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If you haven’t acted out ‘Ka-me-ha-me-haaaa’ while growing up, were you even aDragon Ballfan? Each and every power-up of Goku is celebrated by children and adults all over the world. But did you know that Akira Toriyama was extremely close to not naming anyDragon Ballmoves at all?
Shouting out the names of moves has always been a norm in Shonen manga. How else would you know what the random beam of light is called? The author ofDragon Ballhad a completely opposite view towards the age-old practice.
Akira Toriyama Hates NamingDragon BallFight Techniques
Inan interview,Akira Toriyamaexplained that he does not like naming battle techniques. The reason behind his dislike is so logical that it will make you laugh.
“In a battle of life and death, there’s no way you can say the name of each technique. You’d be done in while yelling the technique’s name. (laughs)”
It is true that the type of battles Toriyama draws are too fast-paced for anyone to talk in between. Talking while fighting or shouting technique names is not an option. Plus, if you shout the name of the move you are about to use, it takes away the surprise element. The enemy would read the upcoming move and prepare to defeat it.
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However, Toriyama’s editor suggested that it was best to name the techniques. While this was a sensible suggestion, it did cause Toriyams some trouble, as he struggled to come up with names.
Naming techniques help incategorizing power-ups. Otherwise, you would be stuck explaining the specifics of a move to make someone understand what you are talking about. You can only imagine what life would be like without shouting ‘kamehameha’.
How Akira Toriyama Named ‘Kamehameha’
Apparently, thecredit for namingGoku’s signature Kamehameha move goes toAkira Toriyama’s wife. After Toriyama’s editor suggested naming the moves, theDragon Ballauthor fell into a dilemma. He kept fretting about what to name the techniques.
“I was fretting, saying, “Kame-Sen’nin’s special attack should be something-or-another-ha, something-or-another ha…” and she said, “Wouldn’t Kamehameha be good?”
Little did Mrs. Toriyama know that the silly name she suggested would go down in history and be uttered by every Dragon Ball fan with awe. The author himself admitted that thegoofy namefitted Kame-Sen’nin’s mood perfectly.
“He wasn’t ultimately the right one”: Akira Toriyama Almost Killed Goku Forever to Have a Different Dragon Ball Lead Before Change of Heart
So that’s how Toriyama sensei’s wife made a huge impact on theDragon Ballworld without anyone even knowing about it.
You can readDragon Ballon Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1558
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
