The legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024, at 68 years of age. His career has spanned over four decades. Akira Toriyama is responsible for creating the most iconic anime of all time – Dragon Ball. With multiple series, movies, video games, etc., it has become one of the highest-grossing anime franchises.
He has paved the way for the anime and manga industry to become mainstream. Throughout his career, he has inspired several mangaka, including the likes of Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda. Apart from the Big Three, there are many more who were inspired by the legendary mangaka. Let us see five of the most popular anime that were inspired by Dragon Ball.
5. Gintama
Gintama is one of the most popular anime of all time. More than an intriguing plot, it gives immeasurable joy to the fans through its comical situations. Fans often burst out laughing seeing the shenanigans of Gintoki, Sakata, and Shinpachi Shimura. There are a total 367 episodes in total. It is one of the several anime inspired by Akira Toriyama.
As a form of tribute, it is often seen that the anime creates parodies of popular anime, including Dragon Ball Z. Turning into a Super Saiyan or using a Kamehameha is pretty common in Gintama. Apart from that, it also disses characters from the generational anime franchise.
4. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is one of the most popular anime of the modern generation. With the seventh season releasing later this year, the anime has gathered millions of loyal followers. Izuku Midoriya’s journey from being quirkless to becoming the top Hero is a great tale.
His journey matches Son Goku’s journey of becoming the greatest fighter on Earth. My Hero Academia was also inspired by Dragon Ball Z and used the concept of friendly rivalry between Izuku Midoriya and Bakugo Katsuri, like Son Goku and Prince Vegeta.
3. One Punch Man
One Punch Man is another popular anime that was inspired by Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise. In both anime, the protagonist is always on the lookout for worthy opponents to have a good fight with them. Even though there are several things different between these two anime, there are a few aspects that indicate it being inspired by Dragon Ball. Everyone remembers the Vaccine Man, Saitama’s first opponent. He had an uncanny resemblance with Piccolo from Dragon Ball.
2. Yu Yu Hakusho
Yu Yu Hakusho is Yoshihiro Togashi’s magnum, which was considered one of the best anime of the 1990s. Fans even compared it to Dragon Ball Z. The first few seasons saw the protagonist, Yusuke Urameshi, becoming a Spirit Detective and saving people from monsters. The different shades of the protagonist feel a lot similar to that of Son Goku. One of the key aspects of the anime was the martial arts, which seemed to have been inspired by Dragon Ball. Even the Dark Tournament arc, colleagues, missions, etc., matched Akira Toriyama’s vibes.
1. Hunter X Hunter
Yoshihiro Togashi is too inspired by Akira Toriyama, and as a result, he found himself twice on this list. Hunter X Hunter is pretty popular as a Shonen anime and follows the story of Gon Freecss. Unlike other Shonen anime, Hunter X Hunter does not waste time with flashbacks and always comes out with freshly brewed content.
While it feels much different from Dragon Ball and sometimes gives Seinen vibes, there are a few aspects that match Akira Toriyama’s writing skills. The emotional turmoil among the characters, nen, the aura from Gon’s Adult form, etc., match the concept of ki and the Super Saiyan aura from the Dragon Ball franchise.
