The most influential anime/manga makers ranked

ScottyFamalam

Low Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
442
1. Suiho Tagawa (creator of Norakuro, the first popular manga in 1931)
2. Machiko Hasegawa (one of the first female manga artists and creator of Sazae-san in 1946)
3. Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy, the most iconic anime/manga character ever)
4. Shotaro Ishinomori (creator of Cyborg 009. He also created Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and the entire tokusatsu genre)
5. Go Nagai (creator of Devilman, Mazinger and Cutie Honey. Invented the entire super robot, magical girl and ecchi genres)
6. Monkey Punch (creator of Lupin the Third. Pioneered the crime genre)
7. Takao Saito (creator of Golgo 13. Pioneered the thriller genre)
8. Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto (creators of Space Battleship Yamato. Pioneered the space opera genre)
9. Masami Kurumuda (creator of Ring ni Kakero and later Saint Seiya. The former pioneered a lot of modern shonen tropes)
10. Yudetamago (creators of Kinnikuman. Pioneered the wrestling genre)
 
Last edited:

Father

Mid Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2023
Messages
674
Yudetamago, or the two authors behind Kinnikuman.

Yep.
I’d argue Buronson and Hana should be
higher simply because they inspired pretty much all the battle shounen mangas that
came after it.
 

DBZAOTA482

High Class Warrior
Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
1,292
Age
28
Yep.
I’d argue Buronson and Hana should be
higher simply because they inspired pretty much all the battle shounen mangas that
came after it.
Fist of the North Star only influenced some of the generation that came after and even then, one of them (Dragon Ball) wasn't directly influenced by it. In fact, it was hinted in an interview that DB was planned to be a battle manga from the start but his editor at the time rushed the shift because readership was declining and they saw how well FoHS was doing.

YuYu Hakusho's transition from detective manga to battle manga was influenced by Kinnikuman.

The generation that followed the Golden era were mainly influenced by Dragon Ball, by the manga-kas' own mouths. Even All-Might was said to be influenced by Goku.

Not only that, but Dragon Ball is significant to the media in general which arguably makes Toriyama more influential than any manga-ka by default.

However, Dragon Ball wouldn't exist without Osama Tezuka making his rounds.
 

Father

Mid Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2023
Messages
674
You kinda proved my point with DB shifting gears due to Fist Of The North Stars popularity and genre.

I’d argue YuYuHakusho and JoJo were inspired a lot by Fist Of The North Star as well with their grittier panels.
Younger Toguro being a great example of this.
 

ScottyFamalam

Low Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
442
Fist of the North Star only influenced some of the generation that came after and even then, one of them (Dragon Ball) wasn't directly influenced by it. In fact, it was hinted in an interview that DB was planned to be a battle manga from the start but his editor at the time rushed the shift because readership was declining and they saw how well FoHS was doing.
It wasn't planned to be a battle manga from the start lol it was supposed to be a road adventure manga with a little action and it would have ended after the Pilaf arc. When readership declined, Toriyama's editor studied Fist of the North Star and told Toriyama to make it like that. So if not for Fist DB would have ended after Pilaf

"Fist only influenced some of the generation" Anything that's influenced by DB is influenced by Fist because Fist influenced the fighting in DB
 
Last edited:

Papasmurf

Zeta Elite
Legend
Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
30,973
DB was scheduled to be animated regardless of its initial popularity because of the explosive success of Dr. Slump (this is why there's only about a year's gap between the late-1984 first chapter of DB and the early-1986 first episode of the anime; OP and Naruto by comparison took 2-3 years to be animated). It wasn't directly FotNS that saved DB, it was the fact that the anime was already in production when the manga was first being serialized. Also, Toriyama cited Jackie Chan movies as his inspiration for Dragon Boy (the one shot that became the basis for DB), so even without FotNS's influence DB would've gone on either way. The fact that FotNS was a success before DB and had some direct and indirect influence is undeniable though, funny thing is Toriyama admitted he designed Goku as the antithesis to buff, hypermasculine superheroes like Kenshiro and Kinikkuman characters but Goku became a muscular, brawny warrior like them eventually.
 

Papasmurf

Zeta Elite
Legend
Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
30,973
Also OP needs to learn how to spell Tetsuo Hara's name lol
 

ScottyFamalam

Low Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
442
Dr Slump took about a year to be animated too lol

Dragon Boy wasn't a battle shonen; like early DB it was a road adventure with more gags than fighting. Without Fist, even if DB went on after Pilaf, it would have been canceled because Toriyama would have no idea how to make it popular
 

Papasmurf

Zeta Elite
Legend
Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
30,973
Dr Slump took about a year to be animated too lol

Dragon Boy wasn't a battle shonen; like early DB it was a road adventure with more gags than fighting. Without Fist, even if DB went on after Pilaf, it would have been canceled because Toriyama would have no idea how to make it popular
Dragon Boy had elements of Jackie Chan movies. Also, Dr. Slump was an explosive success from the start and enjoyed the greatest ratings for an animated TV show of its time, not a fair comparison to DB whose ranking was consistently near the bottom like early YGO (which took 2 years to be animated, and only because the Seto Kaiba episode was so wildly popular).

Torishima (AT's first editor) was the one who suggested Toriyama use his influence from Jackie Chan movies to bump up DB's popularity when seeing him watch JC movies while drawing (and not even a year into the series), hence the first semi-serious arc (21st budokai) having a blatant Jackie Chan parody character. With or without HnK DB would've made itself popular thanks to its martial arts themes. Also, going the route of inspirations, Fist of the North Star basically began as a Mad Max fanfiction to the point that the entire Shin arc almost reads like an MM parody with Bruce Lee elements. Kenshiro's entire stoic, no-nonsense schtick with one liners is a direct ripoff of 1980s' Hollywood protagonists too.
 
Last edited:

ScottyFamalam

Low Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
442
Dragon Boy had elements of Jackie Chan movies.

And hardly any fighting just like early DB

Torishima (AT's first editor) was the one who suggested Toriyama use his influence from Jackie Chan movies to bump up DB's popularity when seeing him watch JC movies while drawing (and not even a year into the series)

And that same editor says he told Toriyama to make it like Fist of the North Star at the same time LOL

Because Fist was no.1, Torishima told Toriyama to make DB more about martial arts. Toriyama had been influenced by Jackie Chan since way before DB even started, but Toriyama only decided to make DB mainly about martial arts after seeing Fist's success.

Also, going the route of inspirations, Fist of the North Star basically began as a Mad Max fanfiction to the point that the entire Shin arc almost reads like an MM parody with Bruce Lee elements. Kenshiro's entire stoic, no-nonsense schtick with one liners is a direct ripoff of 1980s' Hollywood protagonists too.
Mad Max isn't anime or manga
 
Last edited:

Yoshi

Elite
Ultimate
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
8,630
Age
30
I would also argue Kinnikuman influenced Dragon Ball because it actually came up with Battle Powers first.
 

Papasmurf

Zeta Elite
Legend
Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
30,973
And hardly any fighting just like early DB
It was a 2-chapter oneshot lol
And that same editor says he told Toriyama to make it like Fist of the North Star at the same time LOL

Because of Fist was no.1, Torishima told Toriyama to make DB more about martial arts. Toriyama had been influenced by Jackie Chan way before DB even started (Dr Slump had some martial art arcs), but he didn't decide to make a series mainly about martial arts until after Fist was no.1
But the main inspiration was Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Even without HnK's success DB would have succeeded due to the martial arts themes coming from a different source, a far cry from the "Wtihout FotNS DB wouldn't have made it past the Pilaf arc" statement you were making. In fact, the reason DB survived the Pilaf arc was directly tied to Slump's success: Shueisha and Jump had already signed a contract to animate AT's next work after Slump no matter what. This is how a manga that was consistently bottom-ranking in popularity for its first two volumes was animated in only a year.
Mad Max isn't anime or manga
It was still such a direct inspiration that it would've gotten Buronson and Hara sued for plagiarism had it been the 2000s just like that son of a rock star who was plagiarising Bleach.

Also, Astro Boy was a battle shonen decades before HnK was a thing. Toriyama also cited Goku's hairstyle as having been inspired by Atom, meaning DB's first true inspiration was Astro Boy, before AT ever employed HnK style elements.

 
Last edited:

ScottyFamalam

Low Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
442
It was a 2-chapter oneshot lol

A 2 chapter oneshot with hardly any fighting LOL

you realize that there are plenty of action focused oneshots, right?

But the main inspiration was Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Even without HnK's success DB would have succeeded due to the martial arts themes coming from a different source

because every martial arts manga is popular, lol cap

if not for fist, toriyama wouldn't have known how to make a martial arts manga work, because fist set the standard for them in the 80s onward. you think he would have made goku all buff and macho later on if not for fist?

It was still such a direct inspiration that it would've gotten Buronson and Hara sued for plagiarism had it been the 2000s just like that son of a rock star who was plagiarising Bleach.

we're specifically discussing the most influential anime/manga

Also, Astro Boy was a battle shonen decades before HnK was a thing.

i didn't say fist was the first battle shonen, it set the standard for the genre going forward
 

Papasmurf

Zeta Elite
Legend
Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
30,973
A 2 chapter oneshot with hardly any fighting LOL

you realize that there are plenty of action focused oneshots, right?
Most of which were after DB actually. OP and Bleach's oneshots weren't even action oriented. And oneshots have to be character driven by default since there's only so much story you can tell in one or two chapters. Even Dragon Boy cited Hong Kong action movies as the inspiration.
because every martial arts manga is popular, lol cap

if not for fist, toriyama wouldn't have known how to make a martial arts manga work, because fist set the standard for one in the 80s. you think he would have made goku all buff and macho later on if not for fist?
Toriyama actually said he made Goku an adult to make fight scenes easier to draw, and the original inspiration of Goku was Atom from Astro Boy as I said. He didn't cite Kenshiro as the inspiration for adult Goku, it basically just happened which is ironic as it it mirrored HnK despite Toriyama designing Goku as a plain looking boy at the start and the antithesis to buff 1980's protags.
we're specifically discussing the most influential anime/manga
Of which Atom was the first inspiration for Goku before DB even took inspiration from HnK's book
 
Last edited:

ScottyFamalam

Low Class Warrior
Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
442
Most of which were after DB actually. OP and Bleach's oneshots weren't even action oriented.

LOL Fist of the North Star's prototype one shot that came out before DB was action oriented
Toriyama actually said he made Goku an adult to make fight scenes easier to draw

i didn't say fist is the reason toriyama made goku grow up smh , fist is the reason toriyama made him all macho and buff. reading comprehension
Of which Atom was the first inspiration for Goku before DB even took inspiration from HnK's book
and all that astro boy influence wouldn't have gotten it past pilaf

"it was scheduled to be animated" if not for fist they would have changed plans.
 
Top