Editing Akira Toriyama (section)

=== Early work and ''Dr. Slump'' (1978–1983) ===
[[File:Dr Slump (2981906771).jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Kanzenban]]'' edition of ''[[Dr. Slump]]'', published by [[Shueisha]]]]
After quitting his job at the age of 23 and asking his mother for money while unemployed, Toriyama entered the manga industry by submitting a work to an amateur contest in [[Kodansha]]'s ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]'', which he had randomly picked up in a coffee shop.<ref name="creation"/><ref name="ITpart2">{{Cite web|last=Konno|first=Daiichi|url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/articles/1810/29/news002.html|title=『ジャンプ』伝説の編集長は『ドラゴンボール』をいかにして生み出したのか|work=ITmedia|language=Japanese|date=October 21, 2018|access-date=December 24, 2021|archive-date=May 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505180743/https://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/articles/1810/29/news002.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The timing did not line up for that contest, but another manga magazine, ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'', accepted submissions for their Newcomer Award every month. [[Kazuhiko Torishima]], who would become his editor, read and enjoyed Toriyama's manga, but it was not eligible to compete because it was a parody of ''[[Star Wars]]'' instead of an original work. Torishima sent the artist a [[telegram]] and encouraged him to keep drawing and sending him manga.<ref name="ITpart2"/><ref name="SJ interview">{{cite magazine |title=none |magazine=[[Shonen Jump (magazine)|Shonen Jump]] |issue=1 |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |date=November 26, 2002}}</ref> This resulted in ''[[Wonder Island]]'', which became Toriyama's first published work when it appeared in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1978. It finished last place in the readers survey.<ref name="creation"/><ref name="ITpart2"/> Toriyama later said that he had planned to quit manga after getting paid, but because ''[[Wonder Island 2]]'' (1978) was also a "flop", his stubbornness would not let him and he continued to draw failed stories for a year; claiming around 500 pages' worth, including the published ''[[Today's Highlight Island]]'' (1979).<ref name="creation"/> He said he learned a lot during this year and even had some fun. When Torishima told him to draw a female lead character, Toriyama hesitantly created 1979's ''[[Tomato the Cutesy Gumshoe]]'', which had some success. Feeling encouraged, he decided to draw another female lead and created ''[[Dr. Slump]]''.<ref name="creation"/>

''Dr. Slump'', which was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, was a huge success and made Toriyama a household name. It follows the adventures of a perverted professor and his small but super-strong robot [[Arale Norimaki|Arale]].<ref name="ANNJT">{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Jason|author-link=Jason Thompson (writer)|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2011-03-10|title=Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga – Dragon Ball|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=March 10, 2011|access-date=March 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916075738/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2011-03-10|archive-date=September 16, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1981, ''Dr. Slump'' earned Toriyama the [[Shogakukan Manga Award]] for best ''[[shōnen manga|shōnen]]'' or [[shōjo manga|''shōjo'' manga]] series of the year.<ref name="ShogakukanAward">{{cite web|url=http://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/mangasho/rist.html |script-title=ja:小学館漫画賞: 歴代受賞者 |language=ja |publisher=[[Shogakukan]] |access-date=August 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929094941/http://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/mangasho/rist.html |archive-date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref> An anime adaptation began airing that same year, during the [[prime time]] Wednesday 19:00 slot on [[Fuji TV]]. Adaptations of Toriyama's work would occupy this time slot continuously for 18 years—through ''Dr. Slump''{{'}}s original run, ''Dragon Ball'' and its two sequels, and finally a rebooted ''Dr. Slump'' concluding in 1999. By 2008, the ''Dr. Slump'' manga had sold over 35 million copies in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top Manga Properties in 2008 – Rankings and Circulation Data|url=http://comipress.com/article/2008/12/31/3733|publisher=Comipress|date=December 31, 2008|access-date=March 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630142029/http://comipress.com/article/2008/12/31/3733|archive-date=June 30, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Although ''Dr. Slump'' was popular, Toriyama wanted to end the series within roughly six months of creating it, but publisher [[Shueisha]] would only allow him to do so if he agreed to start another serial for them shortly after.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2016/10/15/kazuhiko-torishima-on-shaping-the-success-of-dragon-ball-and-the-origins-of-dragon-quest/#1b1b1ac8d9ab |title=Kazuhiko Torishima On Shaping The Success Of 'Dragon Ball' And The Origins Of 'Dragon Quest' |magazine=[[Forbes]] |date=October 15, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017001412/http://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2016/10/15/kazuhiko-torishima-on-shaping-the-success-of-dragon-ball-and-the-origins-of-dragon-quest/ |archive-date=October 17, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Chozenshu">{{cite book |title=Dragon Ball 超全集 4: 超事典|trans-title=Chōzenshū 4: Super Encyclopedia|language=ja|publisher=[[Shueisha]]|year=2013|pages=346–349|isbn=978-4-08-782499-5}}</ref> So he worked with Torishima on several [[One-shot (comics)|one-shots]] for ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' and the monthly ''Fresh Jump''.<ref name="Shenlong2">{{cite journal |title=Shenlong Times 2 |journal=Dragon Ball 大全集 2: Story Guide |isbn=4-08-782752-6|publisher=[[Shueisha]] |year=1995| language=ja}}</ref> In 1981, Toriyama was one of ten artists selected to create a 45-page work for ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''{{'}}s Reader's Choice contest. His manga ''[[Pola & Roid]]'' took first place.<ref name="creation"/> Toriyama was selected to participate in the contest again in 1982 and submitted ''[[Mad Matic]]''.<ref name="creation"/> His one-shot ''[[Pink (1982 manga)|Pink]]'' was published in the December issue of ''Fresh Jump''.<ref name="theworld">{{cite magazine |title=鳥山明 THE WORLD アニメスペシャル |magazine=[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]] |language=ja |publisher=[[Shueisha]] |date=October 10, 1990 |pages=72, 74, 75, 82–86}}</ref> Selected to participate in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''{{'}}s Reader's Choice contest for a third time, Toriyama had the bad luck of drawing the first slot and had to work over New Year's on 1983's ''[[Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater|Chobit]]''. Angry that it was unpopular, he decided to try again and created ''[[Chobit 2]]'' (1983).<ref name="creation"/>

An official Toriyama fan club, {{nihongo|Akira Toriyama Hozonkai|鳥山明保存会||"Akira Toriyama Preservation Society"}}, was established in 1982. Its newsletters were called ''Bird Land Press'' and were sent to members until the club closed in 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dragonball.news/news/20190528_wx.html |script-title=ja:[鳥山明ほぼ全仕事] 平日更新24時間限定公開！ 2019/05/28 |work=Dragon Ball Official Site |publisher=[[Shueisha]] |language=ja |date=May 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528143658/https://dragonball.news/news/20190528_wx.html |archive-date=May 28, 2019 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 29, 2019 }}</ref> Toriyama founded Bird Studio in the early 1980s,<ref name="studio">{{cite web|last=Ashcraft|first=Brian|url=http://kotaku.com/dragon-ball-is-made-in-a-very-orange-building-1609446227|title=Dragon Ball Is Made in a Very Orange Building|work=[[Kotaku]]|date=July 23, 2014|access-date=October 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824151427/http://kotaku.com/dragon-ball-is-made-in-a-very-orange-building-1609446227|archive-date=August 24, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> which is a play on his name; {{nihongo|"tori"|鳥}} meaning "bird". He began employing an assistant, mostly to work on backgrounds.