Goodbye, Akira Toriyama.
You remember it like it was yesterday.
A small, dingy apartment complex, with wooden floors that creaked and moaned with every step, and lifeless, beige walls bereft of animation.
It's 2 in the morning.
'You should be sleeping, shouldn't you?' You can already hear your mother's stern voice scolding you as you smother the sheets over yourself in consolation.
But, as you glance at the clock, that ceases to matter.
Everything, ceases to matter.
Several minutes go by in apprehensive thought: 'It'll only be for an hour or so.'
Maybe, just maybe, she's finally sound asleep.
You carefully rise from your bed, tip-toeing to the television. Sheer bliss floods your senses, excitement stored for what's to come.
You know what time it is.
You know what's on right now.
Pressing the button, it gives a mechanical click, concomitant to its vintage design, before displaying the familiar, white, jagged lines, like radio static visualized, soon blotted away by a black void.
Then, the sound plays. The channel displays on the bottom of the screen in white text & a gray undertone:
https://youtu.be/XRRlZOWcwUc?si=PR28ljaZRrhymHLk
We all at some point in time felt that joy of innocence. We all believed in our hearts that joy would last forever. That the works we idolize would continue to be produced, continue to change our lives in their own, consecrated ways.
Akira Toriyama taught me one man's vision can bring people together, hand in hand. It fascinates me how for just even a second, people can settle their differences for a common interest. It's even more fascinating how one man can create something so monumental it reshapes our childhoods, blossoms our imagination, & lets them run wild. Akira Toriyama forged gems out of memories, and gold, out of the beauty of creativity.
Dragon Ball Z is a key memory of my childhood. I was a sucker for the high octane battles, the dramatic expressions & scenes, the power-ups. The lessons it's characters have taught me have remained timeless artifacts I carry with me in everyday life.
Goku taught me how to be resilient to the challenge, to reach for the stars even if you fall back to the moon. To prevail against the odds, even when the odds were never particularly in your favor. To adapt, and come to find that love & appreciate towards that thing you are adapting to, no matter how wicked. But to also know you must beat it in the end.
Vegeta taught me the equally important value of honor and downfall of hubris. That absolute power can corrupt absolutely, and a lack of self-realization & self-awareness will only lead you down a road of pain & misery. That we all have our own story: meaning we all have our happy ending, even if it comes unexpectedly, at the cost of your honor. Pride and dignity are a duality that only works when paired together: true, unanimous respect is only obtainable by those who show dignity and are not engulfed by their pride. It is only when he realizes that Goku has reached a pinnacle he couldn’t during the Majin Buu fight, that he takes a true 180 as a character, and we see how even someone as immoral and barbaric as Vegeta can have a heart, too.
Gohan taught me that not everyone with the instincts to fight wants to be placed in that situation. Sometimes, blessings can be a terminal curse, and heightened expectations can often override personal desire. Success is subjective; and just as one’s man trash is another man’s treasure, one man’s nightmare can be another man’s dream. True bliss is often overlooked by potential-seeking — you can build the ideal life that makes you happy, even if it makes the vast majority question your decision-making.
Piccolo taught me that everyone group of people need an anchor, a person who will take on the gritty, difficult, rigorous, and challenging tasks. Someone has to get their hands dirty to dig up the burrow and plant seeds of growth in the group. This was piccolo to the Z Fighters. His value is overlooked by the herculean tasks given to him: but he often times surpasses expectations set and prevails in some aspect. May it be saving Gohan from a blast that could’ve disintegrated him right then & there, or arriving as a main support against a monstrosity like Frieza, or saving 17 from the clutches of Cell. I can go on and on when it comes to piccolo’s value as a supporting cast member.
Tien taught me a similar lesson of the extent to which altruism can help a team as Piccolo. How tenacity and heart can completely turn the tables of a fight to your favor, even if for just a second.
Likewise, Krillin taught me that not everyone is cut for the insurmountable, and that the trials one is put against can be so outlandish from your original perspective you weren’t destined to win in the end. But you keep going. He also brought a sense of comedic relief, often times appearing just to allieve the tension present and bring us back to the reality of the situation.
Dende taught me you can find a place in the hearts of those willing to take you in as one of their own. You will find those special people that bring out the most in you. You will meet those people that see your potential and elevate you to a stature as radiant & acclaimed as them. It’s only just a matter of time & acceptance.
Trunks, Chiaotzu, Bulma, Master Roshi, 17, 18, 16’s Death, Chi Chi, Videl, Hercule, Kid Trunks, Goten. I can rant for hours about these characters and their individual significance in my life.
What Toriyama created wasn’t just art. It wasn't just a cartoon; it was a masterpiece of storytelling that continues to captivate audiences to this day. It was a monument of creativity centered around the simple, general premise of fighting for the fate of the world, even when the odds are stacked against you. It’s simplicity is what made it Dragon Ball, and Goku’s ability to admire & appreciate the qualms of combat even with the galactic weight resting on his shoulders inspires me to this day.
Fly high, Akira Toriyama.
And when I have kids.
And my kids wind up having kids.
Your work will remain as tradition.
As a nostalgic reminder that at some point in their lives, everyone needs a hero.