The legends in the game, Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda, have always expressed respect and admiration for each other. Oda has always talked about how he was inspired by Dragon Ball, and it was one of the main reasons why he entered the manga world. Toriyama also used to praise the brilliant work of the One Piece creator.
Both creators are considered to be the pillars of the manga industry, and their works, Dragon Ball and One Piece, have not only amassed a huge fan following since the day they started, but they have also inspired many other manga artists. In a way, both of them were rivals, trying to reach the top of the industry, but that didn’t stop them from admiring each other’s work.
This admiration was reflected in 2015 when Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ was released, and Toriyama personally requested the One Piece creator to watch the movie. Later on, Oda talked about how much he loved the movie and was honored when Toriyama included Oda’s name in the movie.
Akira Toriyama Paid Homage to Eiichiro Oda
Eiichiro Oda shared a letter to talk about his excitement after watching the nineteenth Dragon Ball movie, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’. This letter was later posted on X (Formerly Twitter) by a Dragon Ball fan account called @xeno_edits_0. In the letter, Oda talked about how happy he was when he found out that Toriyama had written a personal letter to him.
Oda stated:
“A friend of mine went to see the Dragon Ball movie and brought back a flyer, showed it to me and said, “Your name’s on there, d’you know?” Lo and behold! Toriyama (God)-sensei wrote me a direct message to “Please plug the movie!!” After that I was planning on going to watch it later, but I then went straight away.”
According to Oda, one of his friends went to see the movie, and they found a flyer in which Toriyama mentioned his name and asked him to promote the movie to the One Piece fans. This got Oda so excited that he instantly went to see the movie.
Eiichiro Oda Shared His Experience of Watching Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
After Oda explained his excitement over Akira Toriyama, mentioning him in the Dragon Ball movie and paying homage to the One Piece writer, Oda talked about what he thought of the movie. The manga creator was truly mesmerized by the movie, and it kept him on the edge of his seat.
Oda stated:
“Resurrection F!! What’s Resurrecting? Well, actually, it’s THAT, GUY?!! Just when I was thinking, “Alright! Kick his ass Goku!!” Suddenly, BLUE !! All blue!! Cool!! THAT guy!! It felt just like a battle-filled movie that was like reading the series from years ago!! Ah, it was fun (^-^) By the way, the voice actress of Krillin and Luffy is the same one, and they really had fun with that!!”
According to the mangaka, he was really excited to find out who was being resurrected, and then his excitement doubled when he saw it was Frieza. He also talked about Goku’s super Saiyan blue form and how the movie felt like the Dragon Ball manga series when it was first released.
Even though Toriyama has passed away, Oda has a deep sense of respect and love for the mangaka, and he never fails to praise him for his contribution to the anime and manga world.
You can watch the Dragon Ball series and One Piece on Crunchyroll.
