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Akira Toriyama’sDragon Ballexists in various forms and mediums, with every extension adding something new to the series. However, these additions are not always well done or appreciated by the fandom. For instance,Dragon Ball: Evolutionwas a live-action adaptation of the manga, but failed to live up to the expectations of fans.
Moreover, even Toriyama publicly voiced his disapproval of the movie. However, the disappointment caused by the film led to the next and beloved project, which is still fondly remembered to this day.
The debacle ofDragon Ball: Evolutionand Akira Toriyama’s thoughts on it
Directed by James Wong,Dragon Ball: Evolutionwas released in 2009. On paper, the movie was based onAkira Toriyama‘s celebratedDragon Ballseries. However, the final product was very different fromDragon Ball, as fans knew it. It took excessive creative liberties with the storyline and characterization of the main cast, changing things up quite a lot.
As a result, the movie failed to live up to the expectations of fans, as well as Toriyama himself. The mangaka shared his feelings aboutDragon Ball: Evolutionduring an interview with Asahi Shimbun Digital (translations via Kanzenshuu). He said:
I cautioned them and suggested changes, but they seemed to have a strange confidence and didn’t really listen to me. What came out in the end was a movie I couldn’t really call a Dragon Ball that lived up to my expectations
The worst thing anyone can do when adapting a source material into another medium is sidelining the original story. When you do that, you’re essentially sidelining everything fans love about the franchise,and that’s exactly whereDragon Ball: Evolutionwent wrong. One can only imagine the disappointment when the source material in question is as popular asDragon Ball.
“There’s no Manga source material for this one”: Without Akira Toriyama, Fans Can Expect a Lot of Surprises in Dragon Ball DAIMA
However, there’s a silver lining to this entire ordeal. It’s believed that the disappointment from the movie led to Toriyama taking charge of the subsequentDragon Ballprojects. This includes theDragon Ball Z: Battle of Godsmovie.
Akira Toriyama’s active involvement withDragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Godsremains a favoriteDragon Ballmovie for many fans. It was the perfect mix of classic elements of the series with some new additions. The animation was spectacular, which made the overall experience a visual delight. Toriyama was actively involved in the movie from the beginning, as he explained:
For all the animation up to now, I’ve basically just left everything up [to the staff], so this is my first try at being involved starting from the story’s creation.
Toriyama’s involvement clearly made a difference, as the movie has great fight sequences, power-ups, and a perfect dash of humor. Moreover, Goku’s God Form is still exciting to fans, and the same is true for his fight against Beerus.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Godsis available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :926
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
