Goodbye Akira Toriyama: The Mastermind Behind Dragon Ball

 

Akira Toriyama, the creative genius behind Dragon Ball, stands as one of the most influential figures in manga and anime history. His groundbreaking work not only revolutionized the genre but also captivated audiences worldwide with its epic storytelling, iconic characters, and imaginative world-building. Despite his sudden departure, Toriyama's legacy will continue to shape the landscape of popular culture.

Born on April 5, 1955, in Nagoya, Japan he became a household name soon after 1984 when Toriyama's career reached new heights with the debut of Dragon Ball, a series that would catapult him to international fame and acclaim. 

Dragon Ball, serialized from 1984 to 1995, stands as Toriyama's crowning achievement. Set in a fantastical world filled with martial arts, mythical creatures, and powerful warriors, the series follows the adventures of Goku as he embarks on a quest to become the strongest fighter in the universe. With its dynamic action sequences, intricate plotlines, and memorable characters, Dragon Ball captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of fans worldwide. Like many of you I remember coming home from school and watching Dragon Ball Z. The overall story about getting stronger to overcome trials and the epic fights scenes have been engrained in my memory forever. As well as the American opening song to the show.  

Toriyama's distinctive art style and innovative storytelling techniques played a crucial role in the success of Dragon Ball. His ability to blend humor, drama, and action seamlessly created a narrative that appealed to audiences of all ages. From the imposing figure of Vegeta to the charming innocence of Goku, Toriyama's character designs breathed life into the world of Dragon Ball, making each character iconic. No wonder so many other manga’s tried to emulate Dragon Ball such as Naruto, One Piece, My Hero Academia, and many more.

Beyond manga, Toriyama's influence extended to various other mediums, including anime adaptations, movies, video games, and merchandise. The Dragon Ball franchise became a global phenomenon, spawning countless spin-offs, sequels, and reimaginings that continue to captivate audiences to this day.

Image: Mattari_illust

Tragically, Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1^st, 2024, leaving behind a legacy that transcends his mortal existence. His sudden departure sent shockwaves through the manga and anime community, prompting an outpouring of tributes from fans and colleagues alike. Despite his untimely demise, Toriyama's legacy lives on through Dragon Ball, which remains as beloved and influential as ever.

Android 16 Secret History

 

While I was watching Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, I was geeking out about fan theories becoming cannon. In this post I am excited to talk about what recently became cannon about Android 16! 

artist: unknown

As many of you are already aware Android 16 may appear to be threatening with his intimidating size, monotone dialogue, and dangerous appearance, however he is truly a gentle giant. He is calm, friendly, and embraces nature and humanity with loving kindness. The only hatred he has is towards Goku who he is programmed to kill. Can't really blame him, Goku is a terrible Dad. Akira Toriyama based Android 16 on the Terminator portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger which makes him that much cooler. 

Before going into fan theories and what became cannon, let's take a step back and talk about Android 16 history. 

 

artist: keyrushmeister

In Dragon Ball Z, after Dr. Gero awakens Android 17 and 18 from their sleep, 17 and 18 awaken 16 despite the warning from Gero. After he is activated, they set off to kill Goku. As the saga progresses 17 and 18 are in danger by another creation of Dr. Gero, Cell. Cell’s mission is to become perfect and in order to do that must absorb android 17 and 18. Sadly, Cell succeeds and becomes perfect Cell. Up to this point we see android 16 not partaking in any battles; he only intented to fight Goku, but when his friends are “killed” he goes against his programming and fights Cell instead of Goku.

 

Android 16 fights against Cell a couple of times and in both scenarios, he is defeated. His last attempt destroys himself completely, being the first character that we love to never return, even though there is a mystical dragon that is able to grant wishes. Android 16 memory chip couldn’t be repaired. However, the destruction of Android 16 gave Gohan the rage he needed to be the first to transcend to Super Saiyan 2. 

Fans have speculated that prior to Android 16 being an android he was the embodiment of Dr. Gero’s son. This is the reason why Dr. Gero didn’t want Android 17 and 18 to wake him up because he wasn’t a completed version of his son. He didn't have his son’s memories therefore he was a different person in the shell of his son. He made him stronger than 17 and 18 because he couldn’t bear his son to die again, but when he found out that he wasn't his son he deactivated him and put a bomb in him so he could be fully destroyed when the time comes, but Dr. Gero never had the heart see his son die a second time. This is my interpretation of this fan theory, but there is some cannon behind it, but before I dive into that, I need to talk about the fan theory of Android 16 mother. 

In the video game Dragon Ball FighterZ we meet a new android that was created by Dr. Gero named Android 21. She was the main antagonist in the story and believed to be the mother of Android 16. In the game we never get to fully know her relation with Android 16, but their was the speculation until Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero came out.

In the first few moments of the movie, we learn a lot about Android 16 origins. First of all, we learned that his name is Grevo and that he served in the red ribbon army, where his Dad worked. This villainous army went after Goku when he was a kid. He died, probably accidentally by kid Goku. We learn that Dr. Geero’s wife, Vomi, was indeed the embodiment of Android 21. We don’t know how she died, but she did. 

Grevo (Android 16) before his death, must have had a child because Hedo, the super-intellegent scientist is the grandson of Dr, Gero and Vomi. We don’t know who Hedo's mother is. In the movie Dr. Hedo, is manipulated by the Red Ribbon army to create androids superior to Dr. Gero’s and uses them for their own purposes. 

The purpose of this post is not to give a summary of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. If you are a fan of Dragon Ball and love Gohan and androids then you will enjoy this movie.

Dragon Ball: A Lesson in Bad Parenting

 

I am grateful for Dragon Ball for many reasons. This was the first anime I watched growing up. I didn’t know this at the time, but a lot of people my age watched this show, but never talked about it. The reason I didn’t because I was embarrassed that I watching an anime show. In the past few years everyone been talking about how great the genre is. I still get embarrassed talking about it, but I am trying to be  embarrassed publicly. Anyway, since Dragon Ball was my first anime, I try to keep up to date with it even though there are much better shows out there. Recently, I have watched the newest movie for this franchise, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and I want to talk about it. 

I will be honest I enjoyed watching this movie. I thought it was fun and entertaining to bring back the original storytelling style as a throwback to when Dragon Ball started. Also, I really, really appreciated that the movie focused on Gohan rather than Goku. Ever since the Buu Saga, Gohan has been a let down from where he was previously and it's nice to see him in the spotlight. 

In the first few sagas of Dragon Ball Z it focuses on Goku, the main protagonist, giving the mantle of earth’s protector to his son Gohan---which, in my opinion, would have been the best ending for Dragon Ball Z. However, in the Buu Saga the mantle goes back to Goku because Gohan passion isn’t to be a fighter, but being a scholar.

As you may recall, and for those don’t know, Dragon Ball Z starts off with Goku introducing Gohan, his son, to the Z fighters from the series prior. After some unfortunate events Gohan is raised by Goku former enemy, Piccolo. Anyone that has seen the series agrees that Piccolo is a better father than Goku. Piccolo sacrificed his life (don't worry no one is dead forever) for Gohan’s, while Goku will give the strongest enemy, Cell, a senzu bean so he would be fully healed prior to his fight with Gohan who doesn’t want to fight. 

There are more examples of Piccolo being a better father, but that isn’t the focus of this post. In this post I want to focus on Gohan and his relationship with Pan, his daughter. As this movie begins Gohan is raising his daughter the same way as Goku--- by not being present. Instead of finding the next opponent to fight he focuses on research and ignores his child. All Pam wants to do is to be with with her Dad similar to how Gohan wanted to be with Goku in DBZ. Luckily, Piccolo is there to be her father like he was there for Gohan. 

I thought the movie did a great job showing the similarity of Gohan becoming like Goku. In the movie Videl, Pan’s mother and Gohans wife, calls Piccolo to see if he could take care of Pam while she is busy and Gohan is working at home doing research. Piccolo, understandable frustrated at Gohan’s neglect of his own child, visits with him to remind him of his responsibilities. Gohan gets out of parenting and Piccolo and Pam get into trouble with the red ribbon army (the bad guys).

By the end of the climax you would think that Gohan would learn a lesson that he should be more a part of Pan’s life, but no, Gohan doesn’t learn this lesson. By the end of the movie Pan is impressed that her father saved her but goes to Piccolo to train with him instead of Gohan.

Moral of the story: be part of your child’s life, be interested in them. Don’t be like Gohan, be like Piccolo. As I young father I am learning I need to be part of my children's lives, which means I need to put down my phone and do what they want to do, be interested in what they like, and listen when they talk.