Dragon Ball's anime is one of the most popular animated series on the planet, largely due to its exciting action scenes and lovable characters. Series creator Akira Toriyama was more than happy to let Toei animation do as they pleased with the anime, but he did voice one small criticism that shines a light on what Dragon Ball was and what it became.

Toei animated Dragon Ball from 1986 to 1989, then moved on to Dragon Ball Z, which ran from 1989 to 1996. While the original manga isn't split into two parts the way the anime is, the anime's division of the story actually ended up working very well, as there's a marked difference in the story from the beginning of Z. Where the original Dragon Ball anime drew heavily from Journey to the West, Dragon Ball Z still used many of those characters, but began to take on more sci-fi elements rather than fantasy ones, changing how it was received substantially.

Akira Toriyama's Note for the Anime Was Surprising

The Series Creator Wanted a Change in Tone

In an interview from the Daizenshuu 3 book, as translated by Kanzenshuu, Toriyama was asked about any demands he may have had about the anime's creation. Toriyama answered, "At first, I didn’t say anything specific. I’m not the type to open my mouth much about these things, but after seeing it actually air, I felt that [Dragon Ball] should feel a bit more like a fairy tale, so I did mention that bit. Basically, I leave things to [Toei], and only say a little tiny bit when I absolutely have to."

Given its connections to Journey to the West, an ancient and beloved folk tale, it makes sense that Toriyama would think of Dragon Ball in "fairy tale" . Especially when considering the original Dragon Ball anime, Goku is treated as a bit of a fairy tale hero. He's given difficult quests that essentially no one has accomplished before, and he's on a mission to obtain the Dragon Balls and gain a wish, like many a fairy tale character is after. Goku's small size and unusual traits, like his tail, make him a wily protagonist who just feels very much like he came from a fairy tale.

Toriyama's Advice Reveals How He Thought of Dragon Ball

Toriyama Saw Dragon Ball as Fundamentally a Fairy Tale

It's tough to say how much of an impact Toriyama's one criticism of the anime had. Dragon Ball, or at least the pre-Z era, certainly does have some fairy tale elements to it, and it does embrace the whimsy that is inherent in a lot of fairy tales.

More interestingly, though, is the insight it offered into how Toriyama was approaching the manga at the time. Goku meets many mythical and folk lore characters, such as vampires, zombies, mummies, and actual fairies, not to mention the eponymous dragons like Shenron. While Dragon Ball ultimately became something very different, Toriyama's approach to the series as a fairy tale shaped the series into the wild fantasy adventure it was, and set the stage for opening up the series to even more far-flung ideas, ensuring it remained fresh.