Gohan - The Beastly Crowned Prince

-The Beastly Crowned Prince-

April, 2023

When I made this piece, all I knew was that I wanted to create a view into an alternate Dragon Ball reality. This thought process ultimately led me to think about Chi-Chi’s background, which is technically royalty. What if we leaned into that, and the Son family became this great bandit empire? Basically, just take the Ox King aesthetic and really push it.

Now, how does one go about this? Well, I was thinking about how many families and cultures around the world will weave a story of them into clothing, blankets, rugs, and even tattoo it on themselves. So why not do that with Gohan’s clothes? He is royal, after all, and Chi-Chi certainly would want the world to know his incredible story. Thus, his clothing gained emblems and scenery from the series. Shenron and the Dragon Balls up top, the mountain range from the forest Goku grew up in, both the Kanji of Piccolo and himself as a child, and the last row is where Grandpa Gohan’s house was.

I also went towards a more “realistic” style and pushed my hatching to try and capture the detailed royal feel. I think I achieved that!

This was an enjoyable concept to work with, and I do think I’ll try to revisit it one day. But for now, have Gohan!