Incredible Dragon Ball Artwork Fetches Staggering Price at Auction, Surpassing Berserk

A recent auction saw a Dragon Ball portrait fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars, surpassing a signed artwork by the late Kentaro Miura, the creator of Berserk.

On X (formerly Twitter), a user shared an image comparing two hand-drawn anime portraits of Guts from Berserk and Son Goku from Dragon Ball, along with the prices they were sold for at the auction. The Berserk portrait, featuring a meticulous depiction of Guts' face, sold for $43,000, whereas the Goku drawing fetched over $100,000 in a surprising turn of events that the user referred to as "unbelievable."

Both Miura and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama are highly regarded in the manga community for their contributions to the medium and their iconic work on series that are considered classics. However, despite Miura's detailed and fully finished artwork of Guts in Berserk, Toriyama's simpler sketch of Goku, along with his signature, fetched a significantly higher sale price. This outcome has caused confusion among fans, especially considering Miura's passing in 2021 and the subsequent surge in value of his older manga volumes. Many fans were expecting Miura's work to command a higher price.

However, some fans have come to the defense of the price, arguing that Dragon Ball and Toriyama himself have a much broader recognition beyond just anime fans. Toriyama's contributions extend to not only creating and writing the Dragon Ball series and its subsequent installments but also serving as a character designer for the influential Dragon Quest video game series in the role-playing genre. He has also established other established anime franchises such as Blue Dragon and Sand Land, which is even receiving its own video game adaptation.

On the other hand, while Berserk does have its dedicated fan base, Miura's work is not as widely known. The flagship Berserk series only received a few short-lived anime adaptations that failed to gain significant acclaim or financial success. Although the initial Berserk anime did receive positive reviews, it was quickly canceled due to budget constraints after only a few episodes. As a result, Miura's work remains primarily confined to the pages of his own books.

Source: X (formerly Twitter)

Editor's P/S

As a passionate fan of both Dragon Ball and Berserk, I have mixed feelings about this news. On the one hand, I am thrilled that an original Dragon Ball sketch by Akira Toriyama has fetched such a high price at auction.

This is a testament to the enduring popularity of the series and the respect that fans have for Toriyama's work. On the other hand, I am disappointed that a signed artwork by the late Kentaro Miura, the creator of Berserk, sold for less than half the price of the Goku drawing.

Miura was an incredibly talented artist, and his work on Berserk is some of the most detailed and intricate in the manga world. I believe that his artwork deserves to be recognized and celebrated just as much as Toriyama's.

Ultimately, I think the sale prices of these two artworks reflect the different levels of popularity of the Dragon Ball and Berserk franchises. Dragon Ball is a global phenomenon with a massive fan base, while Berserk has a smaller but more dedicated following.

However, I hope that this disparity in price does not discourage fans of Berserk from appreciating Miura's work. He was a true master, and his legacy will continue to inspire and entertain fans for years to come.