Why did Akira Toriyama stop drawing the Dragon Ball manga? Explained

The legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama had an undeniable impact on the anime and manga industry due to his magnum opus, the Dragon Ball series. It is an immensely popular series that paved the way for the newer generation of anime and has possibly the largest fandom in the anime world today.

Most anime fans today fondly recall growing up with Dragon Ball, a series that still holds a special place in everyone's heart. Despite all the popularity and success of the series, Toriyama officially concluded the manga after an 11-year run in 1995, with the completion of its sequel, Dragon Ball Z. While it certainly is quite a lengthy run for the series, fans have often wondered about the reason behind Toriyama ending the manga.

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Explaining the reason behind Akira Toriyama ending the Dragon Ball manga

The Dragon Ball series is one of the longest works in the manga industry that is still continuing. Mangaka Akira Toriyama stopped working on it likely because of fatigue and wanting to explore new works. There is also a belief that losing his beloved pen holder made him more detached from the series. Even without his involvement, no one would identify with the series without thinking of Toriyama.

Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball is perhaps, the most popular and widely recognizable anime and manga series in the world today. His work has continued to inspire the new generation of mangakas and paved the way for several anime series that fans enjoy and cherish today. While the legendary mangaka did once reveal the reason for him quitting manga altogether, there was no particular reason given for him concluding the Dragon Ball manga in the '90s.

However, the most probable reason would likely be fatigue. Toriyama had been working on the series for over a decade, with the manga running from 1984 to 1995. After 11 years of providing fans with epic battles, memorable characters, and storylines, Toriyama might have felt that he had told the story that he wished to narrate.

Furthermore, his manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, which required him to release a new chapter every week. Working with this kind of tight schedule would certainly take a massive toll on any mangaka. The pressure of delivering new chapters consistently was both physically and mentally exhausting for him.

Lastly, Toriyama had expressed an interest in exploring new creative projects. After concluding Dragon Ball in 1995, he wanted to take a break and work on other stories with a less demanding schedule. His works after the legendary series included shorter stories such as Kowa, Sand Land, Kajika, and Nekomajin.

Over time, however, Toriyama gradually lost interest in drawing manga altogether, the reason for which was cited to be the loss of his beloved pen holder. Apparently, this pen holder carried great sentimental value to the mangaka, who had been using it since he was 14 years old.

The loss of his beloved pen holder occurred during the production of the film adaptation of one of his most celebrated works, Sand Land. After being separated from the accessory that he had been using for about 51 years, Toriyama lost interest in drawing any manga afterward. He has been said to have used the same pen to draw every manga in his long career, which further adds to why he refused to replace his accessories.

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Final Thoughts

To this day, Akira Toriyama remains one of the most iconic figures in the realm of anime and manga. While his Dragon Ball manga may have concluded in 1995, the franchise continued through anime adaptations, movies, video games, and different types of merchandise.

Meanwhile, Toriyama remained involved in the franchise's direction, providing character designs, story outlines, and other creative input that helped further elevate the status of the series to where it is today. Even after his death, he continues to inspire a generation of artists and manga lovers. His legacy through his works will continue to make a mark throughout ages.