Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of Dragon Ball, has made massive contributions to the manga and anime industries. He singlehandedly inspired the next generation of manga, and even the ‘Big 3’ were heavily inspired by it. But surprisingly, even Toriyama didn’t have an easy start during his entry phase into the manga industry.

Krillin and Goku in Dragon Ball Super. [Credit: Toei Animation]

Before achieving worldwide fame and writing one of the most iconic works in the world. he faced numerous rejections for his manga and art being ‘not interesting at all.’ His work was constantly being turned down despite his best efforts to create something interesting.

There is no doubt that Toriyama would have been a mangaka, but in the making of his legendary fame, there is a huge part that is to be attributed to his editor who pushed to unlock his hidden potential —Kazuhiko Torishima, his first editor at Weekly Shonen Jump.

Toriyama’s failures were the stepping stones to his success

Before getting his Dr. Slump, his first publication, Toriyama struggled to get his work published. Every submission he sent was met with rejection for not being good enough. More than a year of ‘do betters’ would be enough to discourage any aspiring manga artist, but Akira Toriyama wasn’t just anyone.

Young Goku in Dragon Ball. [Credit: Toei Animation]

Toriyama was an eager mangaka who did his best to prove himself worthy to his editor, but Torishima was known for his blunt criticism and never sugarcoated his words. According to Toriyama in an interview–

I kept drawing, but it kept getting rejected again and again. I was forced to do it! By Torishima san. He makes you do completely unbelievable things!!

But Toriyama himself said that he is never one to give up and instead, he used those rejections as motivation to improve. Torishima’s brutally honest feedback undoubtedly brought out the hidden skills and creativity in Toriyama and helped him refine his craft

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After numerous failed attempts, Toriyama finally broke through with Dr. Slump in 1980, which Torishima finally accepted. The series became a massive success, as it ran for five years and established Toriyama as a top-tier manga artist in Japan.

Torishima’s Role in Dragon Ball‘s Evolution

Be it storytelling, art, or character designs, all of them went through a massive change from his earlier designs and ideas to Dr. Slump and later Dragon Ball. Torishima would pinpoint specific flaws in the creations of Toriyama that he would refine and reflect upon (after a bout of rage).

Kazuhiko Torishima | Credits: Wikimedia

Torishima remained a key influence during the early years of Dragon Ball, during which there were instances of him guiding Toriyama through major creative decisions. Regarding the powers of the antagonists or the impact of the characters, they all went through the experienced supervision of Torishima.

The most important of decisions was the shift from a comedy-based adventure (influenced by the Journey to the West) to intense battle-driven storytelling, which was also influenced by Torishima.

Related “Dragon Ball was originally a story of China”: Real Reason Akira Toriyama Had to Switch Dragon Ball’s Original Setting to More ‘Western-like places’

Akira Toriyama’s journey to success wasn’t smooth, and it was not instantaneous. The physically and mentally demanding manga industry is a bane to many, but be it the relentless critiques from Torishima or the thousands of hours of drawing manga, they all played a crucial role in shaping him as a legendary creator.
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