Summary
Ever since the tragic passing ofDragon Ballcreator Akira Toriyama earlier this year, fans have speculated who could become the iconic mangaka’s true successor, and carry the torch ofDragon Ballinto the future. Many fans believe that Toyotarou, the artist forDragon Ball Superwho worked closely with Toriyama, is the best candidate, and it seems Toriyama himself agreed.
Toyotarou has been working onDragon Ballmanga since 2012, when he was hired byDragon Ballpublisher Shueisha to work with Toriyama as an artist. Toyotarou is believed to have been the creator of a well-respectedDragon Balldoujinshi, or fan comic,Dragon Ball AF, which caught the attention of many back in 2000, so he has a long history of drawingDragon Ballcharacters even prior to his hiring at Shueisha.
In recent years, Toyotarou has stepped up to perform some of the other duties associated with creatingDragon Ball Super, such as character design.
Akira Toriyama Truly Believed in Toyotarou’s Skill
Toriyama Supported Toyotarou as His Successor
In an interview from the release of the first volume ofDragon Ball Super,as translated by fan site Kanzenshuu, Toriyama speaks about the possibility of Toyotarou as his successor. When discussing the 30th anniversary illustrations, created by various manga artists, it was mentioned that many of them found emulating Toriyama’s style difficult. Toriyama then said, “Speaking of reproducing my style, Toyotarou-sanis amazing at it!” Toyotarou was understandably a bit embarrassed at the praise, but Toriyama continued, saying,“Don’t be so hard on yourself! You might actually be the closest to my style. There aren’t many people who can manage that!”
Toriyama strongly believed in Toyotarou’s skillsas an artist, and has been encouraging him and giving him more responsibilities over the years. Later in the interview, they even discuss the possibility of Toyotarou taking on some of the writing duties forDragon Ball Super, with Toriyama stating that it was a “good idea” to include some of Toyotarou’s original concepts in the series. Toyotarou was a little intimidated by the idea, but liked the thought of helpingDragon Ballreach its final chapter.
Over the years since this interview took place, Toyotarou’s style and skill have only grown. Even comparing his work from the 2015Resurrection ‘F’manga adaptation to recent chapters ofDragon Ball Super, the growth is obvious, and Toyotarou has only become more skilled at perfectly capturing Goku and friends as Toriyama imagined them. Of course,Toriyama’s own art style has evolved substantiallyover his career as well; comparing Toriyama’s art from the earliest chapters ofDragon Ballto more recent illustrations can reveal a vast change in his style. Toyotarou seems best at capturing Toriyama’s modern style, something which is noted to be difficult for many artists.
Needless to say, no one will ever truly be able to replace Akira Toriyama, but if there’s anyone fit to pick up the torch and bringDragon Ballinto a new era without Toriyama’s guidance, it seems to be Toyotarou. Toriyama’s confidence in Toyotarou’s abilities is proof enough of that, but the quality of Toyotarou’s artwork also stands as a testament to his skill. Toyotarou has learned from Toriyama for over a decade, and there’s no one more fitting to become the new guiding light ofDragon Ball.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
