Would you like it if Toriyama revealed a canon?

[voltlunok]

He is not the sole owner of Dragon Ball. He can fully speak about what he personally sees as his own timeline but he cannot declare an official franchise sweeping continuity.

He's made it very clear that as long as he's writing then the only continuity is what's written by him.

Except he's never said something so arrogant. Again he's stated what he believe is his own timeline but he's also stressed that it's his PERSONAL timeline.

It's his story, so yes he can.

That's a very cute notion under the whole "I think the artist should have free reign" mentality but that isn't how the law works. The law doesn't just go "Well I mean he's an artist so maybe there can be an exception just this once?" He is not the sole owner of Dragon Ball. If he self published both the manga and the anime, then yes, he'd be the sole owner and he can do WHATEVER he wants but he isn't, he is an equal owner with Toei and Shueisha. The three of them have to agree on anything official when it comes to the Dragon Ball franchise, that's how the law works.

[ABED]

It's not arrogance because it's not unearned. He created the story, ergo what he says goes.

I don't believe it's Toriyama and a few other owners. I think Toei has the license to do the adaptation, but I'm fairly certain the IP is either Toriyama's publisher or Toriyama himself. When JK Rowling sold the film rights, WB didn't have an ownership stake in her story. They just have the sole rights to adapt it. I believe Toriyama's publishers have the copyright, and they have to pay him royalties, or is it the other way around, he owns the IP and the publishers pay him royalties for use of his property.

Could you not use words like cute, it comes off as condescending.

[sintzu]

Except he's never said something so arrogant.

He said the last 2 movies were written as a continuation to the manga which is a polite way of saying "what's not written by me won't be taken into account while moving foreword"

If that alongside his new material going against everything not written by him doesn't say his stories are the only canon then what will ?

[Chuquita]

Never cared for "canon" debates, not interested.
I like to pick and choose what I count, like at a buffet, and I don't care what others do or don't count as canon.

[ABED]

Never cared for "canon" debates, not interested.<br abp="684">I like to pick and choose what I count, like at a buffet, and I don't care what others do or don't count as canon.

And there's nothing stopping you from picking and choosing even if Toriyama says "this is what happened".

[dae428]

Eh, sure why not. Honestly I feel like with fan preconceptions and all that stuff it would be fun to get some input by Toriyama about whats what and see his general perspective on certain things. And like ABED said, it doesn't really change anything in the long run as people can make up their own canon. It's not like Toriyama's going to put machines into our minds to force us to accept his vision or anything like that.

[McDonaldsGuy]

I think the canon is pretty much clear:

The manga, BOG, and ROF.

DBGT, anime "filler," and the movies are not canon. The specials however may be canon - although the History of Trunks special was different than the manga Toriyama himself said the special had better ideas (like making Trunks SSJ after Gohan's death).

The only movie that can be considered canon is the Bojack movie, but it's not.

[sintzu]

The only movie that can be considered canon is the Bojack movie, but it's not.

In the manga Goku can't come&go from the afterlife whenever he wants so it can't be canon.

[TobyS]

The only movie that can be considered canon is the Bojack movie, but it's not.

In the manga Goku can't come&go from the afterlife whenever he wants so it can't be canon.

Yeah that aspect really bugged me, it was Toei basically making it Goku Time again in the one point in the timeline where it shouldn't be most...

That and Tenshinhan saying you'd never see him again then being like "sure I'll go to this random tournament, but not the next one which I have more connection to and Goku is coming back especially for"

[Eire]

Voltlunok, that's not how the intellectual property law works. Clauses about content are extremely rare when it comes to creators of original content. I think you mistaken in with franchises like Star Wars or Doctor Who that are owned by companies that commission novels, games, comics etc. So for example, Disney can commission Star Wars novel about Princess Leia but with the clauses that heroine is still with Han, Yoda's race is not revealed, nobody from main cast can die and there's no sexual content (such a rules were in action when Lucasfilm owned SW). Judging from the fact that Toriyama practically rewritten BOG he is the one who takes decisions here.

Plus there's no law that I'm aware of that forbids author from saying what he considers canon.