Akira Toriyama is widely recognized as a legendary manga artist, best known for creating the iconic Dragon Ball series. Despite his fame, some intriguing aspects of his life even devoted Dragon Ball fans might not be aware of. Let’s explore some lesser-known facts about Akira Toriyama:
List of 10 Lesser Known Facts About Akira Toriyama
10. Akira Was Manga Club President
During his high school days, Toriyama served as the president of a manga club, showcasing his early passion for the art form.
![Started Manga Club in School: When Toriyama was in high school, he ran a club all about manga, showing his love for drawing stories even back then.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Facts-akira-toriyama-highschool-club-president-785x442.webp)
9. Video Game Designer
In addition to manga, Toriyama has made significant contributions to the gaming world as the art designer for the beloved Dragon Quest series and the classic game Chrono Trigger.
![Designed Video Games Too: Toriyama didn't just stick to manga; he also helped design characters for famous games like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/akira-toriyama-game-designer-785x442.webp)
8. Respect for Fellow Artists
Despite his success, Toriyama maintains genuine respect for other manga artists and has an extensive collection of autographs from renowned figures in the industry.
![Respects Other Artists: Despite being successful himself, Toriyama really respects other manga artists and collects autographs from famous ones.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Facts-about-dragon-ball-creator-785x442.webp)
7. Unplanned Shift to Battle Manga
Toriyama initially aimed to become a gag manga artist but transitioned to writing battle manga at the suggestion of his editor, leading to the creation of the groundbreaking Dragon Ball series.
![Changed Plans to Write Action Stories: Toriyama originally wanted to make funny comics, but his editor suggested he try action stories, leading him to create Dragon Ball.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Akira-Toriyama-Shonen-Battle-Manga-785x442.webp)
6. Jackie Chan’s Influence
Toriyama drew inspiration from martial arts icon Jackie Chan, evident in the humor and action of Dragon Ball. Chan even paid tribute to Toriyama in one of his films.
![Inspired by Jackie Chan: Toriyama got ideas for Dragon Ball from watching Jackie Chan movies, mixing humor and action just like Chan does.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/akira-toriyama-Jackie-Chan-785x442.webp)
5. Initial Motivation for Manga
While Toriyama found success in manga, his initial foray into the field was driven by financial necessity rather than pure artistic ambition.
![Started Manga for Money: Although he ended up loving it, Toriyama only started drawing manga because he needed money, not because he always dreamed of it.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/akira-toriyama-ten-facts-785x442.webp)
4. Early Rejections
Toriyama faced numerous rejections early in his career, with many of his early works being turned down by publishers before finding success with Dr. Slump.
![Faced Many Rejections: Before finding success with Dr. Slump, Toriyama's early stories were rejected by lots of publishers.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/akira-toriyama-ten-facts-Dr.-Slump-785x442.webp)
3. Near-Quit Experience
Toriyama contemplated quitting manga before achieving success but persevered through initial failures, driven by a sense of pride and determination.
![Almost Quit Manga: Toriyama thought about giving up drawing comics because he struggled at first, but he didn't give up and kept going.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/akira-toriyama-ten-facts-Quit-785x442.webp)
2. Early Prototypes of Dragon Ball
Before Dragon Ball, Toriyama created prototypes like Dragon Boy and The Adventure of Tongpoo, experimenting with concepts and character designs.
![Tested Ideas Before Dragon Ball: Before creating Dragon Ball, Toriyama tried out different ideas in prototypes like Dragon Boy and The Adventure of Tongpoo.](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Dragon-ball-vs-Dragon-Boy-akira-toriyama-facts-785x442.webp)
1. Favorite Character
Surprisingly, Toriyama’s favorite Dragon Ball character is Piccolo, showcasing his appreciation for the series’ diverse cast.
![Even though Goku is the main character, Toriyama's favorite from Dragon Ball is Piccolo](https://greenmangomore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/akira-toriyama-ten-facts-Piccolo-785x442.webp)
These lesser-known aspects of Akira Toriyama’s life shed light on the journey of the creator behind one of the most beloved manga series of all time.