Jackie Chan Says Goodbye To Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama
Believe it or not, Jackie Chan and his movies are the main reason why Dragon Ball even exists.
The whole world came together to wish Akira Toriyama farewell on social media. And that includes one of Toriyama’s icons, Jackie Chan.
Believe it or not, Jackie Chan and his movies are the main reason why Dragon Ball even exists. In an interview conducted for the Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide, Toriyama admitted to his then editor, Torishima-san, that he loved watching Jackie’s movies and had seen “Drunken Master” dozens of times.
Consequently, the editor recommended that he attempt to create a kung-fu shonen manga, prompting him to produce a single-shot titled “Dragon Boy”. Due to the highly favorable reception received from fans, the author made the decision to pursue a similar approach for his subsequent serialized endeavor, ultimately culminating in the creation of Dragon Ball.
On the other hand, Jackie too admitted that he took inspiration from Dr. Slump to make his movies, as seen in the movie “My Lucky Stars,” where he dressed as Arale-chan.
(Speech bubble reads:
Jackie: I took inspiration from Dr. Slump
when making my movies!!
Toriyama: I used Jackie’s movies as a reference when making Dragon Ball!!)
When they met each other in 1986, Toriyama was beyond happy, as shown in his message below!
“I met with a man I really admire, Jackie Chan. He turned me into the biggest adoring fan!!Well, perhaps only second to my wife. I mean, he is the world famous Jackie Chan!! It even made me freeze up—I didn’t know what to do.It was the first time I’ve ever been like that!! Apparently, I really get a kick out of meeting people who I’ve seen on TV and in movies.“
38 years later, on the day when Toriyama left the world of the living, Jackie Chan took to Weibo to pay his respects:
“Akira Toriyama-sensei, thank you for creating so many classic works, they will last forever. Farewell ”
There’s no doubt that Toriyama deserves all the praise showered upon him, whether he was alive or dead. And receiving such a message from his idol would have meant the world to him.
About Dragon Ball:
Dragon Ball is a manga series by Akira Toriyama. It first began its serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1984.
The manga was later adapted into a multitude of animated series, movies, and games.
The franchise consists of five different anime series, about 21 animated movies, and around 10 games spanning various platforms, from Famicon to Playstation and Xbox.
Synopsis of the Dragon Ball anime:
Goku Son is a young boy who lives in the woods all alone—that is, until a girl named Bulma runs into him in her search for a set of magical objects called the “Dragon Balls.”
Since the artefacts are said to grant one wish to whoever collects all seven, Bulma hopes to gather them and wish for a perfect boyfriend.
Goku happens to be in possession of a dragon ball, but unfortunately for Bulma, he refuses to part ways with it, so she makes him a deal: he can tag along on her journey if he lets her borrow the dragon ball’s power.
With that, the two set off on the journey of a lifetime.
Source: Twitter
