Akira Toriyama never intended Dragon Ball to become what it is when he had first imagined it. In fact, the earliest chapters of Dragon Ball will show you a completely different side of the series, where the main focus is comedy instead of action.
But as the story progressed, Toriyama realized that the franchise would never get famous if he did not change something. So he took a lesson from his last serialization, Dr. Slump, and introduced more action elements, which finally helped Dragon Ball take off. In an interview, the author explained how he changed Goku’s design to suit the needs of the new concept.
Akira Toriyama Changed Goku’s Original Design in Dragon Ball
In an interview, Akira Toriyama accepted that he had to change Goku’s design when he began to implement new ideas in Dragon Ball. Apparently, Shonen characters during the time of Dragon Ball‘s debut looked plain and simple, and Toriyama followed the norm at first. The author even went out of his way not to give Goku any defining characteristics or sharp features.
But this way of designing Goku had its own negative aftereffects:
Except, his appearance ended up having too little of an impact, so I did things like change up his hairstyle slightly, and added in a tail that wasn’t originally part of his design.
The Goku you are familiar with now holds an aura about him and is recognizable in an instant. From his physique to his iconic clothing and Super Saiyan hair, everything screams ‘main character.’ Toriyama admitted that Goku became more like a main character after his transformation, but the author did not change one tiny thing about him.
I s’pose the only thing left over from my original intention of making him very plain was that I was particular about not giving his eyes highlights.
Yes, Goku does not have multi-colored eyes like the latest Shonen characters, but what he does have is popularity beyond the wildest of dreams. In the end, the change worked out in Toriyama’s favor, though he did take away the tail after some time due to the difficulty included in drawing it.
Goku Wasn’t a Saiyan in Dragon Ball‘s Original Story
Akira Toriyama admitted that he is a creator who always draws without thinking ahead. This means he draws his current chapter without any regard for what will happen in the next one.
Goku’s being an alien wasn’t originally part of his background. For that matter, at first he wasn’t even going to grow up.
This shocking revelation shows just how much Dragon Ball has changed since its inception. Goku has always been a Saiyan in the eyes of fans, but Akira Toriyama dropped a bombshell by revealing he was initially supposed to be from Earth. Even bigger news is the fact that Akira Toriyama never intended Goku to grow up, much like Pokemon‘s Ash.
Akira Toriyama was inspired by Journey to the West while creating Dragon Ball. He wanted to create a series where the protagonist would go on adventures to seek out the Dragon Balls in different locations. But it was not as well-received, so the author had to give the series a more serious twist by showing Goku’s Great Ape form as well as battles.
The author also admitted that since Dragon Ball is a series where battles keep escalating, it is extremely hard to keep the story together and think of new ideas. Even the inspirational Toriyama sensei gets stuck since characters have to become stronger and stronger. To his credit, the mangaka has always tried to put his best foot forward, and fans have little to no complaints about the beautifully constructed battles.
You can read Dragon Ball on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
