New Dragon Ball Artwork Reveals Vegeta’s Mother

Dragon Ball reaches its 42nd anniversary later this year, yet Akira Toriyama’s long-running franchise still holds unrevealed secrets. Even though Vegeta stands as the second leading character of the series, fans have never met every member of his family. King Vegeta has appeared across several flashback storylines, including the prologue of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, while Vegeta’s younger brother Tarble debuted in the OVA Dragon Ball: The Return of Son Goku and Friends! Vegeta’s mother, however, has stayed completely out of sight until now.

New artwork for Dragon Ball Super offers the first partial view of the unnamed Saiyan queen. The official franchise website recently ran a poll allowing readers to choose their favorite Dragon Ball Super manga cover, with volume 19 taking first place. That cover depicts Goku walking alongside his family while a puddle reflection reveals his parents, Bardock and Gine. The back cover presents a similar layout for Gohan, reflecting Goku and Chi-Chi below. Series illustrator Toyotarou created an alternate illustration featuring Vegeta’s lineage to celebrate the poll victory.

The puddle in Toyotarou’s new illustration reflects King Vegeta, young Vegeta, Tarble, and what the Dragon Ball site describes as “the mysterious figure obscured by the King’s cape.” While mostly hidden, the figure reveals a portion of armor, a distinct hairline, and what resembles a small crown. The visual parallels point directly to Vegeta’s mother, mirroring the matriarch pairings seen across the other covers where Bulma aligns with the former Saiyan queen, Chi-Chi with Gine, and Videl with Chi-Chi.

Toyotarou addressed the composition during a video announcing the poll results. “There’s a character that gave me some issues, though,” the artist noted, adding, “I think I managed to preserve the secrecy.”

Very little is known about Vegeta’s mother in established lore. She ruled as Queen of the Saiyans until Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta along with most of its population, though the wider narrative frequently finds ways to bring surviving Saiyans into modern storylines.

The Dragon Ball Super manga remains on hiatus following the death of Akira Toriyama in 2024. A one-shot chapter arrived in 2025, but Shueisha has not announced when or if the manga will return. The animated branch continues forward, with The Galactic Patrol series in development and the Beerus reboot slated to premiere sometime this year.

Source: Polygon