‘Dragon Ball GT' Producer Reveals Its Involvement With Akira Toriyama

When it comes to Dragon Ball, fans are always wanting to know Akira Toriyama's thoughts on the series. The creator is viewed by many to be the canon gatekeeper of Dragon Ball, but Toriyama has been mostly mum about its so-called official lineup. Still, that hasn't stopped fans from guessing about Toriyama's work on Dragon Ball GT.

Now, it seems like one producer has helped answer those questions.

Thanks to Kazenshuu, a previous interview that Kozo Morishita did with Dragonbook has been translated into English. The chat, which can be read here, details the producer's work on Dragon Ball GT. It was there Morishita was asked about how involved Toriyama was with the anime, and Morishita said the artist gave simple outlines to the show's team.

"Simple plots made by Toei Animation such as "they travel to these types of planets" were handed over to sensei, and he drew new character drafts and image illustrations for kid Goku, Pan, Trunks, the spaceship, and other major characters," the producer said.

As for the show itself, Morishita said it was Toriyama who came up with its title. "That's right. We only received the title, and so weren't sure what it meant," the producer revealed.

"We thought maybe it was taken from GT cars, and got out our dictionaries. We interpreted it as "Grand Touring", to convey the concept of a road movie type of plot."

Dragon Ball GT may be one of the franchise's more controversial series, but Toriyama appears to have given his blessing to the series. The creator is credited as the author in the anime's credits, and Toriyama even drew sketches for the show to promote its biggest moments. The artist hasn't ever come out to say what is and isn't canon for Dragon Ball, but Toriyama did lend his voice to Dragon Ball GT during its formation. Now, it is up for fans to decide whether they'll add it to their personal canon or not.

Are you a fan of Dragon Ball GT or does the series get under your nerves? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things anime!