It is no secret thatDragon Ballis one of the biggest franchises in history, with millions of fans all around the world following the series created by the late Akira Toriyama. While no one can deny the influence and impact of Goku’s adventure, audiences do not often think about the greater ramifications of this iconic show.
These topics were discussed with clarity in a recent interview with the team behind theDragon Ballfranchise, which took place at the Paris Japan Expo 2025. Kazuhiko Torishima,Toriyama’s original and trusted editor, raised an alarming point about how financially catastrophic the end of the best anime of all time would be for several parties.
Dragon Ball’s Ending Would Cause Chaos for the Economy
Japan’s Revenue Would Be Significantly Affected by This Decision
For more than 40 years, theDragon Ballfranchise has been a pillar of both the anime industry and Japanese culture. When thinking about the Land of the Rising Sun, many people will imagine Goku, as he is by farone of the most popular characters of all time, celebrated in almost every country on Earth.
Almost everyone in the world is aware of who Kakarot is and the impact he has had on pop culture. Yet, the popularity and success of theDragon Ballfranchise go far beyond the anime community, as Toriyama’s work has become vital for the Japanese economy. The editor and producer Torishimatalked about this recently at Japan Expo 2025.
There were still a lot of stakeholders involved inDragon Ball, like TV channels, Bandai Namco, various other partner companies, and we would have reached a point where ifDragon Ballhadn’t continued a little longer, we would have had financial problems.
- Kazuhiko Torishima.
While talking about theGTanime,one of anime’s most controversial shows, the man explained that continuing withDragon Ball’s legacy was almost a necessity. Many parties, such as Toei Animation, Shueisha, and many TV networks, relied on the series being continued. The series ending would have been catastrophic to their bottom line.
Dragon Ball’s Ending Would Be a Much Bigger Issue Nowadays
The Series’ Influence Has Only Increased Over the Last Few Years
Although the vision painted by Torishima is already quite alarming, his words do not fully convey the issues thatDragon Ball’s ending would bring to the anime industry today.GTwas released on Aug 02, 2025, almost 30 years ago. Since then, the franchise has seen significant growth worldwide, thanks to the success of its sequel,Super.
Dragon Ballwas already a big name during the time ofGT, but the introduction of streaming platforms like Crunchyroll andNetflix, two of the biggest advocates for the anime industryoutside of Japan, exponentially increased its influence.The franchise is several times more important and profitable now than it ever was during 1996.
If the ending of the series was seen as a catastrophic event during that time, there is no telling how much damage it would cause to the parties involved. Still, fans can breathe with ease, as recent reports aboutDragon Ball Super’s imminent returnhint at the franchise continuing for many years more.
