There is no denying that Goku’s first transformation into the legendary Super Saiyan in his epic battle against Frieza in the Namek Saga of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z marks one of the most epic moments in anime history. The transformation marked the epic debut due to the gripping storyline, featuring the protagonist in a chiseled physique with big muscles and bigger biceps.
The occasion is ingrained in the minds of the viewers, and the moment is still fresh despite taking place 33 years ago. The transformation was so epic that it influenced several mangakas, which is evident in their works. Such was the case with Kohei Horikoshi as he came up with All Might’s most distinctive feature, which was heavily inspired by Kakarot’s epic transformation.
Kakarot’s Super Saiyan Transformation Influenced Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia
Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia features a number of epic and popular characters but none of them come close to matching the popularity of Toshinori Yagi commonly known as All Might. The character holds the #1 rank in the Hero List and holds the title of the world’s Symbol of Peace.
The superhero possesses an imposing and awe-inspiring physique as he is showcased as an exceptionally tall and muscular figure, that radiates a commanding presence emitting strength and authority. In one of the old interviews, shared in r/BokuNoHeroAcademia, Kohei Horikoshi shared how he enjoyed reading Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga as a child.
He said,
“A manga that I enjoy is definitely Dragon Ball, and when I was young I always kept reading Dragon Ball. I kept reading the same volume. I think it was the place a little bit before the android, Cell, started the Cell Games? I don’t know why, but I kept rereading this volume. In terms of anime, there were a lot of anime that was on TV at 6 PM. I really like Mashin Hero Wataru, rewatched that many times. I also dressed up as Zurugibe Shibaraku, which is a character from that show.”
He added that reading Toriyama-Sensei’s work made him believe that “strong characters are packed with muscles,” and he really loved the body shape of Kakrot, when he transformed into SSJ.
“My impression that strong characters are packed with muscles is probably because of Dragon Ball’s influence. I really like the body shape of Goku when he goes Super Saiyan, which might be where All Might’s concept came from.”
Great work inspires more great work. Horikoshi-san’s work is considered to be one of the best next-gen anime series and has a strong fan following around the world.
Kohei Horikoshi Shares His First Reaction to Getting His Manga Animated
In the same interview, the mangaka was asked to share his initial reaction to how he really felt when he first heard that his manga was going to receive an anime adaptation. Horikoshi-san replied that he was “really surprised,” and he felt lost before shared the news with his friends and family. He said,
“I was really surprised. I remember it was decided when the serialization wasn’t even a year old, so I felt kind of lost all of the sudden. Then I hurriedly started telling my friends and family the news about my work getting animated, and they were all happy for me, which is the moment that I finally had the realization that went something like “ah, this is great, I’m getting an anime.””
He added,
“I don’t remember it quite clearly now, I think it was when Vol 3 was about to come out. My editor mentioned it when he was talking about some other stuff. (Laughs) Every Friday we have a discussion, and I remember my editor was talking about the rankings when he said “Oh yeah, there’s news about the anime.””
Indeed, the news would be exciting as My Hero Academia has featured a ton of epic moments, with well-written characters, and getting an anime adaptation so early would indeed be nerve-racking to the mangaka and his fans.
My Hero Academia can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
