Movies - TV
Why Akira Toriyama Dragged His Feet On Introducing Buu To Dragon Ball Z
By ERNESTO VALENZUELA
Throughout the “Dragon Ball Z” series, the heroes have had to face off against powerful enemies including aliens and androids in this fast-paced manga turned anime. However, the inclusion of Majin Buu, the most powerful foe in the series, came about slowly as the creator Akira Toriyama unintentionally changed the narrative direction by focusing on one character.
Chapter 421 of the Shonen manga follows Goku’s son, Gohan, as he tries to live a normal life as a student of Orange Star High School while keeping his Saiyan powers hidden from others. Toriyama explained that his hesitancy to introduce the story arc’s villain was because he simply enjoyed where the story was at that point, and wouldn’t introduce Majin Buu until Chapter 461.
In an interview, Toriyama said, "I'm pretty sure I just kept on drawing without a clue Majin Buu was going to turn up. I enjoyed working on that part, but eventually, I figured it was time to come up with a new enemy.” Gohan’s high school arc was a “slice of life” as Toriyama explained, and different than the constant battles and transformations that came prior.
Majin Buu eventually joined Frieza and Cell as one of the best villains of the series, but the “slice of life” pace would carry over to the sequel series “Dragon Ball Super.” Gohan was originally intended to be Goku’s successor, but he gave up training to focus on education and family, with Toriyama noting, “Drawing Gohan's daily life made me gradually realize he likes studying more than fighting.”