Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise has gifted the fanatics with several iconic moments. While some were action-packed climax scenes, others left the audience in tears. The mangaka always put his soul into his work and did what he thought was best for the fans. Dragon Ball was quickly picked up by the fans and slowly became a global sensation.
With Vegeta’s debut, the dynamic shifted between Goku and him. Often, the anime had TV specials that featured a different story instead of following the main one. One of such TV specials left Akira Toriyama in tears. After watching it, he could not stop praising it, and the fans applauded it. TV Specials were considered non-canon, but Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku, forced everyone to break that rule.
Bardock’s Story was an Emotional Rollercoaster
Bardock was the father of Raditz and Goku. Even though he was mentioned before, he appeared on screen for the first time in Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku. The TV special aired in October 1990. Takao Koyama and Katsuyuki Sumisawa wrote the script for the movie. Since Akira Toriyama was not involved in the creation of the episode, it was considered a non-canon. Bardock’s story had everyone on the edge of their seats.
The special was 48 minutes long but affected Toriyama sensei for a longer period. He was left in tears after watching it. Bardock fought till the end to stop Frieza from taking over Planet Vegeta, but he was too powerful. The fans quickly hailed it as one of the greatest stories in the franchise. Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku forced Akira Toriyama to acknowledge its plot and become awestruck.
During an interview, he said, “That special was good. I cried. How can you make a story so much better than the original manga? (laughs).” Only a mangaka knows how to bring out the emotion from their magnum opus, but in this case, the mangaka was the one who became emotional. Takao Koyama and Katsuyuki Sumisawa exceeded everyone’s expectations and delivered one of the best TV specials.
Akira Toriyama’s Magnum Opus Is Still Ruling The Hearts
The Dragon Ball franchise has several TV specials, but Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku has a special place in everyone’s hearts. One of the best things about it was the writers wrote it by keeping a connection with the main plot. The mangaka worked hard to build the franchise and actively took part in Dragon Ball Super till his last day.
Due to him putting his heart and soul into the plot, it remains one of the most popular series even after four decades of its serialization. Goku and Vegeta have gone through several perilous adventures, but they always came out on the top. The mangaka showed his capability when he made a blonde transformation into the most iconic moment in anime history.
Toriyama sensei had several iconic moments under his belt, but ultimately, it was someone else’s creation that left him in an emotional state. When fans were losing interest in the Dragon Ball franchise, he took the helm with Toyotarou and brought the series back to his glory days. Unfortunately, he left us all on March 1, 2024, and fans have nothing but respect for him.
