Dragon Ballis home to some of thegreatest filler in anime history, which often helps to expand on story lines and character arcs.Filler is an incredibly contentious topic within the anime community, with fans believing it can either assist a series, or sink it completely. Many shows have failed to make their filler arcs entertaining, causing entire communities to turn on the anime adaptations of their favorite manga.
However, it seemsDragon Ballfans have always held the series' filler sections in high regard, and thanks to a recent interview with Akira Toriyama’s editors,translated on X by user Venixys, there’s a very good reason why. Where other shows might take time to send their characters off on completely unrelated adventures, or even add developments that clash with the source material,Dragon Ballused its downtimeto build upon settings and scenarios Akira Toriyama never explored in much detail.
Akira Toriyama Left Room For the Anime to Expand On the Story
In an interview with three of Akira Toriyama’s original editors, it was revealed thatthe artist’s decision to never over-explain worked as a “bonus” to the anime team. They said people like Takao Koyama, a screenwriter onDragon Ball Z, used the lack of detail in the manga to award themselves creative freedom in sections like the Cell Saga’s Hyperbolic Time Chamber. The time was used to expand and build upon the father-son relationship between Goku and Gohan, only adding to the narrative.
By the time the showdown between Gohan and Cell takes place, Gohan’s explosive potential was hinted at in great detail. When Goku then sacrifices himself to save the Earth and his son, the moment becomes all the more movingbecause of the time spent with both characters in the Time Chamber. They also referenced the anime’s Snake Way section, which was never depicted in the manga, yet allowed the anime team to give fans an inside look at Goku’s journey to King Kai’s planet.
Weekly Anime Is Forced to Incorporate Filler
Dragon Ball Aired Alongside the Manga’s Serialization
When an anime series is on an ongoing weekly schedule, likeDragon BallandDragon Ball Zduring their initial runs,filler becomes necessaryin order to keep the anime from catching up to its source material. When Yu Kondo took over as Toriyama’s editor, following Kazuhiko Torishima stepping away from the series, the anime began creeping closer than it ever had before. He expressed that he and the anime teamstarted expanding on scenes to buy time, like the Spirit Bomb sequence on Namek.
Not All Anime Filler Is Bad, and Dragon Ball Has Been Proving as Much For Ages
Not all of Dragon Ball’s filler material was a waste of time, and the fact that some of it would be reworked into canon is proof positive of that.
Other times, single illustrations would turn into full episodes, like Piccolo and Goku going to get their driver’s licenses. This is exactly what helped to makeDragon Ball’s filler great, though.Nearly every anime-original section or sequence was directly inspired by Toriyama’s work, and built off of a skeleton he left behind for the anime team to expand upon. This way, the filler rarely clashed with the source material, and more often than not, served the series' characters and events well.
Source:KosoKoso Interview with Kondo, Takeda, Torishima (translated by Venixys on X)
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
