Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise is a shonen classic, seamlessly blending laugh-out-loud humor with thrilling action scenes, compelling story arcs, and memorable characters. However, a daring anime fan has broken new ground for the franchise with fan art that combines the world of Dragon Ball with Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 sci-fi masterpiece, Akira.
A talented fan artist known as NICO (or @nicocolors) on X (formerly Twitter) recently shared concept art based on Akira’s original film poster. The original image shows central protagonist Shotaro Kaneda approaching his iconic motorcycle. Originally posted on June 25, 2024, @nicocolors’ version reimagines the scene with Future Trunks approaching the time machine he uses during Dragon Ball Z’s famous “Androids Saga.” Furthermore, Akira’s title text is replaced with the word “HOPE,” a nod to Trunk’s unwavering determination to defeat the androids and reclaim Earth’s future from their villainous creator, Dr. Gero.
NICO’s clever artistic tribute is a component of a much larger fan project. Earlier this year, the creator published a prologue chapter for his new self-created manga project, “Not Taken.” Set in the Dragon Ball universe, the manga’s plot investigates what might have happened if Kakarot had never returned to Earth after being sent into space as a baby. NICO’s original X description reads: “What will become of Kakarot, who has made an emergency landing on a planet other than Earth?” A conflict begins over’something’ on that planet that is related to Frieza.”
The prologue’s release was accompanied by fan art that included a tribute to Akira’s original movie poster. Notably, one of these illustrations depicts Goku’s father, Bardock, who was initially an anime-original character before becoming canonized in the Dragon Ball manga series.
Akira, written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, who also created the manga adaptation, transports viewers to the cyberpunk world of Neo-Tokyo, a vibrant dystopian metropolis plagued by terrorism and government corruption. One night, Tetsuo Shima, Shotaro Kaneda’s best friend, crashes his motorcycle into Takashi, an esper fleeing Neo-Tokyo’s authorities. After Tetsuo and Kaneda are apprehended, it is discovered that Tetsuo also has powerful psychic abilities that he is unable to control, making him a new government target. Kaneda, determined to assist Tetsuo, joins forces with Kei, an anti-government activist. Meanwhile, Tetsuo seeks out a powerful esper named Akira, who may hold the key to mastering his newly acquired abilities.
While Dragon Ball and Akira are vastly different works, they share a common icon status that has stood the test of time. Along with Pokémon and Sailor Moon, both franchises are credited with popularizing anime in North America. Furthermore, both works introduced classic themes and tropes that would appear prominently in subsequent manga and anime series. Regarding the “Not Taken” fan manga, NICO makes no mention of Akira’s specific influence. However, their cleverly designed Akira x Dragon Ball concept illustrations will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on anime fans who remember Otomo’s legendary science-fiction film.
Source – X (formerly Twitter)
