I don’t usually do this, but this is something I feel strongly about. My interest in Dragon Ball was actually a gradual process. I would see Dragon Ball Z every now and then on tv, but I didn’t really pay much attention to it due to some dumb gender conforming attitudes back then. It didn’t help I was a very sensitive little girl who was afraid of some of the violent parts despite the censorship at the time. The fight scene with Turles stood out to me during that time. It actually got a little worse when my older brother borrowed an uncut videotape from my cousins that showcased the scene of Yamcha getting graphically impaled. I didn’t know that animation could get even more violent at the time and that the show was censored for television. Oddly enough, we still watched a little more, up to when Trunks revealed what the androids were supposed to look like. 

I would continue to see Dragon Ball Z occasionally on Toonami, even though I was mostly into Sailor Moon. The scenes that stood out to me, or at least the ones I remember while I was going on and off were Imperfect Cell’s terrifying appearance, Tien’s Tri-Beam/Kikoho, a little bit of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the Cell Games, Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, Goku’s sacrifice, and the Father-Son Kamehameha. I think it was during the Great Saiyaman’s later appearances that I started to get somewhat into the series. I watched Dragon Ball as well. I found it interesting to see Gohan grow up alongside Goku’s younger days, with Goku even having the same voice as young Gohan. 

At some point I became more invested by actually tuning in to episodes and looking through fan content. I would rent the uncut dvds, watch Newgrounds sprite animations, and look for fanart and fanfiction. Near the end of elementary I would try drawing my own fanart, which would be my first attempts at drawing muscular men. I wrote some unpublished fanfiction, one that had my OC becoming a Super Saiyan and a shipping fic. By middle school I realized I had been unconsciously crushing on Goku and started shipping him with Vegeta. Yeah I’ll admit this series had awakened something in me. Sailor Moon was my initial inspiration to become an artist, but Dragon Ball Z was the one that kept me going. 

My interests would change over the years, but I always kept Dragon Ball Z close to my heart. The years between the initial airing of the final episode on Toonami and the English release of Battle of Gods felt so long but I was glad to see the Dragon Ball series come back. Dragon Ball Super has its ups and downs, but I liked some parts of it. I do prefer the movies though, particularly Broly and Super Hero. I was only mildly curious about Daima, but now I will see it once it releases. 

I know this is very long, but this series is a very important part of my life, so when I opened Youtube to discover that Akira Toriyama had passed, I needed a moment to process it. I’m not sure why, but I turned on a video that collected hit songs from Dragon Ball Z. Once it got to Spirit vs. Spirit, I completely broke down. The next morning felt surreal, as it was a very beautiful day outside, but my friend and I were still grieving, along with countless others. As of this time it still hurts knowing that Toriyama is gone. He left a huge impact on the world that simply cannot be matched by anyone else. I thank him for creating something very important to me, and I give my best wishes to his family and friends.

Thanks again, Akira Toriyama.

Rest in peace