The world is still reeling fromthe unexpected loss last week ofmangakaAkira Toriyama, the legendary Japanese artist and writer who createdDragon Ball. Since its birth in 1984,Dragon Ballhas blown up to become one of the biggest media franchises and arguably the most popular anime in the world.
It follows a group of powerful martial artists led by main protagonist, Goku, as they battle villains, save the world, and search for the magical Dragon Balls, seven orbs that will summon a wish-granting dragon. Toryiama’s iconic anime encompasses three interconnected series (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z,andDragon Ball Super).A fourth series,Dragon Ball: Daima,is set to release in 2024 and will reportedly bringDragon Ballback to its roots to commemorate the manga’s 40th anniversary. It will sadly be Toriyama’s final project.
Toriyama andDragon Ball’simpact on society is incalculable and has extended far beyond Japan. His stories have been read and loved by millions of people around the world, across multiple generations. His manga and anime have inspired countless creative minds and works, from hip-hop artists, to American comic books, to Hollywood films likeThe Matrix.
But perhaps no group has been more influenced by Toriyama than his fellowmangaka,artists and writers who grew up readingDragon Ballthemselves and were inspired to create their own stories; stories that have since become massive franchises in their own right. In honor of the late icon, here are ten anime that wouldn’t exist today without Toriyama’s genius and creativity.
10Black Clover
Dragon BallWas the Number One Influence ofBlack Clover
Interestingly, the concept behindBlack Cloveris the opposite of Toriyama’s popular anime. WhileDragon Ballfollows a special, young boy whose light years more powerful than everyone around him,Black Cloverrevolves around a young boy who’s been born without magic abilities, in a world where everyone has the power of magic.
Yet despite this difference,Black Clovercreator Yūki Tabata has hailedDragon Ballas the number one influence on his work. His infatuation with Goku’s adventures is what made him become a manga artist in the first place.Black Clover’s170-episode anime ran between 2017 and 2021 and just releasedan anime film,Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King,on Netflix last year.StreamBlack Cloveron Hulu.
9The Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins
Influenced by the Power Scaling ofDragon Ball
The Seven Deadly Sinsis a popular animebased on the best-selling manga of the same name. It follows a band of knights, each character embodying one of the seven deadly sins, who must clear their names of an alleged crime in the land of Britannia. The anime began in 2014 and just wrapped up its final season in 2021.
A sequel series,Four Knights of the Apocalypse, just premiered last year. Series creator, Nakaba Suzuki, has cited Toriyama’sDragon Ballas an influence onThe Seven Deadly Sins,particularly the fight scenes and the power scaling of its characters. In fact, when theDragon Ballmanga was re-released, every odd-numbered volume featured a tribute from a popular manga artist who was inspired by Toriyama’s work. Suzuki was one of those contributors.StreamThe Seven Deadly Sinson Netflix.
8Black Cat
A Massive Influence on Yabuki’s Childhood
Black Catis another wildly popular anime that was adapted from a bestselling manga series. Written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, it follows Train Heartnet, who leaves an elite group of assassins to become a bounty hunter. Although its hero is a far cry from the noble, good-hearted Goku and relies on weapons instead of raw strength,Black Cathas still drawn comparisons toDragon Ball Zfor its action sequences.
Yabuki is anothermangakawho wrote and illustrated a tribute toDragon Ballduring the manga’s re-release, praising the series as a huge influence on his childhood and work.StreamBlack Caton Crunchyroll.
The Show’s Format Follows Similar Styles and Themes
Gintamais an interesting mix of genres, a quirky anime that focuses on comedy and gags more than traditional action. It follows an eccentric samurai, Gintoki Sakata, who works as a freelancer taking on odd jobs and random tasks.Gintamaran for a total of 201 episodes between 2006 and 2010, though it’s since spawned a number of sequel series. The anime is known for its over-the-top humor, as well as its parodies. Creator Hideaki Sorachi parodies popular anime throughoutGintamaas a way of paying homage to those works.
And naturally, one of the anime that’s parodied most isDragon Ball Z. Gintamaoften spoofs Goku’s world-famous Kamehameha technique and Super Saiyan transformations. Even the show’s format borrows a little from Toriyama’s work, starting off light-hearted and humorous (much likeDragon Balldid) and then shifting to a more serious and dramatic moment. Like the rest of the world, Sorachi mourned the loss of Toriyama and released the following statement after the news broke, “Toriyama-sensei, thank you for introducing me to so many worlds, including the world of manga.“StreamGintamaon Hulu.
Related:How Old is Goku in Dragon Ball?
6Fairy Tail
Extremely Similar Themes toDragon Ball
Fairy Tailfollows the adventures of Natsu Dragneel, who is a part of the titular wizard guild.Fairy Tail’sstory is more similar toDragon Ballthan other anime on this list: Natsu spends much of the series searching for Igneel, a powerful and mystical dragon.
The original anime ran between 2009 and 2013, though the story continued in a sequel series that concluded in 2019.Fairy Tail’scontent trends more toward an adult audiencerather than children. Creator Hiro Mashima grew up onDragon Balland hailed it as a massive inspiration on his work. After Toriyama’s passing, Mashima penned a tribute saying that he never would’ve become a manga artist without Toriyama’s influence.StreamFairy Tailon Hulu.
5One-Punch Man
Impossible Not to Draw Comparisons
One-Punch Manis exactly like it sounds: its main character, Saitama, is capable of defeating any enemy with a single punch. Interestingly, it began as a self-published webcomic, created by a manga artist known only as One. Due to its growing popularity,One-Punch Manexpanded into manga, where it was re-illustrated by renowned artist Yusuke Murata, before being developed into the popular anime. It’s currently in its third season, making this one of the younger franchises on this list. Its story was influenced by the American superhero – Saitama comes complete with a costume and cape – yetit’s impossible to look at the characters ofOne-Punch Manand not draw comparisons toDragon Ball.
Saitama looks an awful lot like Krillin or Tien Shinhan (minus the third eye), while the anime’s first villain, the Vaccine Man, bears a striking resemblance to Piccolo. Artist Murata reveresDragon Balland has always spoken highly of its creator, crediting Toriyama as a major influence. The parallels betweenOne-Punch ManandDragon Ballalso go beyond the artwork.
Much like Goku, Saitama is determined to become the most powerful fighter in the world, training extensively to achieve this goal. Goku never truly plateaus; he’s always breaking barriers and reaching a new threshold of power.One-Punch Man,however, takes a unique approach: what happens when the herodoesreach his limit and becomes the most powerful fighter in the world? The comedic answer: he gets very bored.StreamOne-Punch Manon Hulu.
4My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia
Kōhei Horikoshi ListedDragon Ballas an Influence
Based on the eponymous best-selling manga,My Hero Academiais one of the most popular anime right now, inspiring a new generation of fans. There have been six seasons since its premiere in 2016, with a brand new seventh season slated for a 2024 release. Similar toBlack Cat, My Hero Academiais set in a world where everyone possesses superpowers, known here as “Quirks”.
Everyone, that is, except Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without a Quirk who still dreams of becoming a superhero. Creator Kōhei Horikoshiwas mostly inspired by American superhero comic books, though he does listDragon Ballas an influence.Izuku’s journey inMy Hero Academiais similar to Goku’s throughoutDragon Ball, as he tries to become the greatest fighter. The friendly rivalry between Izuku and Bakugo Katsuri is also reminiscent ofGoku’s relationship with Vegeta.StreamMy Hero Academiaon Hulu.
Toriyama Sent Kubo a Letter of Appreciation
The remaining entries on this list are known collectively as “the Big Three” within the anime community. This group consists of the longest-running and most popular anime of the last generation, three massive franchises that fans couldn’t get enough of or escape from, even if they wanted to.
Ironically,Dragon Ballisn’t included in the Big Three, despite influencing all three anime and running longer than any of them, a topic that’s hotly debated within the anime community (the defense is thatDragon Ballwas produced in 1984, over a decade before the others even came about).Bleach,whose best-selling manga and anime were released in 2001 and 2004 respectively, is the youngest of the Big Three.
Bleachfollows the teenage Ichigo Kurosaki, who takes on the power and responsibility of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife. Akira Toriyama did more than influenceBleach’screator, Tite Kubo, withDragon Ball.As the legend goes,Bleachwas rejected at first for publication. Toriyama came across the story and famously sent a letter to Kubo, sharing his enjoyment of the tale and encouraging him to pursue publication.
Had Toriyama never written that letter, the powerhouse that is nowBleach,which includes a beloved live-action film on Netflix, may not exist. When he heard of his idol’s death, Kubo released the following statement, celebrating Toriyama’s work rather than mourning his death: “I’ve always believed that creating things means expanding your sensibilities and expanding your life. This is because I believe that as long as the work exists, the author is not dead.“StreamBleachon Hulu.
Similar in Style and Martial Arts
Narutois the second of the Big Three and comprises two different series. The first one follows pre-teen Naruto Uzumaki, an energetic and mischievous youth who wishes to become a mighty warrior while seeking recognition from his peers. Sounds a lot like Goku inDragon Ball,doesn’t it? Well, that’s because Naruto was directly influenced by Goku’s character.
Although it wrapped up in 2017,Narutoremains one of the most popular anime franchises in the world. Its creator, Masashi Kishimoto, idolized Toriyama and became a huge fan of his work, includingDr. SlumpandDragon Quest.
It wasDragon Ball, though, with its artistic style andmartial arts focus that left the biggest impression on Kishimoto. Themangakaeven named aNarutocharacter after Goku as a tribute to Toriyama: Son Gokū, a powerful, four-tailed beast that resembles – yep, you guessed it – an ape.
Kishimoto released a heartfelt tribute to Toriyamaafter learning of his death, which included these words of reverence: “I feel an even greater sense of loss than whenDragon Ballended… For me, he [Toriyama] was the god of salvation and the god of manga.“StreamNarutoon Hulu.
Related:The 17 Most Popular Anime of All Time
1One Piece
The Stories and Characters Parallel One Another
You knew this one was coming. It’s number one of the Big Three, the best-selling manga in the world (yes, even more thanDragon Ball) and one of the most popular anime franchises ever created:One Piece.It follows the youthful Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they search for a mythical treasure known as the “One Piece”.
If that doesn’t sound likeDragon Ballto you, then maybe this will: Monkey constantly works his butt off to become stronger and takes on villains throughout his adventures. The anime ran from 1999 to 2021 and wasadapted into the wildly popular live-action series on Netflix, which has already been greenlit its second season.
One Piececreator, Eiichiro Oda, is another massive Toriyama fan, who grew up reading and watchingDragon Ball.He citedDragon Ballas his biggest influence, which shines through Oda’s style of writing and his portrayal of epic battles interspersed with humor.
Like Kishimoto, Oda released an emotional farewell, grieving the loss of his sensei, Toriyama, “He also created an era when both adults and children could enjoy reading manga. He showed us the dream that manga can go worldwide. It was like watching a hero going forward.” And it’s true. Without Akira Toriyama and hisDragon Ballfranchise, many anime on this list might never have existed.StreamOne Pieceon Hulu.
