Akira Toriyama, the legendary mangaka who created beloved series like Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball, is respected throughout the world. There’s no bigger proof of this than when even the Government Officials of China and El Salvador declared nationwide mourning on account of the creator’s passing.
The reason he’s so revered is that he literally kickstarted the careers of other mangakas such as Masashi Kishimoto, Eiichiro Oda, and Yuki Tabata.
In fact, Oda stated on a Japanese TV program on Dec 21, 2021, that out of all the manga he read before starting One Piece, he re-read Dragon Ball the most in order to imitate Toriyama’s drawing style.
As a young aspiring manga artist from childhood, Oda admitted that he got fascinated by Toriyama’s illustrations and spent hours imitating everything he drew, from Goku, to humans, machines, and animals.
It’s pretty clear that Akira Toriyama’s art style and drawings were the standard for Shonen Jump back then, and even now. And yet, the man did not really like his art, as we get to learn about this new side of humility from Dragon Ball Super’s Toyotaro.
The reason behind Akira Toriyama disliking his art pieces
The Dragon Ball franchise is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and every month on Saikyo Jump, different mangakas would redraw a Dragon Ball volume cover and comment on what Toriyama and his works meant to them.
The magazine’s July 2024 edition introduces Toyotaro and his rendition of Dragon Ball volume 39, following the preceding thirty-four contributions.
While commenting on the illustration, Toyotaro revealed Toriyama’s feelings regarding his art, which might come as a surprise to fans.
He recalled his creator’s words while asking about his work. And according to the successor’s memory, it seems Toriyama liked only a handful of the numerous illustrations he drew for his manga and video games.
And the reason is that people of his generation didn’t really like to brag about their work, and talking about his own work in such a manner was something he thought was rude.
His point is well-taken: “bragging” was considered impolite during Toriyama’s generation, which prioritized stealthy, high-quality labor. It seems to have a different impact on younger artists like Toyotaro, who have had a more independent and boastful way of thinking, especially in current times where you have to market yourself high enough to get a decent job.
Come to think of it, Toriyama-sensei had said right along that out of the illustrations he drew, there were hardly any he really liked. “That can’t be true when he draws such amazing stuff!” I thought, so one time I went ahead and asked him directly. His response was, “People of our generation don’t really do stuff like bragging about our own work.” Judging from that, I think he probably did have a favorite illustration or two, but that wasn’t the sort of thing the creator himself should be going on about. That’s how I interpreted it.
Sure, Toriyama might have had an illustration or two that he really liked, but he’s too humble and saintlike to admit it in public.
Akira Toriyama is underrated for his humility
Toriyama was always known to be a shy and humble person who mostly kept to himself. He’d feel embarrassed meeting fans because he genuinely felt he didn’t deserve their praise.
There’s this one time where Eiichiro Oda called him his God, and Toriyama went, “This is kinda an awkward position… (LAUGH)“
In fact, both he and Masako Nozawa, the voice actor of Goku, share the same characteristics as the Earthly-Saiyan, in that they hate arrogance and chose to remain down-to-earth as much as possible.
Hardcore fans would know Toriyama always hesitated coming out in public or taking many interviews, and it’s surprising, considering a man of his stature, if born today, can easily rub it on everyone’s faces.
But in reality, he’s a simple man who would prefer to stay at home and construct plastic models in his free time rather than publicize himself. That is the core of Toriyama’s humility, which is reflected in Goku’s characterization as well.
You can watch Dragon Ball on Crunchyroll.
