As most fans know, Dragon Ball started out as a very different series from the action-packed adventure that Dragon Ball Z would come to be. The series was originally very comedic in tone, following the young kid Goku on his Journey to the West-inspired travels. Much of the humor comes from Goku’s childish naïveté, as he regards both his threats and allies with a curiosity that often irritates those around him. The series was also well-known for its physical humor, which often played a bigger role in fights early on.

However, this apparently wasn’t quite catching fans’ attention the way Toriyama (or his editors) expected it would.

The World Martial Arts Tournament Saved Dragon Ball

In an interview from 1995, translated by fan site Kanzenshuu, Akira Toriyama admitted that originally, the series just wasn’t all that popular. His editor told him this was because his protagonist was “too plain,” but Toriyama had designed Goku specifically to come across as plain. He recalled that some of the most popular arcs in Dr. Slump, his previous work, were based around tournaments or competitions, such as the Penguin Village Gran Prix, so he decided to implement a tournament arc into Dragon Ball. This tournament arc was the Tenkaichi Budokai, introducing the character of Krillin and bringing back Master Roshi.

This moment represented a massive change in the direction Dragon Ball was headed; no longer was it a gag comic like Dr. Slump, but now had more of a focus on fighting (which was always intended to be a big part of the series). This trend would only continue as the series went on, until the humor was a more minor element compared to the dramatic battles which were now taking place. It set the stage for the eventual transition of the series into the Dragon Ball Z era, and the massive popularity which that period saw.

Events like the World Martial Arts Tournament are so ingrained into Dragon Ball lore at this point that it’s difficult to imagine what the series would be like had they never happened, but it’s likely that it would never have reached the heights of popularity which it has enjoyed for decades now. This tournament arc was so successful that Dragon Ball kicked off a trend of tournament arcs in other series, and that trend still lives on to some extent even in modern series, as their mangaka were influenced by Toriyama’s work when they were younger.

The advent of the Tenkaichi Budokai wasn’t just a revolution for Dragon Ball, but for the entire shonen genre, laying a foundation that great works of the future would continue building upon.

Source: Kanzenshuu