Highlights
- The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 character designer pays tribute to Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball.
- Similarities between Dragon Ball and Sonic series are evident, showing Toriyama's impact on Sonic franchise.
- Akira Toriyama's works continue to influence Sonic games, with nods to Dragon Ball in boss fights and characters.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 character designer, Yasushi Yamaguchi, posted a piece of art paying tribute to the late Akira Toriyama that is a crossover between Sonic and Dragon Ball. On March 1, Akira Toriyama passed away at age 68. Toriyama was the creator of Dragon Ball, which would become one of the most popular manga series and multimedia franchises of all time. Toriyama also contributed to the character designs of properties like Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon, and Dragon Quest. Toriyama's influence can be felt in other franchises, such as Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog.
Many longtime fans can pick out the similarities between Dragon Ball and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises, especially in regard to how the former influenced the latter. Both series have seven mystical items to collect, Sonic and Goku can transform into a golden super-powered version of themselves, and the rivalry between Sonic and Shadow is often likened to the one between Goku and Vegeta. Sonic the Hedgehog 2's character designer, Yasushi Yamaguchi, recently highlighted how the relationship between Sonic and Tails was inspired by Dragon Ball as well.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Players Pay Tribute to Akira Toriyama
Following the news of Akira Toriyama's passing, players of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 worldwide pay tribute to the late Dragon Ball creator.
In a tweet posted a few days after the news of Akira Toriyama's passing was released, Yamaguchi shared a piece of artwork that had dressed Sonic in Piccolo's clothes and Tails in Gohan's gi from the Saiyan Saga of Dragon Ball Z. He recalls that when he was designing the relationship between Sonic and Tails, he modeled it after the one seen between Piccolo and Gohan in the Dragon Ball manga. He notes that without the influence of Dragon Ball, the second Sonic game and the iconic pair likely wouldn't have existed, thanking Toriyama.
How Dragon Ball Influences Sonic the Hedgehog
Dragon Ball's influence can still be felt in the Sonic series to this day. Dragon Ball Z's Future Trunks, for example, was a direct influence on the creation of recurring Sonic mainstay, Silver the Hedgehog. A lot of Sonic Frontiers' Titan boss fights include high-octane action that makes the player feel like Super Sonic, having battles that are reminiscent of Dragon Ball, complete with shots that are one-to-one recreations of iconic moments from the franchise. These include Sonic ramming himself through Giganto's torso like Goku did against Demon King Piccolo, or Sonic cutting the Knight titan in half like when Future Trunks fought Frieza at the start of the Androids saga.
Various communities paid their respects to Akira Toriyama in games he contributed to, such as players holding vigils in Final Fantasy 14, Dragon Quest 10, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, among other games. It cannot be understated how much Akira Toriyama's works influenced a lot of properties today, including famous gaming franchises like Sonic. Tributes are still being held for the late creator as of this writing.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is the sequel to Sega's original Sonic the Hedgehog, the title that started the long-running franchise on the Sega Genesis console. This release sees Sonic and Tails taking the fight to Dr. Robotnik.
