Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Akira Toriyama set a benchmark in the shonen genre with his trailblazing seriesDragon Ball. From friendships to rivalry, the series pioneered some major tropes. This also included power-ups and transformations of major characters. The series features some of the legendary powerups, including the iconic Super Saiyan. But there’s a catch to it.
Toriyama sensei had a rather unplanned approach to the infamous transformation. Or a rather villainous approach per se, as he revealed in an interview. While binaries and dualities are recurrent in the series, they also resound in Goku’s transformations and evolution in theDragon Ballseries.
Akira Toriyama had an unplanned approach toward Super Saiyan transformation
Akira Toriyamais a celebrated legend in the world of manga. He’s inspired and shaped the Shonen series for decades. FromNarutotoOne Piece,the most iconic shonen mangas borrowed concepts fromDragon Ball. This extends to the mangaka’s approach towards power-ups and transformation. And there’s more to it.
Power-ups are the core of most Shonen series, includingDragon Ball. What sets Shonen apart from other genres is its underlying persistence. Growth and evolution go hand-in-hand, especially through themedium of training.
Toriyama sensei brilliantly captures brute strength and complexities in his series. There’s a caveat to that, however, as he later revealed in an interview. This is especially true for the infamous Super Saiyan transformation in the series.
Dragon Ball DAIMA May Finally Redeem Akira Toriyama’s Biggest Mistake by Canonising The Best Thing to Come Out of Dragon Ball GT
The mangaka revealed his unplanned approach toward the powerup in aninterview. This was published in the 6th round ofDragon Ball Daizenshuu. He quoted:
I actually hadn’t planned Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation at all. Then, when I came up with the idea of the Super Saiyan, in order to show that Goku had gained a massive power-up all at once, I thought “there’s no choice but to change his form, too”. But in terms of design, the facial expressions and such would become like the design for a villain. I felt, “I wonder if it’s really OK for him to be like this.” Granted, since his transformation is accompanied by rage, I also thought, “I suppose that part’s fine.”
The themes of rage and aggression is often associated with Saiyans. Mostly as a part of the stereotype pertaaining to their race. The protagonist, however, defies this through his innate duality in the anime. The theme of duality reverberates throughout the course of the series especially with the hero’s moments of rage and aggression.
Goku’s duality is a resounding theme in theDragon Ballseries.
From his compassion to his rage,Gokuis a layered character in theDragon Ballseries. Despite his Saiyan lineage, he defies the stereotypes associated with the race. Being a pure-blood Saiyan, he can unlock his true power while embodying human qualities.
This, however, doesn’t negate the duality present within the character. Especially when it comes to his aggression and rage during the series. It is evident when he is revealed to be the cause of Grandpa Gohan’s death. There’s more to it, however, than meets the eye.
Toriyama sensei doesn’t explicitly explore thehero’s evil sideper se. Zamasu is probably the closest thing to an evil twin. The character reflects an unadulterated evil version of the kind and compassionate hero. The protagonist did have moments of pure rage. This is clear during Krillin’s death when he unleashed his anger at Frieza.
In other instances, he wreaked havoc in his ape form during Emperor Pilaf Saga. Despite his pure heart, the character is morally grey in several aspects. Interestingly, it is the childlike innocence that keeps him from reaching villainy. Toriyama also made sure he remained glorious in viewers’ eyes.
Not Even One Piece Got the Special Treatment from Toei Animation that Had Studio Ghibli Collaborating with Dragon Ball
All in all, Toriyama sensei’s decision to make the hero a morally grey character benefitted the series. Despite its flaws,Dragon Ballcontinues to be an iconic series even after the mangaka’s passing.
Dragon Ballis available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.
Himanshi Jeswani
Anime Writer
Articles Published :993
Himanshi Jeswani is an anime writer at Fandomwire, with her work spanning over 900 articles. Her articles cover shojo, shonen, seinen, and all things beyond. Her interests, however, aren’t limited to simply anime. She has a penchant for exploring different genres of manga, be it horror, yanki, music, and food. She brings out her specialization and expertise in the performing arts through her articles. As a writer, she strives to bridge the gap between the viewers and the medium itself. To her, anime is a revolutionary medium that is capable of creating communities and stories after all.
