Akira Toriyama’s impact on Japanese manga is captured entirely in this single image 

Following news of the passing of Akira Toriyama, a legend of the manga world, fans worldwide have been looking back at the artist’s life work, applauding the immense impact he had on readers, artists and manga as a medium. In this context, one particular image has garnered a lot of attention among the Japanese community, and ironically, it is not a piece of Toriyama’s artwork, but rather a statement about what manga was like before Toriyama. 

Wishing to demonstrate Toriyama’s significance in a way other than sales figures, the above user shares an image of a 1980 edition of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, Japan’s major manga magazine that would later publish Toriyama’s highly acclaimed series Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball. The cover provided is of the January 21-28 edition of the magazine, which directly preceded the debut of Dr. Slump, the manga that launched Toriyama’s career. Dr. Slump is a comical science fiction manga that depicts the adventures of the little robot girl Arale Norimaki and her creator. 

While gathering praise for its humor and unique storytelling, Dr. Slump bewildered readers with its art too (seen above is an illustration the title debuted with), which was not only technically at a high level, but stylistically very distinct from any existing styles (now referred to as “old Showa-style manga”) of the time, featuring character and mech designs that glaringly stood out for their uniqueness.  

The “pre-Toriyama” cover of Shonen Jump has resonated with many users, some of whom remember the sensation he caused when he first appeared: “Even though I was a child, I was astonished. Rest in Peace.” On the other hand, younger generations commented how the comparison finally allowed them to grasp how big Toriyama’s impact was at the time: “Wow, so this is how Jump used to look. People’s minds must have been blown.”