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Summary
Dragon Ball, created by Akira Toriyama, is one of the most famous series that became a titan of pop culture. But beforeGoku and Vegeta, Toriyama created another story that was also very popular:Dr. Slump. The story about the absurd adventures of Arale Norimaki, started in 1980 inWeekly Shōnen Jump, inspired by the golden age of gag manga that was at the end of the seventies, and quickly became the main hit of the magazine. However, later came another series that saw even more success thanDr. Slump:Stop!! Hibari-kun!.
In a recent interview shared byManga Mogura RE on X,Stop!! Hibari-kun!’s author, Eguchi Higashi, and Torishima Kazuhiko, former editor-in-chief ofShōnen Jump, talked about how the manga was so popular that it could have become the lead series of the magazine.This made the editorial department consider Toriyama’s wish to stop writingDr. Slump.
However, Higashi couldn’t keep the weekly serialization pace, so Toriyama wasn’t able to quitDr. Slumpas early as he wanted. Still, this was the beginning of a deal that ultimately led toHibari-kun, a series that was pivotal in the rightful representation of trans characters in manga, accidentally helpingDragon Ballexist.
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Stop!! Hibari-kun!Inadvertently Contributed to the Creation ofDragon Ball
The Deal that SawDragon BallBorn
Akira Toriyama’s reason for stopping writingDr. Slumpwasn’t only out of concern about the decrease in popularity of the series;he wanted to end Arale’s story just six months after starting it. It was a headache for Toriyama that the series was in an auto-conclusive chapter format, and he originally didn’t want to draw a manga with a female lead, so he already wanted to end it. But things wouldn’t be so simple for him because the series was still popular, and neitherShōnen Jumpnor Shueisha were going to allow it. UntilStop Hibari-kunstarted.
Hibari-kunbecame the overwhelming number one inShōnen Jumpfrom the beginning. WithHibari-kungoing strong, there was a possibility that Toriyama could break out ofDr. Slump, but this didn’t happen because the editor-in-chief denied Higachi’s petition to publish the manga biweekly, and he started missing his deadlines. The fact that a manga as popular asHibari-kuncouldn’t alleviate Toriyama’s weight as the pillar ofShōnen Jumpmotivated him to keep pushing till he reached an agreement with the editors, andhe was allowed to finishDr. Slumpin exchange for creating a new original manga.
Toriyama was desperately trying to come up with ideas, and after a few months of presenting stories, he createdDragon Ball, thanks toTorishima suggesting he used his passion for Kung Fu movies. In an interview published inMiyearnZZ Laboon TBS Radio’s After 6 Junction with Toriyama’s editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, he said that in his rush to help Toriyama get a new story, he suggested he write a fighting manga, something totally different from what he was used to writing as a gag manga artist, but ultimately it was worth it, andDragon Ballwas born.
Dragon BallandStop Hibari-kun’s Authors Influenced Each Other
Stop Hibari-kun’s Author, Hisashi Eguchi, Was the Greatest Exponent of Drawing Cute Girls.
There’s no doubt that Hisashi Eguchi was deeply inspired bythe revolutionary art of Toriyamaand the drawing style ofDr. Slumpwhen he began writingStop Hibari-Kun. The similarities in the drawings are striking, and both stories have high doses of slapstick humor. There’s even a cameo appearance of Senbei, Arale, and Taro fromDr. Slumpas yakuza gang members in episode #13 of the animeStop!! Hibari-kun!. Higuchi said that he put all his energy into drawingHibari-kunto be as cute as possible, which made him well-known for drawing cute girls.
Stop Hibari-kun’s female characters were exceptionally beautiful, drawn with really soft, feminine appearances. Higashi was deeply inspired by women’s true beauty, drawing female characters in a very appealing way without exaggerating proportions. He was also one of the first artists to accurately portray characters in fashion clothes in a weekly manga.This inspired Akira Toriyama when designing the female characters inDragon Ball,since Bulma’s design resembles the drawing style ofHibari-Kunfemale characters and could easily pass as an older version of Suzume, Hibari’s younger sister.
Stop Hibari-Kun’s Story Is Still Relevant 40 Years Later
Eguchi Hisashi Is One of the Most Beloved Manga Artists and Illustrators in the Industry.
Stop!! Hibari-kun! was certainlya revolutionary manga, based on a theme like gender identityand expressing it in a really natural way in a magazine that was directed at young boys likeShōnen Jump, achieving first place in the surveys, and all this at the beginning of the 80s. Even if some jokes didn’t stand the test of time very well, which is to be expected after forty years, the core of the characters is respectful and charming.
Hibari-kunis aggressively close to being a positive portrayal of a trans girl, but with the cultural restraints of the time and a little held back by being a gag comedy. The last chapter of the series before its cancelation even introduced a trans man. Eguchi addressedStop Hibari-Kunlike any other romantic comedy, showing Hibari with naturalness and delicacy, but also as a strong woman with a lot of personality. Hibari is determined, convinced of who she is, and not afraid of anything, which makes her one of the most important transgender icons in the world of manga.
Eguchi Hisashi, thanks toHibari-kun, became a beloved manga artist, contributing enormously to the rise of pop art in Japan with his work as an illustrator, and he also made the original character design of the legendary moviePerfect Blue.Stop!! Hibari-kun!influenced other shōnen manga artists, in addition to Toriyama. Hirohiko Araki, thecreator ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventures, wrote a work very similar toHibari-Kunbefore creatingPhantom Blood.
Stop!! Hibari-kun!is definitely a milestone queer manga, but the fact that it contributed to the birth ofDragon Ballis a surprising and little-known piece of manga history.
Source:MiyearnZZ Labo,Manga Mogura 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.
