Summary

• Dragon Ball is a classic series known for its humor and unique character interactions.
• Toriyama's early designs and quotes are a key part of Dragon Ball's overall charm.
• Despite shifting towards more fighting, Toriyama's comedic spirit still shines in Dragon Ball.

Dragon Ball is a series I was introduced to before I became familiar with the concept of anime, and such was the case for many kids growing up, enjoying its action but also appreciating its comedy. Despite its somewhat uneven aging, I prefer it over Dragon Ball Z as far as anime goes; a Capsule Corp time machine trip to an era where Akira Toriyama could focus his attention on great character interactions in addition to increasingly more impressive fights. One key childhood memory comes from a great Goku quote from Dragon Ball, reminding me of Toriyama's comedic talents.

Dragon Ball being funny shouldn't surprise anyone, with Toriyama's roots and interests being largely in gag manga. Still, before Goku grew up and the series began to revolve around him as editorial pressure pushed for more of a fighting series, the original story has incredible charm, especially when reviewing Toriyama's wonderful ing.

Seeing even the silliest non-sequiturs thrown into the mix influenced my tastes in Toriyama's absurd humor, and one early quote in Dragon Ball, where Goku is coaching Krillin, exemplifies this.

Goku's Best Quote in Early Dragon Ball Proves Why the Series Was So Charming

A Hilarious Self-Referential Gag About Toriyama's Character Designs

This Dragon Ball quote created a core childhood memory as my friends and I were sent into laughing hysterics.

I vividly watching Dragon Ball in my friends' grandparents' basement when the 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai, or World Martial Arts Tournament, aired in a rerun of episode #21 where Krillin fought Bacterian. For those well-versed in the Dragon Ball deep magic, it's easy to tell where this is going, but Krillin is being trounced at first by his opponent, who infamously has never bathed before, lowering his opponent's defenses. Seeing his friend fight in the finals, Goku cheers him on while shouting out words of encouragement until Krillin's ten-count, when he has a crucial realization.

You've got no nose!!!

-Son Goku

I that moment vividly because, of course Krillin has no nose, but the fact that it's acknowledged and only now used to remind him that his reaction to Bacterian was all in his head was brilliant. This Dragon Ball quote created a core childhood memory as my friends and I were sent into laughing hysterics. Such a simple, obvious thing to say sends Krillin springing back into action. The fact that the fight is concluded by Krillin farting in Bacterian's face should have been icing on the cake, but that quote from Goku stuck with me far more.

Goku's Quote Reminds Viewers of Toriyama's Quirks

An Artist Who Famously Worked as Smart as He Worked Hard

Given Toriyama's Q&A in the one-shot Dragon Ball: Aventure Special as archived by kanzenshuu.com, Goku's quote was likely an instance where the mangaka improvised an opportunity to explain Krillin's design quirk. After all, the interview asks why Krillin doesn't have a nose, to which Toriyama answers on the spot, saying he "has a physical idiosyncrasy that allows him to breathe through his skin." If so, Krilllin has more in common with the Lake Titicaca water frog than expected, but he accidentally becomes the most fascinating Dragon Ball character with this quote.

Other writers besides myself have noticed this quirk of Toriyama, where he writes himself out of trouble, like retconning the Dragon Balls by introducing the Namekian Dragon Balls, which can resurrect people more than once. Still, much of the focus is given to Dragon Ball Z, where Toriyama's most famous quirks, like not coloring Super Saiyan hair, are mentioned, and it's fascinating to explore Dragon Ball in the moments as it increasingly transitioned from a gag manga to a fighting series.

Dragon Ball Still Had the Toriyama Spirit Despite Editorial Influence

Shifting the Balance to Focus on Action While Not Abandoning Comedy

While Dragon Ball Z can sometimes feel overly serious, its predecessor and the original manga still have Akira Toriyama's comedic angles that never quite go away. The series became ostensibly more of a fighting manga, beginning with the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, continuing with the Red Ribbon Army storyline, and onward from there, yet even in this phase, Toriyama gave us the best of both worlds. It's all hilariously undercut by the fact that Master Roshi, recognizing Goku and Krillin's excellent growth, ed the tourney as a ringer named Jackie Chun.

Even though Jackie Chun was an obvious alter ego for Roshi, the true tip-off was his usage of the Kamehameha in chapter #43.

Akira Toriyama was pushed to create the Tournament Saga, as Dragon Ball had previously not been very popular, and this could introduce similar boosts to the series as it did for his previous work on Dr. Slump. This development, noted in 1995's Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide's interview with Toriyama archived on kanzenshuu, brought back Master Roshi and introduced Krillin, the latter of whom is still a beloved side character in the present. Toriyama humored his superiors, while also giving his readers fart jokes, pervert-baiting, and some genuinely great ing throughout.

Dragon Ball's Early Era Introduced Many Colorful Characters

Quotes and Memorable Moments Still Live on from the Original Classic

I'll frequently look back on my experiences with Dragon Ball Z with relative disappointment. Still, my gripes with it are nothing new: machine gun fistfights, animation quickly outclassed by other anime from the era, power creep, and mishandling of Goku. It's undeniably influential because of the raw creative talent behind it, and it could generate massive excitement and genuine water-cooler hype surrounding key moments in the series, however. But in Dragon Ball, the best part for me is seeing so many characters introduced by Toriyama before they wind up wasted later in the franchise.

This includes characters like Yamcha, who, even in the Tournament Saga, felt like his grasp on rivalry with Goku was beginning to slip. Yet, he's still interesting to watch as he furiously trains for the tournament before he became infamous for dying hilariously quickly. Master Roshi's training for Goku and Krillin was compelling, including using his massive turtle shells as training weights. Launch was still around, although she was certainly one of the earlier casualties of sidelining and one of the symptoms of Dragon Ball Z's occasionally poor aging.

Dragon Ball's Legacy and Quotes Live on in Other Series

Future Generations Still Borrow from Toriyama Decades Later

Akira Toriyama's humor and hilarious Dragon Ball quotes prompt me to just how important his legacy is in the manga and anime world. Power-scaling Toriyama's incredible manga art also includes some of the best s around, with a clear sense of depth conveyed in so many shots, and each character is designed carefully, with or without noses.

Yet, Toriyama's gags will persist in numerous forms, even in banal instances like fart jokes in Naruto's anime or even in climactic showdowns like Saitama's fight against Garou in One-Punch Man. For me, the purest instances and homages include funny Dragon Ball quotes or s in the VIZ translation mockingly pointing out pages previously used for ads.

Still, for Toriyama's influence and pure charm to be felt in everything from Dragon Ball to seminal video game hits like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, we were blessed to have him and his idiosyncratic charm.

Sources: Dragon Ball: Aventure Special Interview Transcript on Kanzenshuu, Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide Interview Transcript on Kanzenshuu, Anime News Network