This Friday, March 8th, 2024, we learned of the death of Akira Toriyama, which happened a week earlier. The disappearance sparked a collective outpouring of emotion, marked by an outpouring of tributes from around the world.
By a strange coincidence, I was in Tokyo when I learned of Toriyama’s death. My trip had nothing to do with Dragon Ball and the manga world, but as fate would have it, I heard the news from Japan. Many friends have asked me how I reacted at that moment.
The truth is, we don’t react the same way to the death of an idol as we do to the disappearance of a loved one. I neither cried nor showed any outward emotion. Only these few words are spoken out loud in spite of me: “Damn”. And a feeling of deep sadness that brought back many childhood memories.
Dragon Ball, head to toe
Akira Toriyama was certainly the most influential person in my early years. Introduced to Club Dorothée at a young age thanks to my two older brothers, I remember the excitement of discovering new episodes of the animated series.
Back then, long before streaming, you had to be content with the episodes that aired, and it was very rare to watch a series in its entirety, especially when it aired daily.
Luckily for me, it was around this time that my brothers started collecting Dragon Ball manga. These Japanese comics then appeared on the French market, and the first issue of Dragon Ball (from Glénat) was presented in Western reading rather than the Japanese (right-to-left) preferred by the public, which has since become ideal. used to
The number 1 playground discussion topic
At the time, Dragon Ball Z was a true obsession. Posters of the series (clipped from magazines, including Club Dorothée) covered the walls of my room, and the figures given to me for my birthday allowed me to recreate some of DBZ’s most epic battles. I would dress head to toe in Dragon Ball gear if I could.
The memory that sticks with me from that time is the trading card craze. At every break, my friends and I pulled binders out of our school bags to compare our respective collections and conduct exchanges. The seriousness of these discussions it sparked makes me smile today.
One of the first movies I saw in the cinema was Dragon Ball Z, a movie including two short films Fusions and Attack of the Dragon. The memory of that session still haunts my mother’s mind, but I can still remember my excitement before the session and then my very thorough debriefing on the field the next morning.
Doctor Slump, his other masterpiece
Akira Toriyama was never seen in my eyes as a creator of one piece. I also had the chance to grow up with the manga Doctor Slump, his first series that made him known to the Japanese public before Dragon Ball. This humorous title features Arale Norimaki, a little robot girl with superhuman strength.
Generally speaking, Doctor Slump remains unknown to the general public, including certain fans of the Dragon Ball license. I owe him both my taste for absurdist humor that I developed, and the discovery of many of the flagship licenses of popular culture: Ultraman, Gamera, Star Trek… all mentioned in manga.
At the end of high school, I started to lose interest in manga. The end of Dorothée’s Club marked the end of an era, and a cable subscription was now required to continue watching anime. It was precisely for this reason that I was unable to watch Dragon Ball GT at the time – the unofficial sequel to Dragon Ball Z.
Idol of my generation
From a distant perspective, in 2015 I heard about the grand return of Dragon Ball in the form of a series called Dragon Ball Super. From my point of view as an early fan, I at the time expressed my disapproval of the new forms of combat deployed by Goku and Vegeta. “Red and blue haired Saiyans, that was really stupid!” I thought (and still think).
As I approached my thirties, I got into the habit of watching anime again. The advent of platforms has made it possible to access different content and, above all, to follow series at one’s own pace. This is when I decided to dive into the world of Dragon Ball.
Akira Toriyama was definitely the Walt Disney of my childhood. I was so used to the frenetic pace of DBZ that I remember turning down the Disney productions of the time, which were too childish and musical for my taste (at the time).
The generation before me idolized Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), Go Nagai (Goldorak) and Leiji Matsumoto (Albator). Next up were Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) and Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto). But for my generation, Akira Toriyama was undoubtedly the most important mangaka.
Akira Toriyama’s results begin…
To this day, I objectively consider Dragon Ball Z to be the main series. I will add that in my opinion, Goku’s transformation into a Super Saiyan during the fight with Frieza is one of the most memorable sequences I have ever seen on television, in all series combined.
Other sequences pop up in my personal pantheon: the appearance of an adult Trunks (and his quick fight against Frieza), Gohan’s transformation into Super Saiyan 2, several episodes of Majin Vegeta ending with his sacrifice, or at least the end. series and Genkidama helping Goku defeat Majin Buu.
Whether you’re a Dragon Ball fan or not, you can never underestimate the impact Akira Toriyama’s work has had on my generation and beyond. Without him we would never have One Piece, Naruto, Fairy Tail or even My Hero Academia. And how many more series will claim its influence in the coming years?
“Thank you Toriyama-sensei.”
It remains to be seen what effect the death of Akira Toriyama will have on his work and what legacy he will leave to future generations. Some knew before Toriyam, many knew during. We now have to deal with the “after” and all the uncertainty it creates.
To end this tribute, I just want to thank Akira Toriyama for the happiness he brought me. His manga made me cry, sometimes, but above all, I laughed a lot, and that’s probably the aspect I want to remember the most from his work.
Thank you Toriyama-sensei for giving us this medicine for sad days. Few manga authors can boast of being as successful as you in bringing this kind of happiness to such a large number of readers.
complete series dragon ball You can watch it now on the specialized Crunchyroll platform.
Source: Allocine
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.
