The Epic Genius of Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama

[Music] [Music] [Music] Akira toyama's art has influenced almost every corner of Pop Culture today Marvel movies feature action scenes reminiscent of the intense battles in Dragon Ball Z in hip-hop tracks you might catch references to going superian I'm a super sa you're superar even in sports athletes attribute their commitment to Goku the hero from the Dragon Ball series on Thursday bird Studio the company Aira toiyama founded in 1983 announced that the author and artist passed away on March 1st due to acute subdural hematoma he was 68 despite his death his impact on entertainment remains strong Toriyama second perhaps only to filmmaker hayo Miyazaki stands as one of the most influential Japanese artists in recent times he played a key role in bringing Manga and Anime to the global stage breaking down barriers that once confined Japanese storytelling in a statement bird Studio requested the public to respect toriyama's family's need for privacy and refrain from offering condolences the company expressed regret that Toriyama had several ongoing works that he was passionate about nevertheless they highlighted his significant contributions over the past 45 years made possible by the support of people worldwide toriyama's most well-known work is the Dragon Ball series a manga he started in 1984 he drew inspiration from the Chinese Epic Journey to the West but added humor and a martial arts Focus the animated TV series Dragon Ball Z turned his creation into a worldwide hit the franchise became hugely popular and its main character Goku even got a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in 1996 tanami a Cartoon Network show lineup brought Dragon Ball Z to lots of homes in the US for many of us who weren't in Japan this was our first exposure to the Shonen storytelling style Shonen means stories focused on young boys and these Tales typically follow characters on heroic Journeys that highlight determination and friendship back in the day there wasn't anything quite like the long unfolding plot of Dragon Ball on American TV most cartoons didn't attempt to tell stories across many episodes yet Dragon Ball got young Millennial viewers used to watching serialized TV long before Netflix binge watching became a trend and even before it lost hit the scene the show story lines had cool names like the Frieza Saga and the cell Saga toriyama's stuff was super popular in Latin America and Goku is practically seen as a folk hero there the Los Angeles Times wrote a funny essay last year titled in celebration of Goku a Latino icon Latin American countries aired a bunch of Japanese TV because it was cheaper and well Goku won over another fan base in the essay JP Brammer said maybe Goku is something like a saint to me he is the patron saint I call on whenever someone tries to tell me that a story isn't Latino enough because an Abella doesn't threaten anyone with lanla or that stories catering to the Latino Community won't work because Latinos don't like supporting other [Music] Latinos Toriyama went big more intense than most you could easily spot his faces but a lot of his storytelling happened in how he drew hands one of toriyama's most famous hand moves is putting Goku's wrists together Palms open shooting the Kami Hami ha that wreck mountains this kind of magical Marsh art style later influenced fighting video games especially the haduken in Street Fighter 2 nowadays toriyama's combat style is all over action stories you can easily see his influence on characters with spiky hair everywhere but he also made the idea of chi the spiritual energy in the body more wellknown in Star Wars the Force was unseen and based on faith Toriyama imagined spiritual energy bursting and surrounding our bodies with light and fire he made the human Spirit seem strong visible and tangible athletes often find inspiration in Dragon Ball because toriyama's stories emphasize determination and grit unlike old Tales of Spider-Man and Batman that focused mainly on conflicts interpersonal and otherwise Dragon Ball created entire story arcs and multi-part sagas specifically centered on training and self-improvement what might be a quick training montage in other stories Toriyama turned into an opportunity to develop characters and build tension outside of TV Toriyama brought his art and style to different areas as Dragon Ball was taking off a Japanese software company hired him to design a fantasy land working with Enix Toriyama played a key role in creating Dragon Quest one of the most influential video games ever he also served as the lead artist for Chrono Trigger a Super Nintendo role-playing game often hailed as one of the best games ever made Dragon Ball wasn't the first show to prioritize action but the way it did so was special was a big part of the show making the fights really stand out and raising the stakes whenever the heroes faced off against a villain this kind of tone has been copied by many other Shonen series since then the transformations in Dragon Ball are among the most famous in anime and they've had a huge impact on the genre while Transformations existed in anime before Dragon Ball they weren't as crucial to a series Goku becoming a superan for the first time was a big deal in pop culture and has either directly influenced or inspired many other anime Transformations since then in the world of entertainment anime has its own special way of showing characters in different series Dragon Ball stands out with its Unique Style thanks to Akira toriyama's distinct art this style has had a big impact on other great anime creators like those behind Naruto one piece and one punch man among others in in Dragon Ball many Timeless themes are explored ones that stories have been telling for ages but few stories match its powerful storytelling and portrayal of these themes people worldwide see the Z Fighters as a symbol of resilience Toriyama weave themes of hard work family love and forgiveness into the series in a uniquely impactful way Akira Toriyama was a master of his art the worlds and characters he crafted have become iconic in pop culture inspiring countless people worldwide both young and old to never give up thanks for watching don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe to our Channel your support helps us grow the channel and the community also make sure to click the notification Bell for more anime episode reviews and updates

Channel: We are Anime

Views: 297

Keywords: dragonball, dragonballz, dragon ball, dragon ball z, akira toriyama, son goku, goku, frieza, cell, super saiyan, dragoball kai, dragon ball super, mahjin buu, chala head cha la, vegeta, super saiyan god, shenron, dragon ball gt, gigguk, akidearest, Saiyan Aniki, history of dragon ball, dragon ball history, dragon ball origins, gohan, son gohan, akira toriyama history, dragon ball kai, goku ultra instrinct

Id: 81A5xvdMJ6U

Length: 8min 15sec (495 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 20 2024