Long before Dragon Ball focused exclusively on apotheotic battles, as well as the inflexible will of its protagonists to be the most powerful in the universe, there was an original stage in which fantasy, humor and martial arts passion were totally hand in hand. Ideas covered by a very distinctive aesthetic and which, by the way, Akira Toriyama himself shamelessly reused one of his previous works: Dragon Boy, the adventure of a young martial arts prodigy named Tanton.
Let's start from the most essential. Dragon Ball It began as a very free adaptation of Journey to the West that went through different creative stages, including the possibility that the manga starred a monkey or that Son Goku was a city boy, complete with a sailor uniform, who traveled through the skies. on his own plane. As stated in the Dragon Ball Compendium 1the creative process of Toriyama's most popular work went through up to three phases until it became the journey of Goku and Bulma that we know today.
Needless to say, Toriyama had not planned for Dragon Ball lasted so long. One thing led to another and the story evolved with the same speed with which Goku became stronger and stronger. And, although this mystical adventure of our boy with a monkey's tail and his friends began in the 1984 Shonen JUMP, there are two works drawn by the same author that are widely considered the prelude to it. Or, more specifically, and as Shueisha has admitted, the prototypes of what will be Dragon Ball very shortly after.
Dragon Boy, the young man of prodigious strength who had never seen a girl
Originally published in Fresh JUMP, between August and October 1983, the two chapters of Dragon Boy They tell us the adventures of Tanton, a young man passionate about martial arts who in appearance is basically a carbon copy of little Son Goku with shorter, more discreet hair. Of course, instead of the characteristic monkey tail, he has draconian wings.
In fact, the parallels with the Saiyan do not end there, since he grew up practically alone in the mountains and had never had the opportunity to meet a girl. At least, until a Princess joined her destiny along with the call of adventure itself.
Throughout Dragon BoyToriyama himself drew scenes that will reappear very regularly during the first 13 chapters of Dragon Balland even a primitive concept of the dragon balls themselves is introduced: to help Tanton in his mission, he carries with him a sphere that upon receiving the internal energy (in a very similar way to the kamehameha) summons a dragon that is identical to Shenron except for one detail: it is more or less the size of a kitten.
Dragon Boy is on many levels considered a prototype of Dragon Ball and the similarities are something that both Toriyama and the publisher are very aware of, as can be read in Compendium 1. Being, for all intents and purposes, a small story of humor, adventure and martial arts that, despite being very short, influenced and it shaped more than any other into one of the most successful manganimes in history.
The origin of Dragon Ball is found in a work that tells the adventures of Tanton, a boy who has dragon wings. Tanton's personality is identical to that of Goku and the settings with Chinese reminiscences are a clear precedent for the world of Dragon Ball.
But the parallels do not end here: in Dragon Boy It is possible to find elements and situations that will return during the early stage of Dragon Ball, including confrontations, scenes, landscapes, vehicles and up to two characters that will serve as a mold for Yamcha and Puar, with transformation powers included.
It is currently possible to read Dragon Boy, since its only two chapters are part of the first volume of Mankan Zenseki, the anthology of Akira Toriyama's early works currently published in Spain by Planeta Comic. And yet, it is not the only source of inspiration for the universe of Dragon Ball.
How Tongpoo's Adventures Also Helped Create the World of Dragon Ball
Dragon Boy served as a prototype to shape the tone, aesthetic and theme of Dragon Ballbut the creation of the world in which Son Goku and his friends live also has another great influence: Tongpoo's Great Adventurea young android (like Arale or those created by Dr. Gero) who faced dangers much like Son Goku's and, in the process, used Capsule Corporation technology.
In Tongpoo's Great Adventure We see several of the recurring themes of Dragon Ball, including adventures through space or that mischievous humor that both Toriyama and the Turtle Goblin love so much. But, in addition, we also witnessed for the first time the technology of the Hoi-Poi Capsules with a nuance: instead of activating them with a button, they have to be cooked.
That Akira Toriyama recycles his own ideas is nothing new. Even in Dragon Ball He went so far as to photocopy several panels with enormous nerve to save himself from having to draw every time Goten and Trunks tried to do the Fusion, telling his editor that it was not necessary to pay him for one of his pages. But his sense of humor is like that, It works wonderfully and that's why we like it so much.
But what makes his stories unique is the treatment he gives them on paper, the way he captures the reactions, the action or generates absurd humor with a single vignette.
Elements that were very present in Dragon Boy y The Adventures of Tongpoo, and that Dragon Ball inherited and made its own during its initial stages. Demonstrating that Made in Toriyama humor and that fantasy so typical of the creator of Dr. Slump work regardless of the story being told or the characters who experience it. And, in the process, stealing new smiles from entire generations of fans around the world.
In VidaExtra | All the Dragon Ball games: from the adventures of little Goku on NES to the explosive battles in Next Gen
In VidaExtra | Vegetables, Chinese dishes and underwear: where the names of Dragon Ball characters come from
