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Dragon Ball author Akira Toriyama passing away this year is one of the greatest losses of the manga and anime industry, which is why it makes sense that fans all over the world are still mourning the loss. Amidst this, Toyotarou, Toriyama's apprentice in the Super manga, revealed the latter's final input in chapter 103 and how it highlighted his favorite character in the series.
Toriyama was always a very private man despite his position as the creator of Dragon Ball, which is why there aren't a lot of interviews or public appearances where fans could pick his brains and discover his personal views about the story he wrote.
However, little details like the latest revelation by Toyotarou on X help to understand a bit more about Toriyama as both a person and as a creator.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.
Toyotarou revealed on X details that could point out who Akira Toriyama's favorite Dragon Ball character is
Toyotarou's post on X said that Akira Toriyama gave him his final correction for chapter 103 of the Super manga before his death. The post revealed that Toriyama drew the layout of Piccolo saying goodbye, which wasn't originally in Toyotarou's draft, which has led to a lot of speculation in the fandom that the Namekian was the author's favorite character in the series.
However, this was already confirmed in the Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide guidebook in 1995, where Toriyama stated that Piccolo was his favorite character in the franchise and Demon King Piccolo was his favorite antagonist in the series. The author also went on record to say that he likes Piccolo as much as he likes Goku, which makes a lot of sense, considering the relationship between these two characters.
Naturally, a lot of fans also saw this moment of Piccolo as a symbolic one, interpreting it as Toriyama saying goodbye to his fans and loved ones before passing away on March 1. While there is no confirmation that this was the intent behind that layout, it is difficult to not perceive it that way as the world is mourning the loss of one of the industry's most important and influential creators.
The legacy of Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama's recent passing has led to a lot of people all over the world mourning his loss and also celebrating his legacy as one of manga's all-time greats. Being just the creator of Dragon Ball is enough to warrant a place among the most successful comic book authors of all time, but also the influence and impact of his series has cemented his importance.
The franchise popularized anime and manga all over the world while also influencing future generations in his own country. That apart, Naruto's Masashi Kishimoto, Bleach's Tite Kubo, and One Piece's Eiichiro Oda also mentioned him as a massive influence. There are also a lot of other professional mangaka who have mentioned his influence as a very significant one.
Final thoughts
Toyotarou recently showed Akira Toriyama's final corrections for chapter 103 of the Dragon Ball Super manga, showing Piccolo saying goodbye. A lot of people have taken this as a symbolic way for the author to bid goodbye to his audience, especially considering that he confirmed in the '90s that Piccolo was his favorite character.
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