The Dragon Ball franchise is just days away from the grand opening of Dragon Ball Store — the world’s first permanent, physical shop dedicated exclusively to Akira Toriyama’s iconic shonen series. However, reactions to a recent piece of artwork demonstrate that fans are vexed with the work of the store’s official artist.
Dragon Ball Store Tokyo — one of several commemorative initiatives for Dragon Ball’s 40th anniversary — is set to open its doors to the public on Nov. 14 (JST). Recently, X (formerly Twitter) user @Venixys posted some official illustrations, one of Super Saiyan 4 Goku (SSJ4), created by Dragon Ball’s unnamed “new artist,” who reportedly drew all the variations of Goku depicted inside the main stairwell of the upcoming store. Although this particular drawing has already appeared online, @Venixyz’s post features a standalone, high-resolution version of SSJ4 Goku. Soon after the image appeared, it received heavy criticism, with many pointing out alleged issues with proportion and scale.
New Official Goku Art Gains Controversy Ahead of Major Dragon Ball Anniversary Opening
In the comment sections of X, there are several complaints regarding Goku’s inconsistent limb sizes. Many fans specifically noted that the Saiyan’s right hand appears slightly larger than his left. Criticisms of Goku’s upper body also extend to the depiction of his neck in relation to his shoulder muscles. “The neck lines don’t even connect to the center of the chest, so it looks like his head is somewhat disconnected or sideways somehow,” one X user wrote. This user also attributed this as the root cause of the many “scoliosis” jokes made by other DB fans. “It seems that scoliosis really is canon,” another X user stated.
SSJ4 Goku has not been the only target of criticism. On Nov. 7, a quartet of official Dragon Ball Store illustrations posted by X user @guernicass4 invoked similarly harsh critiques. “Who did they get to draw these? They look like bad tutorial follows,” one user stated. Some fans even ventured as far as to accuse the store’s artist of utilizing AI — a trend that has been on the rise among both professional and nonprofessional creators. However, no representative from Dragon Ball Store Tokyo, Toei Animation or any other Dragon Ball franchise affiliates have addressed these accusations directly.
Controversial artwork aside, Dragon Ball Store Tokyo is well on its way to becoming a go-to destination for die-hard Akira Toriyama fans. The shop’s debut lineup of “store-original goods,” which includes T-shirts, badges, keychains, mugs and posters, was recently posted to its official website. Additionally, Dragon Ball’s 40th anniversary celebration is set to conclude next year with Dragon Ball “Genkidamatsuri” — an invitation-only fan event that will include special cast and staff appearances, along with major announcements about upcoming Dragon Ball media projects. The event is scheduled to be held on Jan. 25, 2026 (JST).
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