Gintama Creator Explains How Dragon Ball Inspired the Series

This month has marked one of the biggest losses in anime’s history. Last week, reports confirmed Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, had passed away. The news left millions for fans in shock as tributes for Toriyama rang across the globe. Now, the creator of Gintama is reflecting on what Dragon Ball means to him, and it turns out Son Goku did a lot in helping Gintama come to life. 

The confession comes straight from Hideaki as he posted an emotional letter about Toriyama’s passing. The note, which can be read below, breaks down how the Gintama creator stumbled across Dragon Ball as a kid. The series helped Hideaki uncover his love for art, and as he grew older, Dragon Ball was a constant source of inspiration when the artist was crafting Gintama. 

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“Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, the worlds in which I threw away my homework and devoted every spare moment before going to bed were all born from the pen of Toriyama-sensei. I was born from the eraser scraps that piled up after I admired his pen style and tried to imitate him, but I couldn’t succeed at all. Thank you, Toriyama-sensei, for teaching me so much about the world of manga,” Hideaki wrote.

“Thanks to you, I’ve become a man of a different kind who makes his living from Dragon Ball, even more so than Toriyama-sensei and Toyotarou-sensei. I don’t think this gaping hole in my heart will ever heal, even if I eat some Senzu beans. Still, I will always try to carry with me the Genki-dama (the energy ball) that you have scattered all over the world and continue to follow your heroic footsteps like the Monkey King while being covered with eraser dust. Thank you so much, Toriyama-sensei. I will always love you.”

This letter is certainly emotional, and it peels back yet another layer of Toriyama’s influence. There is no denying the power of Dragon Ball, and Toriyama’s influence on the manga industry has been clear for decades. In the wake of his death, manga’s most famous creators are now tributing their role model, and it has become apparent that Dragon Ball influenced so many elements of pop culture. From comics to live-action films and video games, Toriyama can be found in just about every form of media these days. Gintama is no exception, and Hideaki only hopes he can continue to celebrate Toriyama’s legacy in the coming years.

What do you think about this latest tribute to Toriyama? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!