TRAIL BLAZER— THE LEGEND OF AKIRA TORIYAMA.

Akira Toriyama was a Japanese manga artist credited with the creation of Dragon Ball, by far, anime’s greatest project to date.

All his success in the world of anime stemmed from a need to express himself creatively, something that kept growing until he quit his design job to become a full time manga artist in 1978.

It took just two years for the breakthrough to come calling. His work Dr Slump garnered widespread attention, selling over 35 million copies after its release. 

In 1984, he created his biggest piece of art— Dragon Ball. This was his ticket to superstar status. Dragon Ball started a wave that is still felt in anime today. It spread its tentacles far beyond Asia, selling over a quarter billion copies worldwide. Today, it’s considerably the biggest anime show to have ever aired.

Toriyama’s versatility and style pioneered and inspired a new generation of anime creators and manga artists to put no limits on the flexibility of their storylines. It is because of his work that we’ve had shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion and other futuristic shows. 

He blazed the trail. He set the trail.

And even though he left the world two years ago at the age of 68, his impact is still felt in anime today.

This is the story of a man born in a country, barely a decade after it faced the most gruesome event in world history. The atmosphere must have been thick with despair. He must have grown up in a society rent with a lot of trauma, but he didn’t let that limit him.

That goes to show that when you want something bad enough and you put your mind to it, the universe has no choice but to cave in and let you cater the benefits away as you please.