“I based those off of Bruce Lee”: The Kung Fu Legend is How Akira Toriyama Came up With Goku’s Most Well-Known Anime Feature

Akira Toriyama is the one who revolutionized the manga and anime industry. The Dragon Ball franchise set up the path for the Big Three to gain worldwide popularity and become a pillar of the business. Every hardcore anime fan knows that Dragon Ball was inspired by Kung Fu. Akira Toriyama even based one of the characters on Jackie Chan.

The mangaka was a massive fan of Kung-Fu. His magnum opus is a big proof of him being a martial arts fan. Apart from Jackie Chan, there is another famous martial artist who inspired Toriyama sensei.

His paralyzing gaze was shown through Goku while he was on planet Namek. The mentioned martial artist is none other than Bruce Lee. The Kung-Fu star was always with Akira Toriyama in his thoughts and soul.

Akira Toriyama Used A Bruce Lee Reference In His Magnum Opus

Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon (Credit: Warner Bros.)

Akira Toriyama was a massive fan of Bruce Lee. The latter was a worldwide movie star and a renowned Kung-Fu master. All of Bruce Lee’s movies surrounded martial arts, and one of his striking features was his unfading gaze when fighting his opponents. Toriyama sensei was in love with that gaze and used it in his magnum. After Son Goku transformed into the legendary Super Saiyan for the first time, his gaze towards Frieza spoke volume.

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During an interview, Akira Toriyama spoke about that fascinating gaze. He said, “His eyes from right after he transforms for the first time and looks up at Freeza… I based those off of Bruce Lee.” Later, he added, “Since that look of his [Bruce Lee’s] where he glares right at you is paralyzing! That’s what I wanted to do in the Frieza arc… Once Goku gave that look, as far as I was concerned the story arc was over.”

Goku’s paralyzing gaze (Credit: Toei Animation)

The legendary transformation was always a sign of Goku getting the better of Frieza during their battle. But the mangaka confirmed that more than the Super Saiyan transformation, the Bruce Lee gaze of Goku was enough to assure the fans that he had won the fight. It not only shows Goku’s increase in power level and confidence but also the mangaka’s trust in Bruce Lee’s paralyzing gaze.

Dragon Ball Z Had Several References to Martial Arts

The Dragon Ball franchise began with the concept of martial arts. It was a series about martial arts where different fighters, including the main protagonist, competed to become the best. Few abilities defied the laws of physics, but most of them were pure martial arts. Akira Toriyama also based characters inspired by real-life characters.

Goku vs Frieza (Credit: Toei Animation)

Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master film series was one of the inspirations for the mangaka. The over-the-top elements gave the manga, the missing ingredients that led to one of the greatest series ever.

A protagonist who was goofy in the beginning, but through proper guidance and practice, was able to become the strongest person, is what Toriyama sensei aimed for.

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Unfortunately, Akira Toriyama left us all on March 1, 2024, with an ocean of emotions and the entire Dragon Ball franchise. Apart from that, he also did Dr. Slump and Sand Land. Fans have always loved his martial arts references. During his last days, he was actively working on Dragon Ball Super, and everyone would have loved to watch more of the action-packed series.