Akira Toriyama is one of the biggest names who has revolutionized the manga industry with his magnum opus, Dragon Ball. Though it found difficulty placing its footing at the beginning, once it started gaining momentum, it burst onto the scene, receiving several continuations of the series.
Over the years, the franchise has given us several iconic moments. The list can go on and on, but it will remain incomplete without one moment; it’s none other than Goku transforming into an SSJ1 for the very first time on Planet Namek.
The Namek Saga was one of the most important arcs in the history of the series, which decided the narrative of the story and led to several crucial moments later in the series. However, getting to that moment was not easy, as Toriyama-Sensei went through hell to get that cold stare.
Akira Toriyama Struggled To Draw One Feature of Goku During The Planet Namek Arc
The year 1991 is one of the most crucial years in the history of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series. During this year, it had arguably the most iconic moments of the series. It is none other than Son-Goku transforming into an SSJ1 for the first time during the Namek Saga in Dragon Ball Z in episode 95, titled Transformed at Last.
During the Super Saiyan form, Kakarot’s power level increased dramatically and so did his looks. The protagonist’s hair turned from black to blond and had a golden aura around him. However, getting to this look was not easy, as he had to overcome one massive obstacle set in front of him.
During an old interview with Akira Toriyama via Kanzenshuu, he opened up about the issue he felt while drawing the character for the very first time. He mentioned that he decided to change the shape of the Saiyan’s eye to give a clear idea of where he was looking. He said,
With the usual design for his eyes, it was hard to have him look off to one side. It made it hard to tell exactly where he was looking, so I wanted to give him eyes that would make this more clear.
Toriyama-Sensei continued that he took the decision to transform the character’s eyes for the very first time and decided to draw the cold stare off of Bruce Lee.
The glare was “paralyzing,” and in his mind, the story was over. But when he learned that, he had to showcase the two characters exchanging blows.
His eyes from right after he transforms for the first time and looks up at Freeza… I based those off of Bruce Lee. Since that look of his where he glares right at you is paralyzing! That’s what I wanted to do in the Freeza arc… Once Goku gave that look, as far as I was concerned the story arc was over. I was like, “They have to start fighting now? What a pain!” My goal was just to get to that look.
He further added that when it came to drawing the eyes, it turned out to be different than how he had “imagined” it.
But when it actually came time to draw it, it turned out a bit different than how I had imagined it. I still thought Bruce Lee looked a lot cooler. (laughs)
Nevertheless, the manga artist decided to make transformations quite regular in the series, which potentially lays down the foundation stone for the infectious popularity of the anime.
Akira Toriyama Explains How Transformations Became a Common Notion In the Series
In Toriyama-Sensei’s Dragon Ball series, the concept of transformation changed the series. In the series’ latest addition, almost every character has a unique transformation of their own that will pique the interest of the viewers. However, the mangaka did not have any plans to make transformations a routine in his manga and anime.
In the same interview via Kanzenshuu, Toriyama-Sensei stated that the concept of transformation started in the Namek Saga with Frieza. He explained that he wanted to make the antagonist look cooler but later thought of giving him a sleek look.
It all started with Freeza. I didn’t start out with any plans to have him transform of course, but midway through I thought it might be cool to make it look like a bluff and then have him transform for real. Probably at that point I also thought of giving him a sleek design in the end. I’m in the habit of giving characters progressively more complex and tough-looking forms, then finally making them really sleek.
Toriyama-Sensei emphasized how the terrible guys are difficult to draw, stating that Cell was also a ton of work because of the spots on his body. However, by introducing the concept of transformation, the popularity of the show skyrocketed.
Dragon Ball Z can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
