Is Toriyama writing the Super manga?

[OWmyDragonBallz]

I know he is involved in writing the anime of Super, but what about the manga?

[Kamiccolo9]

No. Toywhatshisname who did AF is writing it.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

The manga & anime have the same story, yet it's presented differently at the same time, not to mention that the anime extends the story even more, while the manga may make it shorter (depending how detailed Toriyama's scripts are). It appears that Toriyama writes the original draft scripts for the Hakaishin Champa arc, and then Toyotaro & Toei adapt them into manga & anime form respectively.

[OWmyDragonBallz]

No. Toywhatshisname who did AT is writing it.

Can you paraphrase that? A lot of people are under the impression that the "Super" anime is what's canon, but others say the manga is what's canon. (not that I actually care, I don't even consider it canon either way", I just never knew if Toriyama was writing both or not.

[dbgtFO]

He writes the story for Super. We don't know in how much detail and given that the manga and anime differ on some points, perhaps he writes a general outline, but is specific about important sequences and jokes(like Bulma's breasts sagging). Maybe Toyotaro is following Toriyama's outline to the letter and the anime deviates from it, because they want to focus on other things?
We just don't know unfortunately.
As for the manga, I don't know if he receives more than an "original author" credit or if it's something more like Episode of Bardock, where he got a supervisor credit(?).

[Kamiccolo9]

No. Toywhatshisname who did AT is writing it.

Can you paraphrase that? A lot of people are under the impression that the "Super" anime is what's canon, but others say the manga is what's canon. (not that I actually care, I don't even consider it canon either way", I just never knew if Toriyama was writing both or not.

I'm not really sure how to paraphrase "no, someone else is writing it." I mean, other than just answering "no."

[DBZGTKOSDH]

Since we'll get a volume release for the manga, I hope it will have a Q&A with Toriyama, or at least some comments from him or Toyotaro. We had those in the manga versions of JSAT & EoB, and we learned that he preferred the manga adaptation & helped Ooishi do the JSAT adaptation (which the anime was also based on an original draft script of his), and we also learned that he doesn't seem to take EoB as "canon" in his story, since he was dodging the questions about it and was ignoring it, and even Ooishi considered it a what-if story.

[VegettoEX]

So here's the deal:

The Dragon Ball Super TV series is the "main product". It is the actual thing being produced as the basis for other products. Anything else is a sub-product made in promotion of it. This includes the manga in V-Jump, video game material, etc. The manga hitting up story material ahead of the TV series does not somehow change its status.

In terms of the manga: No. It is not "written by Akira Toriyama" in any sense of the phrase that people normally think. Akira Toriyama is simply credited as the "Original Author" (原作 or gensaku), which is the same credit he receives for anything produced under the "Dragon Ball" banner (theatrical movies, spin-offs, video games, etc.). It does not imply anything more. It's just an acknowledgement that he is the one who created the series in the first place.

Toyotarō is credited with the manga itself; he's responsible for all of its illustrations.



The bigger question is who writes the actual dialog and underlying direction for the story. We know it's not Toriyama is sitting there dictating things, because that's the kind of thing they hype up and OVER-promote. We know each and every time he directly contributes something like that. You can swipe that aside because it's not relevant here. Toriyama does not "work on" the Dragon Ball Super manga in any real sense.

Toyotarō is very likely given some free reign to include little nods and jokes (such as the "Soup Yasai Jinkot" pun in the first chapter) all on his own with no direct request or stipulation from the editorial management. That being said, he's also of course being given at the very least rough outlines of upcoming material, and in the best case scenarios, actual drafts/keyframes/scripts of upcoming material. There was a distinct difference in how his Battle of Gods manga material ended compared to what happened in the TV series, but other than that the big, important, relevant pieces have all been spot-on.

So while Toyotarō is "writing" the manga, he's also basically being told what to write. He's just allowed to put his own flair onto it in small ways.

And that goes back to how I started this post: the Dragon Ball Super TV series is the original product. Whatever Toriyama's involvement is in that (which, as we know, is basically the character designs and underlying plot points for the Champa / Universe 6 material), that trickles down and I suppose could be seen as "involvement" in the manga. It's like how Stan Lee created the X-Men and Chris Claremont is responsible for the Days of Future Past storyline. So in some respect, both Lee and Claremont had some "hand" or "involvement" from a trickle-down effect on the 2014 theatrical Days of Future Past film, because they're the ones who set the precedent for the characters and the broad strokes of the story.

Toriyama does not write the manga, much like he does not actually script out storyboards and dialog for the anime episodes.

Hopefully that helps! Happy to help clarify further if need be.

[OWmyDragonBallz]

So here's the deal:

The Dragon Ball Super TV series is the "main product". It is the actual thing being produced as the basis for other products. Anything else is a sub-product made in promotion of it. This includes the manga in V-Jump, video game material, etc. The manga hitting up story material ahead of the TV series does not somehow change its status.

In terms of the manga: No. It is not "written by Akira Toriyama" in any sense of the phrase that people normally think. Akira Toriyama is simply credited as the "Original Author" (原作 or gensaku), which is the same credit he receives for anything produced under the "Dragon Ball" banner (theatrical movies, spin-offs, video games, etc.). It does not imply anything more. It's just an acknowledgement that he is the one who created the series in the first place.

Toyotarō is credited with the manga itself; he's responsible for all of its illustrations.



The bigger question is who writes the actual dialog and underlying direction for the story. We know it's not Toriyama is sitting there dictating things, because that's the kind of thing they hype up and OVER-promote. We know each and every time he directly contributes something like that. You can swipe that aside because it's not relevant here. Toriyama does not "work on" the Dragon Ball Super manga in any real sense.

Toyotarō is very likely given some free reign to include little nods and jokes (such as the "Soup Yasai Jinkot" pun in the first chapter) all on his own with no direct request or stipulation from the editorial management. That being said, he's also of course being given at the very least rough outlines of upcoming material, and in the best case scenarios, actual drafts/keyframes/scripts of upcoming material. There was a distinct difference in how his Battle of Gods manga material ended compared to what happened in the TV series, but other than that the big, important, relevant pieces have all been spot-on.

So while Toyotarō is "writing" the manga, he's also basically being told what to write. He's just allowed to put his own flair onto it in small ways.

And that goes back to how I started this post: the Dragon Ball Super TV series is the original product. Whatever Toriyama's involvement is in that (which, as we know, is basically the character designs and underlying plot points for the Champa / Universe 6 material), that trickles down and I suppose could be seen as "involvement" in the manga. It's like how Stan Lee created the X-Men and Chris Claremont is responsible for the Days of Future Past storyline. So in some respect, both Lee and Claremont had some "hand" or "involvement" from a trickle-down effect on the 2014 theatrical Days of Future Past film, because they're the ones who set the precedent for the characters and the broad strokes of the story.

Toriyama does not write the manga, much like he does not actually script out storyboards and dialog for the anime episodes.

Hopefully that helps! Happy to help clarify further if need be.

It kind of seems for people who do take Super seriously that the Super anime would be in the anime timeline while the Super manga would be in the manga timeline, which would put things into perspective when you are reading or watching the series.

[VegettoEX]

It kind of seems for people who do take Super seriously that the Super anime would be in the anime timeline while the Super manga would be in the manga timeline, which would put things into perspective when you are reading or watching the series.

I don't really know how to respond to that, because it doesn't make any sense.

Like, I've literally typed up two separate, long responses... but I've deleted them because I feel like saying anything else just confuses things further.

[LowRyder2005]

Well, the Super anime does, in fact, follow Z/Kai. Bulma knows Gyniu and referenced their body swap in the Resurrection F arc.

Regarding the manga, it's a whole nother can of worms, though.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

Regarding the manga, it's a whole nother can of worms, though.

The manga (Champa arc) fits fine with the original manga & movies so far.

[Blade]

I don't have much to add that Mike hasn't covered other than to provide (what I feel) is a succinct explanation of the overall process behind the Manga.

1) Akira Toriyama : Overall plot direction/Character Designs - We're talking a general gist and the overall aesthetic here.
2) Toei Animation : Episode Scripts and Storyboards - This is where the fleshing-out of Toriyama's material into an actual product happens
3) Toyotaro : Toei likely provide Shueisha with their advanced plans and some assets, who then give Toyotaro an issue-by-issue brief. He does the rest.

[OWmyDragonBallz]

It kind of seems for people who do take Super seriously that the Super anime would be in the anime timeline while the Super manga would be in the manga timeline, which would put things into perspective when you are reading or watching the series.

I don't really know how to respond to that, because it doesn't make any sense.

Like, I've literally typed up two separate, long responses... but I've deleted them because I feel like saying anything else just confuses things further.

Yeah, you posted a very well-thought out summary regarding the mans involvement, I thank you for that. But I was just saying that considering how different the presentations of the Super anime and manga are, that it may be easier for fans to categorize them in their respective media if they consider it canon in general.

"DBS anime canon to anime and DBS manga canon to manga".

Hope this makes my previous statement more clear.

[Lord Beerus]

Toriyama is not involved in the Super manga in any way, as far as I know.

[Xeztin]

I always thought Toriyama sent "bullet-points" sort of speak to Toei for example: "Goku mentions how he became Super Saiyan God, Goku gets shot by Sorbets laser" and they just fill in the gaps. Toei probably sends those same bullet-points to Toyotaro and for the rest like Mike said, they give him free reign and let him put his own spin on certain elements. Unless the Dialog is important to the story like Whis and his explanation of the 12 universes, I think Toei writes it. They may show a script to Toriyama to get his blessing or something though.

[Captain Strawberry]

Think of it like this. Toriyama writes like the outlines and the manga and anime interpret those outlines.

For example, Toriyama writes Beerus eats food and blows up planet.

Anime interprets, he just eats the food and blows it up because it was too (forgot the word) sluggish?

Manga interprets or writes it as, he eats food and blows it up because there was poison.

[Araki]

"DBS anime canon to anime and DBS manga canon to manga".

Hope this makes my previous statement more clear.

Like VegettoEX explained in great detail, the manga is nothing more than an advertisement for the anime. A pamphlet, one could say. Toriyama doesn't have any involvement other than getting the generic credit he always does, so how can we call it canon to anything? It has no more value than Dragon Ball SD, which is its own product.

Maybe the people who believe otherwise will finally realize the truth once the manga skips another arc, an entire fight, or even if it suddenly stops. It should be obvious at this point that it's skipping important developments while just giving people a glimpse of what's coming in the anime - pretty much the words Shueisha used when they announced the Champa arc would start in the manga.

[eledoremassis02]

"DBS anime canon to anime and DBS manga canon to manga".

Hope this makes my previous statement more clear.

Like VegettoEX explained in great detail, the manga is nothing more than an advertisement for the anime. A pamphlet, one could say. Toriyama doesn't have any involvement other than getting the generic credit he always does, so how can we call it canon to anything? It has no more value than Dragon Ball SD, which is its own product.

Maybe the people who believe otherwise will finally realize the truth once the manga skips another arc, an entire fight, or even if it suddenly stops. It should be obvious at this point that it's skipping important developments while just giving people a glimpse of what's coming in the anime - pretty much the words Shueisha used when they announced the Champa arc would start in the manga.

I dont think it really matters to be honest. People like to have a continuation in manga form. I don't think he has any more development in the manga then he does with the anime but it would be interesting to see some of his outlines to see what liberties both parties are taking. To be fair, SD is more of a parody where Super is original

[Kuririn Fan]

How is Super "manga" original when it's done by different author and anime being the main product?