Akira Toriyama has been an influence on many manga creators through its legendary manga and anime Dragon Ball. An example of such an influence goes to Yūki Tabata’s Black Clover. A fantasy shonen series that took the manga world by storm. Tabata illuminated how Toriyama’s typical style of portraying combat scenes has influenced his own style.
The mangaka’s insights revealed his sources of creativity that have contributed to the series’ unique combinations. Especially, the blending of fantasy elements and action sequences. Tabata has shown admiration for Akira Toriyama’s potential to present battles from different angles. A technique that has become a trademark for flamboyant combat portrayal.
Inspiration From Akira Toriyama’s Multi-Angle Approach to Combat
In an interview via Tumblr, Yūki Tabata ascribed Akira Toriyama‘s Dragon Ball as a key source of inspiration for his Balck Clover‘s combat structures. His particular praise was Toriyama’s depiction of fights from various angles. Tabata’s admiration is evident in the way he portrays character movements to improve the dynamism of the battles.
I am also forced to quote Dragon Ball, which has been another source of inspiration in mastering character movements. Akira Toriyama was able to draw clashes in several angles that always impressed me.
As a matter of fact, the multi-angle approach has become a distinguished quality of Black Clover. His panels’ work burst out with amazing character movement from leaping and clashing into various viewpoints. It thus creates a sense of flexible flow that keeps the reader engaged.
His meticulous detailed work ensured every action dynamics and magical blast provided a maximum impact. He took Toriyama’s lesson to heart in his depiction of character movement. Allowing amplification of movement to heighten the excitement in Balck Clover‘s numerous confrontations.
Yūki Tabata’s Blending of Fantasy with Shonen Action
It’s clear that Black Clover‘s battle scenes are influenced by Dragon Ball. Though Tabata was inspired by Toriyama, his series stands out for its blending of fantasy elements and traditional shonen tropes. In the interview, he also revealed that he was focused on creating a manga similar to the dark fantasy Berserk series.
Whether for its sets, its battles or its history, this series remains an important sorce of inpiration for me… I wanted a manga in this spirit, but in the shonen style.
He also cited his inspirations from various other media such as Dragon Quest: Dai’s Quest, The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. This influence has made him research different photo books for settings and universes. With his intensive research, he was able to create a multi-layered world in the series.
Black Clover continues to gain popularity through its dedication to fluid and evolving storytelling. Yūki Tabata has been able to create a series that honors its predecessor Akira Toriyama and paints its own identity through its manga. His series seems to continue ascending in the world of Shonen manga.
Dragon Ball and Black Clover manga are available to read on Viz and watch anime on Crunchyroll as of 18th Aug 2024.
