Sonic the Hedgehog Artist Honors Akira Toriyama in New Letter
One Sonic the Hedgehog designer opened up about how Akira Toriyama inspired Tails' design!
One of the designers behind the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is honoring the legacy of Akira Toriyama with a special letter and sketch! Legendary creator behind Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Sand Land and more, Akira Toriyama has unfortunately passed away at the age of 68. The creator not only had a huge impact for how much he meant for the world of manga and anime, but his influence is felt through video games as well. Designing for massive franchises like Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon and more, the creator's impact has been felt for many fans around the world.
This includes those video game franchises he didn't even have a direct hand in as well. It's no surprise to see a franchise with a blonde and spiky haired "super" transformation of its own would be inspired by Akira Toriyama's work with Dragon Ball, and that's the case for Yasushi Yamaguchi, who was the original designer behind Miles "Tails" Prower. Sharing in a note with fans on social media that the Sonic and Tails dynamic was modeled after Piccolo and Gohan, you can find Yamaguchi's tribute for Toriyama below:
以前のツイッターのポストでも連載コラムでも書きましたが、ソニック2でこの二人の関係性はピッコロと悟飯のイメージでキャラ作りしていたのですよ。
— 斗々屋 (@judy_totoya) March 8, 2024
なのでドラゴンボールという作品がなければ今に至るこの二人の関係性も存在していなかったことになります。
鳥山先生本当にありがとうございました。 pic.twitter.com/tKC8yg2hdm
Dragon Ball: Celebrating Akira Toriyama's Legendary Legacy
If you wanted your own way to pay tribute to Akira Toriyama's works by revisiting some of your favorite Dragon Ball episodes, you can now find Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super now streaming with Crunchyroll with many of the movies available with both a Japanese and Englsh dubbed audio track available. Weekly Shonen Jump magazine publisher Shueisha's statement on Akira Toriyama's legacy reads as such:
"Akira Toriyama, who published many works in Jump magazines, has passed away. We at Shueisha and the editorial department are deeply saddened by the sudden news of his passing. The manga that he drew, such as Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Sand Land, and many others have been read and loved all over the world, transcending national borders. His fascinating characters and his overwhelming sense of design have greatly influenced many manga artists and creators. We would like to express our gratitude to him for his great achievements and pray for his soul to rest in peace."
Did you ever noticed the Piccolo and Gohan vibes with Sonic and Tails? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on X (formerly known as Twitter)!