Akira Toriyama was a legendary mangaka; after all, he was the creator of Dragon Ball. Generations upon generations of children have grown up watching Goku and his Super Saiyan transformation. To date, new kids are getting enrolled into the fandom due to Dragon Ball DAIMA.
Toriyama gifted the world a gem that no one will forget. However, the author might not have been nearly as happy as his audience. After all, he was forced to continue the serialization of Dragon Ball.
Akira Toriyama wanted to conclude Dragon Ball after the Cell Saga
An interview with three Dragon Ball manga editors was held in a recent episode of the Kosokoso podcast. Kazuhiko Torishima, Yu Kondo and Fuyuto Takeda participated in it and talked about Akira Toriyama and his legendary series. But one hard fact escaped the editors that might set the soul of any Dragon Ball fan under turmoil.
According to a translation offered on X:
During the final phase of the Cell Saga, Toriyama repeatedly expressed his intention to end Dragon Ball with that narrative arc. Initially those who heard him did not fully understand his will.
– Kazuhiko Torishima, Yu Kondo and Fuyuto Takeda interview translation
The impact of Dragon Ball is so huge that reaching its conclusion is more like a distant dream, if anything. Though the series has finished quite a few seasons, it always returned with a new story, making fans incapable of thinking that a world without Dragon Ball exists. However, the series was causing the author extreme stress as some thought even after Dragon Ball ended, it would return with a sequel or spinoff.
Thus, Akira Toriyama was stuck in the biggest dilemma. But the editorial team did not make it any easier on him. According to the interview, strong pressure from the editorial team pushed the author to continue the serialization of the manga.
Akira Toriyama could not end Dragon Ball even when he wanted to
Akira Toriyama could not quit Dragon Ball after the Cell Saga. However, Yu Takeda always sided with Toriyama and tried to find ways to ease his workload. He wanted to make the continuation of the series as unburdensome as possible. Thus, both the editor and author requested to conclude Dragon Ball after the Majin Buu Saga.
However, it has already been decades, and fans know that Dragon Ball never stopped after the Majin Buu Saga. In fact, Dragon Ball Super is still continuing publication, albeit under Toyotarou. Toriyama’s last contribution to the franchise was creating the world of Dragon Ball DAIMA, a currently ongoing anime.
Toriyama was stopped in his tracks because of Dragon Ball‘s unparalleled success. Had the series ended, it would have caused a massive loss. However, the creator himself did not want to continue with the series, a wish that should have been honored.
The Dragon Ball anime is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
