For a manga series to achieve success, it is important that the creator and the editor have a great partnership. However, in the case of Dragon Ball, its creator, Akira Toriyama, and its first editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, had a weird relationship that cannot be defined so easily. Nonetheless, it helped them create one of the best manga series of all time.
Torishima was one of the first individuals to recognize Toriyama’s talent for manga, and he helped him create not only Dragon Ball but also his former manga, Dr. Slump. Although Torishima has worked on many other projects and is currently serving as the director of Bushiroad, he is most known for Dragon Ball and his connection to Toriyama.
The Dragon Ball creator once recalled an interaction with Torishima where the editor forced him to draw Dragon Ball manga when Toriyama was tired and suffering from brutally painful inflamed tendons. He even gave a weird reason for it that was never understood by the Dragon Ball manga creator.
Kazuhiko Torishima Forced Akira Toriyama
The 50th anniversary issue of Weekly Shonen Jump featured an interview between Toriyama and Slam Dunk’s creator, Takehiko Inoue. This interview was later shared by Hitoshura on Skull Knight. During the interview, Toriyama explained the stress he had to face while working on Dragon Ball and how Kazuhiko Torishima was responsible for it.
Toriyama stated:
Torishima-san said I had to do two chapters in one week or I’d be too late. I was exhausted from having just finished some manga, so I replied that I could barely move my hands due to inflamed tendons. He told me to try writing my name, and I said, “Of course I can write my name!” Then he said, “If you can write your name, then you can draw manga!” What kind of logic is that?! [laughs]
According to the manga creator, there was an incident where he finished some other manga and was exhausted from working on it. However, Torishima asked him to work on Dragon Ball as he had to submit two chapters in one week. Toriyama pointed out that he shared his pain with Torishima, but the editor gave the weird logic that if he could write his name, he could draw the manga.
The Love-Hate Relationship between Akira Toriyama and Kazuhiko Torishima
There have been multiple instances where Akira Toriyama and editor Torishima have talked about their relationship with each other. Both have recalled many scenarios where they have argued with each other about the Dragon Ball manga but ultimately resolved these issues and somehow worked together for so long.
Their disputes reached a point where Toriyama once threatened to stop drawing Dragon Ball if the editor didn’t agree to a major change to Goku. This argument was because of Goku’s character design, and Toriyama wanted to change it for Dragon Ball Z. However, they somehow managed to come to terms with each other.
Although their relationship has been a little rocky since the beginning, both Toriyama and Torishima have only wanted the best for Dragon Ball, and maybe their conflicts over the series are one of the main reasons why the Dragon Ball franchise is such a big phenomenon in the anime and manga industry.
You can watch the Dragon Ball series on Crunchyroll.
