Since the 80s, Akira Toriyama has published Dragon Ball. A work that continues in its latest series: Dragon Ball Super. Although Akira Toriyama tragically passed away last March at the age of 68 from an acute subdural hematoma, his frankness will live on. While the return of the publication is not yet known, we look back at the arc that Akira Toriyama preferred to draw, and it may surprise more than one.
akira toriyama’s favorite arc
Story arcs, Dragon Ball includes a whole bunch. To be precise, 40 arcs make up Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z et Dragon Ball SuperFor now. Currently, readers can follow the Super Hero arc, which began in 2023 and was given a film: Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Akira Toriyama took advantage of this arc to bring Gohan and Piccolo back to the forefront, two characters who had been relegated to the background for years.
Among these arcs, some are more popular than others. And if fans can’t hide their attraction to one or the other of these sagas, the same goes for Akira Toriyama. The mangaka has his preferences, and he didn’t hesitate to share the name of his little favorite in an interview. Be careful though, his tastes may have changed over the years. This is in an interview taken from the databook Daizenshuu 2 and translated by Kanzenshuu that Toriyama reveals:
“Every villain I’ve created so far has always had something sympathetic about them.So Demon King Piccolo was born from my desire to create a real villain. This period was the most interesting to draw.”
Piccolo Daimaô or Great Demon King Piccolo, is one of the main antagonists of the manga. It is in chapter 135 of Dragon Ball that readers get to know him, either in the arc dedicated to his majesty. An arc that will span 26 chapters, or 20 episodes. The penultimate arc of Dragon Ball before the transition to Dragon Ball Zthe King Piccolo arc takes place after the Tien Shinhan arc and precedes the Piccolo Jr. arc. This arc is where a major character dies for the first time, or where Goku first meets Yajirobe.
But with this arc, Toriyama also introduces the character of Piccolo, who would later become one of the main characters of the franchise. Dragon Ball. It’s not hard to see why Toriyama was particularly fond of drawing this arc. A radical turn for Dragon Ball whose opening on Dragon Ball Z and a new adventure, the King Piccolo arc is particularly important for the rest of the work. Even if Krillin is probably not the biggest fan of the arc in question.
A more dramatic arc than the others therefore, with harmful consequences but epic battles. Real Dragon Ball as fans love it, with Akira Toriyama at the top of his arc. Now that the master has disappeared, let’s hope that his successors do as well. Answer with the cover of Dragon Ball Super in the coming months.
On your side, What is your favorite story arc? Please feel free to respond to us via the comment section below.
After a Master’s degree in Journalism at the IEJ, I permanently joined the Hitek editorial team in 2017. Passionate about video games, new technologies, science fiction and pancakes, I enjoy sharing my interests with as many people as possible. Always up for a Jägerbomb on the terrace.
