Fans Complaining About Dragon Ball Filler Should Blame Toriyama Himself

Summary Not all Dragon Ball filler content lacks Toriyama's influence - he had a hand in character design and plot points.

Filler arcs are necessary for anime but quantity and quality are major gripes among fans.

Toriyama created some of Dragon Ball's best filler content, like Pikkon.

Despite the phenomenal popularity of the Dragon Ball franchise over the last four decades, more than a few fans have an issue with the anime's use of filler. Indeed, if there's any topic for discussion that's sure to elicit a response from Dragon Ball's fandom, it's filler arcs. Of course, there are myriad reasons why fans dislike filler. Still, the one reason that seems to influence them all is that the stories and events in filler are disconnected from the vision of Dragon Ball's creator, Akira Toriyama. The problem with this critique, however, is that it's not necessarily true.

Contrary to the popular belief that the anime's filler content was developed without Toriyama's input or guidance - and therefore lacking the spirit and essence of canonical Dragon Ball content - the Dragon Ball creator was more involved than fans knew. According to the long-running and well-respected Dragon Ball information website Kanzenshuu, while Toriyama "did not actually write scripts", he nevertheless contributed a significant amount to the anime and animated movie adaptations, including character design, titles, plot points, titles, and even choosing which voice actors would be assigned to voice over which characters.

As a site dedicated to spreading the Dragon Ball gospel to the world, it's clear that Kanzenshuu has heard of the fan base's gripes about anime filler, which is why the site's staff decided to research Toriyama's involvement in the anime's production, scattered throughout the series’ numerous guide books.

Believe it or not, some of the filler most fans complain about as being non-canonical material was actually Toriyama's idea.

The notion that Toriyama had no involvement in the anime comes from the fact that anime projects typically feature a distinct creative team from the original manga. Also, as shown in an interview, Toriyama perpetuated the belief by claiming, on multiple occasions, his lack of day-to-day, direct involvement in the anime.

The Problem With Dragon Ball Filler Content

Fans Complain About Both Quantity and Quality

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Filler content, in and of itself, is not inherently bad. In fact, there is a dire need for filler for anime that closely follows the manga in terms of publishing and broadcasting schedule. Under such circumstances, if the manga creator or publisher is unable to provide usable content for adaptation in time for the broadcast, then the anime production must either delay the broadcast or "fill" the absence of content with something new. Over the years, Dragon Ball has run into multiple instances where it was necessary to use filler content for the anime.

The problem for many fans with filler is twofold. First, there's its abundance. In this regard, Dragon Ball fandom has a plausible gripe. Every Dragon Ball series has included a fair amount of filler content. According to AnimeFillerList filer content made up fourteen percent of the Dragon Ball (1986-1989) series, thirteen percent of the Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996) series, and eleven percent of the Dragon Ball Super (2015-2018) series. However, just because there's a need for filler content, doesn't mean that it should or will be bad - which brings out the next element of Dragon Ball fandom's problem with filler, namely its subpar quality born from the idea that Toriyama's lack of "quality control".

Related Dragon Ball: 10 Worst Filler Arcs, Ranked Filler arcs have plagued the anime industry since what seems like the beginning. Dragon Ball, in particular, has some arcs that even ruin the show.

Toriyama's Influence on Dragon Ball's Anime Filler

Many Arcs and Characters Considered "Filler" Came from Toriyama's Input

Instead of attributing the poor quality of filler content to Toriyama's absence, in certain cases, it's actually his involvement that has led to the lackluster content fans dislike. Take, for example, Dragon Ball Z's first filler arc which is entitled, "Gohan's Training and Goku's Snake Way Adventures". It is widely believed among Dragon Ball fans that this filler arc is one of the weakest in the series and that skipping it would be better than watching it. The main gripe with the arch was that the stories added little to the development of the overall storyline at that point, which was heavily teasing the arrival of Vegeta and Nappa.

According to Kazenshuu, the Dragon Ball Z Anime Special guide mentions that Toriyama was quite active in this arc. For instance, Toriyama's ideas are described as being "all over" Episode #12, where Goku falls asleep after getting a lift along the road, then falls off the truck and ends up in Hell. Moreover, Toriyama is described as setting up the basic plot for Episode #14, where Goku meets the Snake Princess, who falls in love with him and tries to get Goku to love her back. In Episode #15, Toriyama is credited as coming up with the idea of Piccolo's training technique of splitting himself into two. As fans argue, these examples drag down the Gohan-Piccolo vibe that began the series. Fans, however, have no one to blame but Toriyama.

Dragon Ball Anime's Filler Content Has Value

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Toriyama's involvement in the various anime filler is not all questionable. He was also responsible for some of Dragon Ball's best filler content. For instance, Toriyama created and designed the character Pikkon for the anime. Pikkon debuted in Dragon Ball Z Episode #199 as an opponent of Goku in the OtherWorld Tournament. Even though the "Other World Tournament" arc is filler, it is generally well-liked by fans, with Episode #199 being particularly enjoyable. Fans appreciate how it returned to Dragon Ball's roots with tournament fights against formidable opponents.

However, fans have the right to criticize Dragon Ball when it falls short of delivering high-quality content. Yet, they should remember that some of the ideas or developments that are often disliked as filler did not come from the anime's production crew, but from Dragon Ball's creator, Akira Toriyama. This should not be taken as a knock on Toriyama - just a recognition of the complex reality of bringing an anime such as Dragon Ball to life.

Source: Kazsenshuu (1), (2), (3), AnimeFillerList