Cinema
Akira Toriyama, the secret ‘Star Wars’ fan who drew Anakin in Episode 1
The creator of ‘Dragon Ball’ was looking forward to seeing “the fourth film” of the galactic saga.
Backtrack to 1999, the year that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released. In Japan, mangaka Akira Toriyama was excited about the release of George Lucas’s new mpvie. It had been more than 15 years since Return of the Jedi debuted in theaters, so expectations were high.
The prequels were heavily criticized in their day, although that perception has softened over the years. Even so, Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball drew Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker as a child, with the recognizable look of the actor who played him, the then very young Jake Lloyd.
Toriyama’s fascination with aliens
“The time is coming, I’m excited about the fourth film,” he wrote in the text that accompanied his drawing. Toriyama also added that he was not very interested in humans, even though he was looking forward to seeing Ewan McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is interesting that he states he was not so interested in humans and yet he drew little Anakin. He explains that it’s the alien lifeforms that caught his attention the most. He also placed special emphasis on the quality of the special effects, a technological revolution at the time.
The ‘Star Wars’ prequels have gained in popularity over time. For example, Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in episodes II and III, has managed to win over the public in time, despite being heavily criticized at first. Both Christensen and McGregor worked together again on the ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series. The Jedi master’s interpreter has stated that they are exploring new stories for a hypothetical second season.
Akira Toriyama passed away aged 68 back in March of this year. Sadly, he did not live to see this month’s release of the DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO video game - a tribute to the 40 years of adventures of Goku, his friends and enemies...
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO will be released on Friday 11 October 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The Deluxe and Ultimate editions can be pre-ordered now for three-day early access to the full game.