After Akira Toriyama passed away, the factory responsible for printing Weekly Shonen Jump magazine revealed internal disputes over the handling of Dragon Ball manga.
NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, reported on Kyodo Printing's Goka Factory in Ibaraki Prefecture. Factory manager Hiroaki Amemiya, who began working at Goka Factory in 1993 during the publication of Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga, shared insights from his 15 years of experience.
According to Amemiya, manga's widespread popularity often led to conflicts among workers vying for the privilege of printing duties.
A factory prints Shonen Jump more than a week before its release date. According to factory staff, “There was a weekly argument about who would be responsible for printing Dragon Ball. We are so obsessed with DB that it takes longer than usual to test it after it goes to print.????” pic.twitter.com/ SapNJfy8e7
— sandman (@sandman_AP) March 22, 2024
“Every week, there is a struggle to decide who will be responsible for printing,”
Amemiya revealed.
“Some employees are so engrossed in the content that they have to spend extra time checking the content after printing.”
Printing responsibilities go beyond reading, including quality control to ensure ink quality and prevent issues such as ink bleeding that can affect readability or overall quality.
Expressing sadness over Toriyama's passing, Amemiya, a longtime fan since the days of Dr. Slump, lamented not being able to further support the manga artist.
“I feel sad because I wanted to help Toriyama-sensei a little more,”
he shared.
“However, I can still contribute to preserving his legacy through printing, so I will continue to pursue Toriyama-sensei's dream. I want to print it out and give it to the kids.”
Tributes honoring Toriyama have poured in since his death. Shonen Jump creators Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) and Tite Kubo (Bleach) expressed their sincere condolences.
Additionally, Dragon Ball Z screenwriter Takao Koyama initiated a viral campaign encouraging fans to perform the Spirit Bomb technique in real life as a tribute.
Meanwhile, Dragon Ball Super's latest release, Chapter 103, concluded the Super Hero film adaptation while also paying homage to Toriyama's immense contributions to the series.