Sonic the Hedgehog Designer Pays Tribute to Akira Toriyama

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 character designer, Yasushi Yamaguchi, posted a piece of art paying tribute to the late Akira Toriyama that is a crossover between Sonic and Dragon Ball. On March 1, Akira Toriyama passed away at age 68. Toriyama was the creator of Dragon Ball, which would become one of the most popular manga series and multimedia franchises of all time. Toriyama also contributed to the character designs of properties like Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon, and Dragon Quest. Toriyama's influence can be felt in other franchises, such as Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog.

Many longtime fans can pick out the similarities between Dragon Ball and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises, especially in regard to how the former influenced the latter. Both series have seven mystical items to collect, Sonic and Goku can transform into a golden super-powered version of themselves, and the rivalry between Sonic and Shadow is often likened to the one between Goku and Vegeta. Sonic the Hedgehog 2's character designer, Yasushi Yamaguchi, recently highlighted how the relationship between Sonic and Tails was inspired by Dragon Ball as well.

In a tweet posted a few days after the news of Akira Toriyama's passing was released, Yamaguchi shared a piece of artwork that had dressed Sonic in Piccolo's clothes and Tails in Gohan's gi from the Saiyan Saga of Dragon Ball Z. He recalls that when he was designing the relationship between Sonic and Tails, he modeled it after the one seen between Piccolo and Gohan in the Dragon Ball manga. He notes that without the influence of Dragon Ball, the second Sonic game and the iconic pair likely wouldn't have existed, thanking Toriyama.

Dragon Ball's influence can still be felt in the Sonic series to this day. Dragon Ball Z's Future Trunks, for example, was a direct influence on the creation of recurring Sonic mainstay, Silver the Hedgehog. A lot of Sonic Frontiers' Titan boss fights include high-octane action that makes the player feel like Super Sonic, having battles that