When it comes to the Dragon Ball series, the mangaka Akira Toriyama will always be remembered as the one who started it all. He can be regarded as the harbinger of modern shonen as a whole. However, the legendary mangaka tragically passed away in 2024, and Toyotarou was officially chosen by him as his successor to continue his legacy.
While this was the late mangaka’s own decision, we feel like the actual successor of Toriyama is none other than the legendary One Piece mangaka, Eiichiro Oda.
Eiichiro Oda Holds the Candle to Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Legacy
It’s always easy to forget that the true essence of Dragon Ball was not always about fast-paced action and epic fights, and the same can be said for Oda’s magnum opus. Both Toriyama and Oda have a particular liking for choosing adventure and fantasy over pure hardcore action.
While the Dragon Ball Z series transpired into pure chaos of a major fight every now and then, the original series wasn’t that at all – it was mostly adventure with little Goku finding his footing in the world.
Dragon Ball was introduced by Toriyama as a celebration of the adventure and fantasy genres. The series was more interested in visiting a new community that’s full of odd individuals than tapping into some fabled transformation. A similar narrative follows with Oda’s One Piece from the very beginning – the essence of adventure and exploration is always there.
Furthermore, if we remember correctly, Goku and Luffy are not that different from each other. Both love an adventure and explore new grounds, both have a huge appetite for food, and both are filled with compassion for their friends and family. This can be just a massive coincidence that both the renowned mangakas designed there character in a similar tone.
Goku and Vegeta from the anime | Credits: Toei Animation
When the initial Dragon Ball series aired, we all remember how the occasional comic relief would pop up between fights every now and then. Well, One Piece pulls that off immensely well too – even Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation is considered as one of the biggest comedic yet intense moments of the series.
However, nothing we have said till now is to discredit Toyotarou at all. Time and time again, we have witnessed that he is an amazing artist. He is the man chosen by Toriyama himself. With the Galactic Patrol saga finally set to receive the much anticipated anime adaptation, we might soon see the DBS manga resume under Toyotaro. And honestly? We can’t wait for that to happen.
How Oda’s One Piece Has Kept The Spirit of Dragon Ball Alive
Luffy vs Kaido in One Piece | Credits: Toei Animation
While many fans miss the original essence of Toriyama’s manga and anime series, it still lives on through the pen and paper of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. The same comedic transitions in battle, a protagonist that doesn’t take things seriously, a narrative that heavily impacts the character arcs, and a sincere main character – it’s barely any different.
Oda was basically a fanboy of Toriyama’s manga series and grew up reading it, so the heavy influence of the reference is expected. However, despite being heavily influenced, Oda still managed to make it his own story and narrative – that takes real ingenuity and skill, further proving how he is the true shonen torchbearer to Akira Toriyama.
TITLEDragon BallAUTHORAkira ToriyamaRELEASE DATEFebruary 26, 1986IMDb RATING8.5/10WHERE TO WATCHCrunchyroll, Hulu
What are your thoughts on Oda being the real torchbearer for Toriyama’s legacy anime series? Let us know in the comments below.
The Dragon Ball series is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
