What is the future of Dragon Ball without Akira Toriyama?

On March 8, 2024, the world lost one of the most creative minds of the Japanese saga that won thousands of fans everywhere. Akira Toriyama died at the age of 68, due to a subdural hematoma, prematurely leaving a legacy in manga stories that he has and will continue to surpass generations.

Without a shadow of a doubt, his passing is already felt by many people, including the franchise itself, which released a note of condolence after announcing his death. However, now, without the creator of Dragon Ball, what will become of the franchise? What are the ongoing projects like? Understand below.

What would Dragon Ball be like without Akira Toriyama?

The mastermind behind the martial arts animation franchise that brought Goku to life, perhaps one of the world’s best-known manga characters, Akira Toriyama still had several projects with the Dragon Ball franchise.

According to what the franchise itself reported in the condolence note, the artist still had several works in progress, which he accomplished with great enthusiasm. Among these there were several projects related to the world of Dragon Ball, such as manga, animations and games.

Dragon Ball Super, for example, is among the projects that should continue to be produced after Toriyama’s death. As the project sees more participation from designer Toyotaro, responsible for writing and illustrating all chapters for almost 10 years, it will likely continue. Although Toriyama also helped with the character designs and script of Dragon Ball Super, all indications are that he had already completed his part in creating the arcs. Plus, the story was already in its final stages, which helped it move forward without any major problems.

As for the adaptations of Dragon Ball to the video game universe, they should also continue without major interference, since the Bandai Namco company is responsible for leading this part, almost independently.

The creator has kept production of his character designs on time, but hasn’t had a major role in other areas of the franchise. Other more recent scripts were created by an internal team.

Uncertainty regarding the future of Dragon Ball Daima

Dragon Ball Daima was supposed to be the anime of 2024 as it would be part of the series’ 40th anniversary celebration. Expectations were high regarding Toriyama’s participation, as it would be like Dragon Ball GT 2.0, but an even greater presence would be needed to avoid a failure like GT’s at the time.

According to the specialist in film adaptations, Ignacio Sarroca, what can be expected regarding this project is that, being already very advanced, it will see the light this year, but perhaps with a slight delay. In addition, the new game Dragon Ball Tenkaichi 4 (Sparking Zero) is still expected this year, but it is not known for sure what will happen with the films.

For fans there are many uncertainties, but also expectations in the hope that the productions will have some sort of continuation, that they will retain the same charm and creativity that the creator of the series once brought to them.

The post What will be the future of Dragon Ball without Akira Toriyama? appeared first on Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.