A rare piece of Dragon Ball art American DBZ fans likely haven't seen before gets a spotlight reveal on the official Dragon Ball website. In the latest Toriyama Archives – a column dedicated to unearthing old Akira Toriyama artwork from his time writing and drawing the Dragon Ball manga – a cheerful Goku gets ready to fight Frieza as the Namek arc's final battle begins in Weekly Shonen Jump 1991 No. 3/4. Weekly Shonen Jump 1991 No. 3/4 was a rare double-issue of the magazine, and its front cover was specifically designed to not only celebrate Christmas in style, but also the distribution of over 6 million copies of WSJ.
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The front cover features dozens of iconic Weekly Shonen Jump characters, from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Joseph Joestar and Jotaro Kujo of Stardust Crusaders fame to Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star and Hanamichi Sakuragi, the main character of the highly underrated series Slam Dunk. Despite featuring such a legendary roster of characters, Goku stands in the spotlight right above Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan, proving just how wildly popular Dragon Ball was at the peak of its best saga.
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The caption for January 6, 2026's Toriyama Archives reads, "The front cover of the issue commemorating over 6.02 million issues of Weekly Shonen Jump featured an array of popular characters, with Goku front and center as though leading the charge. In the main story, a fierce battle was unfolding on Planet Namek, so readers must have been heartened to see Goku posing so confidently." Worth noting, Goku had been out of commission for three months at this point. After the fight with Ginyu, Goku is so injured, he's forced to sit out Frieza's first three forms as he heals up.
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Weekly Shonen Jump 1991 No. 3/4 was the first time Goku would be seen back in action since early September, giving Dragon Ball fans a memorable Christmas present as DBZ's strongest character triumphantly came back stronger than ever to fight Frieza's final form. Funny enough, Goku's cheerful expression on the cover of Weekly Shonen Jump 1991 No. 3/4 might be the last time Goku genuinely smiles in the Frieza Saga, as the arc's final battle soon proves to push him to his absolute limits in a life or death battle he very nearly loses.
Goku Strikes A Pose As The Frieza Saga's Final Battle Begins In A Double-Issue Of Weekly Shonen Jump
What makes Weekly Shonen Jump 1991 No. 3/4 particularly unique is that the magazine features two chapters of Dragon Ball, as opposed to just one. Dragon Ball Chapters 305 and 306 focus on the end of Vegeta's fight with Frieza, as he very quickly finds himself overpowered and on the cusp of death. Chapter 305 ends with Vegeta incorrectly believing he's become a Super Saiyan, only for Frieza to immediately put him in his place. Goku doesn't return until the end of Chapter 306, where he finishes healing and senses Vegeta dying before he flies off to fight Frieza himself.
Weekly Shonen Jump 1991 No. 3/4 was the last volume of the magazine for 1990, so Goku wouldn't actually begin his final showdown with Frieza until January 5, 1991. Japanese fans were left with one HFIL of a cliffhanger: Vegeta about to die, Frieza stronger than ever, and Goku finally healed & stronger than ever thanks to his latest Zenkai boost. Goku would then spend the next six months fighting Frieza solo, only defeating him on June 4, 1991.
36 years later, it's a bit funny seeing such a dramatic pair of Dragon Ball chapters front-covered by the happiest Goku has looked since he was a kid: doubly so since the next six months of battle would result in the death of Goku's best friend, Krillin, and Namek exploding with Gohan, Bulma, and Piccolo just barely escaping. Akira Toriyama likely already knew how long the Frieza Saga's finale would take (and the cost of turning Goku Super Saiyan), so it's possible he drew Shonen Jump's Christmas-time Goku so cheerfully specifically because of how intense Dragon Ball Z's story was about to become.
