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Trivia
Trivia, title by title: 62 in total. Tap a cover to open it. Titles you haven't marked as read stay locked so nothing gets spoiled.
- Referencenod to comics or other movies
- Cameoa familiar face shows up
- Setupplanted now, pays off later
- Behind the scenesproduction trivia
- Behind the scenesIt grew out of Dragon Boy
Before Dragon Ball, Toriyama ran Dragon Boy, a two-part story in Fresh Jump in 1983 about a martial arts kid escorting a princess. It went over well and grew into the series.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesJourney to the West, with Dragon Balls
The base is the Chinese classic Journey to the West: Goku is the Monkey King, Bulma is the monk Sanzang, Oolong is Zhu Bajie and Yamcha is Sha Wujing. Toriyama swapped the Buddhist scriptures for seven Dragon Balls. Editor Kazuhiko Torishima picked the novel because it was free to use and its Chinese setting was rare in manga at the time.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesHis wife named the Kamehameha
Toriyama had the pose for the attack but no name. His wife, Nachi Mikami, suggested Kamehameha, after the Hawaiian king, figuring a historical name would be easy to remember.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThat tail was a chore
Toriyama gave Goku a monkey tail to make him stand out, then admitted it was a pain to draw. That's why he loses it early in the story.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesShu used to be Soba
Toriyama first named Pilaf's dog henchman Soba. When the anime staff asked his name, he said Shu, forgot the original, and kept Shu in the manga.
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- Behind the scenesA tournament to quiet the editor
Early on the series was about adventure and travel. Toriyama suspected fights would sell better, but he only created the martial arts tournament after tiring of Torishima's complaints about popularity. He later admitted the jump in the polls felt good.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesKrillin, the contrast
Torishima felt Goku was too plain. Toriyama created Krillin, a petty, mischievous kid, as a contrast. He debuts in chapter 25, published May 21, 1985, as Goku's training rival.
source ↗ - SetupSix dots on his forehead
Look at the six dots on Krillin's forehead: they're moxibustion marks, a nod to Shaolin monks.
source ↗ - SetupThe price of training
In chapter 24, Master Roshi will only train Goku if he brings back a cute girl. Goku returns with a hulking weightlifter, to the old man's horror.
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- Behind the scenesA detour to Dr. Slump
Toriyama tried to steer the series back to adventure in this arc and added comedy with a visit to Penguin Village from Dr. Slump. When that didn't stick, fighting became the main theme for good.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesA video game tower
Muscle Tower, which Goku climbs floor by floor, was inspired by the video game Spartan X (Kung-Fu Master).
source ↗ - SetupFirst contact
The army shows up in chapter 55: Colonel Silver blasts the Flying Nimbus with a bazooka while Goku makes off with the Six-Star Ball.
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- Behind the scenesNamed after Chinese food
Tien's name comes from tenshindon, a crab omelet over rice. Toriyama said that, strong and cool as he was, he wanted a silly Chinese food name.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe third eye
Tien is loosely based on Erlang Shen, a three-eyed Taoist deity who also appears in Journey to the West.
source ↗ - SetupA three-year jump
The previous arc closes in chapter 112 with a three-year time skip. The 22nd tournament opens in chapter 113, published in February 1987, with everyone older.
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- Behind the scenesInspired by Nero
Toriyama wanted a truly bad villain, since the earlier ones were too likable. Torishima suggested cruel historical figures and brought up Emperor Nero, who enjoyed watching people suffer. King Piccolo came out of that.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesOr on the author himself
Another account, from the Shenlong Times #2 pamphlet, says the Demon King was modeled on Toriyama himself.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe most fun to draw
Toriyama saw King Piccolo as the series' first truly evil villain and said his part of the story was the most fun to draw.
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- Behind the scenesThe editor's biggest crisis
Torishima opposed letting Goku grow up and called it his biggest crisis on the series. Readers took to the grown-up Goku who shows up in this arc.
source ↗ - SetupMr. Popo's test
In chapter 163, Goku reaches Kami's lookout and has to beat Mr. Popo to earn an audience. Popo dodges everything and calls Goku weak.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe good half
Kami is the good half of a split: the old guardian purged his evil energy, and King Piccolo was born from it. That's why their fates are tied together.
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- Behind the scenesA race of vegetables
Saiyan is an anagram of yasai, Japanese for "vegetable." Kakarrot comes from carrot, and Vegeta from vegetable.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesMeant to be just a villain
Toriyama considered leaving Vegeta as a plain villain, but found his warped straightforwardness interesting. He debuts in chapter 204, from January 1989.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesGohan means rice
Goku's son is named after food: gohan means "cooked rice" or "meal" in Japanese, in keeping with Toriyama's habit of naming characters after food.
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- Behind the scenesFrieza as in freezer
The name is a pun on freezer. That's why his henchmen and the Ginyu Force are named after fruit and dairy, things you keep in the fridge.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesBased on speculators
Frieza was created during Japan's bubble economy and inspired by real estate speculators, whom Toriyama called "the worst kind of people."
source ↗ - Behind the scenesBlond to save ink
Super Saiyan hair is blond partly because Toriyama's assistant spent so long inking Goku's black hair. The piercing glare was inspired by Bruce Lee.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesKilled on purpose
Plenty of fan letters begged Toriyama not to kill Vegeta. He did it anyway, on purpose.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe series' peak
Former editors Yū Kondō and Fuyuto Takeda said the Frieza arc was the series' popularity peak: in a thousand-reader poll, Dragon Ball got 815 votes.
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- Behind the scenesThe editor didn't like the androids
Torishima wasn't happy with the first androids, 19 and 20, as villains. That pushed Toriyama to create Cell.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesUgly, so he changes
Editor Yū Kondō thought Cell was ugly. Toriyama hadn't planned for him to transform and added it in response. Kondō also found the second form silly and pushed for the next one.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesOne week at a time
Toriyama struggled with this arc: he didn't think he could top Frieza, added time travel, and ended up planning the plot only a week ahead.
source ↗ - SetupToo many spots
Toriyama came to regret Cell's design: drawing all those little spots on his body was tedious.
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- Behind the scenesBibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
Bibbidi, Babidi and Buu are named after "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" from Disney's Cinderella. Dabura comes from "abracadabra."
source ↗ - Behind the scenesGohan was going to take over
After Cell, Toriyama considered making Gohan the series' new lead, but felt he wasn't suited to it and changed his mind.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesGag manga spirit
Toriyama said Buu versus Gotenks was fun to draw because he could invent odd techniques "in the spirit of gag manga." Buu's look came from the One Thousand and One Nights adaptations he watched as a kid.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesAn ending decided at the last chapter
Toriyama didn't settle on the ending until the final chapter. He first planned a low-key close, then jumped ten years ahead to signal a real finale. For the kanzenban edition he tweaked it to make the passing of the torch clearer.
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- Behind the scenesToriyama plots, Toyotarou draws
On the Super manga, Toriyama wrote the major plot points and Toyotarou drew it and filled in the details. Toyotarou sent storyboards, Toriyama edited them, and then the final art was done. It began in V Jump in June 2015.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesAn Egyptian cat
Beerus is based on a cat, dressed in Egyptian clothes, partly inspired by a Cornish Rex that lived with Toriyama. Toei first made him look like a lizard, and Toriyama changed him to a cat.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesBeer or virus?
The Japanese name, Birusu, comes from "virus," but Toriyama believed it came from "beer." The mix-up started the drink puns: his attendant Whis is named after whiskey.
source ↗ - ReferenceFrieza got skipped
The manga adapts Battle of Gods in just four chapters and skips Resurrection 'F', which the anime did adapt. A three-chapter introduction ran in V Jump months before Super began.
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- Behind the scenesChampa as in champagne
Champa comes from champagne, following the rule of naming Gods of Destruction and angels after alcoholic drinks. He first shows up in chapter 2, from July 2015.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesDrawn by Toriyama
Toriyama himself designed Hit, Cabba, Botamo, Frost, Magetta and Monaka. The designs ran in the March 2016 V Jump, where Hit's blurb said the name "smells of danger." Hit comes from hitman.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe manga got there first
Hit debuted in chapter 7 in December 2015, two months before anime episode 32 aired in February 2016.
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- Behind the scenesAn evil tokusatsu double
Toriyama drew on the evil doubles of heroes in shows like Ultraman and Kamen Rider Black to create Goku Black.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesBuilt to match Blue
Zamasu was designed to match a Super Saiyan Blue one-on-one. The Potara time limit and his immortality were added later to make the fight more interesting.
source ↗ - ReferenceA different ending from the anime
In the anime, Zamasu becomes an energy being that swallows the future. In the manga, he splinters into several fused Zamasus, and Vegeta accidentally creates an army of them.
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- Behind the scenes"Jiren doesn't talk"
Toriyama's draft said nothing about Jiren's personality. The anime staff pitched a talkative hero of justice, and Toriyama replied that "Jiren is a character who doesn't speak," sending a tragic backstory along with it.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesCorrected by Toriyama
Toriyama corrected Toyotarou's introduction of Jiren in chapter 30. It's the only Toriyama drawing of Jiren ever made public. He let the staff flesh out the Pride Troopers.
source ↗ - ReferenceManga first
Jiren appears in manga chapter 30 before his anime debut in episode 85, in April 2017.
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- Behind the scenesA completely new work
When the Super anime ended in 2018, the manga kept going with its own stories. Toyotarou billed this arc as "a completely new work that hasn't been animated," made tag-teaming with Toriyama. Moro debuts in chapter 43, from December 2018.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesGoat and grim reaper
Toyotarou wanted Moro to be pure evil, never a future ally. The design pairs a goat, the Western devil motif, with grim reaper clothes.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesPutty horns
Moro's curled horns were hard to draw. Unable to find good goat references, Toyotarou sculpted a horn out of putty to work from.
source ↗ - ReferenceComing to anime
On January 25, 2026, an anime adaptation of this arc, called Galactic Patrol, was announced.
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- Behind the scenesSplitting the work
Toyotarou created Granolah. Toriyama wrote the plot proposal, came up with the Heeters and designed the Namekian Monaito.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesSteampunk Cerealians
The steampunk-tinged look of the Cerealians, Granolah's people, came from Toyotarou.
source ↗ - ReferenceEchoes of Broly
The manga never adapted Dragon Ball Super: Broly, but parts of that story are addressed in this arc.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe first break
After chapter 87, the manga took its first-ever break: three months off, returning in December 2022.
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- Behind the scenesMore than the movie
The arc is an expanded take on the 2022 film, with opening and closing chapters that exist only in the manga.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesWho wrote what
The main story and postlude, chapters 91 to 103, were largely written by Toriyama. The prologue, chapters 88 to 90, was Toyotarou's idea built on Toriyama's input.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesA Beast without the scowl
Toriyama first tried a scary face for Gohan's Beast form, felt it didn't suit him, and went with upswept hair instead.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe last before the hiatus
Chapter 103 came out in March 2024. After Toriyama's death that same month, the manga went on hiatus. A Toyotarou one-shot followed in February 2025, closing volume 24.
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