Dragon Ball is one of Japan’s most successful anime and manga franchises. With over 260 million manga copies sold worldwide and a mᴀssively popular anime spanning decades, it seems unstoppable. And yet, there was a time when Dragon Ball stumbled badly on the global stage. The 2009 movie Dragonball Evolution, starring Justin Chatwin as Goku and James Marsters as Piccolo, was a colossal failure with fans, critics, and at the box office. Even worse, it reinforced the perception that live-action adaptations of anime could not be done well—a sentiment that only began to shift with Netflix’s successful One Piece series in 2023.
Now, in a new video interview with Kazuhiko Torishima, former editor-in-chief of Shonen Jump and founding editor for landmark Akira Toriyama series like Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball, we finally get a sense of how the Dragonball Evolution disaster looked from the inside—and the damage control efforts that followed.
Torishima’s Regret: “One of My Biggest Mistakes”
A Past Failure Casts a Long Shadow
In this candid interview, Torishima expressed deep regret over the Hollywood adaptation of Dragon Ball, describing it as one of the most significant professional missteps of his career. According to him, the project quickly spun out of Japan’s control because the publisher, Shueisha, failed to invest enough money to retain final cut authority. Had the company committed around five billion yen—approximately $50 million at the time—they could have had meaningful input on the script and final product.
However, Torishima notes that such a financial commitment was seen as out of the question for Shueisha. He attributes this hesitancy to the lingering trauma of Daijoubu, My Friend—a strange 1983 Japanese film inspired by E.T. that flopped badly. That failure left a lasting stigma around film production within the company.
Chasing Global Reach Despite the Risks
The Legal Warning That Went Unheeded
Despite understanding the risks of adapting Dragon Ball into live action, they proceeded, hoping that a Hollywood release could introduce the franchise to a wider global audience. Around the same period, Shueisha also launched the U.S. version of Shonen Jump, another ambitious move aimed at reaching Western fans.
Torishima recalls seeking legal advice in the U.S., only to be warned that without final cut rights, Shueisha would have no real say in how the film turned out. That, he reflects, was the fatal error that led to Dragonball Evolution’s spectacular artistic and financial failure.
A Box Office Miss in Disguise
A Painful Legacy and a Hopeful Future
Dragonball Evolution had a production budget of around $30 million and made about $58.2 million at the global box office. But despite technically earning more than it cost to make, it’s still seen as a box office flop. That’s because the budget doesn’t include marketing and distribution costs. In the end, the film likely didn’t even break even and ended up losing money, not to mention disappointing a lot of fans.
Looking back, Torishima calls the Hollywood adaptation the greatest failure in Shonen Jump’s history, even saying he doesn’t believe a worse film exists. The lack of creative control and failure to honor the source material left a lasting mark. With new projects like the Dragon Ball theme park in Saudi Arabia moving forward, he hopes those lessons won’t be forgotten.
The recent success of Netflix’s live-action One Piece—which stayed true to the original thanks to the creator’s involvement—shows that respectful, well-crafted adaptations are possible. For Torishima, it’s an encouraging sign that the industry may at last be figuring out how to adapt cherished stories without losing what made them special.
Source: Venixys on X
Dragon Ball
- Created by
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Akira Toriyama
- First Film
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Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film
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Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Summary
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
