Source: REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
[Saba Sports News] Japanese manga artist Akira
Toriyama, known for his work on Dragon Ball, has recently passed away after
battling illness. Toriyama, a devoted fan of McLaren and Ayrton Senna da Silva,
once created comics that combined the characters of Son Goku and F1, often
referred to as “Dragon Ball Formula One” by car enthusiasts. In the
early 1990s, the successful collaboration between McLaren’s technology, Honda’s
engines, and Senna’s driving skills led to numerous victories for the McLaren
F1 team, garnering unprecedented attention in Japan. Recognizing the overlap in
audience interest, Shueisha, the publishing company of Dragon Ball, decided to
sponsor the McLaren F1 team, as both fan bases consisted primarily of
enthusiastic young people in Japan at the time. Akira Toriyama, being an avid
car enthusiast who had been influenced by car culture since childhood, was the
ideal person to produce promotional works for this collaboration. In the early
stages of promotion, Shueisha featured McLaren cars and Senna on the cover of
their weekly publication, Shonen Jump. To further align with this partnership,
Akira Toriyama began creating F1-themed comics featuring Goku and his friends.
What amazed readers and car enthusiasts alike was that this collaboration went
beyond mere business interests. The comics portrayed Senna driving his 1990
McLaren MP4/5 car to victory, almost as if Goku himself embodied Senna’s
spirit. This artistic fusion reached unprecedented levels of resonance through
Akira Toriyama’s illustrations.