A glimpse at a previously unseen Dragon Ball character has fans freaking out, and my takeaway is it's wild to think there was ever a worry this franchise would end after creator Akira Toriyama's passing. The Prince of Saiyans, Vegeta, is at the center of this latest viral moment, as an illustrator posted an image featuring a woman who appears to be his mother.
The new alternate cover, drawn by Dragon Ball Super manga artist Toyotarou, is making rounds on the internet as we wait for more updates on the anime's eventual return. It was created as a result of a fan poll for the favorite issue cover, in which fans voted for Volume 19. The cover showed Goku walking with his family as his Saiyan family is shown in the reflection.
To celebrate that, Toyotarou uploaded an alternate take on the cover, showing Vegeta with his family and a woman who appears to be his mother in the reflection. The only downside is that her face is covered by King Vegeta's cape. Take a look:
I expected some fans to be upset by the tease, but excitement is through the roof. Here are just a few reactions, as Dragon Ball lovers raved about the reveal on X, while also wondering what it could mean.
- It’s so nice to see how far Vegeta has come.Awesome stuff. Glad we’re getting more world building. - @ZakyrieHrpschrd
- i hope we can get a full image of his mom someday - @Brokenshatter7
- Making Vegeta and Broly have the same mom would add another layer to the backstory part of “DBS Broly" - @thug_nasty_thug
- HOLD UP THIS IS BIG THATS A WOMAN NEXT TO KING VEGETA VEGETAS MOM SHOW ME!!!!! SHOW US!!!!VEGETA MOVE YOUR STUPID BOISTEROUSLY LOUD AND PROUD UGLY CAPE!!!!!!!!!!! - @kadeem_kusaragi
- Maybe I’m crazy but the only reason to drop this art now with a tease of Vegeta’s mom is because we’re getting a Vegeta solo story in Universe 6 on Planet Sadala - @carthusdojo
I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to hear there's a lot of interest in Vegeta's mother. After all, Goku's father, Bardock, was ranked high in a poll for best Dragon Ball characters, despite only appearing in one movie. It does make me wonder if there's a story to tell about Vegeta's mother, and she was included for a reason.
While I, personally, would think there would be additional conversations if Vegeta's mother were not present in this family picture, it is fun to entertain the theory that she could be at the center of a greater story in the franchise's future. Who was the "Queen of the Saiyans," and why have we not seen her in the previous stories?
Vegeta is one of the coolest characters in the Dragon Ball franchise, and dare I say one of the most emotionally complex. It took him a long time to acclimate to life on Earth compared to Goku, who had the advantage of being raised there as a child. He's since been embraced by Earthlings and has even been included in Christmas displays!
Unfortunately, we won't get any new Dragon Ball on the 2026 TV schedule, but the continuation of Super is in the works. I'm excited to see what's next, and will keep an eye out to see if anything on the horizon will involve this mysterious mother!
