There is hardly a space in pop culture that Akira Toriyama’s art hasn’t touched. If you have ever seen a Marvel film, you will see action sequences that purposely evoke the final, planet-destroying conflicts from “Dragon Ball Z.” If you listen to hip-hop music, you could hear a reference to “Going Super Saiyan.” If you watch sports, you’ll notice athletes credit their passion to Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise’s main character. The Dragon Ball franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024 and, tragically, the loss of arguably the most important manga artist in history.
Bird Studio, the business founded by Akira Toriyama in 1983, reported on Thursday, March 8, that the godfather of modern shonen anime had died at the age of 68 from an acute subdural hematoma. The funeral was held privately, with only his family present. State officials, like French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese Ambassador Mao Ning, expressed their admiration and condolences for the late artist, while fans staged vigils and mourned both online and in person. At the time of Toriyama’s death, “Dragon Ball Super” was still one of the most popular manga series worldwide. This consistency in popularity, 40 years since the launch of the original Dragon Ball, is one unparalleled in the manga market, especially for a property that saw such a prolonged period of inactivity regarding new stories being told.
The story of Goku, a Saiyan boy from Planet Vegeta, who crash-landed on Earth in a spaceship and an avid student of the martial arts, and Bulma, a genius girl seeking wish-granting orbs, has long grown into an international pop cultural juggernaut. Dragon Ball is still popular, over two decades after its original animated run in the United States and Japan ended. Five years ago, the conclusion of the most recent Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball Super, garnered record crowds, filling stadiums across Mexico and Latin America with tens of thousands of viewers. Dragon Ball FighterZ, one of the best games of 2018, has become one of the most popular competitive fighting game circuit titles. And their most recent feature film, “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,” grossed over $10 million on its first day in theatres in the United States—a staggering figure for a limited-run anime film. Goku is such a renowned figure that he even had his own float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Millions of people watched “Dragon Ball Z” on the Cartoon Network’s Toonami programming block in 1996. Many people outside of Japan were introduced to the “shonen” storytelling style for the first time. Shonen means “young boy,” the stories frequently follow these characters on hero journeys that emphasise persistence and brotherhood. There was nothing like “Dragon Ball Z” on television at the time, with its huge, slow-building plot. Cartoon shows rarely attempted to tell tales across numerous episodes. However, “Dragon Ball Z” introduced young millennial fans to serial TV decades before Netflix bingeing became popular (and even several years before “Lost”). The show’s arcs would have unique names, such as “The Frieza Saga” and “The Cell Saga.”
Toriyama’s work was so popular in Latin America that Goku was long regarded as a folk hero. The Los Angeles Times published a witty and amusing editorial titled “In Celebration of Goku, a Latino Icon.” Because it was cheaper, Latin American countries showed a lot of Japanese TV programmes, and the rest is history: Goku found a new audience. “Maybe Goku is something like a saint,” JP Brammer stated in his article. “To me, he is the patron saint I call on whenever someone tries to tell me that a story isn’t Latino enough because an abuela doesn’t threaten anyone with ‘la chancla,’ or that stories catering to the Latino community won’t work because Latinos don’t like supporting other Latinos.” Athletes frequently mention “Dragon Ball” as an inspiration since Toriyama focuses on conveying stories of tenacity and grit. Old Spider-Man and Batman tales tend to focus solely on interpersonal problems. However, the “Dragon Ball” plots generated whole story arcs and multipart sagas centred on training and self-improvement. Toriyama would take what would otherwise be a meaningless training montage and utilise it to establish characters and tension.
The outpouring of admiration for Toriyama, combined with recent Academy Awards accolades for Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla: Minus One” and Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” and the popularity of “One Piece” on Netflix, has prompted analysts to highlight Japan’s soft power. However, one may incorrectly attribute the high appreciation for Japanese culture to the government’s decades-long “Cool Japan” effort. The response to Toriyama’s passing should emphasise that effective cultural diplomacy is ultimately up to creatives and artists who want to convey a good tale. Toriyama was inspired by the classic Chinese tale “Journey to the West” and Chinese action icons like Jackie Chan while creating the Dragon Ball series. Rich culture can cross borders without much government intervention.
The narrative of Goku, an outcast immigrant whose upbeat attitude, perseverance, and unwavering resolve enable him to overcome the most severe hurdles, find love, start a family, and form unbreakable connections of friendship in his chosen country, is universal. The connections between Goku and DC Comics’ Superman, another immigrant hero battling for peace, are clear. Beyond the universality of Dragon Ball’s theme, the programme drew much attention from minority groups in the United States and worldwide, mainly Black and Latino populations. Japanese soft power has affected the environment in which it has expanded. “Soft power,” as articulated by Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye, contends that culture and values may attract, persuade, and affect the conduct of other governments. It is an amorphous term that is difficult to quantify and has a limited track record: can we conclude that a love of anime leads to favourable foreign policy or trade agreements? Perhaps Dragon Ball will not upset the balance of power in East Asia. Nonetheless, Toriyama’s work forced the Global Times, a Chinese Communist Party-owned newspaper known for its hawkish viewpoints, to publish an article about Chinese netizens’ admiration for Toriyama and Japanese cultural commodities.
When measured in economic terms, the influence of soft power becomes more apparent. Dark House, an American comics distributor, has indicated that manga accounts for only 1% of its output yet produces 60% of its income. Other well-known Japanese cultural items, such as Studio Ghibli films and Nintendo’s Pokémon brand, have achieved cult and mainstream appeal worldwide. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” based on the famed game designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s Mario character, made more than $1.3 billion, and a sequel has been announced for 2026. These staggering figures may explain why governments have strongly opposed fostering soft power. Ironically, such initiatives may cause more harm than good. The South Korean government has relied mainly on its cultural exports, known as the “Hallyu Wave.” Korean pop has been enormously popular, yet it has struggled anytime the government attempted to over-regulate the business. China has promoted its culture through Confucius Institutes but has received criticism for undemocratic methods.
Governments seeking to strengthen soft power should instead focus on domestic concerns that stifle artistic expression. Toriyama’s untimely death has refocused attention on structural issues afflicting the creative industries, such as overwork, overreliance on individual abilities, low pay, and even labour shortages. The solution to these problems will not be an oppressive government hand determining what is and is not soft power, but rather support for the country’s talent to be as innovative as possible, whether through labour rights reform or new immigration rules.
Dragon Ball is a unique manga/anime franchise that continues to impact literature in all media worldwide. It remains firmly rooted in the format from which it emerged 40 years ago. Though its future is unknown following Toriyama’s death, a route ahead has been charted, particularly with projects such as “Dragon Ball DAIMA” on the way. Dragon Ball is both a constant and a generational experience, remaining current and popular as fans of all ages eagerly await the franchise’s next installment. The series still hits all the classic notes, with Super Saiyan transformations and Kamehameha Waves as iconic as ever, but with enough freshness that it doesn’t feel like the franchise is stuck in a creative rut but still a timelessly enjoyable ride.
Author – Amar Chowdhury