Although gone at the age of 68, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball remains one of the most iconic manga and anime series of all time. The manga artist’s name shines bright as a beacon of creative brilliance. He has left an indelible mark in the manga industry with his unparalleled ability to tell the gripping story of Goku and his friends.
Throughout the series, the mangaka has blended elements of action, humor, and emotions which have played an integral role in keeping the fans hooked to the story. However, in an industry where series like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and many more exist, critics often questioned Toriyama-Sensei’s creative output. To silence the critics, the mangaka came up with one unique concept that silenced everyone, who doubted his talent.
Toriyama-Sensei Proved His Superiority With One Unique Concept Introduced in the Dragon Ball Series
In Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series, Goku and Vegeta’s fused forms, that is Gogeta and Vegito are ranked as two of the most powerful characters in the entire franchise. Indeed, the Earth-shattering power-up serves as a reminder of the mangaka’s creative process, showcasing how he is ahead of his rivals.
The canon concept of fusion was first introduced in DBZ’s manga chapter #309, and in anime episode #298 of the Buu saga, fans were first introduced to Vegito. The character was the result of Vegeta and Goku merging together using the Potara Earrings given by Supreme Kai.
Super Buu had defeated every Z-Fighter that he came up against, including Kakarot and Vegeta separately. When all hope seems to be lost and Earth is about to be destroyed, The Prince of All Saiyans appears back on Earth and Goku convinces him that they can defeat Super Buu if they fuse together using the Potara Earrings.
The concept of fusion results in a total merger of the two characters into one body. Interestingly, Toriyama-Sensei decided to give one side-effect to this form, that is both characters’ personalities would remain present and active in this new form. This is important because both Z-Fighters have different battle experiences, ideas, and observations which can be extremely crucial to create an adversary like Super Buu.
While fans have witnessed the insane rise in power, they have also witnessed how the two personalities would sometimes conflict. However, this does not negate the fact that two prideful warriors would put down their ego and self-interest for the greater good. Vegeta proved this when he was initially hesitant to fuse as he said, “In that case … I’d rather die.” However, he soon changed his decision and gave the series one of its most iconic and memorable moments.
How Did The Concept of Fusion Become An Integral Part of Dragon Ball?
Akira Toriyama did not add the concept of fusion to give another jaw-dropping character, who would save the day when all hope seemed to be lost. Instead, it is an impressive element of the storywriting itself. As per Screen Rant, Dragon Ball was criticized for being very a long period of time because it was “very basic.”
The critics stated how the show featured flat characters, as the only development they receive is in terms of new transformations. This is where the concept of fusion comes in, the mangaka defied the expectations of the critics as well as the fans by the addition of the subplot. Through this intriguing concept, Toriyama-Sensei showcased, how Goku and Vegeta are two sides of the same coin.
Though Kakarot is the nicer of the two characters, he is often pulled down by the fans of the series, who believe he is a bad father because he left his family to become the strongest in the universe. Moreover, during the Cell Games, he gave Cell a Senzu Bean to make sure the fight was fair. On the other hand, Vegeta changes as the story progresses, where he decides to put down his Saiyan pride for once and fuse with Goku to protect Earth, the new home of the Saiyans.
Hence, introducing this unique concept, made the show stand out from Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece and Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto because each of these series features similar themes with different degrees of drama. But what sets apart Akira Toriyama from Oda-Sensei and Kishimoto-san’s work is how he decided that great conflicts and rivalries can be overcome for the greater good.
Dragon Ball Z can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
