Akira Toriyama beyond Dragon Ball: the best works of the Japanese genius

The world of manga is a little more orphaned today. Akira Toriyama, the famous author of Dragon Ball, has left us at the age of 68. He does so leaving a titanic trail in the world of culture, as his work has been one of the most influential in all of Asia since the late eighties to the present day.

However, Toriyama is not only recognized for having drawn Dragon Ball. Despite being his most recognized and prestigious work, the author carried out many other works that define him as an artist. Below, we leave you with all of Toriyama’s works that have little or nothing to do with Dragon Ball and yet bear the stamp of the author himself.

Doctor Slump

The other great manga in Toriyama’s career is none other than Doctor Slump, also known as Arale by the name of its protagonist. This manga is prior to Dragon Ball and was published between 1980 and 1984. Its character is much more comedic than the one starring Goku, although in it we can already see all the author’s hallmarks. From its drawings to its crazy and fun narrative, it is clear that in Doctor Slump he was already the man we all admire.

Sand Land

Toriyama has many other mangas beyond Doctor Slump and Dragon Ball, so here we are going to highlight a few. One of the latest to be published is Sand Land, a work released in 2000 that this year receives its adaptation to video games. In Sand Land, the mangaka presents a world devastated by drought, in which its protagonist Rao joins Beelzebub, the prince of demons, in an unusual adventure.

Jaco, the Galactic Patrolman

Toriyama has played with the world of Dragon Ball beyond his main work on several occasions. The latest was with Jaco, the Galactic Patrolman, a prequel to Goku’s series in which he adopts his more comedic style with a small story that has all his essence.

Nekomajin

There are many Dragon Ball parodies, but what if Toriyama created his own? Nekomajin is what would happen if Goku’s powers ended up in a much smarter and, let’s say, less innocent protagonist. The three-volume series once again uses humor to showcase Toriyama’s more carefree and frenetic side.

Kajika

Kajika is one of Toriyama’s most interesting mangas beyond his magnum opus. Published in 1998, this work of only one volume has more elements of Dragon Ball Z than the rest, with an interesting story of thieves full of action.

Akira Toriyama in video games

Beyond being a manga artist, Toriyama has participated in many video games throughout his life. The most famous franchise in which he has participated since its origin is Dragon Quest. He was in charge of creating its monsters and protagonists, reaching a fame almost at the level of Dragon Ball.

However, he has also participated in other legendary games such as Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon, and Tobai. Undoubtedly, Toriyama’s influence in Japan is unparalleled.