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Dragon Ballis a series I was introduced to before I became familiar with the concept of anime, and such was the case for many kids growing up, enjoying its actionbut also appreciating its comedy. Despite its somewhat uneven aging, I prefer it overDragon Ball Zas far as anime goes; a Capsule Corp time machine trip to an era where Akira Toriyama could focus his attention on great character interactions in addition to increasingly more impressive fights. One key childhood memory comes from a great Goku quote fromDragon Ball,reminding me of Toriyama’s comedic talents.
Dragon Ballbeing funny shouldn’t surprise anyone, with Toriyama’s roots and interests being largely in gag manga. Still, before Goku grew up and the series began to revolve around him as editorial pressure pushed for more of a fighting series,the original story has incredible charm, especially when reviewing Toriyama’s wonderful paneling.
Seeing even the silliest non-sequiturs thrown into the mix influenced my tastes in Toriyama’s absurd humor, and one early quote inDragon Ball,where Goku is coaching Krillin, exemplifies this.
Dragon Ball Explained Why Gohan Could Never Replace Goku But Most Fans Missed It
Gohan was meant to take Goku’s spot as Dragon Ball’s main protagonist but he failed to do so, and the reason why is evident throughout the series.
Goku’s Best Quote in Early Dragon Ball Proves Why the Series Was So Charming
A Hilarious Self-Referential Gag About Toriyama’s Character Designs
ThisDragon Ballquote created a core childhood memory as my friends and I were sent into laughing hysterics.
I vividly remember watchingDragon Ballin my friends' grandparents' basement when the 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai, or World Martial Arts Tournament, aired in a rerun of episode #21 where Krillin fought Bacterian. For those well-versed in theDragon Balldeep magic, it’s easy to tell where this is going, but Krillin is being trounced at first by his opponent, who infamously has never bathed before, lowering his opponent’s defenses. Seeing his friend fight in the finals,Goku cheers him on while shouting out words of encouragementuntil Krillin’s ten-count, when he has a crucial realization.
You’ve got no nose!!!
-Son Goku
I remember that moment vividly because,of courseKrillin has no nose,but the fact that it’s acknowledged and only now used to remind him that his reaction to Bacterian was all in his head was brilliant. ThisDragon Ballquote created a core childhood memory as my friends and I were sent into laughing hysterics. Such a simple, obvious thing to say sends Krillin springing back into action. The fact that the fight is concluded by Krillin farting in Bacterian’s face should have been icing on the cake, but that quote from Goku stuck with me far more.
Goku’s Quote Reminds Viewers of Toriyama’s Quirks
An Artist Who Famously Worked as Smart as He Worked Hard
Given Toriyama’s Q&A in the one-shotDragon Ball: Aventure Specialas archived bykanzenshuu.com, Goku’s quote was likely an instancewhere the mangaka improvised an opportunity to explain Krillin’s design quirk.After all, the interview asks why Krillin doesn’t have a nose, to which Toriyama answers on the spot, saying he “has a physical idiosyncrasy that allows him to breathe through his skin.” If so, Krilllin has more in common with the Lake Titicaca water frog than expected, but he accidentally becomes the most fascinating Dragon Ball character with this quote.
Other writers besides myself have noticed this quirk of Toriyama, wherehe writes himself out of trouble,like retconning the Dragon Balls by introducing the Namekian Dragon Balls, which can resurrect people more than once. Still, much of the focus is given toDragon Ball Z, where Toriyama’s most famous quirks, like not coloring Super Saiyan hair, are mentioned, and it’s fascinating to exploreDragon Ballin the moments as it increasingly transitioned from a gag manga to a fighting series.
Shifting the Balance to Focus on Action While Not Abandoning Comedy
WhileDragon Ball Zcan sometimes feel overly serious, its predecessor and the original manga still haveAkira Toriyama’s comedic angles that never quite go away.The series became ostensibly more of a fighting manga, beginning with the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, continuing with the Red Ribbon Army storyline, and onward from there, yet even in this phase, Toriyama gave us the best of both worlds. It’s all hilariously undercut by the fact that Master Roshi, recognizing Goku and Krillin’s excellent growth, joined the tourney as a ringer named Jackie Chun.
Even though Jackie Chun was an obvious alter ego for Roshi, the true tip-off was his usage of the Kamehameha in chapter #43.
Akira Toriyama was pushed to create the Tournament Saga,asDragon Ballhad previously not been very popular, and this could introduce similar boosts to the series as it did for his previous work onDr. Slump.This development, noted in 1995’sDragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide’sinterview with Toriyama archived onkanzenshuu, brought back Master Roshi and introduced Krillin, the latter of whom is still a beloved side character in the present. Toriyama humored his superiors, while also giving his readers fart jokes, pervert-baiting, and some genuinely great paneling throughout.
Dragon Ball’s Early Era Introduced Many Colorful Characters
Quotes and Memorable Moments Still Live on from the Original Classic
I’ll frequently look back on my experiences withDragon Ball Zwith relative disappointment. Still, my gripes with it are nothing new: machine gun fistfights, animation quickly outclassed by other anime from the era, power creep, andmishandling of Goku. It’s undeniably influential because of the raw creative talent behind it, and it could generate massive excitement and genuine water-cooler hype surrounding key moments in the series, however. But inDragon Ball, the best part for me isseeing so many characters introduced by Toriyamabefore they wind up wasted later in the franchise.
This includes characters like Yamcha, who, even in the Tournament Saga, felt like his grasp on rivalry with Goku was beginning to slip. Yet, he’s still interesting to watch as he furiously trains for the tournament before he became infamous for dying hilariously quickly. Master Roshi’s training for Goku and Krillin was compelling, including using his massive turtle shells as training weights. Launch was still around, although she was certainly one of the earlier casualties of sidelining and one of the symptoms ofDragon Ball Z’soccasionally poor aging.
Dragon Ball’s Legacy and Quotes Live on in Other Series
Future Generations Still Borrow from Toriyama Decades Later
Akira Toriyama’s humor and hilariousDragon Ballquotes prompt me to remember just how important his legacy is in the manga and anime world. Power-scalingthe strongest characters across all animeamong fans typically includes Goku on the podium among other top contenders,one of the benefits of sidelining so many iconic characters to develop him.Toriyama’s incredible manga artalso includes some of the best panels around, with a clear sense of depth conveyed in so many shots, and each character is designed carefully, with or without noses.
Yet, Toriyama’s gags will persist in numerous forms, even in banal instances like fart jokes inNaruto’sanime or even in climactic showdowns like Saitama’s fight against Garou inOne-Punch Man.For me, the purest instances and homages include funnyDragon Ballquotes or panels in the VIZ translation mockingly pointing out pages previously used for ads.
Still, for Toriyama’s influence and pure charm to be felt in everything fromDragon Ballto seminal video game hits likeDragon QuestandChrono Trigger, we were blessed to have him and his idiosyncratic charm.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Sources:Dragon Ball: Aventure SpecialInterview Transcript on Kanzenshuu,Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story GuideInterview Transcript on Kanzenshuu,Anime News Network
