Dragon Ball Creator Addresses His Take on Female Characters

Dragon Ball has plenty of fighters to its name, and of course, Goku is chief among them. From Gohan to Vegeta and Piccolo, there are tons of men in the series, but Dragon Ball has its share of women as well. Bulma kickstarted the manga as its female lead, and as it turns out, the creator of Dragon Ball has admitted to facing troubles when crafting the series’ female characters.

The update comes from Dragon Ball Forever, an old-school guide to the series which released in Japan years ago. The issue features an interview with Akira Toriyama, the man who crafted Dragon Ball decades ago. It was there the artist spoke about the manga’s story, and when asked if he modeled Dragon Ball characters off anyone, Toriyama confessed a truth about his creative process.

“Whenever I draw women, they all end up with rough personalities,” the creator shared (via Kanzenshuu). “I just can’t draw them more bubbly and upbeat. I can’t draw them docile and cute, either. Chi-Chi had a personality I kind of disliked. Maybe it was because Goku was unemployed… they’d have to have be piddling away the Ox Demon King’s fortune to get by, that family. That’s why Chi-Chi’s such a nag.”

So, there you have it. Toriyama strays away from bubbly female characters, and that truth tracks to this day. Take for example characters like Kale and Caulifla. The two female Saiyans have very different personalities, but neither of them would be considered upbeat. This is true for Chi-Chi as Toriyama mentioned, and the list goes on and on.

As for Dragon Ball’s leading men, it seems Toriyama made sure to design heroes like Future Trunks with his audience in mind. Or at least his female fans. “In the case of men… perhaps with Trunks, there were parts I drew with female fans in mind. Even his silhouette; I mean, he’s got a sword on his back,” Toriyama shared. “Even someone like Piccolo’s popular with women, it seems.”

Over the years, Dragon Ball has definitely shaken up things with its characters and their creation. Most recently, Dragon Ball Super had fans geeking over Moro in the manga, but some things never change. Characters like Goku and Bulma stay the same despite the odds, but the fandom wouldn’t have the two any other way. 

What do you think about Toriyama’s take on female characters? Did the creator do heroes like Bulma and Chi-Chi justice? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.