There’s no denying the legendary success of the Dragon Ball franchise. First created in 1984 by Akira Toriyama, the manga garnered massive attraction towards the series. More than forty years later, Toriyama’s legacy continues on. The series revolutionized the manga industry in several ways, shaping the future of shonen manga and anime. Furthermore, it defined the shonen battle formula, introducing tropes like power-ups, training arcs, rivalries, and so on. Dragon Ball helped globalize manga and anime, making them popular worldwide. Akira Toriyama’s clean art style and dynamic fight scenes influenced many later artists.
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The series also introduced power scaling and transformations, which later became standard in battle manga. Its impact can be seen in series like Naruto, One Piece, My Hero Academia, and several other manga. However, in an interview with KosoKoso_hoso for J-Wave, Dragon Ball editors highlight some unknown secrets behind the series. Toriyama planned to end the series much earlier but was convinced to continue despite his decreased interest. However, he also agreed to the suggestion on one condition: making Dragon Ball’s final saga lighter, more streamlined, and free of time paradoxes from the Cell Saga. While the original interview is in Japanese, Venixys, a Dragon Ball fan on X, shares a translation of everything editors Kazuhiko Torishima, Yu Kondo, and Fuyuto Takeda talked about.
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Akira Toriyama Planned to End Dragon Ball After the Cell Saga
The Cell Saga of Dragon Ball Z is still one of the best arcs of the franchise. However, what most fans don’t know is that Toriyama wanted to end the series after this legendary arc. Still, many people who heard his will didn’t understand his decision, believing the story could continue in many ways even after the Cell Saga concluded. At some point, Toriyama faced strong pressure from the editorial team for the story to continue. Meanwhile, Takeda always supported Toriyama and even tried to reduce his burden. Ultimately, both Toriyama and Takeda insisted that the story would end with the Majin Buu Saga, and their request was granted.
The story took a drastic turn after the Cell Saga, with Goku’s death and a seven-year time skip. However, the story also became incredibly complex with time travel and paradoxes. The alternate future also created a difficult narrative structure. It was concerning that any mistake in chronology would become almost impossible to correct without inconsistencies. However, it was also evident that things got more tangled down the line. The Saga also ended on a tragic note.
Normally, Goku’s friends would have brought him back to life using the Dragon Balls. However, he insisted they shouldn’t do that. Goku believed that the planet would be safe if he was not there so no new enemy would seek him again. After seven long years of peace, Gohan is all grown up, and everyone has moved on with their lives. However, the World Tournament changes everything as a new threat emerges from another world.
Toriyama Wasn’t Enthusiastic About Restarting Dragon Ball
Twenty years after the Dragon Ball Z manga concluded, fans were overwhelmed with a new sequel called Dragon Ball Super, which was released in 2015. The story takes place about four years after the Majin Buu Saga, commencing a new adventure for Goku and his friends. However, the editors reveal that Toriyama was unhappy about restarting Dragon Ball. About a decade ago, when discussions about continuing the original story began, the creator responded with very little enthusiasm.
He even said he didn’t find it fun anymore. The editor mentioned that the motivation that drove Toriyama in the past wasn’t there anymore. Additionally, in a tribute interview on the radio, Toriyama himself admitted that he didn’t feel the same excitement as before. Although he enjoyed working with certain characters, his engagement wasn’t what it used to be. It’s a huge contrast to the time when he was writing the Buu Saga or even the Frieza Saga. The author still had that creative spark within him as he was full of ideas and energy.
The editors even added that subtle changes in Toriyama’s storytelling became evident, depicting that his approach was shifting and that his inspiration was no longer strong. Even so, the author continued to work hard even in the later years of his life. From writing the story of Dragon Ball Super to working closely with Toei on Dragon Ball Daima. Toriyama’s work is still celebrated as one of the greatest. Following his death on March 1st, 2024, Dragon Ball Super went on an indefinite hiatus. While the manga returned with Chapter 104 on February 19th, 2025, the release date of the next chapter is still unknown.
H/T: @Venixys
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