Dragon Ball is one of the most beloved and followed series in the world. But that doesn't mean it's all success. Akira Toriyama's masterpiece flopped, and it was so bad that it forced the mangaka out of retirement and back into his studio.
Dragon Ball: Evolution Makes Akira Toriyama Forget About His Retirement
Akira Toriyama announced his retirement after completing Dragon Ball Z. For a long time, things stayed that way until American fans started clamoring for a live-action Dragon Ball movie. Things were going well and 20th Century Fox bought the film rights. However, what happened next made Toriyama pick up the pen again.
Dragon Ball Evolution (2009)
Dragon Ball: Evolution was released in 2009, after being in development since 2002. The film was truly an evolution, as the series went from a mega-hit to a flop. It was once revealed that 20th Century Fox would be making a live-action Dragon Ball series.
The first film will focus on Demon King Piccolo, and the second will feature the Super Saiyan transformation. After seven long years, Dragon Ball: Evolution has been released on the big screen. Instead of loving it, fans absolutely hated it. Justin Chatwin's Son Goku shocked everyone.
Demon King Piccolo vs Son Goku in Dragon Ball: Evolution
Overall, the movie was a disaster. Even the creator Akira Toriyama didn't like it. It was so bad that it forced the veteran mangaka out of retirement. Every aspect of Dragon Ball: Evolution failed to live up to expectations, and the sequels were ignored. It became the worst-rated live-action adaptation ever.
Dragon Ball featured great martial arts fight scenes, but the actors failed to show any emotion behind their actions. Hollywood ruined the movie, but fans got Akira Toriyama back.
Dragon Ball: Evolution has pushed the franchise to new heights.
Dragon Ball was at its peak when Akira Toriyama joined the franchise. After the author left, Shueisha tried to convince him to write another series, but Toriyama refused. Toei Animation assembled an anime production team with Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru to start working on Dragon Ball GT. The series failed to live up to the expectations of the audience. Everyone could feel that the Dragon Ball franchise's chart was going downhill.
After the failure of Dragon Ball: Evolution, with no way back, Toriyama took over the reins of the franchise. Then came Dragon Ball Super, which brought the franchise back on track. Akira Toriyama breathed his last on March 1, 2024. Just before his death, he was working on the upcoming Dragon Ball DAIMA anime, which is scheduled to be released in October 2024. Since this is his final work, the entire anime fandom is waiting for the release date of the movie.
