Today’s January 2018 issue of Saikyō Jump comes packed with a slew of regular content (the latest Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Dark Demon Realm Mission, Dragon Ball SD, Dragon Ball Fusions the Manga!, etc. chapters), bonus manga previews (the first chapter of The Case of Being Reincarnated as Yamcha), Goku and Mira cards for the arcade edition of Super Dragon Ball Heroes, as well as a bonus “Saiyan Super Strongest Comics” booklet and accompanying Akira Toriyama Q&A session.

The “We Asked Akira Toriyama-sensei! – Saiyan Special Q&A” focuses (appropriately enough) on all-things-Saiyan, from foods and holidays, to training and beyond. Perhaps most notably, original author Akira Toriyama dives into new lore explaining the history of the “Super Saiyan God” transformation:

Was the “legendary Super Saiyan” Freeza feared the Super Saiyan God that appeared in Battle of Gods?

In a certain sense, they are the same person. That is to say, very long ago, before Planet Vegeta was the Saiyans’ planet, there was a man named Yamoshi who had a righteous heart despite being a Saiyan. He and his five comrades started a rebellion, but he was cornered by combatants and became a Super Saiyan for the first time, though his transformation and fearsome fighting style shocked the other Saiyans. Outnumbered, Yamoshi eventually wore himself out and was defeated, but this was only the beginning of his legend. Afterwards, Yamoshi’s spirit wandered in continuous search of six righteous-hearted Saiyans, seeking a new savior: Super Saiyan God.

The January 2018 issue of Saikyō Jump — a bimonthly children’s magazine published by Shueisha in Japan — is available for ¥530 at CDJapan and Amazon Japan.

This Q&A has been archived in our “Translations” section.