37 Years Later, Dragon Ball Finally Reveals Original Goku vs. Piccolo Design

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The official website recently rediscovered an old illustration as part of its Toriyama Archives. This artwork, originally a draft for a magazine cover from 37 years ago, shows Piccolo and highlights the tension leading up to his epic battle with Goku.

This artwork of Piccolo was originally created for the cover of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump issue #19, published on April 5, 1988. The cover featured all eight fighters from the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai – Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Chi-Chi, Tien Shinhan, Mercenary Tao, Hero (Shen), and Piccolo – in a tense showdown. The cover was assembled by combining individual character illustrations. However, in the final published version, Piccolo ended up mostly hidden behind the magazine’s title. This newly released draft gives fans their first clear look at Piccolo standing powerfully, with a mysterious presence, in almost forty years. At this point in the story, Piccolo’s background was still a secret, which adds to the unique feeling of this early artwork.

Dragon Ball Reveals Rare 37-Year-Old Draft of Piccolo for 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai

The magazine cover was meant to celebrate the final rounds of the tournament, but the design actually focused on the intense rivalry between the two fighters who would ultimately reach the end. Fans often consider this fight one of the best in early Dragon Ball because it went far beyond the usual tournament rules. Piccolo fought with everything he had, trying every trick to win, while Goku struggled to defend himself and protect the audience. He even managed to save Kami, who was trapped inside Piccolo. After a long and brutal battle where Piccolo nearly paralyzed Goku, Goku won with a last-minute headbutt, earning the title of the Strongest Under the Heavens.

This issue of the magazine included Chapter 168 of the Dragon Ball manga, titled “Tenshinhan vs. Taopaipai,” which started the quarterfinal matches of the tournament. The chapter’s inside cover showed the eight finalists, posed as they would face off in their upcoming battles: Tien Shinhan against Mercenary Tao, Goku against Chi-Chi, Krillin against Piccolo, and Yamcha against Hero. This 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai is a particularly important story arc in the Dragon Ball franchise. Unlike earlier tournaments which were mainly about sportsmanship, this competition had much higher stakes. Piccolo Jr. entered determined to avenge his father and take over the world.

The Dragon Ball series has grown from its early days to include epic, universe-spanning conflicts in Dragon Ball Super and the newest installment, Dragon Ball Daima. But fans can still revisit the series’ origins through the Toriyama Archives project. These archival releases are only available on the official website for a limited time – 24 hours – offering a rare and quick look at how the manga was created. A recent release showed…

I’ve noticed the Dragon Ball franchise has been sharing older artwork lately to keep fans interested, but it sounds like bigger news is coming. They’ve announced that more Dragon Ball projects will be revealed on January 24th, 2026. The big question now is whether this will include a new anime series or finally continue the “Black Frieza” arc of the Dragon Ball Super manga – something fans have been waiting for.

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2025-11-15 03:34