Dr. Slump manga: Akira Toriyama's famous work, explained

Dr. Slump manga has gained more exposure in recent days for unfortunate reasons since its author, Akira Toriyama, passed away on March 1 at age 68. Of course, Toriyama is more commonly known as the creator of the iconic Dragon Ball series, but it was this gag manga that put the author on the map in Japan and gave him the platform to succeed with his most popular work.

In that regard, Dr. Slump manga is a very significant piece of media in the Japanese industry, with the character of Arale having appeared in several Dragon Ball episodes and even some of the video games of that franchise as well. It is a significant series that also shows Toriyama's beginnings as a comedy manga, which is something that a lot of people are not aware of.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Dr. Slump manga. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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Explaining the premise and legacy of the Dr. Slump manga

Dr. Slump manga takes place in a town called Penguin Village and focuses on an inventor, Senbei Norimaki, who has created a robot called "the most perfect little girl robot," named Arale Norimaki. Arale is the poster girl of the series and gets involved in a lot of comedic situations and adventures simply because she is very innocent. She doesn't understand how human nature works.

This series ran from 1980 to 1984 on Weekly Shonen Jump and was Toriyama's first major hit as a mangaka while also showing his love for comedy and pop culture. There is a character in the story which is called Suppaman who is a direct reference to Superman. Further, the manga also makes a lot of parodies of other popular Western franchises, such as Star Wars.

A lot of people close to Toriyama, such as his editor, wife, and friends, would make appearances in the manga, and the author often depicted himself as a giant bird.

Interestingly, Arale was originally going to be a giant robot, but the different variations of her design were rejected by his editor, Kazuhiko Torishima until he decided to create her now-iconic design, which has helped to turn her into his second most-known protagonist after Goku in Dragon Ball.

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More details of the Dr. Slump manga

Arale in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

It is ironic that Dr. Slump manga lasted for almost five years in the early 80s when Toriyama admitted that he didn't have a long-term vision for the project, although it propelled his profile as one of the most popular authors at the time. Furthermore, this series was the first work of his to receive an anime adaptation, which ran from 1981 to 1986 with 243 episodes made by Toei Animation, the future studio of Dragon Ball as well.

While it is fair to say that Toriyama's other prominent manga has eclipsed this series, its legacy is more than deserved and also shows the author's natural inclination for humor, which was prevalent in the earlier arcs of Dragon Ball. Arale has become one of the author's most popular creations, even going as far as having cameos in Dragon Ball and being a part of video games, such as the highly successful Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

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Final thoughts

Dr. Slump manga was Akira Toriyama's first major series and the one story that put him on the map as an author. This manga has regained some exposure because of the legendary mangaka's passing in recent days, but paying close attention to it is another way to celebrate Toriyama's life and achievements.

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