NEWS
20.05.2021
Dragon Ball-ism Toriyama Showcase #1: Jaco the Galactic Patrolman!
Welcome to "Dragon Ball-ism: Toriyama Showcase"!
This is a series where we’ll discuss some of Akira Toriyama’s various short stories and one-shot works. This first article in this series will fittingly feature "Jaco the Galactic Patrolman," a short comic series with a strong connection to Dragon Ball Super! What exactly makes this series so charming? And how does it tie into the story of Dragon Ball Super? We’ll get to all that and more right here!
Although Jaco is a regular cast member in Dragon Ball Super, this series is where he made his debut. He's a peculiar character who is either super strong or a scaredy cat, or a super elite or sub-par at best—we’re not quite sure!
At the end of Weekly Shonen Jump No. 33, 2013, Toriyama left this comment: "This series is a bit old-fashioned, but I think you’ll understand why that is if you read it until the end."
What does he mean by old-fashioned, you ask? Join Jaco on his adventures and see for yourself! Sooner or later you’ll find yourself exclaiming, "Oh, now I get it!"
Could Jaco's Actions Affect the Fate of the Universe?!
The setting for Jaco's story is...Earth?!
At the start of the comic, Omori (Tokunoshin Omori), an engineer, had failed in his quest to develop a time machine and was living alone on a tiny island.
That is, until one fateful day when the spaceship of the galactic patrolman Jaco made a surprise crash landing!
Jaco is a (self-proclaimed) super elite officer who preserves peace in the galaxy.
By the way, it may look like he’s wearing a mask, but that’s actually just his face!
He's a bit of an oddball with a weird sense of humor.
While on his way to planet Earth, Jaco encountered some, shall we say, "turbulence," causing him to crash near Omori's island, leaving him stranded. He asks Omori to repair his ship, but the Sky Gold necessary to repair it is extremely rare and extortionately expensive on Earth!
Why exactly was Jaco heading to Earth in the first place?
And will he be able to return to space safely?!
And if that wasn’t enough intrigue, what about the identity of the mysterious girl with whom Jaco has a fateful encounter?!
A Surprising Connection to Dragon Ball!
Another thing to check out in Jaco the Galactic Patrolman is the "DB-" sign on the cover.
The "DB" stands for "Dragon Ball," and the "-" indicates that this series takes place before the main Dragon Ball story.
That’s right: Jaco the Galactic Patrolman is actually a prequel to Dragon Ball!
In this innovative approach to storytelling, as the end of Jaco the Galactic Patrolman draws closer, so too does the beginning of Dragon Ball!
Check out the comics to find out how this epic tale ends!
https://www.s-manga.net/items/contents.html?isbn=978-4-08-870892-8
The comics also include a special extra story drawn by Akira Toriyama called "Dragon Ball Minus: The Departure of the Fated Child"!
It’s a must-read mini-manga that features scenes depicting Goku's departure to Earth, which were also adapted in the movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly!
*All comic images are from the Japanese version.
This site includes machine-translated texts. Please be aware that you might find some unusual expressions that are difficult to understand.
Post
Confirm Post
Post the above comment?
Reply
Confirm Reply
Post the above comment?
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Report successful
Post Unsuccessful
This user will be muted.
You will be unable to see comments from muted users in the comments area.
*To unmute users, navigate to the "Comments" area on MY PAGE.
Reply
Confirm Reply
Post the above comment?
Edit
Post
Post
Confirm Post
Post the above comment?
Edit
Post