Akira Toriyama initially thought about making Gohan the main character of Dragon Ball to reduce Goku’s role. However, he changed his mind because he felt Goku was a better fit for the series.
When people are asked about their favorite anime or anime character, many will say Dragon Ball and Goku. And why not, there are several reasons to love Goku (the main protagonist of Dragon Ball). His qualities, like discipline and innocence, set him apart from other anime leads.
Goku isn’t only a beloved anime character but also the most powerful one. It’s hard to imagine anyone else taking his place. However, did you know that Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, originally considered putting another character in the lead role instead of Goku?
Akira Toriyama Initially Considered Goku’s Son as Main Lead in Dragon Ball
In an interview (translated by Kanzenshuu), the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama talked about the creation and growth of the series.
During the interview, the manga artist mentioned that he initially considered having Son Gohan replace Goku as the main character in the series. However, he later abandoned this plan for reasons he explained during the interview. Toriyama said:
“I intended to put Gohan into the leading role. It didn’t work out. I felt that compared to Goku, he was ultimately not suited for the part.”
Akira Toriyama said he wanted Gohan to be the main character, but it didn’t work out because he felt Gohan wasn’t right for the role compared to Goku.
Akira Toriyama’s Most Favorite Character from His Creations
Further, in the same interview, Toriyama also said that Piccolo is his favorite character from his own series. He said:
“I guess I like Piccolo the most after all. Out of all the enemies, Demon King Piccolo is the one I like most, and even after that I like Piccolo the most. I like Piccolo about the same as I like Goku. With Vegeta, well, I don’t like him all that much, but he was extremely helpful to have around. For the recent stuff, it was fun drawing Satan. When I first brought him out, I didn’t think that I would end up making Satan that important of a character. I thought he’d just be a one-shot character. Satan is like that, but thinking up worthless gags is more enjoyable than doing the fight scenes. (laughs)”
The creator of Dragon Ball said he likes Jr. Piccolo the most out of all the characters, even more than the enemies like Demon King Piccolo. He likes Piccolo as much as Goku.
He also mentioned that drawing Mr. Satan was enjoyable. Initially, he didn’t expect Satan to become important; he thought he’d be a one-time character. But Toriyama enjoys creating funny moments with Mr. Satan more than fight scenes.
Also Read: “It was really rough”: Only One Super-Complicated Dragon Ball Z Arc Got Akira Toriyama ‘Bogged Down’
