Akira Toriyama had created a plethora of characters for Dragon Ball, and each of them has a separate fan following. While some characters are stronger than the rest, others gain a reputation with their level heads.
However, not everyone has the caliber to be friend material, and especially not for the author himself. In an interview, Akira Toriyama opened up about the characters in his franchise as well as which ones he liked best. Unfortunately, neither Goku nor Vegeta could make the cut.
The Unexpected Dragon Ball Characters Who Akira Toriyama Wanted to be Friends With
In the interview with Akira Toriyama, the author was asked who he would like to be friends with among the characters of Dragon Ball and why. The author gave the smoothest possible answer, but let me warn you, it might be triggering for Goku and Vegeta fans.
Toriyama admitted that the characters he drew are pretty quirky in their own ways and would be lovely as friends. However, his first criterion to make friends was to choose someone who would not attract trouble. Thus, the author counted down five characters who he would have loved to be friends with.
Akira Toriyama’s first choice was Bulma, a technological genius whose talents are so diverse that even the strongest fighters need her help at times. She can even understand alien technology and effortlessly use it to her advantage. In fact, the author seemed to be mesmerized by her skills so much that he wanted to be friends with Bulma.
She’s bossy, but seems like she’d give me at least an air car if I became friends with her. She might make some incredible inventions for me!
The next person whose name was on the list is Son Gohan, the nerdy and calm son of Son Goku, who does not resemble his father’s rash behavior at all. Gohan is known to deal with situations as peacefully as possible and does not prefer to fight until his loved ones are threatened.
He isn’t too loud, he’s polite, and he works hard.
Akira Toriyama also chose Dende for the same reason that he chose Gohan. He also included Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, in the list. According to the creator, they would get along well because of their perverted tendencies. The last on the list is Kuririn. The author admitted that Kuririn is a sensible person and seems to be the easiest to be around.
Why Didn’t Akira Toriyama Want to be Friends with Goku or Vegeta?
In the very beginning of his answer, Toriyama explained that he did not like being around people who would expose him to danger. So, of course, Goku and Vegeta, the harbingers of trouble in Dragon Ball, did not make it to the list.
Both Goku and Vegeta love to battle and have extremely high stats. Often times in Dragon Ball, their strength attracts powerful villains who want a good fight and emerge on top. Often, the ulterior motive of these antagonists is to destroy the Earth as a side quest. Those who are around them will inevitably get hurt because no normal human has the power to evade those attacks.
Of course, the characters themselves are no less. Both Goku and Vegeta itch for a good fight and are often in search of good opponents. While Goku is the epitome of a battle maniac, Vegeta is similar to the rage of a God of Destruction. So, none of them are viable options for a friendship if you want to live another day.
You can read Dragon Ball on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
