Top 5 Anime Series Influenced by Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball which has a large fan base and has characters who are comparable to Goku from Dragon Ball. 

Credits- Akira Toriyama
By Sonu | May 22, 2024 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Many anime series adopt ideas from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball-inspired shows are very popular, this article lists five anime series that are inspired by Dragon Ball. Akira Toriyama is the well-known anime creator of Dragon Ball which has a large fan base and has characters who are comparable to Goku from Dragon Ball. Top 5 Anime Series Influenced by Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball

Watching these fascinating and entertaining anime series with their powerful heroes and interesting adventures would appeal to lovers of Dragon Ball as well. Let’s explore these anime shows and discover how they were inspired by Dragon Ball, they have a lot of action and awesome battles.

5. One-Punch Man

One Punch Man
Credits- Viz Media

Saitama, the main character of One-Punch Man is a man who finds no happiness in his immense power putting a unique move on the hero’s journey. Saitama is frustrated by the lack of tough opponents, in place of Goku who looks for stronger enemies.

One-Punch Man gets references to Dragon Ball a lot even if their paths separate, Vaccine Man Saitama’s first enemy basically represents Piccolo’s colour difference. The anime pays casual respect to Toriyama’s work as shown by this Dragon Ball reference.

4. My Hero Academia

Credits- Viz Media

My Hero Academia with more than 100 episodes and multiple feature films has proven itself as a major work of present shonen anime. Similar to Goku’s brave journey in Dragon Ball the show centres on Izuku “Deku” Midoriya and his friends as they prepare to become heroes.

Deku’s development follows in Goku’s footsteps and the Sports Festival Arc honours Dragon Ball’s Tenkaichi Budokai directly spreading tournament arcs in shonen anime. Also the intense competition between Bakugo and Deku is similar to the competitive relationship between Vegeta and Goku.

3. Bleach

Credits- Viz Media

Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach credits his determination to continue with his manga after first meeting difficulties with Akira Toriyama. The powerful villains of Bleach who capture the intense and attractive elements of Dragon Ball’s enemies are clearly inspired by Toriyama.

There are obvious similarities between Kubo’s villains and Dragon Ball villains in terms of their powerful presence and eye-catching designs. Ichigo experiences several transformations, much like Goku each of which provides upon him with increased abilities showing Dragon Ball’s lasting impact.

2. One Piece

Devil Fruits in One Piece
Credits- Shōnen Jump

As one of the most popular shonen manga series in Japan One Piece is now surpassing Dragon Ball. Taking inspiration from Dragon Ball creator Eiichiro Oda’s storyline focuses particular attention to the Straw Hat Pirate captain Luffy.

Along with an endless hunger Luffy shows Goku’s persistent desire and dedication to strength, Dragon Ball is also reflected in the series adventurous character and time. One Piece has been inspired by Dragon Ball as seen by Luffy’s Gear Transformations which are named similarly to Super Saiyan forms.

1. Naruto

Credits- Masashi Kishimoto

Dragon Ball has been openly acknowledged as having inspired Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto’s work, Goku and Naruto are similar in many ways such as their love of fighting and food. Goku’s well-known colour scheme is directly referenced in Naruto’s orange and blue outfit.

While Naruto doesn’t actively look for out powerful opponents like Goku does he does have a dark side. Both characters go through a great deal of powerful transformations although Naruto has more unique forms than the Super Saiyan. Dragon Ball had a huge influence on Naruto’s development as shown by this wide variety of changes.

As one of the original series of anime Dragon Ball continues to have an impact on many modern projects. Akira Toriyama’s creations continue to influence and change the genre from personality types to story structures. The five anime that are shown here are proof of Dragon Ball’s lasting influence because they all feature aspects that honour this legendary series.

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