Dragon Ball is easily considered to be one of the greatest manga of all time. It has and will continue to inspire people around the world, including young mangaka who eventually made a name for themselves with their own stories. There are many popular manga that would not exist without Dragon Ball, and while a few of them have ended or, in the case of One Piece, will end soon, readers are anxious to find another series that hits the same way Akira Toriyama’s beloved story of Goku did.

Anime and the manga that inspire them have grown significantly in popularity in the past decade. The days when people were mocked for enjoying the animated medium are nearly a distant memory. Now that series that have breached the walls of pop culture like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen have concluded, a handful of new stories have struggled to take their place, and even fewer have grabbed readers’ attention.

Even though the conclusions of several popular manga have left holes in the publication, Shōnen Jump hasn’t been afraid to cancel notable successors to beloved series. While some of the talented artists, like Cipher Academy’s Yuji Iwasaki, had projects canceled, their brilliant skills were used to make the incredible Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo sequel series. It’s rare when a new series is able to hit all the right notes in a short amount of time, but a new release feels like the start of something really special: enter Cannon Master.

Cannon Master Delivered Dragon Ball’s Balance Of Adventure & Action With A Single Chapter

Dragon Ball was beloved for many reasons, and many of those traits can be found in Cannon Master‘s debut chapter. It follows a mysterious young boy with an unknown origin in a world filled with monstrous creations and individuals with strange powers. Much like Goku, the boy named Ur is comedically strong but unfocused until he meets Bharat, a man who helps guide Ur to walk the right path. While the dynamic between the two feels more similar to Mod Psycho‘s dynamic between Mob and Reigen, the series’ comedy and action feel directly inspired by Toriyama’s work.

Thankfully, Cannon Master is not a direct rip-off of Dragon Ball‘s story. The world and narrative setup in its debut chapter revealed a post-apocalyptic wasteland, ravaged by a brutal war from the past. Giant killer machines called Regilith roam the lands and drain humans of their mana unless they are stopped by powerful warriors known as the Slaylith. The huge robotic creations are sorted into five separate threat levels, with a level two nearly wiping out an entire town until Bharat and Ur intervened.

While Its Influences Feel Aplenty, Cannon Master Feels Refreshing

Author Reiya Machida has cut their teeth with several award-winning one-shot manga before Cannon Master‘s debut on Shōnen Jump. Within the series’ first few pages, Machida effectively introduces a world primed for adventure to be had and mysteries to be uncovered. But world-building means nothing if the author fails to create characters that are boring to follow; thankfully, Ur and Bharat are anything but boring.

Besides having considerable strength and determination, Ur’s character nails the young Goku vibe with his innocent perspective that rears its head with every discovery the series presents. And while Bharat does display impressive feats throughout the chapter, his specialty is a charisma and sense of morality that seeks to shape Ur into a kind soul that helps people in need, versus an unstoppable, selfish monster.

Within Cannon Master‘s first chapter, Machida has successfully engaged me in his world, and its characters, while growing the curiosity about how Ur and Bharat’s dynamics and abilities will grow. While there have been many Shōnen Jump manga that failed to make a big enough impression to last, Cannon Master‘s strong start feels like the beginning of something special, and time will tell if it can continue to approach Dragon Ball‘s greatness.

TV Show(s)

One Piece, Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen, Hunter x Hunter, Hunter x Hunter, JoJo Bizarre Adventure, Death Note, Yu Yu Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho, Black Clover, Dr. Stone, Haikyuu!!, The Promised Neverland, Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma, Kuroko’s Basketball, Tokyo Ghoul, Toriko

Cast

Mayumi Tanaka, Junko Takeuchi, Masako Nozawa, Masakazu Morita, Daiki Yamashita, Natsuki Hanae, Junya Enoki, Megumi Han, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Mamoru Miyano, Nozomu Sasaki, Gakuto Kajiwara, Yûsuke Kobayashi, Ayumu Murase, Sumire Morohoshi, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Kensho Ono, Ryôtarô Okiayu

Created by

Takashi Isono, Kazuhiko Torishima