When you compare the adventures and battles that Goku had over the course of ten years and six months to Akira Toriyama's experience drawing them, you could say that Toriyama had adventures and battles of his own. Just as Goku always continued to seek out strong rivals, Toriyama always continued to evolve.

Q: Since this volume is a collection of DragonBall illustrations, I thought that I'd center my questions on your pictures. Do you feel that you made any deliberate changes in your pictures between DragonBall and the earlier-serialized Dr. Slump?
A: Yeah, I don't really like to go for the same sort of pattern, so I change the pictures to suit the story. Because of this, even now if you tell me to draw with a Dr. Slump-esque touch, sure enough I can draw like that. I just use round lines.

When I got into the second half of DragonBall, I had already become more interested in thinking up the story then in drawing the pictures. Then I started to not place much emphasis on the pictures. The battles became intense, and I gradually came to switch to more simple lines.

At any rate, I despise doing the same thing. I'm fundamentally perverse that way. I got postcards from readers saying "Compared to the old days, it's really square now. It was better the way it used to be.", so I thought I'd go make it even more square. (laughs)

However, at the start I didn't really have much confidence in my battle scenes. I hadn't really drawn what you might call motion pictures before. That's because I started out in illustrations. It was really hard to do that first Tenkaichi Budoukai.

Q: It's rumored that you don't keep any reference materials at all in your studio, but when you first started drawing battle scenes, what did you have there to consult?
A: Yeah, what did I use? It's a pet peeve of mine when people look at other manga for hints. (laughs) However, stuff like movies that I watched a long time ago stay in my head, so maybe I used those.

Of course, I think that movies are the most useful. I've been ridiculously fond of movies since way back when.

Q: Do you watch them a lot even now?
A: I haven't gone to the movie theater since having children. I just do stuff like watch movies broadcast on television or rent whatever videos seem interesting. It doesn't matter what channel. I generally leave the television on while I'm working. Because of this, I can't watch anything with subtitles, since then I couldn't work. (laughs) I'm basically working, but I'll watch when I can tell by the music that an interesting scene is on. I focus on those movies that I want to see no matter what, but all the rest just flow by.

Q: Have any of those movies become a reference for DragonBall?
A: I didn't particularly consciously do that, not really. I mean, they're not useful at all as far as story goes. But they are good references for how to show something, explosions for example. It's not just a "bang", but like a flash of light followed by a "BOOOM!" sound.

Q: Speaking of which, it gets very intense during the battles.
A: That definitely comes from me referencing the rhythmic quality to the fights in Jackie Chan movies.

I use reference materials afterwards, when I'm drawing things like cars or airplanes. Plastic models are useful for this, because you can look at them from a variety of angles.

Q: I always thought it was amazing the way you draw cars and such in a deformed style.
A: Yeah, I do that because if you try and draw the car's design exactly correct, it takes a ridiculous amount of time. If you don't draw it accurately, it'll end up looking completely off somewhere. But if you draw it deformed, it's alright for a few things to be off. At any rate, I'll try anything that makes my work end sooner. (laughs) Well, my manga is a gag manga and the characters are all deformed humans anyway, so it'd be odd if everything else wasn't deformed as well.

Q: In addition to the real-world vehicles, many original vehicles appear in DragonBall.
A: It's the most fun to think up original mecha. (laughs) I draw them thinking about how you get into them and where the engine is located and whatnot.

Sure enough, when you draw cars and things that exist in the real word, you have to check reference materials every time you draw them. But with things that I thought up on my own, I don't have this problem, since you can't say anything. (laughs) Since I thought of it, I can just say that it's okay like this. (laughs)

Q: Next I'd like to ask you about color manuscripts: what do you use for coloring?
A: A color ink called "Ruma". A shoujo manga artist from a long time ago told me about it. Until then I had been using a water based color pen that came out squeakily and dissolved in water. This made covering a large area very tough. So when I used this color ink, it made me go "Ah, there's something this useful? Now I can get it wet and not squeak." (laughs)

Q: By the way, what is your favorite color?
A: I'd say green. Italian true green. Either that or yellow or orange.

Q: When you say yellow or orange, do you mean the color of Goku's dougi?
A: Yes. However, I didn't make his dougi that color because I liked it, but rather because it was the color of the dougi worn by Buddhist monks who trained in China. It was a color particular to China.

Q: When you're thinking of a new character, do you think them up from their model and personality? Or from a picture?
A: I think of the story and model, then I think of their personality, and finally I draw a picture of them. I guess that's the sort of stance I have.

After I came up with Cell's picture, I went "Damn it!" I thought that I was done with the manuscript, but I hadn't drawn those spots on his body yet (laughs); that happened a lot. That's the reason why there never were any characters that had screen tone, except for ones with very minor roles. It's not that I dislike screen tone, I want to use it. But it's difficult to use, so I can't. (laughs)

Q: Do you think of the color scheme for a character's clothes and body when drawing them in black and white?
A: Yeah, that's right, but I don't do it consciously. When I'm applying the color, I think "It was more or less this color". However, with people that I've already drawn in color before, I generally don't go back and check, so sometimes I end up using different colors than I did before. (laughs)

Q: In this book, you can see all the pictures in chronological order. Your particular touch and the way that you paint have changed over the years.
A: But I didn't really do this consciously. It basically changes without me knowing. But if I look at a tankoubon or something from a year back, I think "Ugh! This was done poorly."

Q: After a year?
A: Yeah. I think "Ah, I guess I've evolved a lot." (laughs) Even with pictures from a little while back, I still think it looks weird. For example, with even a manuscript from about half a year ago, I feel that the design is weird. With color manuscripts as well, after I've painted it I usually think "Ah, I messed up."

Q: Eh, really?
A: If there was time, I'd like to try and fix it, but there's never any time. (laughs)

Q: The way that you paint colors has also changed quite a bit.
A: Yeah. For example, in the old days I shaded off the light portions on hair, but shading it off took a lot of time. When I made an anime called Kosuke-same Rikimaru-sama (screened at the '89 Jump Anime Carnival, and later become a Jump Video), I looked at the pictures of the animator Toyoo Ashida, and I thought that the anime-style way of applying light and shadow wasn't bad. I made my pictures like that from then on.

The truth is, Mr. Ashida is someone that I've always respected.

Q: For color schemes, how do you decide what kind of style to do? Do you just paint various test versions or something?
A: I basically just color it once. I decide what color the largest area should be, and it feels like that determines the rest. With Goku or someone else whose colors are already determined, that determines the color of the background that's going to go with them.

Q: When you're drawing a single illustration, are you able to go all the way from sketching it out to painting the color on in mostly one sitting?
A: I usually do it in one sitting. When drawing I still put all my effort into it. I become extremely concentrated. I phase out all sounds completely.

Some time ago, I was drawing an exact illustration, and the lines were coming out all wavy. I thought "Ah, my hand is crazy, what's wrong with it?" Then the stand started to shake, and I went "What?! That was an earthquake!" (laughs)

Even if I lose sleep, I usually keep on working until I'm completely finished. I guess I just couldn't sleep if I left it halfway done. (laughs) It would just keep bugging me. I'd keep drawing in my dreams. When I woke up in the morning I'd go "Ah, I only dreamed that I finished it!" (laughs)

Q: Finally, out of ten years of DragonBall, which picture are you the most pleased with?
A: The one where Goku and Gohan are riding a thing that looks like a Harley with legs (page 88 � 140). This is the only one that you could say I'm pleased with.

Q: Only one piece over ten years?
A: Out of what I can remember, this is the only piece where both the color and the composition turned out well.

Q: Now that you mention it, I guess you could say you managed to skillfully freeze a moment of motion.
A: But I don't really think that's all that impressive. When I draw something, the incredibly annoying thing is that it doesn't come out like I pictured. I think this picture definitely has the composition that I imagined or the combination of colors that I imagined.

Because I'm fundamentally fastidious and fickle, I want to draw very differently. I don't lose interest, so I want to keep trying. That's why I always end up failing. (laughs) I'm able to not be pleased with it. But I reflect on what I've done, so I make progress. I'm always reflecting. (laughs)

Why did the story of DragonBall begin?
How was this fantastical story made?
The answers from Akira Toriyama are here.
You will know all about DragonBall's birth and development...

Q: Since this volume is a story guide, I thought that I'd ask you about things relating to DragonBall's story. First of all, why did you begin the story of DragonBall?
A: I had just ended "Dr. Slump", and for the time being I was thinking about what I should do for my next serialized work. I had many meetings with my editor at the time, Torishima-san. As it happened, at that time I loved Jacky Chan's movies and had seen "Drunken Master" dozens of times. Since I liked that sort of thing, Torishima-san advised me to try and make a kung-fu shounen manga, so I drew a one-shot called "Dragon Boy". That got an incredibly positive response from the readers, so I decided to go that route for my next serialized work.

Q: So from there you began to think of your new serialized work in earnest?
A: Since "Dr. Slump" had been in a Western scenery, I decided to change that impression and make my new work have a Chinese scenery. And if I was going to give it a Chinese feel, I thought I would make the story based on "Journey to the West". "Journey to the West" after all is absurd and has adventurous elements, so I guess I decided to make a slightly modernized "Journey to the West". I thought it would be easy if that story served as the basis, since all I would have to do would be to arrange things. (laughs)

Q: It seems that initially you were going to have Goku be an actual monkey. (see p.90)
A: Yeah, to have it be completely like "Journey to the West". This wasn't very innovative, so I decided to have the protagonist be a human, and made him an ordinary boy. But I wanted him to have some kind of distinguishing characteristic.

The protagonist in "Dragon Boy" had wings, so I wanted a distinguishing characteristic in that sense, where you could tell it was him just by looking. So I gave Goku a tail. So even if he was hidden behind a rock, if you could still see his tail you'd know that it was Goku.

From there I added the dragonballs, and if you gathered all seven your wish was granted. I thought that if the characters went searching for these, they could go through a journey like in "Journey to the West".

Q: And so when it was still new in serialization, before the Tenkaichi Budoukai began, the series had a considerable "Journey to the West" feeling to it.
A: Bulma was Tripitaka, Oolong was Zhu Bajie, and Yamcha was Sha Wujing. I initially thought that I'd end it after they finished collecting the dragonballs.

Q: And then the Tenkaichi Budoukai began. But why did you do that sort of a development?
A: Up until the Tenkaichi Budoukai began, the series hadn't been all that popular. That's what Torishima-san had told me. "Your protagonist is rather plain. That's why it's not popular." he said. Personally, since I was doing a fighting story for this series, I had intentionally made the protagonist's clothing excessively plain. So this annoyed me, but then I figured it out. "Well, let's increase its popularity" I thought. When I had designed Goku's character, the words that best represented him were "I want to become strong". So I thought I'd bring that to the front. Even during "Dr. Slump", the tournament-like events such as the Penguin Village Gran Prix or the Mini-Event had been amazingly popular. So I'd simply make the story into a tournament format. From there the Tenkaichi Budoukai was born. I temporarily withdrew the other characters besides Goku, brought back Kame-sennin, and added Kuririn as a new character. From there it got popular before I knew it.

Q: Still, unlike regular protagonists, Goku certainly didn't win the championship.
A: Yep. It took him until his third try to finally win. Everyone around me was saying "I'm sure Goku will win in the end." Even though I had wanted him to win, but since I'm perverse, when they said that to me I went "Like I'd let him win!" (laughs)

Q: The Tenkaichi Budoukai was the first turning point. And then the Red Ribbon Army appeared.
A: The Red Ribbon Army was the same as the Tenkaichi Budoukai, it just wasn't in a tournament format. At that time, there was a game for the Famicom called "Spartan X" which I often played. Strong enemies came at you real quick and you beat them up. It was even based on a kung-fu movie. Playing that showed me the visuals for a different scheme than the tournament. That's where Muscle Tower came from.

Q: And then at last Piccolo Daimao appeared.
A: With all the villains up to that point, there was always something likable about them. So Piccolo Daimao was born from me trying to create a truly bad guy. That period was the most interesting to draw.

Q: From there, the enemy characters rapidly began to escalate.
A: Having become the strongest on the Earth, Goku and co. had also beat the Saiyans who came from outside of Earth and then they went out into the universe. I came up with Freeza around the time of the Bubble, and the land shark was the worst person of all. So I made him the #1 land shark in the universe. But merely escalating the enemies was a pain, so I brought out the Ginyu Special-Squad. My son really loved sentai stuff, and I always watched it with him. Well, I brought that in. It's put out by Toei, same as the DragonBall Z anime. (laughs)

Q: The next to appear where the Artificial Humans and Cell.
A: Since they had become the strongest in even the universe, they next had to surpass time. So with that I did time-travel stuff, but it was really rough. Time paradox, is it? I quickly got bogged down.

I basically only thought of what I was doing for that week. Even I didn't know what was going to happen the next week. I'd draw the story like this, but I'd always discuss it with my editor to see what I should do for next week. (laughs)

Q: And then the Cell arc ended. Did you think that everyone felt you would put Gohan into the leading role?
A: I intended to put Gohan into the leading role. It didn't work out. I felt that compared to Goku, he was ultimately not suited for the part.

Q: Incidentally, who is your favorite character?
A: Yeah, I guess I like Piccolo the most after all. Out of all the enemies, Piccolo Daimao is the one I like most, and even after that I like Piccolo the most. I like Piccolo about the same as I like Goku. With Vegeta, well, I don't like him all that much, but he was extremely helpful to have around. For the recent stuff, it was fun drawing Satan. When I first brought him out, I didn't think that I would end up making Satan that important of a character. I thought he'd just be a one-shot character.

Satan is like that, but thinking up worthless gags is more enjoyable than doing the fight scenes. (laughs)

Q: That all really took off with Gotenks. There are legends that your editor Takeda-san would crack up each week when he saw the storyboards in the editing department. (laughs)
A: I suppose I am a gag-manga artist after all. (laughs)

But then after all, I'm always thinking of how there are a lot of guys on our side, but only one enemy. If you think about it, isn't it unfair? (laughs) They can just gang up on him. (laughs)

Q: So it's like Goku's line at the end of the battle with Majin Buu.
A: That's right. He said "You did well all on your own". I suppose that Goku's motive was that no matter what kind of enemy there was, he wanted to fight them one-on-one.

"After I decided on the setup and starting drawing it, I made the setting a world that wasn't really anywhere."

The world of DragonBall that Akira Toriyama created, where Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Piccolo and the others were active, had a peculiar perspective on the world, the universe, life, and death. Akira Toriyama talks about the secrets of the DragonBall world, a world that readers can feel even a sense of nostalgia for.

Q: Since the fourth DragonBall daizenshuu is a world guide, I thought I'd focus my questions on discussing DragonBall's worldview. First off, the Earth that appears in DragonBall is considerably different from the real Earth.
A: Yeah, the manga that I've drawn up until now have all been worlds that aren't really anywhere, from the very first work that I drew. With Penguin Village as well, though it's said to be Earth, you don't know where it's located... Cashman (published in V-Jump) was in a slightly realistic world, but it had a sense of not being in any specific country.

Q: Why do you choose to set them in worlds that aren't really anywhere?
A: In the end, because it's easy. Basically with everything, I choose my criteria based on what can be easy. If I made the real world the setting, I'd have to draw looking at reference materials, for stuff like buildings and vehicles. When you do that, people complain even if it's just a little bit off.

Q: I'd think that normally, it'd be easier to draw if you had reference materials...
A: You think so? Aside from not having to look at reference materials, if I draw a story where I freely decide the background, then I guess I am setting it in a world that isn't anywhere.

Q: Do you not even look at reference materials for the scenery?
A: I basically don't look at them. Though at first, I looked at Chinese buildings and things like that. When serialization began, I wanted to completely change the image from what I had done up until then in "Dr. Slump". Since "Dr. Slump" had an American West Coast feel to it, this time around I wanted to completely change that and make it Oriental. At that time, my wife was interested in China, and I drew looking at the books of Chinese photographs that she bought.

Afterwards, with the Tenkaichi Budoukai grounds as well, I put a lot of effort into drawing it. Before serialization had begun, my family and assistants had gone to Bali. Papaya Island, where the Tenkaichi Budoukai is held, is completely modeled after Bali. I consulted the photos that they had taken on the trip a lot, and was able to think up the buildings and such. Because of that, it was incredibly difficult. (laughs) Because afterwards I had to draw the Tenkaichi Budoukai grounds countless times. At those times I had to consult reference materials. (laughs)

Q: Was there any scenery after that that you consulted reference materials for?
A: Ye~ah, though there weren't a lot after that... ah, that's right, the place that Babidi's spaceship was buried at, I consulted a book of photos on Africa for it. They were photos that gave a feeling of incredible wilderness, and I drew an arrangement of that. In the second half, the settings were full of wildernesses, so it was tough to draw them distinctively.

Q: Looking at them with that in mind, even though all of them could be called wildernesses, they each become different landscapes.
A: That's it. I tried to give them different scenery each time, by changing things like the shapes of the rocks or the mountains in the distance. I thought a lot in that area. I had to know how it would be different from the places before, because after all, having the same scenery is no good.

Q: Throughout the story, wildernesses where nobody lived appeared everywhere.
A: After all, it'd be rough if Goku and the others fought in the middle of a city. I'd have to draw the residents who lived in the city, and the buildings would get destroyed. That's why whenever they were about to fight, Goku and the others would want to go to some wilderness where nobody lived. (laughs) They'd just use Bukujutsu to take off, like it had been arranged ahead of time.

Now that you mention it, once Goku and his allies learned Bukujutsu and were able to fly, advancing the story became really easy.

Q: What do you mean?
A: Because everyone became able to just fly straight to anywhere. That's why thinking up the story's development became easy, and above all the story's progress became speedy. Even looking at it with the pictures in mind, I became able to show things from an angle looking down upon the scenery. That was also why I initially introduced Kinto-Un. Up until then, they had to bring out planes and automobiles and the like one by one, and it was really tiresome.

Q: I guess then Shunkan-ido would be the ultimate for that.
A: Yeah, that's right. He went to Kaio's planet and the new Planet Namek. After he became able to perform Shunkan-ido, the variations in Goku's fighting style also increased.

Q: I'd imagine that thinking up the battle scenes would be hard each time.
A: Yeah. With the battles as well, I couldn't have them do the same thing each time after all. It was already good at the beginning when Goku was tiny, but in the second half when the battles started to gradually escalate, I thought up more and more amazing techniques. That's why it was fun drawing Majin Buu and Gotenks' fight. I thought up strange techniques in the spirit of a gag manga. (laughs)

Q: How do you think up the names for the special attacks?
A: I actually don't really like to give names to the techniques. In a battle of life and death, there's no way you can say the name of each technique. You'd be done in while yelling the technique's name. (laughs) But my editor told me it was best to give the techniques names. My wife was the one who named the Kamehameha. I was fretting, saying "Kame-sennin's special attack should be something-or-another ha, something-or-another ha..." and she said "Wouldn't Kamehameha be good?". That was good, silly, and fitted Kame-sennin's mood perfectly.

For the names of the techniques apart from the Kamehameha, I thought them all up myself. I gave them names that seemed like that particular character would think of. So with someone like Vegeta, wouldn't he name his techniques in English? (laughs) Piccolo's techniques were tasteful with kanji.

Q: Speaking of Piccolo, did you think from the beginning of his background as a Namekian alien?
A: Of course, I didn't think that at all (laughs). The Saiyan were like that as well. When I thought up Goku's tail and the Oozaru, I didn't think Goku was an alien or anything. Piccolo either. Because I thought that up when Kami-sama came out.

Mostly afterwards, I thought it through so that it would be consistent. For example, there's the chair that Planet Namek's Saichourou sat in. That was mostly the same as the chair that Piccolo Daimao had sat in when he first appeared. It was just missing the skulls.

Q: I see! Come to think of it, it did have the same shape.
A: I thought since Piccolo Daimao surely still had some memories of when he was on Planet Namek, wouldn't he make that kind of chair? So I thought up the shapes of Planet Namek's buildings and spaceships using the design of Piccolo Daimao's chair. When they went to Planet Namek, I was told that you'd fail if you went into space in a shounen manga. So when thinking up the background for Planet Namek, I tried to make it precisely consistent.

Q: The afterlife was another place besides Earth that became the setting of the story, after Planet Namek. What kind of style did you think up the afterlife?
A: For Kami-sama's temple, I gave it a comparatively mysterious feeling, but on the other hand I thought it'd be good to have the afterlife be realistic. So Enma Daio and the oni all wore suits like salary-men. I think you can see this by looking at the world map in this book, but there's a thing called the airport to Heaven. The background on that is that the people who go to Heaven all have to go by plane. This complete map was originally background information that I drew at the request of the anime people, but I took this opportunity to add the Kaioshin World, which wasn't included in the complete map before, to make it perfect. In truth, this complete world map is something I made after I finished drawing the story, to make everything consistent. (laughs) With me, I think up the story in advance, then come up with the world's background information to be consistent with it. I guess that if I was a normal manga artist who did things properly, I'd think up the background information first and then come up with the story. Saying that, you'd think that I don't really think through anything. There's a vague image, even before I create the story. (laughs)

Interviewer: How would you position the animated movie Dragon Ball?

Toriyama Akira: I consider the movies to be a 'different dimension' from the original, printed comic edition. With the movies, I become part of the audience.

I: What is your role in the movie animation production?

TA: I check the plot and scripts that come from the animators at Toei Studios. I also design and edit characters and change names.

I: Are there characters that you yourself have designed?

TA: There are, such as Bojack [Movie #9] and Broli [#8, 10, 11]. Recently, they have been Tapion and Minosha [#13]. (For more info, refer to p. 182 [of the Daizenshuu])

I: How do you come up with the characters?

TA: I review each of the plans for the movies that come from Toei, and I design chara that match the stories.

I: In the animated movies, is there an antagonist character that you are particularly fond of?

TA: I thought that the transformed version of Janenba [#12], designed by animators at Toei Studios, was really 'cool.' I like the way the character moves in the fighting scenes. Incidentally, there are none of my own design that I like.

I: Is there a method to how you create antagonist characters in the original comic?

TA: Generally, I think to myself, 'maybe I should do this next' and develop the story. Then, I think of the characters. I'm always trying to think up fresh, new enemy chara that haven't appeared before, but it's difficult.... However, I believe I was able to develop Majin Buu well. Other times, there are often situations where I remain unsatisfied.

I: When creating a character, what part do you start thinking of first?

TA: I begin with the face. While thinking of the face, I conjure up the body. After deciding on the face and the body, I picture the basic attire. With clothing, I keep in mind whether it matches the environment that the character appears in, or if the chara is involved in battle, whether the outfit is easy to move in during fighting.

I: When creating antagonist chara, do you go through many revisions?

TA: In terms of number of pages, there are times when I draw 30 pages and am still dissatisfied, and there are also times when I draw one page and say, 'this is about it.'

I: What got you into designing game chara?

TA: I think Torishima-san (first editor) started me off. At first, I was less than willing, but in the end, it turned out to be very useful for me. I realized, 'so, there are worlds like this.'

I: By the way, what led you to come up with Goku becoming Supersaiyajin and his foes powering up [and transforming]?

TA: I am often forced into a quagmire because I keep approaching a limit to the characters' 'strength.' For example, I hadn't been planning that Goku could become Supersaiyajin. At the time I came up with "Supersaiyajin," I realized I had to change Goku's appearance in order to specifically show that he had now powered up. But design-wise, the facial expressions seem a little evil. I was concerned, 'is it OK for a good guy to look like this?' But, since he transforms by anger, I thought that 'may be it's all right after all.' That was a somewhat bold decision. Regarding enemy chara, if the editor says 'I don't like it' I change them on those grounds (laughter). Soon, 'transforming' became the norm for characters, and that put me in another bind.

I: Were you thinking of other methods of powering up for Goku other than Supersaiyajin?

TA: At that time, I didn't have time to think of many different options, so there aren't any.

I: 'Fusion' is another way to power up, right? How was that concept born?

TA: That, I think, as a concept, came out of a discussion with Katsura-kun* that 'there is nothing stronger than Supersaiyajin.' We usually just fool around with each other, and he jokingly said at the time, 'in that case, maybe the only remaining way to become stronger is to fuse together.' I replied, 'hey, that's a great idea! You do say good things sometimes. This is the first time you've helped me.' (laughter) That's how that idea was born.

I: How about the conception of 'potara'?

TA: Well, that was just because fusion was being used up in the movies, and I was thinking, 'what should I do?' Since I had been drawing earrings, I wondered, 'can I use these somehow?'

I: So, you didn't draw the earrings as a way to fuse together from the beginning?

TA: Nope. They were initially just decorations.

I: Then it was a product of the circumstances.

TA: I've long been walking such dangerous fine lines (laughter). However, when I'm cornered, my brain waves seem to sharpen, and somehow ideas start to flow. In addition, I'm good at forceful finagling (laughter).

I: That's amazing.

TA: No, it's not amazing at all. I'm always anxiety ridden. In the previous episode [of the comic] I wrote that 'something phenomenal is going to happen.' Thus, now I have to stick to my words and have to do something that really is awesome. I'm suffering inside (laughter).

I: In the field of filming technology, in the movies, Reviving Fusion!! Goku and Vegita [#12] and Dragon-ken Explosion!! Who's Gonna do it if Goku Doesn't [#13]* there are computer-rendered special effects; how do you feel about such techniques?

TA: Instead of the notion, 'let's use any new technology,' I tend to believe that interesting films can be created without such technology. However, if movies can be prepared more effectively with it, I agree to its use.

I: Is there anything that you yourself would like to do on a computer?

TA: There are. I only think of ways to make things easier, such as taking a 4-view drawing of a mecha and making it move. Or, drawing preliminary sketches and having them rendered into final drawings (laughter).

I: By the way, of the movies and TV specials, which is your favorite piece?

TA: I like the story about Goku's father, Burdock. It's very dramatic and is the kind of story that 'I would never write.' I mean well when I say that it seemed as though I was watching a different kind of Dragon Ball.

I: I would like to inquire about more personal matter; what is the first drawing that you did that you really felt good about?

TA: My earliest memory of having done a drawing 'right' is that of a horse. I still remember it. I felt that 'the joints were drawn well.' I have liked drawing for a long time, and when we were little, since there weren't many forms of entertainment as there are today, everyone drew. When I was in elementary school, we all copied manga and anime drawings.

I: In that case, perhaps that period of your life is connected to your present occupation as a manga artist.

TA: It might be. I stubbornly kept drawing. At first, we all draw at the about the same level. Eventually, I began drawing original pictures of my friends' faces, and it was then that I began to feel that 'drawing pictures is fun.'

I: Is there a 'starting point' to your drawing?

TA: I myself believe it was Walt Disney and Tezuka Osamu*. When I was a child, there were drawing schools called 'Zugayasan.' Local children would boisterously congregate and draw pictures. I remember one day, I drew a picture from 101 Dalmatians, won a prize, became ecstatic, and here I am now. (laughter).

I: Aside from manga, do you ever personally draw illustrations?

TA: No, I don't. But, I have a habit from childhood of restlessly looking around my surroundings. Even when I go out shopping, I enjoy observing the appearance of the city rather than the actual shopping. The city scape, little objects and clothing that I observe have been useful in drawing manga. Also helpful was when I was forced to draw everyday objects when I was working for a [graphic design] company. 'Ugghh... Why do I have to draw one hundred pairs of socks?!,' I would complain (laughter). In retrospect, those things may have helped me.

I: Do you ever sketch out something you see?

TA: No, I don't. I burn the images into my memory. Therefore, usually when I try to draw it on recall, I make mistakes. 'Was it like this?' (laughter) But, I remember the general image. Although not accurate, I rely on my memory, and I can draw most things. I guess perhaps there isn't anything that I can't draw.

I: In the interview for the 5th volume [of the Daizenshuu], you mentioned that you'd like to create an original anime, but what role would you want to have in the work?

TA: I would like to compose the story and the character design by myself. I'm thinking of creating one that anyone can enjoy, whether old or young, male or female. Furthermore, if possible, I want to draw the manga first before the anime, so when the animation is actually being produced, it will be easier to transmit the feelings of the work. If I draw it out first, I can also see if it is interesting. Even as a one-shot deal, I would like to draw it. Right now, I'm searching for a plot.

I: In closure, do you have any info on the upcoming movie?

TA: The film that will be released next spring, it seems like, will be 'the story from comics volumes 1 through 8 that will be recreated in a condensed form.' [Movie # 14, The Path to Ultimateness*, March 1996] In addition, the people at Toei want us to pay attention to the special effects techniques that they will be using to spice up the movie. During the early broadcasting of the TV anime, Dragon Ball, the people at Toei and I weren't used to the drawings yet, so I'm curious as to what they can accomplish with their current expertise. I hope you all can look forward to it too.

I: Thank you very much for the valuable discussion today.

- When the series was being made into an anime, did you give the anime staff any demands?

--
Toriyama
I intended to leave everything up to them, so I don't think I had anything in particular. But I did warn them when I felt they were moving too much in a certain direction.

-- What did you think the first time you saw Goku move? Did the voice fit your own image?

--
Toriyama
I was wondering what they were going to do when his head moved, since his hairstyle wasn't really consistent, so I admire whoever had to had to make it look as if it were. The voice fit my image exactly. But I guess that's only natural, since I listened to the seiyuu audition tapes and picked it myself (laughs). The truth is that I don't know much about anime, so even when I was told the name Nozawa Masako, at the time I had no idea she was someone famous.

-- What impressions did you have when you saw the anime battle scenes?

--
Toriyama
In manga, nothing actually moves, and you just have to draw the poses in each panel, but in anime you have to draw the flow between those poses. I was honesty impressed at how they managed to draw so well while still conveying a sense of speed. But there were also instances where characters would take a whole lot of time rousing themselves up before moving into battle (laughs). Well, I guess this might have been because they were in danger of overtaking the original story before they knew it (laughs).

-- What are things that you paid attention to while drawing the battle scenes in the original?

--
Toriyama
Where the characters are, where they are in relation to each other, and how they are fighting. I try to show these things in as easy to understand a way as possible. That's because I don't like movies where the fighting scenes are too intense and it's difficult to tell what's going on.

-- What did you fret over when thinking up techniques like the Kamehameha and their poses?

--
Toriyama
Techniques that are plain but effective aren't suited for manga. Stuff like strangleholds and locking techniques are troublesome to draw and hard to make very flashy. Even the Kamehameha is a technique that expels "ki", which by nature is invisible, but I was able to make it flashy by hitting upon the idea of portraying it as something that could be seen with the naked eye. With that pose too, I tried out a lot of different ones. What's more, I had to think up special characteristics for each character's techniques, but I ran out of patterns really fast, so it was tough (laughs).

-- What do you pay attention to when creating a strong character?

--
Toriyama
In the long run even the pattern of the enemies is limited to a certain extent. I fretted a lot over how I could change stuff like their personality or the way their strength was portrayed, compared to the previous enemy.

-- Did you decide upon the balance of each characters' strength beforehand?

--
Toriyama
I decided it to a certain extent, but it would constantly change as I kept drawing.

-- Did you decide on the outcomes of battles ahead of time?

--
Toriyama
I didn't decide on that at all. Even with the Tenkaichi Budoukai, I only decided on the first round or so. This way it was more fun to draw (laughs).

-- How was the scouter born?

--
Toriyama
I thought that maybe if strength and enemy position were shown through numbers, then it would be easy to understand for both the enemy characters and the readers.

-- Who are five of your favorite warriors?

--
Toriyama
I basically think that quiet types are absolutely cool. I've thought that ever since I was a kid. Speaking of which, Tenshinhan and Trunks are like that too. They're all just a bunch of strong silent types (laughs). Krillin's not quiet, but I liked the sense that he was grudgingly hanging in there. At first I only intended him to be just around for a little while, so I drew him pretty shoddily, but somewhere along the line he became Goku's best friend (laughs). Mister Satan's the complete opposite of the strong silent type. It was fun drawing him because despite being so petty, he wasn't really a bad character, so I like him too.

Piccolo & Vegeta
A pair who never say anything unless they have to, and have a solitary feeling. They're authentically cool.

Krillin
Krillin stands against strong opponents, despite being freaked out the whole time. He's now Goku's #1 friend!
Mister Satan
Satan's a character overflowing with human kindness and weakness. He's loved the whole world over.

Son Goku
Toriyama-sensei's #1 favorite character is Goku, of course! He's a super warrior who's both strong and gentle!

FT: This time I thought we'd focus on behind-the-scenes stories relating to DragonBall's storyline. I think Toriyama-sensei will have some things to say about behind-the-scenes stories, but let's start with Torishima-san. Was DragonBall popular from the first chapter?

KT: While we were thinking of what to do for the next serialized work for when "Dr. Slump" ended, Toriyama drew various one-shots for Weekly Jump and Monthly Fresh Jump.

TA: I certainly did draw a lot of them. I had, who knows how many, painstaking meetings with Torishima-san.

KT: But the reception wasn't very good.

TA: Even though we had all these painstaking meetings. (laughs)

KT: Then after "Dr. Slump" ended, there was a good response to "Dragon Boy", which had been drawn without too many meetings beforehand.

The greatest crisis in DragonBall's serialization! Son Goku grows up!!

TA: With that nice response, I felt "Ah, there's this track, this just might work out." And this time I had wanted a boy as the protagonist.

FT: And then serialization began, but from the beginning, how much of the story had you already planned?

Toriyama Akira

Born April 5th, 1955, in Aichi Prefecture. He made his professional debut in 1978 with "Wonder Island" (WJ No.52). As you already know, he's the author of DragonBall. With DragonBall's ten-year serialization over, it seems he is now leisurely formulating ideas for his next work.

TA: I hadn't thought it up at all. I figured it would probably end in about a year, and I had only really prepared storyboards for three chapters.

KT: That's right. Usually you prepare more. With Toriyama-sensei, the rough-draft is the storyboard.

YK: Normally, in addition to a rough-draft, there's a storyboard with the panel layout drawn in rough lines, to help you come up with the rough-draft quickly. That's why it's a good thing to have, whether or not you make corrections. (laughs) But Toriyama-sensei is a genius at correction. By just correcting one panel, the impression of the whole thing suddenly changes.

TA: No, it's just that correcting things is tiresome, so I get by with doing the minimum amount of correction. (laughs)

KT: This is changing the subject, but the thing I felt was the biggest crisis for serialization was when he told me that Goku would grow up. Toriyama-sensei threatened that if Goku didn't grow up, then he couldn't continue with serialization. (laughs) It was terrible, breeching the subject like that. "You can have the protagonist grow up, just don't scare me like that," I said.

FT: So you made the necessarily arrangements.

KT: But it was against the theory of manga. The impression each character leaves is the basis of their appeal. I was very nervous, so on the release day I went to the editing department before 8:00 and waited. "Won't there be phone calls of complaint from the readers?" I thought. (laughs) But there weren't any at all. It seems that the readers accepted it.

FT: Originally the readers accepted Goku as cute, but that changed to them accepting him as cool.

KT: Goku grew up, and then during Kondou's time, Vegeta appeared and the number of female fans increased. (laughs)

YK: It's because before I came to Jump, I worked at a shoujo manga magazine. (laughs) After I became editor, we decided what direction things should advance in. In a story manga the fights have to escalate, that's all it was. I don't think there was anything extra.

FT: That period was when sensei began to try and make DragonBall more popular through its storyline, and it certainly bore fruit.

TA: At that time it began to be more fun to think up the story than to draw the pictures. But with the story, I basically only thought of each chapter. That's why I end up getting caught in these quagmires. (laughs) Around the time of Trunks' time travel, it was dreadful. I kept drawing, and it just got more and more incoherent.

KT: You couldn't have done that if Kondou wasn't your editor. I can't stand that kind of troublesome stuff. (laughs)

Kazuhiko Torishima (initial editor)

Was the editor continuing from "Dr. Slump" until the 23rd Tenkaichi Budoukai in "DragonBall". It seems that he was the individual who served as the model for Piccolo Daimao.

TA: You're terrible to say that, Torishima-san. Right around then was when the Artificial Humans No. 19 and No. 20 appeared. You weren't my editor or anything anymore, but you specifically called me to say "I thought that the enemies had finally come, but aren't these just a geezer and a fatso?" (laughs) In truth, I hadn't had plans for anyone but No. 19 and No. 20 to appear. But there was no helping it, so I brought out No. 17 and No. 18. Then you called me up and said "What, this time it's just some brats?" So I brought out Cell. (laughs)

FT: So you hadn't planned on Cell appearing at all?

TA: That's right. I liked No. 19 and No. 20 just fine. And I liked the initial Cell fine as well.

FT: The bug-like one?

TA: But Kondou-san said "He looks ugly. Of course, he can transform.", so I had no choice but to transform him into his second-form.

Yuu Kondou (second editor)

Coming from a shoujo magazine to Jump, he became editor of "DragonBall" right off the bat. He was editor from the Saiyan arc to right before perfect-form Cell appeared. He is the model for Freeza.

YK: Was that how it was?

TA: And then you were really awful, Kondou-san. "This time, doesn't he look like a moron? Hurry up and make him into his perfect-form." you said.

YK: But he really did look like a moron. (laughs)

TA: With second-form Cell as well, I liked him well enough. Actually, I had wanted him to play a more active role. But since I was told he looked stupid, I had no choice but to change him. (laughs) So I made him into his cool-looking perfect-form, which was to Kondou-san's liking.

Artificial Humans No. 19, No. 20, and Cell... The mystery of characters who quickly disappeared.

Fuyuto Takeda (third editor)

Was editor from the appearance of perfect-form Cell, to the Majin Buu arc, to the final chapter. He is the individual who become the model for the original Majin Buu. It's rumored that he's incredibly skilled at karaoke.

Q: What does the Z in Dragonball Z stand for? (Most of us know that the Z was only used in the anime and it was just an index to separate Goku as a kid and Goku as an adult. But check out the response from Toriyama-san).

A: I was starting to run out of things for Dragonball and I really wanted to finish the series. So I thought that if I put a Z at the end of Dragonball, people would think that it was going to end soon!


Q: What happened to Vegeta's tail after he was defeated on Earth?

A: The tail lets you gain tremendous strength instantly by transforming into a giant ape, but the risks are equally great--you'll lose your strength if it's squeezed. Once you're as powerful as Goku and Vegeta the tail just gets in the way. It is thought that the bodies of Saiyans, who are a fighting species, decided that their tails are unnecessary appendages

Q: Is there such a thing as a female Saiyan?

A: Of course there are. Even though they don't appear in the manga, they do exist.

Q: Is Puar male or female?

A: For what it's worth, I thought of him as a male when I was drawing him.

Q: What is Majin Buu's power level?

A; The frightening thing about Majin Buu is his unknown, unfathomable power. Whether it's actually not that much, or whether it's really stupendous, majin Buu himself probably doesn't know the answer.

Q: If Akira Toriyama was to create another Series who would be the main character?
A: The main character would be Mr. Satan

Q: If Akira Toriyama could could have one character be his mom who would it be?
A: Bulma

Q: If Akira Toriyama could could have one character be his son who would it be?
A: Dende

Q: Which character will live the longest?
A: Master Roshi

Q: Which character will live the shortest?
A: Vegeta

Q: Out of every character which one is the -??????-
A: Shy-Piccolo
Coolest- Gokuh
Wackiest- Kamesennin

Q: If Akira Toriyama could be born again what character would he be?
A: Trunks

Q: Who is Akira Toriyama's favorite Android?
A: 1. Cell Second Form
2. Android 18
3. Android 19 and Android 20

Q: What three techniques would Akira Toriyama like to do the most?
A: 1. Bukujutsu (Flying)
2. Shunkanido (Phase)
3. Kame Hame Ha

Q: What is Akira Toriyama's favorite fight?
A: 1. Gokuh vs. Piccolo Daimoh
2. Gotenks vs. Majin Buu

Q: What is Akira Toriyama's favorite Tenkaichi-Budokai match
A: Gokuh vs. Tenshinhan

Q: What is Akira Toriyama's favorite attacks?
A: 1. Kame Hame Ha
2. Buu Buu Volleyball
3. Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack

Q: What is Akira Toriyama's favorite item he created for the Manga?
A: Hoipoi Capsules

Q: Where would Akira Toriyama most like to live?
A: Kame House

Q: Akira Toriyama's favorite building design?
A: 1. Karin Tower
2. Kami's Lookout
3. Tenkaichi-Budokai outdoor stage

Q: Where would Akira Toriyama most like to go on vacation?
A: 1. Kami-sama's Lookout
2. The Western Capital
3. Kaioshinkai

Its a perfect way to look at Dragon ball GT. For people who dont want it to be the real end to the dragon ball story, it is just a "side story" and for those who love it it can be part of the grand final story. Incredible that I had forgot about this.