Remembering Akira Toriyama & Ranking Dragon Ball Story Arcs

A special episode of The Weekly Stuff and Japanimation Station podcasts

It’s time for a special episode of The Weekly Stuff Podcast and Japanimation Station, since this week’s topic belongs to both of our shows.

Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, and illustrator of the Dragon Quest franchise, passed away this week at the age of 68. His influence on our lives, like those of millions around the world, has been incalculable, so we’re devoting today’s entire show to discussing his incredible body of work and the way it changed anime, manga, video games, and global popular culture. We discuss how we first discovered Dragon Ball, why he was such a peerless mangaka, read some of the statements that have poured in from other manga authors and Dragon Ball collaborators, and respond to some listener comments. And after that, we bring back a segment from 2022 in which Sean and Jonathan rank all the story arcs in the Dragon Ball franchise, giving us a chance to dive into and celebrate his most famous work.  

Enjoy.

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Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/