The TRUE Father Of Shonen Anime, And Why It’s Not Even Up For Debate
The Father of
One thing I’ve never understood is why it’s even a debate in the first place, and why the answer hurts so many feelings.
It’s not like the answer changes the quality of older
It just means ONE
Aka – the “father” of
anime
When I say Dragon Ball Z, I mean as a franchise. Not necessarily just the season itself.
The anime started off with Dragon Ball in 1984, and aired on TV February 26th, 1986. Before most of us were even born (modern anime fans).
Akira Toriyama took inspiration from Journey To The West, a Chinese novel from the 16th century.
It wasn’t until Dragon Ball continued with
That is a FACT. Even to this day
Powering up, getting angry and blowing up the surrounding area, energy blasts, etc. And of course Shonen cliches like the main character having an impossible appetite.
The grandfather of Shonen would be Astro Boy
Astro Boy is about as
This series, created by Osamu Tezuka, was released in 1963-1966. Very few anime fans (if any) were around during this time.
Because of the time period it was in, and the fact that it’s
It might not have been the biggest, best selling, or anything grand like that, but it’s responsible for what comes years later to an extent.
Why Dragon Ball Z Is the TRUE Father Of Shonen Anime:
1. It’s the main inspiration behind the biggest and classic anime
You’re obviously aware of
Eichiro Oda has come out and admitted it publicly, and has said he drew many influences from the Dragon Ball franchise.
This is true mainly for the beginning of
There’s nothing wrong with this which is why it’s weird how fans take it personal.
The same is true for Naruto, an insanely successful
Just look at Naruto’s outfit and the fact that it’s orange. And the rival dynamic with Sasuke (similar to Goku and Vegeta).
The author himself admitted to being inspired by
“Kishimoto cites Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series as one of his influences, noting that Goku, the protagonist, was a key factor when creating Naruto Uzumaki due to his energetic and mischievous personality.”
He also went on to say this about how he started:
“I got into Akira Toriyama Sensei’s Dr. Slump anime and Dragon Ball
manga . I loved his characters. I was especially attached to Dr. Slump’s Arale and Dragon Ball’s Goku. Also, his art really appealed to me. There was something about his cartoonydrawing style that felt right, more so than realistic drawings. I thought to myself, I want to become like Toriyama Sensei.”
There’s more similarities between Naruto and
This is ironically similar to Babidi doing the same thing to Vegeta with the MAJIN mark. And Goku having to fight him (like Naruto).
Kamehameha and Rasengan share subtle similarities, too.
And then we have Slayers. A
It was fairly big, and Spain was one of the countries where this was true.
I call it the female version of
You have a powerful sorcerer called Lina Inverse, a female protagonist. And right from the beginning she can easily destroy an entire town with one simple energy blast.
As the series and the adventure progress, she becomes more powerful, and stronger opponents and villains are introduced.
Not to mention techniques that can destroy the universe at large.
There’s no direct quotes from the author of this series in regards to
And we have One Punch Man. Yes in this case it’s a parody series which takes the piss out of
That doesn’t change the facts though. Even the author has admitted the series takes influence from Dragon Ball.
One Punch Man likely wouldn’t exist if not for
That fact has also lead to fandoms being toxic because everyone fights over who’s stronger between Saitama and Goku.
It’s not hard to see the similarities on the surface, even though there are unique differences below it.
There’s also modern and other old school anime DBZ inspired like:
- My Hero Academia.
- Fairy Tail.
- Gintama (more the parodies).
- My Bride Is A Mermaid.
- Good Luck Girl.
- Sailor Moon (only loosely).
- Yu Yu Hakusho.
- Bleach.
- Twin Star Exorcist.
- Hunter x Hunter.
And so many more anime I missed.
Many of these series have become influential, classics, best sellers, or have built strong fanbases in general.
That’s the effect of
Related: 25+ Of The Most Devoted Anime Fanbases The Industry Has Ever Known
2. Unbeatable influence
There’s a thing called Goku day for a reason. This isn’t by accident or by some stroke of luck that fell out the sky.
Not to mention Japan itself since they’re the ones who created “Goku Day”, and Goku has been chosen to represent the Olympics as well.
There’s also the influence its had on gym culture and fitness overall.
Many fans have gone on to create their own fitness businesses, online and offline. And have named some of their workouts based on
They see characters like Goku, Vegeta, and so on as an inspiration to the point where they wanna keep and stay fit.
Not even an anime like Naruto has had that kind of impact in the way
Let’s not forget how DB is still dominating decades later, and is doing a better job than Naruto’s follow up series “Boruto”.
Back when the fight aired between Jiren and Goku, it literally broke the internet.
That alone speaks to the anime’s continued influence, even after so many decades have passed since 1986.
There’s no comparison in
In spite of that though, it’s just another reason why Dragon Ball as a franchise is the father of
Relevant: 13+ Shonen Female Writers Who Made Some Of The BEST Anime
What about Fist Of The North Star?
This series along with Dragon Ball aired pretty much around the same time, and are original for their influence.
The martial arts fighting style and things of that nature come back to these anime (and
I don’t think many fans, especially old school or those who are aware of these anime would deny it.
That said, Fist Of The North Star just didn’t cut it the way
The difference in popularity, success, and influence is undeniable and obvious.
The Fist Of The North Star is one of few
That also doesn’t downplay Fist Of The North Star’s relevance.
Being the father of Shonen doesn’t mean it’s the best
It doesn’t mean it’s the best, which is the mistake people make when they talk about this topic.
Were there “Shonen” anime/manga before Dragon Ball? Yep.
But that’s irrelevant.
The fact is
I can’t understand why people get so salty about this fact as if that makes other
Dragon Ball’s role in making anime BIG outside of Japan shouldn’t be underestimated. Or even within Japan.
If we’re talking about
- Successful
- Well known
- Loved
- Respected
Because the most notable ones got some of their ideas (and inspiration) from dragon ball.
It’s just like GUNDAM is a big deal for
There were other anime and
But that’s how it always plays out.
- Music
- Video
Games - Films
- Technology
It all works the same way.
Apple
Their impact is why they get so much credit.
The “lesser” known
We can still shout out the underground classics and other anime that made Dragon Ball possible years prior, without downplaying its impact on the
Featured image: Deviant Art.
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