Akira Toriyama: Shojo Manga Fan? You Won't Believe This!

Does Akira Toriyama, the Dragon Ball Creator, Love Shojo Manga?

So, Akira Toriyama! The Dragon Ball creator who brought us Goku and his incredible adventures? It might surprise you, but while he's the undisputed king of shonen manga, he actually has a big crush on shojo manga. Shojo? It's the world of love, romance, and character drama - kind of the opposite of Dragon Ball's explosive fights.

Why Does Akira Toriyama Like Shojo?

Akira Toriyama loves how shojo manga focuses on understanding what's going on inside characters' heads. Think those inner thoughts, the fears and desires. He confessed that shonen manga - especially his Dragon Ball work - doesn't delve as deeply into all of that. It's about super awesome power levels and big battles! He said he couldn't have written the "Future Trunks arc" (that super emotional one from Dragon Ball Super) because he's not very good at drawing characters’ internal struggles!

How Is It Different From Shojo?

Shojo manga has to go deep into those characters’ brains - trying to understand a girl's feelings, fears and motivations! This made him have tons of respect for shojo artists, saying they are incredible!

Is Dragon Ball About Feelings?

He admitted that his shonen manga style, like Dragon Ball - isn't that deep into how people really feel. He admitted, even the Cell arc (from Dragon Ball Z Anime) was hard for him to write, because it involved this complex bad guy.

It makes you wonder about all those famous Dragon Ball characters. Is that why Goku is so awesome, yet he is kind of clueless? Or why the villain Zamasu felt so messed up and so different? Maybe that is what makes those stories super interesting.
This is a pretty wild concept! You’ve got those shonen series - that's those super action comics that mostly have guys, but it’s neat that a legendary artist has admiration for the shojo manga! Shojo manga - is about romance and more about what's going on inside those characters, especially girls!

Does this make shojo manga more special?

It is actually something a lot of people might not know, because Dragon Ball has made Akira Toriyama one of the most popular manga artists! It's pretty awesome to find that this iconic creator is totally a fan of another kind of art!

Maybe those shojo comics are the next thing you should try reading - but either way, it’s definitely cool to see Dragon Ball and all of its great stuff from a different angle, thanks to this interview. Who knew this could be so inspiring.

Now you are ready to experience Akira Toriyama's work, along with all those great manga!