriatric take on Dragon Ball’s main protagonist has more to do with Goku’s pure-blooded Saiyan lineage than anything else, as a Saiyan’s biology is geared towards efficiency and combat from birth, with their race aging far slower than humans once they reach their physical prime. Never needing to cut their hair as it keeps the same style from the day they’re born (though Vegeta’s Dragon Ball GT design throws all of that into question), Saiyans do eventually grow old and frail, with their aging seeming to accelerate rapidly once their fighting days are finally over.
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Goku Barely Ages but Akira Toriyama Showed What He Could Look Like if He Did
The oldest fans have seen this iconic Saiyan warrior was in the now non-canon Dragon Ball GT series, where, by the time Goku leaves Earth with Shenron in the finale, he was pushing 60. Though it’s not clear at what point Saiyans begin to age properly like their human or half-Saiyan counterparts, estimated guesses mark the end of their prime years landing closer to 80 or 100, dating this Toriyama-created Old Man Goku as being somewhere past that age range, with it standing to reason that Goku didn’t simply wake up one day with white hair and nagging back problems.
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It’s doubtful fans will ever get to see Goku with grey hair and a mustache, but considering Dragon Ball has followed the character’s journey practically since birth, there’s no reason to think that years or possibly even decades down the line the series couldn’t show Goku nearing the end of his life looking awfully familiar to the elderly design Toriyama dreamed up here. Regardless of whether that day will ever officially come in the franchise’s manga or anime, Dragon Ball isn’t going anywhere soon, making this unique Goku sketch a fun visual progression that may yet still come to pass.
Source: Dragon Ball Perfect Shots
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku's never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First Film
- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes
- First Episode Air Date
- April 26, 1989
- Latest Episode
- 2019-10-05
- Cast
- Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil
- Current Series
- Dragon Ball Super
- Video Game(s)
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 , Dragon Ball FighterZ , Dragon Ball: The Breakers , Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission , Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z , Dragon Ball Xenoverse , Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Summary
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku's never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Goku
Goku is the main protagonist of Dragon Ball. Born as Kakarot, a Saiyan sent to Earth, he becomes one of the mightiest warriors, battling powerful enemies and protecting Earth. Known for his boundless strength and fighting spirit, Goku masters numerous transformations, including the Super Saiyan and Ultra Instinct forms.
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