Dragon Ball is famous for its action scenes, iconic protagonist, and the classic ‘Kamehameha’ move. But did you know that Akira Toriyama began Dragon Ball as a comedy series at first? At its inception, the manga was not very popular, and Akira Toriyama was inspired by Journey to the West and Jackie Chan’s kung-fu movies.
The resulting Dragon Ball manga had a tiny Goku with a lot of gag elements. However, it started gaining popularity only after some of the battles were featured. In the end Toriyama had to change the style of Dragon Ball as well as Goku.
How Akira Toriyama Changed the Original Dragon Ball Manga
When Dragon Ball first began serialization, it was hardly popular. Akira Toriyama was content with his Journey to the West inspired storyline with plenty of gag elements. However, Kazuhiko Torishima, the editor of Dragon Ball, kept nagging him about the series’ popularity, which ultimately led him to add more battles.
“And I guess I like when some dumb, goofy guy turns out to be crazy strong. Like in kung-fu movies where the scrawny old geezer turns out to be a martial arts master; I love stuff like that.“
2015 interview of Akira Toriyama
With the progression of battles and the introduction of the Tenkaichi Budokai, the manga became popular. Toriyama did try to resist by sticking to the adventure aspect, but it did not work out and battles eventually became the main theme of the manga.
How Did Goku Change in Accordance to Dragon Ball‘s Evolution?
When Dragon Ball first came into being, the protagonist was a cute kid version of Son Goku who was inspired by Son Wukong. He always made inappropriate comments and had a lot of gag moments with Bulma, Yamcha, and other characters.
However, as Dragon Ball converted to a more serious battle-oriented manga, the tiny Goku no longer met the serious requirements. In a 2003 interview with Shonen Jump, Akira Toriyama confessed:
“I wasn’t particularly conscious of it, but my art style did change depending on the circumstances. But when it comes down to it, more than anything, I like drawing really silly, absurd comedies.“
According to Toriyama, Goku’s head/body ratio made fighting hard. The mangaka realized that if the series changed to focus on battle, then Goku would have to be made an adult. However, this was shocking news to his editors and magazine officials. They were afraid of the negative impact the change could bring after the series had finally become popular.
Toriyama’s weapon at that time was to make a rough draft of Goku’s adult version before the model could even be approved.
“By the time I sent the rough draft to the editorial office, there wasn’t any time left to make major revisions, so they were just like “if you’re so dead-set on doing this, then fine…”
That is how the after-time skip Goku suddenly returned as a handsome young adult. During the 23rd Budokai Tenkaichi, Goku’s 18-year-old self finally debuted. His match against Piccolo was intense, and he ultimately emerged as the winner. He eventually lost his tail as well.
Next, Goku is 24 years old during Dragon Ball Z. His physique became more developed, and his muscles gained more definition compared to Dragon Ball. Slowly, Goku’s body and face showed signs of maturation as the manga continued serialization.
You can read Dragon Ball on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
