Akira Toriyama
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga artist
and game artist
known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball
in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka
's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney
's One Hundred and One Dalmatians
, which he remembers for the great art. Jackie Chan
's early movies had a noticeable influence on Toriyama's stories.
, and first gained popularity for the manga
and anime
series Dr. Slump
, originally serialized weekly in Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984. In 1982, he won the Shogakukan Manga Award
for Dr. Slump for best shōnen or shōjo manga series of the year.
In 1984, Toriyama was responsible for developing Dragon Ball which was initially serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. It became an instant accomplishment—primarily selling over 35,000,000 copies in Japan, Dragon Ball eventually became a record-breaking best seller with over 120,000,000 copies sold. Aside from the Japanese fame, the series was equally successful internationally as well, including in Europe
(1988), Canada
(1996) and North America
.
Toriyama is mostly acknowledged for his major hit Dragon Ball. This work was one of the linchpins for what is accepted as the "Golden Age of Jump". Its success encouraged Toriyama to continue working on Dragon Ball from 1984 to 1995. During that 11-year period, he produced 519 chapters, collected into 42 volumes. Each volume has an average of 200 pages. Moreover, the benefit of the manga led to three anime adaptations, numerous feature-length animated movies, several video games, and mega-merchandising. Though Toriyama had been planning to end Dragon Ball for a long time, his editors agreed to let him end the manga so he could "take some new steps in life," as he put it. The third anime adaptation, Dragon Ball GT, was not based on his manga; however, Toriyama was still involved in the project by supervising its production, although in a limited way. The Dragon Ball anime, including installments that followed, spawned over 500 episodes made in Japan, and are produced and licensed for North America and Australia
by FUNimation
.
Toriyama's clean line and design sense led to jobs designing characters for the phenomenally popular Dragon Quest
series of role-playing video games (formerly called Dragon Warrior in North America). Toriyama has also served as the character designer for the Super Famicom
RPG Chrono Trigger
, the fighting game
Tobal No. 1
for the PlayStation
(as well as its sequel, Tobal 2
, released only in Japan), and the Mistwalker
Xbox 360
exclusive RPG Blue Dragon (and its anime adaptation).
His works after Dragon Ball tend to be short (100–200 page) stories, including Cowa!
, Kajika
, and Sand Land
, as well as one-shots, like Neko Majin
.
Toriyama worked on a one-shot called Cross Epoch, in cooperation with One Piece
creator Eiichiro Oda
. The story is a short crossover
that presents characters from both One Piece and Dragon Ball respectively.
Toriyama's studio is called "Bird Studio", which is a play on his name, "tori" meaning "bird". Toriyama does almost all of the work in Bird Studio; his assistant does mostly backgrounds. The studio has not been very active over the last few years and has only done occasional one-shots.
In an interview conducted in 2007 with Shōnen Jump, Toriyama revealed that he does not consider what is to occur in proceeding chapters of his stories.
In 2009, Toriyama was commissioned by Avex Trax
to draw a portrait of pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki
, it was printed on the CD of her single "Rule/Sparkle
".
Akira Toriyama collaborated with Shōnen Jump to create a video to raise awareness and support for those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
on March 11.
. In his own words, he said:
Blue Dragon began airing on TV Tokyo
on April 7, 2007, featuring a different vocal cast than that used for the game. It is scheduled for 51 episodes. On April 16, 2007, Viz Media
secured the license for the anime adaptation and was originally set be released in both North America and Europe later on in the year, but that did not happen. The anime premiered in the United States
, on Cartoon Network
, on March 28, 2008.
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
and game artist
Game artist
A game artist is an artist who creates art for one or more types of games. Game artists are responsible for all of the aspects of game development that call for visual art...
known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the...
in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
, which he remembers for the great art. Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
's early movies had a noticeable influence on Toriyama's stories.
Biography
He debuted in 1979 with the story Wonder Island, published in Weekly Shōnen JumpWeekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
, and first gained popularity for the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Dr. Slump
Dr. Slump
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology comic Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984 which were collected into 18 tankōbon volumes...
, originally serialized weekly in Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984. In 1982, he won the Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
for Dr. Slump for best shōnen or shōjo manga series of the year.
In 1984, Toriyama was responsible for developing Dragon Ball which was initially serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. It became an instant accomplishment—primarily selling over 35,000,000 copies in Japan, Dragon Ball eventually became a record-breaking best seller with over 120,000,000 copies sold. Aside from the Japanese fame, the series was equally successful internationally as well, including in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(1988), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(1996) and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Toriyama is mostly acknowledged for his major hit Dragon Ball. This work was one of the linchpins for what is accepted as the "Golden Age of Jump". Its success encouraged Toriyama to continue working on Dragon Ball from 1984 to 1995. During that 11-year period, he produced 519 chapters, collected into 42 volumes. Each volume has an average of 200 pages. Moreover, the benefit of the manga led to three anime adaptations, numerous feature-length animated movies, several video games, and mega-merchandising. Though Toriyama had been planning to end Dragon Ball for a long time, his editors agreed to let him end the manga so he could "take some new steps in life," as he put it. The third anime adaptation, Dragon Ball GT, was not based on his manga; however, Toriyama was still involved in the project by supervising its production, although in a limited way. The Dragon Ball anime, including installments that followed, spawned over 500 episodes made in Japan, and are produced and licensed for North America and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by FUNimation
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
.
Toriyama's clean line and design sense led to jobs designing characters for the phenomenally popular Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
series of role-playing video games (formerly called Dragon Warrior in North America). Toriyama has also served as the character designer for the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
RPG Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
, the fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
Tobal No. 1
Tobal No. 1
is a fighting game for the PlayStation developed by DreamFactory and published by Square in 1996. The game was DreamFactory's first release, as well as Square's first release on the CD-based console....
for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
(as well as its sequel, Tobal 2
Tobal 2
is a 3D fighting game developed by Dream Factory and released by Square in Japan in 1997. It is the sequel to Tobal No. 1. Unlike the latter, Tobal 2 was not released in North America or PAL territories...
, released only in Japan), and the Mistwalker
Mistwalker
is a Japanese video game development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2004, with the financial backing of Microsoft. The logo and name were trademarked in 2001...
Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
exclusive RPG Blue Dragon (and its anime adaptation).
His works after Dragon Ball tend to be short (100–200 page) stories, including Cowa!
Cowa!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It began in late 1997 despite the artist suffering from a hurting arm. The manga was first serialized in Japan by Weekly Shōnen Jump and then made into a tankōbon by Jump Comics...
, Kajika
Kajika
is a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball.It was originally serialized in Japan by Shueisha in its Weekly Shōnen Jump from its 32nd to its 44th issue in 1998. All 12 chapters were collected into a single tankōbon, released on January 8, 1999...
, and Sand Land
Sand Land
is a short manga series authored by Akira Toriyama that appeared in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine during the summer of 2000.After Sand Land completed its run, all fourteen chapters were collected into a single tankōbon that was released on November 11, 2000...
, as well as one-shots, like Neko Majin
Neko Majin
is a short series of one-shot manga chapters by mangaka Akira Toriyama, spanning eight total installments released from 1999-2005. It is most notable for its later portion, Neko Majin Z, which is a self-parody of Dragon Ball, the author's most famous work.-Introduction:Originally a one-shot bearing...
.
Toriyama worked on a one-shot called Cross Epoch, in cooperation with One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
creator Eiichiro Oda
Eiichiro Oda
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of One Piece.-Early life:As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's works and aspired to become a manga artist. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking...
. The story is a short crossover
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
that presents characters from both One Piece and Dragon Ball respectively.
Toriyama's studio is called "Bird Studio", which is a play on his name, "tori" meaning "bird". Toriyama does almost all of the work in Bird Studio; his assistant does mostly backgrounds. The studio has not been very active over the last few years and has only done occasional one-shots.
In an interview conducted in 2007 with Shōnen Jump, Toriyama revealed that he does not consider what is to occur in proceeding chapters of his stories.
In 2009, Toriyama was commissioned by Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
to draw a portrait of pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
, it was printed on the CD of her single "Rule/Sparkle
Rule/Sparkle
"Rule/Sparkle" is Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki's forty-fifth single and it was released on February 25, 2009. The song "Rule" was used as the international theme song for Dragonball Evolution. "Sparkle" is used in advertisements for the Honda Zest Spark...
".
Akira Toriyama collaborated with Shōnen Jump to create a video to raise awareness and support for those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
on March 11.
Manga
| Name | Year | Collected |
|---|---|---|
| Awawa World | 1977 | Unpublished |
| Mysterious Rain Jack | 1978 | Unpublished |
| Wonder Island Wonder Island Wonder Island is a series of two one shot manga written by Akira Toriyama. The first chapter appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1978 and was featured in Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol. 1 in 1983. The setting of this manga appears later on in Toriyama's later series Dr. Slump.-Plot:The first... |
1978–1979 | 2 One-shots |
| Today's Highlight Island | 1979 | One-shot |
| Tomato | 1979 | One-shot |
| Dr. Slump Dr. Slump is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology comic Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984 which were collected into 18 tankōbon volumes... |
1980–1984 | 18 Tankōbon Tankobon , with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series... , reassembled into 9 aizoban in 1990, 9 bunkoban in 1995 and 15 kanzenban in 2006 |
| Escape | 1981 | One-shot |
| Pola & Roid | 1981 | One-shot |
| Pink Pink (manga) is a one-shot Japanese manga written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama that originally appeared in Shueisha magazine V Jump in December 1982. It would later be featured in Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol. 2 in 1988... |
1982 | One-shot |
| Mad Matic | 1982 | One-shot |
| Hetappi | 1982 | 1 Tankōbon, drawing lesson co-authored with Akira Sakuma Akira Sakuma is a Japanese video game designer best known as the creator of the Momotetsu series.He also works as a freelance writer for books, magazines, newspapers, and comics. He has co-authored with Akira Toriyama , and Yuji Horii... |
| Chobit | 1983 | 2 One-shots (this is not to be confused with the later Chobits Chobits is a Japanese manga created by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was published by Kodansha in Young Magazine from February 2001 to November 2002 and collected in eight bound volumes.... by Clamp Clamp (manga artists) , is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,... ) |
| Dragon Boy | 1983 | 2 One-shots |
| The Adventures of Tongpoo The Adventures of Tongpoo The Adventures of Tongpoo is a one-shot manga written by Akira Toriyama. It appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump #52 in 1983 and was later released in the compilation Tankōbon, Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol. 2... |
1983 | One-shot |
| Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol.1 | 1983 | 1 Tankōbon |
| Dragon Ball | 1984–1995 | 42 Tankōbon, reassembled into 34 kanzenban in 2002 with an altered ending |
| Mr. Ho Mr. Ho Mr. Ho is a one-shot manga, drawn and written by Akira Toriyama. It appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump #49 in 1986 and was later released in the compilation Tankōbon, Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol. 2.-Plot:... |
1986 | One-shot |
| Lady Red | 1987 | 4 One-shots |
| Kennosuke-sama | 1987 | One-shot |
| Sonchoh | 1987 | One-shot |
| Mamejiro | 1988 | One-shot |
| Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol.2 | 1988 | 1 tankōbon |
| Karamaru | 1989 | One-shot |
| Wolf | 1990 | One-shot |
| Cashman Saving Soldier | 1991 | 3 One-shots - 1998, 1 tankōbon |
| Dub & Peter 1 | 1992 | 4 One-shots |
| Go!Go!Ackman Go!Go!Ackman is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama.A short manga that was published irregularly by V-Jump from 1993 to 1994, Go! Go! Ackman is a humorous series about a 200 year old demon child named Ackman who harvests souls for the Dark Devil Lord. The manga is eleven... |
1993 | 11 One-shots |
| Chotto Kaettekita Dr. Slump | 1994–1997 | 4 "Slim" tankōbon |
| Tokimecha | 1996 | One-shot |
| Alien X-Peke | 1997 | One-shot |
| Bubul | 1997 | One-shot |
| Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol.3 | 1997 | 1 Tankōbon |
| Cowa! Cowa! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It began in late 1997 despite the artist suffering from a hurting arm. The manga was first serialized in Japan by Weekly Shōnen Jump and then made into a tankōbon by Jump Comics... |
1997–1998 | 1 Tankōbon |
| Cashman Saving Soldier/New Cashman Saving Soldier | 1998 | 1 Tankōbon |
| Tahi Mahi | 1998 | 1 Tankōbon |
| Kajika Kajika is a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball.It was originally serialized in Japan by Shueisha in its Weekly Shōnen Jump from its 32nd to its 44th issue in 1998. All 12 chapters were collected into a single tankōbon, released on January 8, 1999... |
1998 | 1 Tankōbon |
| Neko Majin Neko Majin is a short series of one-shot manga chapters by mangaka Akira Toriyama, spanning eight total installments released from 1999-2005. It is most notable for its later portion, Neko Majin Z, which is a self-parody of Dragon Ball, the author's most famous work.-Introduction:Originally a one-shot bearing... |
1999–2005 | 5 One-shots, 1 tankōbon/kanzenban |
| Hyowtam | 2000 | One-shot, drawn entirely on a computer for E-Jump, a special edition of Weekly Shōnen Jump Weekly Shonen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies... focusing on electronics. |
| Sand Land Sand Land is a short manga series authored by Akira Toriyama that appeared in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine during the summer of 2000.After Sand Land completed its run, all fourteen chapters were collected into a single tankōbon that was released on November 11, 2000... |
2000 | 1 Tankōbon |
| Bitch's Life Bitch's Life is a hard cover art book edited by Yasushi Nirasawa. It collects erotica by various Japanese manga artists and commercial artists.- List of artists :* Masakazu Katsura* Sho-u Tajima* Jun Tsukasa* Magaki Zanzo* Yukie* Hajime Satou* Katsuya Terada... |
2001 | 1 Illustration |
| Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo , full title , is a long-running comedy manga by Osamu Akimoto. It has been continuously serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since September 1976, with over 1700 chapters published, making it the longest-running manga series in history... |
2006 | 1 Omake Omake means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean "extra or bonus". In USA, the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the... |
| Cross Epoch | 2006 | One-shot, with Eiichiro Oda Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of One Piece.-Early life:As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's works and aspired to become a manga artist. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking... |
| 2007 | One-shot in Monthly Shōnen Jump Monthly Shonen Jump is a now defunct monthly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shueisha from 1970 to 2007 under the Jump line of magazines. It was the sister magazine to Weekly Shōnen Jump.- History :... |
|
| 2008 | One-shot in Jump SQ Jump Square is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine with a circulation of over 300,000. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for Monthly Shōnen Jump, another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of that year. The magazine is a part of the Jump... , art by Masakazu Katsura Masakazu Katsura is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for several works of manga, including Dream Fighter Wingman, Shadow Lady, DNA², Video Girl Ai, I"s, and Zetman. He has also worked on the character designs for Iria: Zeiram the Animation, which was based on the movie Zeiram.-History:He was born in the... |
|
| Jiya | 2009–2010 | 3 chapters in Weekly Young Jump Weekly Young Jump , launched in 1979, is a weekly Japanese magazine that publishes various seinen manga in each issue. It is published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines.- History :... , art by Masakazu Katsura |
| Kintoki | 2010 | One-shot in Weekly Shōnen Jump |
Video games (character design)
- Dragon QuestDragon Quest, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
series: Role-playing game (RPG) series published by EnixEnixThe was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
(now Square EnixSquare Enixis a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
). Appeared on NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Famicom/NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Super Famicom/Super NESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Game Boy ColorGame Boy ColorThe is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, and PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. - Dragon Quest MonstersDragon Quest Monstersor Dragon Warrior Monsters, as it was known in North America, is a spin off series of the Dragon Quest games. Published by Enix Corporation , it sets the player in a medieval/fantasy world filled with magic, monsters and knights...
series: Role-playing game (RPG) series published by EnixEnixThe was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
(now Square EnixSquare Enixis a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
). Appeared on NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, Game Boy ColorGame Boy ColorThe is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, and SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. - Chrono TriggerChrono Triggeris a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
: Role-playing game (RPG) developed by SquareSquare (company)was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(now Square EnixSquare Enixis a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
) for NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Super NESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. It was relaunched with a few additions for SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. Toriyama appeared in an alternate ending to the game along with all the other developers; the game is now also available for the Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
in Japan, North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. - Tobal No. 1Tobal No. 1is a fighting game for the PlayStation developed by DreamFactory and published by Square in 1996. The game was DreamFactory's first release, as well as Square's first release on the CD-based console....
and Tobal 2Tobal 2is a 3D fighting game developed by Dream Factory and released by Square in Japan in 1997. It is the sequel to Tobal No. 1. Unlike the latter, Tobal 2 was not released in North America or PAL territories...
: Fighting games for Sony's PlayStation developed by SquareSquare (company)was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(now Square EnixSquare Enixis a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
). - Blue Dragon: Role-playing game (RPG) for MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
developed by ArtoonArtoonArtoon is a computer and video game third-party developer established in 1999. The team was primarily affiliated in the United States with recent and current Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360 projects, although they had also worked with Hudson Soft and Nintendo on other platforms...
for MistwalkerMistwalkeris a Japanese video game development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2004, with the financial backing of Microsoft. The logo and name were trademarked in 2001...
studio based on a design by Final FantasyFinal Fantasyis a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
originator Hironobu SakaguchiHironobu Sakaguchiis a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
. - Dragon Ball OnlineDragon Ball Onlineis a massive multiplayer online role-playing game being developed simultaneously in Japan and South Korea by NTL, set in the Dragon Ball universe, first introduced by the Dragon Ball Japanese manga in 1984...
: An MMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing gameMassively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
based on the manga Dragon Ball. He has worked on designs for the game for the last five years.
Blue Dragon
Toriyama announced that his help with the making of the Blue Dragon anime may very well be his final assistance in animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. In his own words, he said:
Blue Dragon began airing on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
on April 7, 2007, featuring a different vocal cast than that used for the game. It is scheduled for 51 episodes. On April 16, 2007, Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
secured the license for the anime adaptation and was originally set be released in both North America and Europe later on in the year, but that did not happen. The anime premiered in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
, on March 28, 2008.
External links
- Akira Toriyama works on official ShueishaShueishais a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
S-Manga website - Akira Toriyama profile on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Akira Toriyama short bio, interviews, and photo gallery at the Square Haven People Database