In a recent
interview, Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, one of the most important animators in
the history of "Dragon Ball ," spoke about his long history
with the franchise and his involvement in the new series "Dragon Ball
Daima." But what really left fans speechless was his opinion on
the possibility of a "Dragon Ball" remake in the future.
When asked
if he'd like to be involved in a Dragon Ball remake, Nakatsuru surprised
everyone with his response: " If I could contribute something
and be useful in some way, I would love to. But if we were to start over from
the Dragon Ball manga... maybe the younger ones would want to completely remake
it. That would probably open up new possibilities ." For
Nakatsuru, the most important thing would be to keep the franchise alive, and
that future generations can take inspiration from Akira Toriyama and even
surpass him. He says that while it would be great to be involved in a remake,
the most important thing is for fans to enjoy the series for many years to
come.
Nakatsuru
recalled his early days working on "Dragon Ball" as a young animator. At the time, his colleague
Daisuke Nishio, director of the "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball
Z" series, was a major influence on him. Nishio was a fan of Hong Kong
kung-fu films, which was reflected in the intense action and fighting moves in
the series. According to Nakatsuru: " When I started working on
Dragon Ball, I was very young. Daisuke Nishio and I joined Toei at the same
time. He loved Hong Kong action kung-fu films. At the time, they were very
popular in Japan. We were very interested in that style and wondered if it was
possible to bring it to anime. Dragon Ball came along at that time and made it
possible ."
Regarding
his personal style, Nakatsuru clarified that he never tried to impose his own. Rather, his approach was
always to faithfully adapt Toriyama's designs to animation. As he himself
commented, " I never thought I had a 'particular style.' I
always looked at Toriyama-sensei's drawings in his manga and thought about how
to adapt them for animation ." However, when it came to
designing a new character, he did try to think about how they would move,
adding some personal touches to the process.
Although
there are no confirmed plans yet, the idea of a "Dragon Ball"
remake is on the table, and Nakatsuru doesn't rule it out. For him, it would be
interesting to see how a new generation might reinterpret the story of Goku and
company. And while he doesn't believe his involvement in that project is the
most important thing, he is optimistic about the future of the franchise. While
"Dragon Ball" remains at the center of popular culture, the
possibility of a remake that offers a fresh take on the original story doesn't
seem so far off. Perhaps, as Nakatsuru said, the young creatives who
take on the task will offer fresh perspectives and might even surpass what
Toriyama once imagined.
