Although it's very late, I feel the obligation of this blog to dedicate a post to the great Akira Toriyama, who sadly passed away on March 1, 2024. I have been thinking a lot about how to write this article and what would be the best way to pay tribute to this great creator, none other than the one responsible for Dragon Ball. The only way I could think of was to share my personal experience. That is why in this special post, I will speak in the first person, as each person has a different and unique experience with Dragon Ball. Now I will mention everything that marked me the most and what I know about this great anime that shaped my childhood and, obviously, that of many people who watch anime.
How did I discover Dragon Ball?
The answer is very obvious, like many children, I discovered Dragon Ball (Toei Animation) because it was broadcast on Cartoon Network thanks to specific programming blocks like Toonami. There I also discovered other great animes like Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh, Samurai X (or Rurouni Kenshin), Inuyasha, etc. And if there's something a child looks for in series, or at least in those times, it’s three things: epicness, powers and transformations, and incredible fights. That's how Dragon Ball, by being aired on Cartoon Network, caught the attention of many children back then.
I want to highlight that, despite Dragon Ball being known, what really captivated many was Dragon Ball Z, as it took the epicness, powers, and fights to another level and introduced transformations. I have very few memories of Dragon Ball, but seeing Dragon Ball Z, I remembered it more as my first time watching the series.
Factors that allowed the franchise to succeed
Apart from the factors every child seeks, there are other essential characteristics that contributed to the anime. Firstly, the creation of iconic characters that captured the public's imagination. The combination of humor, drama, and action, along with the exploration of universal themes like friendship, personal improvement, and the fight between good and evil, also played a crucial role in its success.
Another important element is the Dragon Balls, which can grant almost any wish, adding even more epicness and, at least initially, being the reason for the introduction of increasingly strong villains in the series, creating even more amazing fights.
Akira Toriyama was a genius in combining all these elements in his work. He was also very skilled at naming his characters, powers, and transformations. Creating unique, easy-to-remember, and catchy names is a great marketing strategy. That’s why everyone now remembers names like Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Bulma, Tien Shinhan, Kami, and even villains like Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu, etc. Powers and transformations are also remembered, like Kamehameha, Genkidama (Spirit Bomb), Kienzan (Destructo Disc), Big Bang Attack, Final Flash, Taiyoken (Solar Flare), Kaio-ken, Super Saiyan, etc.
The great trend and popularity of Dragon Ball
This anime marked the childhood of many due to its incredible and epic level of battles. I remember that after watching the last episode, all the kids would talk about it the next day. In my school, we used to have trivia among classmates, and the one who knew the most was amazing. I imagine that in many places there must have been similar experiences, playing in parks, choosing favorite characters, or trying to teleport. The impact of this anime was incredible.
Dragon Ball
Although I didn't watch all the episodes of the story from the beginning, there are memorable moments to highlight, like when Goku meets his Grandpa Gohan, the first time we saw the famous Kamehameha technique by Master Roshi and later used by Goku, Goku's battle against King Piccolo, and then against his son, who later becomes an ally in Dragon Ball Z, etc.
Dragon Ball Z
In my opinion, this is the best Dragon Ball. It has a perfect balance of good narrative, epicness, incredible battles, and more. It's the reason for its worldwide popularity and why the franchise will likely be remembered forever.
There are too many memorable moments in this series: new transformations, impactful techniques, the rivalry between Goku and Vegeta, Vegeta's character evolution, the first time Goku transformed into Super Saiyan, Gohan's transformation into Super Saiyan 2, the Father-Son Kamehameha, the designs of villains and their multiple forms, fusions, Majin Vegeta, Goku's transformation into Super Saiyan 3, the epic showdown between Goku and Kid Buu, and the Spirit Bomb against him.
Frankly, moments that hooked many in their childhoods and it was never boring to watch them again.
Dragon Ball GT
Akira Toriyama was not responsible for this series, so it was hardly taken as canon and, therefore, Dragon Ball Super was made based on the original work of its creator. Although this anime didn't reach the same level as Dragon Ball Z, that doesn't mean it was bad.
There are moments that did mark our childhood, like the transformation into Super Saiyan 4 for both Goku and Vegeta, or their incredible fusion in Super Saiyan 4. The design of these transformations was unique and memorable. The end of the series with Goku's Spirit Bomb and him leaving with Shenron is also remembered.
Dragon Ball Super
People always wanted to see more of Dragon Ball. Although years passed, they never got tired of watching its series and many lost faith that Akira Toriyama would continue with his manga and anime. Until one day, the continuation was announced with the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, followed by the Resurrection 'F'. These news generated massive nostalgia and great excitement among fans.
After these movies, the Dragon Ball Super series arrived. Here I want to mention some things I didn't like, such as the quality of the first sagas and some exaggerations in transformations and battles like the long transformation of Super Saiyan God or the fist clash between Goku and Beerus.
However, the quality improved greatly in the last saga, the Tournament of Power between various universes, where Dragon Ball once again showcased epic, interesting fights with good quality. Finally, the series returned to what it was in Dragon Ball Z.
There are memorable moments in this series, like the introduction of Super Saiyan God, the transformations of Super Saiyan Blue and Blue Evolution, the transformations of Piccolo and Gohan in the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and Goku's Ultra Instinct transformation. Interesting characters from various universes with unique powers and abilities were also introduced, and ridiculously strong villains like Jiren, which pushed Goku and Vegeta to surpass their limits.
Something well done in this series was giving more justice to secondary characters, like Androids 17 and 18, Krillin, Master Roshi, Tien Shinhan, and more, something missed in Dragon Ball GT.
Movies
Due to its great success, Dragon Ball also expanded to movies, creating non-canonical but equally entertaining stories, showing more interesting battles, fusions, and transformations. To date, there are 23 Dragon Ball movies:
Movies of "Dragon Ball":
The Legend of Shenron (1986)
Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle (1987)
Mystical Adventure (1988)
The Path to Power (1996)
Movies of "Dragon Ball Z":
Dead Zone (1989)
The World's Strongest (1990)
The Tree of Might (1990)
Lord Slug (1991)
Cooler's Revenge (1991)
The Return of Cooler (1992)
Super Android 13 (1992)
Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993)
Bojack Unbound (1993)
Broly – Second Coming (1994)
Bio-Broly (1994)
Fusion Reborn (1995)
Wrath of the Dragon (1995)
Battle of Gods (2013)
Resurrection 'F' (2015)
Movies of "Dragon Ball GT":
A Hero's Legacy (1997)
Movies of "Dragon Ball Super":
Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018)
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022)
There are also specials like the Bardock episode, where he doesn't die but travels back in time due to the explosion of Frieza's attack.
There are a large number of movies and it's hard to say which is the best, but I really liked the movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly, as it gives more context to the story of the destruction of Planet Vegeta and finally introduces Goku's mom (Gine) on screen. It also offers an interesting story of Broly and fantastic scenes, especially when they fuse and Gogeta appears. What an epic battle that was!
Video games
The boom of Dragon Ball was real and extended even further through its video games, especially the Budokai Tenkaichi series for PlayStation 2, developed by Spike and published by Bandai and Namco Bandai Games. The brilliant idea to expand the market to this industry resulted in very well-made games. If the anime didn't mark some people's childhood, the Budokai Tenkaichi games surely did. This game series is a great work whose gameplay offers incredible freedom on the battlefield. You could enjoy the Dragon Ball battle experience from the anime, but this time controlling the character: you can transform, use the same techniques, have power clashes, charge the Spirit Bomb, perform great fusions, participate in tournaments, and much more.
Without a doubt, those responsible behind all this know very well how to implement their strategies in the market and deliver great projects.
On the other hand, special mention must be made of the Dragon Ball Z Kakarot video game, which had a different approach in an open world whose gameplay was entertaining. It was noticeable that this project was made with love and gave us an experience of having a game that is somewhat close to what the Budokai Tenkaichi were and in better quality.
Characters:
Dragon Ball undoubtedly has a great range of characters that keep increasing as the series progresses, especially now with Dragon Ball Super. There are so many characters that everyone has their favorites. For example, in Dragon Ball Super, Caulifla and Kale captivated many viewers.
On the other hand, in the Cell saga, Gohan earned the respect of many and gave us goosebumps when he transformed. Goku, being the main character with his friendly personality, is the favorite of many. Additionally, there is a trend among people to make jokes about Piccolo adopting Gohan, as he was always like a father to him. Android 17 played an incredible role in the Tournament of Power. We could go on naming characters, as each one can be in someone's top favorites.
Personally, my favorite character is Vegeta, as I really like how he has evolved. I think he makes more sense than Goku and I always enjoy it when he surpasses his limits.
The future of Dragon Ball:
I must say that, for me, the future of Dragon Ball is somewhat worrying, as I feel it is being overexploited. Several series have been made that have nothing to do with the original stories, like Super Dragon Ball Heroes, which is not related to Akira Toriyama. On the other hand, there is Dragon Ball Daima, which is another story that does not continue with Super and turns the characters into children, just like they did with Goku in Dragon Ball GT.
However, I also see promising projects, like the continuation of Dragon Ball Super, whose upcoming sagas seem interesting. Additionally, one of the best decisions that could have been made in the industry is the release of the new Budokai Tenkaichi called Dragon Ball Sparking Zero for new generation consoles. This way, we can finally enjoy a Budokai Tenkaichi with spectacular quality, which was the only thing the game lacked. Watching the trailers, you can feel a great nostalgia and freedom in the gameplay, like in the previous Budokai Tenkaichi. Let's hope it meets our expectations, as if it does, this game will be a gem for us.
Evolution of the industry:
It is uncertain, but maybe if it hadn't been for Dragon Ball, the anime industry wouldn't have had the success it has now, and great masterpieces that exist today might never have been discovered. Currently, there are too many anime genres with incredible stories that create memorable moments.
Personally, Dragon Ball is not my favorite anime, but I am very grateful for this work, as it allowed me to discover the world of anime and immerse myself in it, where I discovered that my favorite anime is Bleach. Many will identify with me in saying that Dragon Ball opened the doors to many. With this, I conclude that we don't know what the world of anime would have been like without Dragon Ball, but what is certain is that it greatly contributed to creating this trend.
Final gratitude
Summing up all this, Dragon Ball marked everyone's childhood by creating memorable moments that will pass from generation to generation and thanks to incredible market decisions like the creation of the Budokai Tenkaichi video games that made many people have fun with their friends, it continues to be remembered probably for many more generations. Its future may be uncertain, but despite that, much affection will always be held for this great franchise. As I said before, my favorite anime currently is Bleach, but I will always be grateful to Akira Toriyama for the great work he did in his creation and for allowing me to find other great works.
There is no doubt about the impact Akira Toriyama had on the childhood of many children and on anime culture. Dragon Ball has left an indelible mark on the history of anime and remains one of the most beloved and popular franchises of all time.
Thank you, Akira Toriyama, for giving us this wonderful series and for all the unforgettable memories!
I conclude this tribute with one of the great moments of Dragon Ball, which is when Goku transforms into Super Saiyan for the first time. Let's remember this together as a great community:
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