What the first editor who agreed to `bear` publishing Dragon Ball said about Akira Toriyama’s `offspring`

This is a new interview with one of the `pillar members` of Dragon Ball, his name is Kazuhiko Torishima, the first editor of Akira Toriyama at Shueisha publishing house (Shueisha is the publisher of the manga Dr.

The next person to participate in an interview with Mr. Torishima is Mr. Hiroshi Matsuyama – President and CEO of Japanese video game company CyberConnect2 (Matsuyama developed the Naruto video game series, as well as the recent Dragon Ball Z Kakarot

Below is Hiroshi Matsuyama’s interview with Kazuhiko Torishima:

The title of the conversation is `Dragon Ball Story. Interview with Editor Kazuhiko Torishima with Hiroshi Matsuyama`.

Editor Torishima: Initially, Dragon Ball was not very popular.

Mr. Matsuyama: Huh?

Editor Torishima: No, it’s different.

Mr. Matsuyama: Since when?

Editor Torishima: Around the end when Goku and Bulma’s group stop meeting Team Pilaf.

Mr. Matsuyama: What do you mean?

Editor Torishima: Well, once Shenron was summoned, and their wish was granted, there was a pause in the story.

Mr. Matsuyama: Will it be useless?

Editor Torishima: It’s useless if you can’t feel the harmony and excitement of the rhythm, because in the manga, the number of characters has increased a lot.

Mr. Matsuyama: Ah, that’s right, at that time, the number of characters increased a bit, like Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Quy Lao, Chichi, Demon King Ox and Pilaf.

Editor Torishima: Right, so I arranged for Goku and Krilin to train at the Turtle House to keep the story simple.

Mr. Matsuyama: Is it true?

Editor Torishima: No (Mr. Torishima doesn’t know anything)

Mr. Matsuyama: Regardless, how did you come up with the ideas behind organizing this Tenkaichi Budokai Martial Arts Festival?

Editor Torishima: I learned from the series Hokuto No Ken (temporary translation of the Vietnamese title is `The Fist of the North Star`)

Mr. Matsuyama: Oh!

Editor Torishima: It’s due to Dragon Ball’s decreasing popularity, so I have no choice but to research it.

Mr. Matsuyama: Yes, really!

Editor Torishima: So I’ve read the first 3 volumes of Hokuto No Ken.

Mr. Matsuyama: What?

Editor Torishima: You don’t need to read any further to understand Hokuto No Ken.

Mr. Matsuyama: Oh?!

Editor Torishima: No, don’t worry, that’s just my personal opinion.

Mr. Matsuyama: You mean in terms of story organization?

Editor Torishima: Yes, I made the story simple by reducing the number of characters.

Mr. Matsuyama: Oh

Editor Torishima: When I read Hokuto No Ken, I felt there was a bit of morality in the work.

Mr. Matsuyama: How do you plan to change your strategy regarding Dragon Ball?

Editor Torishima: I decided to turn Dragon Ball into a work of `NO SUBSTANCE`.

Mr. Matsuyama: No substance?

Editor Torishima: Matsuyama-kun, did you learn anything from reading Dragon Ball, do you remember anything?

Mr. Matsuyama: Actually, of course, uh…

Editor Torishima: No, there’s nothing you can learn from reading Dragon Ball.

Mr. Matsuyama: … Maybe that’s true.

Editor Torishima: Here’s another answer that comes from my analysis and research on Hokuto No Ken: children don’t want to be `educated` with moral lessons when reading manga, so they

Mr. Matsuyama: A secret in drawing?

Editor Torishima: Have you noticed that in previous Manga, when the main character attacks the enemy, there are many fighting images on one page.

Mr. Matsuyama: You’re right…

Editor Torishima: But in Hokuto no Ken, a punch is directed, `Attata-tatatatatata!`

Mr. Matsuyama: Of course!!

Editor Torishima: Because Tetsuo Hara (Hokuto No Ken manga artist) is a great illustrator, I wonder if Buronson (Hokuton No Ken author) should be grateful for that.

Mr. Matsuyama: I don’t know?

Editor Torishima: It’s three-dimensional movement.

Mr. Matsuyama: Tenkaichi Budokai Martial Arts Conference!!

Editor Torishima: Yes, that’s why the ring is square and there are rules for falling out of the ring as losing.

Mr. Matsuyama: Wow, I can only be amazed that everything was researched, calculated, developed and illustrated with such strategies in mind.