Koji Yamamoto is an actor who delivers captivating performances in a wide variety of roles such as in last year's Netflix drama "Tokyo Swindlers" and in the live-action adaptation of the popular comic "Cells at Work!"
He's also known as a hardcore Dragon Ball fan, saying things like, "Dragon Ball is my bible" and "I use it as reference for poses and expressions when I'm not sure what to do while acting."

Koji Yamamoto has even cosplayed as a Saiyan and posted a video called "How To Draw Vegeta in 25 strokes" on his official YouTube channel, showing his deep love for the series. In this interview, we asked him questions regarding his personal feelings about the series as well as his favorite characters and scenes!

Contents

・ I've Loved Toriyama's Art Style Since Dr. Slump
・ Growing Up Alongside Goku
・ I Really Like the Art
・ My Favorite Character's Got To Be Goku
・ Using the Saibaimen in Games...
・ Getting Emotional Over Mr. Satan?!
・ If Shenron Could Grant My Wish, It'd Be Something More Difficult Than You'd Think

—Mr. Yamamoto, please tell us how you first got into Dragon Ball.

Yamamoto: I actually liked Dr. Slump because of Akira Toriyama's art style. The reason I started reading Dragon Ball was simply because it was a new series. I was eight at the time.

—Was it popular among your classmates?

Yamamoto: I believe so, though it was probably closer to when I was in middle or high school when Dragon Ball got really popular. There were a few shops that sold (Weekly Shonen) Jump a little earlier, on Saturdays, and quite a few people would line up to buy them. Before I knew it, I was pretty addicted to the series—my teenage years were filled with Dragon Ball.

—So, you were following the weekly serialized updates as they came out?

Yamamoto: I was. I really like the early parts of the Dragon Ball series and still remember the story vividly up to the Planet Namek arc. Of course, I've read the Cell and Majin Buu arcs and like those two as well. Toriyama's change in art style was also very memorable with Goku slowly changing over the course of the series.

—It seems like you were also growing up alongside Dragon Ball while it was being published.

Yamamoto: What shocked me the most was when Goku made his third appearance at the Tenkaichi Budokai, but all grown up this time. The fact that the protagonist grew up and still managed to maintain his popularity surprised me. Protagonists don't usually change their appearance, right? That truly was something I never imagined would happen. I loved Goku as a small child but seeing him all grown up really did surprise me.

—Now that you mention it, I don't think there was another series from around that time where the protagonist grew up like this.

Yamamoto: Don't you think it might've been the first of its kind? There may have been others but take Ryo from KochiKame (Tokyo Beat Cops) for example—he hasn't changed since the beginning. Anyway, after Goku grew up, Gohan debuted and then Goten, who looks exactly like Goku, also made his appearance later in the series (laughs).
The idea of having the reader grow up alongside the protagonist's journey was absolutely mind-blowing.

—The fact that the protagonist got married and had children was also shocking.

Yamamoto: Yeah, for sure. The, "Okay! We'd better get married!" part, right (laughs)? Rather than carefully foreshadowing various parts, it was more like connecting the different "dots". There was a sense of weaving the story together as it progressed. Like realizing, "Oh, that's why Chichi said, 'I'll bet my father would give you my hand.' back then". It made me wonder if Toriyama planned it that way.

Yamamoto: For this interview, I thought about what I truly like about Dragon Ball and it really is about the art. I genuinely like it. I became a fan after reading Dr. Slump and playing Dragon Quest (which has characters designed by Toriyama).
Toriyama's art style has a certain charm to it. It has both "roundness" and "sharpness"... Also, the way he uses angles in his comics! It's something I pay a lot of attention to when acting as well.

—You previously mentioned that you take inspiration from their poses.

Yamamoto: The 45-degree angle is such an iconic Dragon Ball perspective and leaves quite a lasting impression. The way they tuck in their chin when seen from the front is really nice too. I used to imitate that angle and try to draw it myself.

—I saw that you also drew Vegeta on your official YouTube channel.

Yamamoto: While I draw Vegeta the quickest, I can pretty much draw almost everyone. It's just something I do because I enjoy it. Dragon Ball's art has certain rules to it, and you'll start to understand the more you draw.

—Would you like to expand on the patterns a little more?

Yamamoto: First, the eyes have different patterns, like pattern A, B, and C. Piccolo's eye type, for example, is the same type as Cell, Frieza, and I think Majin Buu too. Though Majin Buu had several forms. Then there's Vegeta's eye type, Tenshinhan's eye type, and so on...
Goku has a different eye type depending on his form with there being a rule on how connected his eyes should be to his eyebrows.

—Like whether they're connected all the way to the outer corner of the eye?

Yamamoto: Yes, you have to connect them all the way when he transforms into a Super Saiyan.

Do you have a piece of paper? (Yamamoto starts drawing.)
The eyebrows start from here. And then after doing this and that, you'll get a face that looks just like Vegeta. But what's amazing here is that if you draw the eyes in the center like this and draw the hair like this, you'll get Trunks. In actuality, the faces are the same. There's just something amazing about this. And with this angle! (Completed)

Yamamoto: I like this angle. The scene where Goku defeats Recoome from the Ginyu Force in one blow. I really like the angle when Goku appears at that moment. He comes in with a swoosh and has a clean stop!
While Vegeta wonders if he managed to become the legendary Super Saiyan, Goku grins. This part is the best! I seriously love the Planet Namek arc (laughs).

—So, your favorite character is Goku, I take it?

Yamamoto: Yeah, Goku is where it all began, after all. I mean, if you think about it he's kinda the perfect protagonist. He definitely has his moments of playing dumb, but ultimately he's a strong person that people can rely on. Oh, and how, for whatever reason, the more danger he's in, the more fun he seems to be having. It's like the stronger and scarier the opponent, the more excited he gets. Goku's just not afraid of anything, is he?

—No, you're right. Even in a real pinch, Goku never seems to be frightened.

Yamamoto: Yeah, I don't think we've ever seen Goku get scared or run away from a fight. Though we've seen him be angry at himself or be sad at things like Krillin's death. In that way, he's a source of courage for us all. He really symbolizes what it means to "be a strong man". In terms of emotional strength too, I mean.

—The true meaning of "strength", right.

Yamamoto: You can also see it in how he treats other people. Like when Vegeta was trying to escape after their fight, Goku says to Krillin "Please... let the Saiyan go..." and "What a waste". Goku really does have a big heart. Though on the flip side of that, you could say he's acting for his own selfish reasons, but I think Goku's just seeking out the kind of thrill we all need in life.

—He does his best to avoid taking lives, even those of his enemies.

Yamamoto: Exactly. So, when Goku is forced to finish off Frieza, the fact that he looks sad about it really makes this scene memorable. He even shouts, "You fool!!!!" and everything. To think someone could be so sad about killing the source of so much evil. It's really something.

—And his enemies all become allies in the end.

Yamamoto: Right, right. So, there's even scenes where Goku and Frieza end up working together (laughs). I mean, I've watched it, but in the end I think I prefer them as the rivals they are in the Dragon Ball manga.

—Do you have any other favorite characters besides Goku?

Yamamoto: Oh yeah, there's a bunch. In fact, I really like the Saibaimen. I'm actually playing the game Dragon Ball Legends, and everyone else chooses really strong characters like Vegito or whatever, but I just use a bunch of Saibaimen on my team.

—Excuse my asking, but are Saibaimen strong?

Yamamoto: In terms of the character abilities, they're super weak, of course. That means you have to win based on skill alone. My opponents have all kinds of skills that bring them back after defeat or stop my actions, but the Saibaimen have nothing like that, so it feels amazing when I win (laughs). I don't think it would be as fun to take down an opponent's strong character with a strong character of my own. And even if I lose, I just think to myself, "Wow, you really had to use that technique against a Saibaiman of all things?" (laughs)

—I'm surprised you even mentioned the Saibaimen in the first place (laughs).

Yamamoto: I have a lot of other favorite characters, though... I like Trunks once he's grown up. He shows up, and you're like, "Who's this guy?!" It's obvious he's not a bad guy, and he's clearly strong, but you're still left wondering who he is. I think that was a really cool way to draw viewers in.

I really like Nail a lot, too. He's really something else. I mean, of course he didn't stand a chance against Frieza, but then he fused with Piccolo. There are all kinds of ways to power up in Dragon Ball, right? Like there's training to become stronger, but there are also sort of offbeat ways, like fusion or Super Water of the Gods.

—Or having the Elder draw out your latent potential.

Yamamoto: Right, although that one has a limited number of uses (laughs). But I kind of like how the characters just keep growing stronger and stronger. And they kind of take turns reaching new heights, you know? Like just when we thought it was over for Piccolo during his fight against Second Form Frieza, he later fuses with Nail and overpowers Frieza. But Frieza comes right back with an even more powerful Third Form, then figures he might as well go ahead and show off his Final Form, with Goku joining the fight soon after. I really like that kind of buildup.

As for villains, I like Zarbon. Dodoria appears strong, but you can kind of guess that he'll be defeated early on. But with Zarbon, he initially appears to be extremely strong and gives off the vibe that he can't be touched. But as he's about to lose to Vegeta, he changes into this monstrous form that looks like it's just asking to be defeated. Just imagine, if he'd started off looking monstrous, then powered up into his slender human-looking form, then we viewers would get the impression that this character is undefeatable. I think it's really cool that Toriyama chose to go the opposite direction with Zarbon than the one he chose for Frieza.

—Do you have any other memorable scenes?

Yamamoto: At the end, where Mr. Satan is helping gather energy for the Genki-Dama. That part's really cool. Everyone on Earth is just like, "Well, if it's for Mr. Satan". That might have been the most emotional part for me.

—Like maybe he really is the strongest after all.

Yamamoto: Exactly. Honestly, more than things like Vegeta's "Let me... give you a hug now..." scene, I think ones like the one with Mr. Satan, or Goku taking off with a "Well then, later!!" left more of an impression on me. I really love that last panel with Fortuneteller Baba where Goku and Krillin part ways! I mean, these guys are going to be friends for a long time, but this is how they say goodbye?! Just when are they going to meet again?! That was really memorable for me.

—All right, last question: What wish would you ask Shenron to grant?

Yamamoto: No doubt about it, "peace". World peace, I guess. There are so many problems out there that you wish you didn't have to see or hear about, and that's especially true when you have kids. I'd like to get rid of those kinds of things. I mean, it's sad when bad things happen to your family of course, but it's also sad when they happen to the people around you too, right? Though I guess sadness comes with its own lessons, so you can't really get rid of it... As a person and as a living being, there are times when sad events help you realize your own strength, kind of like when Goku and Krillin went their separate ways in Dragon Ball.

But anyway, if I could have one wish granted, I'd wish for a peaceful, uneventful life for us all. Maybe that's something that could come true without even having to wish for it. But the things that can happen naturally, without wishing for, are often the most fragile. I think the things you actively wish for feel like they happen because you wished for them. For example, if you keep wishing and hoping to become a TV star, it might just happen someday. But peaceful and uneventful days might be the most difficult thing to make happen, so I think I'd have to choose that as my wish.

—Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us today.

Yamamoto: No, thank you! This was a lot of fun!

Interviewer/Writer: A & F
Photography: Shuji Ogawa