Yu Kondo, the Dragon Ball editor for Akira Toriyama’s work during the “Frieza” and “Cell” sagas, has revealed how the late author kept the series on top of the Shonen Jump rankings until its end. On the recent episode of the KosoKoso podcast, Kondo discussed his fascinating history with Toriyama and more.

Kazuhiko Torishima and Fuyuto Takeda joined Kondo on KosoKoso, a Japanese podcast series co-hosted by Torishima and Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii. Like previous talks, the former editors of Dragon Ball discussed their 11-year work history on the popular Shonen Jump title and their relationship with Toriyama, who passed away in March 2024. The topic of conversation was Kondo’s reign as editor, who succeeded Torishima after accepting the role of Editor-In-Chief. Despite the promising new role he gained in half a year of working at Shonen Jump, Kondo remained mixed about his future with the company.

Dragon Ball Remained Shonen Jump’s Top-Ranked Series Until It Ended Publication

@/Venixys translated the captivating conversation among the Shonen Jump editors on X (formerly Twitter). According to Kondo, he seriously considered leaving Shonen Jump only a short time after joining because of the “rigid” and “military-like” environment. He was then assigned as editor of Dragon Ball by Torishima, who valued his limited experience at Shonen Jump, which gave him a different mindset. However, in an effort not to dictate his reign as editor, Torishima offered little preparation to Kondo for his new, intimidating role. All that was asked of Kondo, outside of buying a fax machine, was to keep Dragon Ball’s release schedule on time.

Although he felt out of his element, Kondo was determined to keep Dragon Ball as Shonen Jump’s most popular title. It was a personal goal that no one else knew about, not even Torishima. Despite strong competition from other Shonen Jump greats like Slam Dunk and Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball remained #1 until the end, which was May 23, 1995 (Chapter 519, “Farewell, Dragon World!”). All the editors agreed that Toriyama deserved all the credit for the unrivaled popularity of Dragon Ball. As editor, Kondo never contemplated what audiences would think about Toriyama’s latest story development for the series. He relied solely on instinct. If he didn’t feel anything negative while reading Toriyama’s pages, everything was good to go.

All episodes of Dragon Ball Daima, the franchise’s newest anime iteration, are available to stream on Crunchyroll. The English dub, starring Stephanie Nadolny as Goku (Mini), has begun premiering one new episode per week from Jan. 10. “Goku and company were living peaceful lives when they suddenly turned small due to a conspiracy!” the series’ official description reads. “When they discover that the reason for this may lie in a world known as the ‘Demon Realm,’ a mysterious young Majin named Glorio appears before them.”

Source: X (formerly Twitter)