Akira Toriyama did not achieve the legendary in a single day. He had to work hard to become an iconic figure in the anime and manga industry. The Dragon Ball franchise has become a household name worldwide. But it was not an easy journey. The mangaka had to face several rejections before he found his breakthrough as an artist.
The fans cannot even fathom someone rejecting the great Akira Toriyama. But those rejections were crucial for him. It helped him become successful. Also, those rejections were later used by him in the Dragon Ball franchise. It was his way of getting back to the editors who rejected him.
Rejection Paved The Way For Akira Toriyama’s Glory
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is considered to be the godfather of the Big Three of anime. Goku and Vegeta’s partnership has dominated the anime and manga industry for the last four decades. The franchise boasts millions of fans worldwide. But there was a time when it was uncertain whether the mangaka would be able to serialize his creation. Whenever he went, the editors used to reject his drafts.
During an interview with Rumiko Takahashi, Akira Toriyama said, “About 500 pages of drafts had been rejected by publishers before I debuted. I take a lot of ideas from these rejected drafts. And I think I even used some of those stories. When these drafts were rejected, I was really depressed. But I call it even when I take advantage of them later.” 500 pages is a lot, and it shows his dedication to his work. He did not lose hope and was perseverant.
Thankfully, he did get his breakthrough, and raised an empire. Fortunately, Toriyama sensei did not throw away the rejected ideas. He confirmed that he has used quite a few of them. It was his way of answering those publishers who rejected him. The publishers might be scratching their heads after they rejected a gold mine. Someone rightly said, nothing tastes better than sweet revenge.
Akira Toriyama Never Revealed The Rejected Drafts
The 500-page draft had multiple ideas in it. As an act of revenge, Toriyama sensei used a few of those rejected ideas in his magnum opus. But he never revealed which ideas found a way into the anime. He kept it a secret since it might belittle the publishers. But great ideas always find a way to come back. Being a great storyteller, he saw the potential in those rejected piles and handpicked the best of them.
It may even be that the idea of Goku being an alien (Saiyan) was rejected. In the end, everything turned out to be good. Based on those rejections, the Dragon Ball franchise has completed four decades of success. Its legendary status also helped the anime and manga industry become mainstream. Today, Akira Toriyama is an inspiration, and his creation is eternal even after those 500-page drafts.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available on Viz Media.
