Friday 31 Oct 1992
After finalizing his preparations at ZAGE HQ, Zaboru set off in a taxi, clutching a small bag filled with snacks and drinks. The cab weaved through the narrow city streets until it finally pulled up outside a modest house. Zaboru stepped out and adjusted his jacket, looking up at the ho.
"Heh, so this is Akira Toriyama's house," Zaboru thought, feeling a jolt of excitent. Technically, this wasn't his first ti collaborating with Toriyama. Months ago, he had commissioned him to create character artwork for "Dragon Quest 1" and "Dragon Quest 2," believing that without Toriyama's iconic art style, Dragon Quest simply wouldn't have its soul. However, the interaction back then had been handled mostly by ZAGE's Head of Marketing, Shinsuke, because Zaboru had been overwheld with other projects. Now, for the first ti, he was here personally, ready to et the legendary artist face-to-face.
"Let's do this," he said with a grin, pressing the doorbell.
A voice answered from inside, "Yes, wait a minute!"
Monts later, the door swung open, and there stood Akira Toriyama himself—a bit surprised, but with a welcoming smile.
"What! Zaboru Renkonan-san!? What are you doing here?"
Toriyama imdiately recognized Zaboru, having spent many of his breaks playing ZEPS and ZGB gas to refresh his mind. He had always admired Zaboru's creativity and the unique worlds he crafted through his gas.
Zaboru chuckled, holding up the bag. "Akira Toriyama-san, hello! I'm here just to visit you. I brought so snacks and drinks as a thank you for your incredible artwork on Dragon Quest."
Toriyama blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Co in, co in, Ren-san! Sorry, the place is a bit ssy."
"Just call Zaboru, Toriyama-san," he replied warmly as he stepped inside. "Pardon the intrusion."
The house was cozy and filled with character. A television played quietly in the background, and shelves were lined with cartridges for ZEPS and ZGB consoles. On one side of the room, Toriyama's workstation stood proudly—a sea of pens, ink bottles, papers, and sketches.
"Sorry about the ss," Toriyama said sheepishly.
Zaboru laughed. "No problem at all! I can feel the passion in this room."
They settled in, opening so drinks and sharing snacks as they chatted. Toriyama's curiosity quickly bubbled over.
Their conversation covered a wide range of topics, but they especially dove deep into discussions about creativity, character creation, and crafting compelling storylines. They exchanged thoughts on how characters should have quirks that made them morable, how a good story needed an emotional anchor, and how imagination often thrived when blending seemingly unrelated ideas. Zaboru shared insights from his experiences building ga worlds, while Toriyama talked passionately about his approach to designing characters that felt larger than life yet relatable.
"Zaboru-san, how do you co up with your ideas so quickly? I an, your works are amazing! I especially love Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Who would've thought combining turtles and ninjas would work? They're complete opposites—turtles are slow, and ninjas are fast! If we put it in RPG terms, turtles have high defense but low offense, while ninjas have high offense but low defense. It's such an unexpected combination, yet it works so well!"
Zaboru grinned. "Well, that's imagination, Toriyama-san. It's about rging two unlikely concepts into sothing new. When we create sothing that doesn't seem to make sense at first glance, that's where the magic happens." Zaboru took a thoughtful sip of his soda. "No matter how absurd an idea seems, if it's executed properly, it will have its own unique charm."
Toriyama leaned in, thoughtful. "But what if people hate it? What if it just flops?"
Zaboru took another sip of his soda and shrugged with a smile. "Then we learn from it. Failure is just experience in disguise. Every flop teaches us sothing that leads to the next success." Zaboru inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts. "For , there's no such thing as perfection. Failure isn't sothing to fear—it's a stepping stone. Every ti we fail, we gain better experience and insight, and that experience pushes us closer to success."
Toriyama nodded, impressed. 'No wonder his gas are so wild and yet so beloved,' he thought.
Their conversation drifted from gas to manga, from favorite characters to dreams of future stories. Hours seed to pass like minutes.
Eventually, Zaboru steered the conversation toward his true purpose.
"Toriyama-san, I have another reason for coming here today," Zaboru said seriously.
Toriyama smiled knowingly. "I figured as much. What is it?"
"You still have a contract with Shueisha until Dr. Slump finishes, right?"
Toriyama nodded. "That's right."
"Well," Zaboru continued, "I'm planning to launch a new Weekly and Monthly manga magazine under Hakushensha and Hakushensha is owned by ZAGE now. I want your next manga to headline it. I'm offering you complete creative freedom, fair deadlines, higher royalties—and most importantly, respect for your vision."
Toriyama's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "You ca all the way here just to offer that? Even with your busy schedule?"
Zaboru grinned. "Of course. Talent like yours deserves to be treated right. You underestimate yourself, Toriyama-san. Your art style is incredibly charming—it has a distinct, recognizable feel that leaves a lasting impression. It's the kind of style that inspires people and brings characters to life in ways few can replicate."
Toriyama smiled warmly. "Once Dr. Slump wraps up, I'll work with you. And you'll give advice too, right?"
"Obviously, Toriyama-san!" Zaboru said enthusiastically. "I'll offer advice when you ask for it, but I'll never restrict your creativity."
Toriyama laughed. "Sounds perfect. I'm excited." Deep down, he felt genuinely thrilled at the idea of being able to seek advice from Zaboru, knowing that Zaboru's imagination was nothing short of extraordinary. Just the thought of collaborating and exchanging ideas with soone so creative filled him with anticipation.
With that handshake, Zaboru secured his first SSR Rank mangaka. It was a major victory.
They chatted a little longer—about future possibilities, about gas and stories—before Zaboru eventually stood up to leave.
"Thank you again, Toriyama-san. I'll contact you when the ti is right."
As he stepped back into the evening air, Zaboru couldn't help but grin.
"One down," he whispered to himself. "Many more to go."
And with that, he headed back to ZAGE HQ, the foundation of his manga empire beginning to take shape.
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