Dragon Ball is one of the most influential mangas in history, inspiring numerous artists who later launched their own works and rose to fame. One of them was Eiichirō Oda, the legendary creative behind One Piece.
On March 1st, Akira Toriyama, creator of the adventures of Goku and company, passed away at the age of 68. The news shocked thousands of fans worldwide, including mangakas. Eiichirō Oda was particularly affected and expressed his admiration and respect through a message.
Both the creator of Dragon Ball and the author of One Piece exchanged words on a couple of occasions and maintained a friendship. After the news of Akira Toriyama's death broke, fans recalled one of the interviews in which both mangakas participated.
Akira Toriyama Praised Eiichirō Oda, Creator of One Piece
On social media, fans remembered an excerpt from an interview in which both creatives talked about their works. The transcription of the conversation was published in the One Piece Color Walk 1 artbook from 2001.
At that time, Eiichirō Oda showered Akira Toriyama with praise and didn't hesitate to express his admiration for his extensive work on Dragon Ball and other works. "Of course, he's a God! He's in a completely different dimension. All things considered, he's an excellent artist!" he commented.
"Please, be free and do as you like! No matter what you do, I'll be happy as long as you keep drawing illustrations, Toriyama-Sensei; however, I'm sure the editorial staff will say something like 'draw a new series'," said Oda.
In response, the author of Dr. Slump and SAND LAND also had positive comments about Eiichirō Oda's work. Besides acknowledging the scope of One Piece, he confessed that he became a fan of Luffy's adventures thanks to his son.
"I'd like you to draw in the mainstream, Oda-Kun. I have nothing more to say! My own son reads One Piece voraciously. So, I read it too... and I really understand why everyone's crazy about One Piece! So, do your best from now on," concluded the creator of Dragon Ball.
After Akira Toriyama's death, Eiichirō Oda took a 3-week break and confessed he's worried about his health, though he claims he's not sick.
But tell us, did you know about these statements?
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