Toyotaro Returns to the Official ‘Dragon Ball Super’ Manga and Offers an Unexpected First Glimpse of Vegeta’s Mother

Dragon Ball Super first launched in 2015, marking the franchise’s formal comeback after years of silence. Though the revival has had its share of creative ups and downs, both the anime adaptation and the monthly manga gradually rekindled fans’ devotion. Now, in 2026, the series’ lead illustrator has shown us the first glimpse of Vegeta’s mother.

Toyotaro, who took over the manga as Akira Toriyama’s protégé, has finally published a special new illustration. The artwork offers a comprehensive view of the Saiyan prince’s family and it contains several narrative-expanding details.

Dragon Ball Super Illustration Makes Vegeta’s Mother Canon

The original Dragon Ball manga debuted more than four decades ago, in 1984, and over that immense timespan it introduced countless characters who became global pop-culture icons. Vegeta himself entered the story in 1988, initially as a formidable antagonist before undergoing one of the most celebrated character arcs in shonen history.

Today, the Prince of the Saiyans stands as one of the franchise’s most powerful warriors and most beloved personalities. Over the years, audiences have pieced together fragments of his backstory and the tragic legacy of Planet Vegeta.

The anime, for instance, introduced King Vegeta while a 2008 OVA brought Tarble, Vegeta’s younger brother, into the fold, even though that character (despite being designed by Toriyama himself) never appeared in the main series or the Super manga.

Curiously, one figure that neither Toei Animation’s long-running show nor any manga installment ever mentioned was Vegeta’s mother… until now. Toyotaro has shown us the very first official look at this enigmatic character.

On August 17, 2026, the mangaka released an alternate take on the cover art for Dragon Ball Super’s 19th collected volume. The release was timed to celebrate the conclusion of a fan-voting event in which readers selected their favorite covers from the series’ run.

The new drawing was published via the official Dragon Ball Super website, and in it, Vegeta poses in the foreground alongside his wife Bulma and their children, Trunks and Bra, while a puddle’s reflection reveals King Vegeta surrounded by his full royal household.

That reflection holds two major revelations. First, it marks Tarble’s debut in the Dragon Ball Super manga. Even more significantly, it offers the very first canonical sighting of Vegeta’s mother, though her face is deliberately obscured by the illustration’s angle and framing.

Addressing this creative choice, Toyotaro openly admitted that he himself has no concrete conception of who Vegeta’s mother truly is. Rather than invent a design he felt unqualified to establish, he opted for a workaround.

“I won’t reveal anything,” he confessed on the series’ official website, “but look at Bulma’s reflection. I can’t say who that is. In fact, I have no idea who she is! I had to sidestep that character, but the compositional idea came to me all of a sudden.”

Is the Dragon Ball Super Manga Returning Soon?

This latest piece is actually the third variant of volume 19’s cover art. The original version featured Goku’s family, while a prior alternate showcased Gohan alongside his wife Videl and their daughter Pan. Together, the three illustrations contrast the lives of each family.

Naturally, this reveal has fueled renewed speculation about whether Vegeta’s mother might eventually be fully introduced in a future storyline. That possibility, however, remains entirely uncertain. The Dragon Ball Super manga entered an indefinite hiatus in early 2024, following the passing of Akira Toriyama. Chapter 103, published in Shueisha’s V-Jump magazine, stands as the last regular installment to date.

In 2025, a one-off special episode centered on Trunks and Goten’s superhero antics was released, but it was a self-contained story with no bearing on the larger arc. Toyotaro has yet to confirm whether monthly serialization will resume, though he has previously hinted that a return is not out of the question.

However, the artist is set to publish a short manga included in the Dragon Ball S.H.Figuarts Collection, a book dedicated to the popular line of collectible figures, scheduled for release in October 2026.

Meanwhile, on the anime front, Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is officially slated to premiere in fall 2026, and Toei Animation is also reportedly developing an adaptation of the highly anticipated Moro arc, though its debut appears to be further off.

Would you like to see Vegeta’s mother properly introduced in a future arc? When do you think the manga is coming back? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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