Following the sad passing of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama at the age of 68, tributes have been pouring in left, right, and centre from numerous notable figures in the entertainment industry and beyond.
One such tribute that caught our eye was a beautiful crossover drawing from none other than Yasushi Yamaguchi (more commonly credited as Judy Totoya), the original creator behind Sonic the Hedgehog's enduring sidekick, Miles 'Tails' Prower (thanks for the tip, 'Coolmusic').
In a post on X, Yamaguchi reiterates a previously told anecdote in which the relationship between Sonic and Tails was originally based on that of Piccolo and Gohan from the Dragon Ball franchise. The accompanying drawing showcases Sonic wearing Piccolo's outfit and Tails wearing Gohan's:
Translated via Google, the post reads:
"As I wrote in a previous Twitter post and in a series of columns, the relationship between these two in Sonic 2 was created based on the image of Piccolo and Gohan. Therefore, without the work Dragon Ball, the relationship between these two would not exist today. Thank you very much, Mr. Toriyama."
It's yet another fine example of how important Toriyama's work is in the realm of video games. Not only did the creator contribute to incredible games like Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon, but the fact that he influenced one of the most iconic team-ups in gaming history is quite something.
Again, thank you Toriyama.