In 1984, when he created Dragon Ball(including Dragon Ball Z-in Japan, the "Z" refers only to the second part of the anime series), Akira Toriyama was already famous in Japan for his previous comedy magna series, Dr. Slump. Based on the success of his short story Dragon Ball, about a boy with a dragon wings, he decided his new series would be a Chinese-style kung-fu story about a boy with a monkey's tail. At first, a gag artist working on an action series may have seemed like a novety, but the individuality of Toriyama's art work gave it a charm that more squarejawed, pecs-flexing series couldn't match. When the Tenka'ichi Budôkai("Strongest-Under-the-Heavans Martial Arts Tournament") storyline proved popular, the series took off like ki-powered wildfire. The hero, Son Goku, grew up; got stronger; saved the world; met the deities,like a hero from Greek myth; and even got married and had children. Toriyama made each new fight interesting(even when the fights last hundreds of pages), made every new character, from Bulma to Vegeta to Majin Buu, different from the ones that came before.
Dragon Ball has spawned anime, video games, and translatoins around the globe. But while movies and video games are necessarily group efforts(ask Toriyama-he's designed characters for numerous games, including Dragon Warrior and Chrono Trigger), the power of magna comes from the style and personality of the artist. So with many thanks, we enter the mind of Akira Toriyama, where somewhere, among Jackie Chan and science fiction movies, among costumed heroes and children's cartoons, is the spark behind his amazing works.
ART STYLE
SJ: What are some of your artistic influences?
SJ: How did you become a magana artist?
SJ: You have an incredible ability to draw anything in the world in your own distinct personal style. Do you often use reference material to draw different objects, places or things?
SJ: What kind of drawing materials did you use on Dragon Ball? What drawing materials do you work with today?
Selected Toriyama Timeline
The Original Son Goku
Hobbies
SJ: Are you a fan of pro wrestling? I ask because in Dragon Ball, there are some wrestling-style characters like Mister Satan.
SJ: What are your hobbies? How do you spend your spare time?
SJ: I hear that Dragon Ball was inspired partially by a trip to China. Out of all places you've been, which is more memorable? Do you do much sketching when you travel?
What's in a Name?
Dragon Ball
SJ: Dragon Ball developed from a comedy series to an action/fighting series. Do you feel that your art style changed in the process?
SJ: I've heard that many plot developments in Dragon Ball were influenced by letters from readers. Is this true, and if so, can you give us a concrete example?
SJ: Dragon Ball seems to have influenced many video games and magna. Where did you get the idea for the attacks that appear in Dragon Ball, such as the kamehameha and the whole idea of chi power?
SJ: Where did you get the idea for the cosmology/mythology/religion of Dragon Ball, with deities like Kami-sama, Kaiô-sama, Kaiôshin-sama, ect.?
SJ: Why did you decide to incorporate science fiction elements into Dragon Ball, such as the Namekians, Saiyans, other alien races and space travel?
SJ: How so you come up with ideas for different power-ups and transformations?
SJ: Who is your favorite Dragon character?
SJ: What is your favorite fight in Dragon Ball?
Toriyama Today
SJ: Dragon Ball has been translated into many different languages around the world, and seems to have an extremely universal appeal. How do you feel about it being translated into more and more languages?
SJ: What new projects or magna are you working on currently?
SJ: What message would you like to give to American fans?
Shonen Jump: How old you when you first started drawing? What sorts on things did you draw?
Toriyama: I started copy-drawing other people's magna characters when I was about 5 years old, but I only started drawing magna with a proper storyline when I was about 22 years old.
T: I was an avid anime watcher from the age of 7 until I was about 10, when I moved to magna. I think I am influenced by Osamu Tenzuka's during that time. Such as Tetsuwan Atom("Astro Boy") and 101 Dalmations.
T: I submitted a story to a monthly contest for amateur artist in Weekly Shonen Jump. It didn't win, but afterwards, I was approached by one of the editors [KAZUHIKO TORISHIMA, NOW WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP SENIOR DIRECTOR], and after I studied for about a year, I became a pro.
T: I almost never use reference material for places, but for objects-for example, if there's a particular model of car that I like-I'll use a book as a reference to draw from.
T: I'm not sure if these particular brands are available in the USA, but on Dragon Ball I used G-pens [A TYPE OF QUILL PEN], Kent paper [A BRISTOL BOARD-LIKE PAPER MADE IN JAPAN], waterproof ink, and color inks for coloring. Today, I use a Macintosh for coloring.
1955: Born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
1978: Debuts in Weelky Shonen Jump with Wonder Island
1979: Dr. Slump begins
1984: Dr. Slump ends. Dragon Ball begins.
1993-5:Toriyama Akira no Sekai ("Akira Toriyama's World")art exhibit tours Japanese department stores
1995: Dragon Ball ends
1997: Cowa!
1998: Kajika
2000: SandLand
Dragon Ball was originally modelled after the ancient Chinese legend Saiyûki("Jorney to the West", also known as "The Monkey King" or even "Monkey"). In Saiyûki, Son Goku is a powerful monkey born from a stone. Instead of being asked by Bulma to help find Dragon Balls, he is asked by Sanzo, a priest, to go from China to India in search of sacred sutras(Buddhist religious writings). After the first Dragon Ball quest is over, the stories aren't too similar... except maybe for the moral that your former enemies can become your best friends.
SJ: I have heard that you are a fan of Jackie Chan. Out of all Jackie Chan's movies, which is your favorite?
T: Drunken Master (the first on). If I hadn't seen this movie, I would never have come up with Dragon Ball.
T: Unfortunately, I'm not really a fan of pro wrestling.
T: Actually, I have a lot of hobbies, but I've kept up with model-building the longest. In particular, I love military models.
T: I've been to many places, but Australia, with what I felt was a pleasant balance between its magnificent natural spaces, moved me very much. I don't sketch anything in particular on my trips.
Akira Toriyama's name is made up three Kanji characters. His first name, Akira, means "bright." His last name, Toriyama, is made up of two characters: tori meaning "bird," and yama, meaning "mountain." Since Toriyama is fond of using pun names for his characters, it's not too hard to see why he named his studio "Bird Studio."
SJ: From 1984 to 1995, what was your work schedule like on Dragon Ball?
T: The majority of magna in Japan are drawn in the shûkan (weekly) format, so I was drawing one episode every week. [APPROXIMATELY 14 PAGES, PLUS A TITLE PAGE-EDITOR} But for me this pace was very hard, and I really din't like it.
T: I wasn't particularly conscious of it, but my art style did change depending on the circumstances. But when it comes down to it, more than anything, I like drawing really silly, absurd comedies.
T: Parts of it were, yes. For example, take Vegeta- when he first appeared he was just a bad guy, but because he became very popular, he stayed in the series from that point on.
T: Chi [ALSO SPELLED "Ki"-EDITOR] has been used in China since ancient times, but it's supposed to be formless and invisible. However, in magna, in order to make it easier for any reader to grasp, it was necessary to give it a shape. For the kamehameha, I myself did a lot of different poses and chose the one that I thought would work the best.
T: To be honest, I wasn't really thinking about it too deeply. For example, as the story progressed, when it became necessary to have something exist that was greater than Kami-sama [JAPANESE FOR "GOD"-EDITOR], I created Kaiô-sama [JAPANESE FOR "LORD EMPEROR OF THE WORLD, OR WORLDS"-EDITOR], and so on.
T: I love sci-fi movies. Especially the first Alien movie- that's my favorite. I incorporated science fiction into Dragon Ball to expand its scope.
T: When you draw a fighting magna, stronger and stronger enemies keep appearing. It a new enemy is weaker than a previous one, the readers won't be satisfied. However, the main character is the same Goku, so it becomes necessary to make him power-up quickly and immensely. Transformation is a way of putting that in drawing which is easy for readers to understand.
T: It's Goku, naturally. For one thing, I'm a very perverse person, so I'm drawn to a pure, innocent character like him.
T: I don't remember that well, but probly the battle with Piccolo.
SJ: I've heard that you are re-coloring, and possibly even re-drawing, parts of Dragon Ball for a new "Perfect Edition." What is it like drawing Goku and Co. for the first time in a long while?
T: I haven't redrawn any of the actual magna, because then I'd start getting nit-picky about everything. Just new cover art. To draw it again for the first time in so long produced a very complicated mix of emotions, combining nostalgia with the feeling that I don't want to draw Dragon Ball any more.
T: Of course it makes me very happy, but I'm still trying to live like I always have, wihtout really thinking about it.
T: Right now, I've taken steps away from magna, and am studying things that I've always wanted to do, such as design and book illustration.
T: That people in faraway America are fans of Dragon Ball truly makes me happy. The methods of producing comics in Japan is very hectic, but it's also rewarding because it's possible to do both hte story and art all by yourself. In this way, its possible to bring out one's individuality. If this idea appeals to you, I call on you to try drawing your own magna. Because the people who can draw magna that Americans will truly love are other Americans like you.
