When it comes to Dragon Ball, fans of the series have learned plenty from the franchise, but there are those who think Son Goku is filled with little but hot air. Despite enduring some intense battles in his lifetime, the hero is often viewed as an adrenaline junkie who only wants to fight people. That is the view which one of editors who worked on Dragon Ball, and Kazuhiko Torishima is not afraid to say it.
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Recently, author Derek Padula posted something on his website which caught the attention of fans. The writer, who most often focuses on Dragon Ball, translated an interview done with Torishima some years ago. It was there Padula found out about the editor’s thoughts on Dragon Ball, and it seems Torishima did not see substance in the story which Akira Toriyama was penning.
In fact, the editor says he felt the start of Dragon Ball was fine, but it got bad during the end of the Pilaf saga. The editor went on to say the manga’s declining success pushed him to research top titles to find learn what made them so popular. Torishima felt Fist of the North Star was a good example to study, but he walked away from the series convinced Dragon Ball needed to become a brainless comic for it to sell.
“That’s when I decided to make Dragon Ball a work without substance,” the editor shared. “There’s nothing you can learn by reading Dragon Ball. It’s not a lesson in life, it’s useless in our lives; it’s just a funny comic. And that’s fine!”
Continuing, Torishima said he decided to push Dragon Ball in that route since young readers do not like being preached at. It Goku could focus more on crazy battles and innovative strategies, it would do better than other more meaningful manga. Toriyama had the artistic skills to pull off such a switch, so that is what Torishima convinced Shonen Jump to do. But in the process, well – it seems like millions of fans managed to take away lessons from Goku despite all efforts otherwise.
What do you think about this Dragon Ball editor’s quote? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
