Akira Toriyama will always be remembered for the Dragon Ball franchise. He worked tirelessly for four decades to create an enormous franchise with millions of followers. But it is hard to believe that the mangaka did not begin a journey out of passion. He was broke and saw a competition with a 100,000 Yen prize. It motivated him to enter the contest.
As time passed, he became an icon in the anime and manga industry. Even though he had inspired several mangaka, there was a particular thing he believed to be his weak point. He once mentioned having problems withdrawing muscles and joints. Fans can see this in his work.
Son Goku Gave Akira Toriyama A Hard Time
Akira Toriyama began his journey with Dr. Slump. The story was of a lazy doctor and his super-strong robot daughter. It was a comic setup, and the fans adored the manga. When Dragon Ball began its serialization, it also had a comic plot. But the genre became more of an action/adventure rather than a comedy. It was one of the reasons why Toriyama demanded his editors to make Goku into an adult.
But he faced a certain problem while drawing Goku. Goku’s childhood figure was too short. He had a big face and small and round limbs. It is amazing to think that Krillin was taller than him. But his adult phase was more difficult for the mangaka. During an interview, he admittedly said, “When I first started, I didn’t even understand muscles or joints. As I drew, I thought, ‘Aw, I’ll just fake this!” Muscles and joints were his major weakness.
He was a cartoonist, and most of his characters had a comic stature. But in Goku’s case, the plot needed him to become an adult. Since it was an anime based on martial arts, he needed to be muscular. The lean figure with almost every muscle corner visible made his work difficult. It could be him exaggerating about his weakness, but a sudden change can make anyone feel like that.
Goku’s Muscles Have Come In Handy Ever Since
It was a good move by Akira Toriyama to turn Goku into an adult. The kid version could only work for some time since all his opponents were taller and broader than him. Unknowingly, making him muscular also helped him since he would have to deal with universal beings. Standing in front of someone like Jiren could showcase him as weak if weren’t for those muscles. In the end, his decision paid off.
Times have changed, and now everything about the Dragon Ball franchise is surrounded by muscular bodybuilders. Sometimes, it feels that they are too ripped. It may have been because Akira Toriyama not knowing how much ripped would be good for a character, and started a trend. Everyone remembers how much muscle Goku gained after returning from King Kai’s place during the Saiyan saga. Sometimes, people would wonder which muscle was the elbow.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available on Viz Media.
