News

Few series within the realm of manga and anime have reached the heights of Dragon Ball in terms of popularity and cultural significance. Still, behind its epic battles, intense training arcs, and universe-spanning adventures lies a surprisingly very simple and heartwarming origin story.

Kid Goku from the Dragon Ball series | Toei Animation

Refreshingly simple, it just had to please the Japanese boys, more precisely, Akira Toriyama’s own child self. Having no designs or plot overarching it, Toriyama began his creative journey just like that, which later took the world by storm with thousands of fans across the globe.

Akira Toriyama Did Not Care About Fame At All While Making Dragon Ball Goku | Toei Animation

In an interview in 2013, Akira Toriyama had a very interesting statement to make about Dragon Ball. He indicated that most of the time, fans read more into his series than he intended. However, it is...

Black Myth: Wukong is one of the most highly anticipated RPG titles developed by Game Science, based on the famous novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng-en. In this game, players will embark on a fantastic journey and come across plenty of challenges along the way.

Despite being an action RPG title, Black Myth: Wukong is yet another exciting addition to Soulslike games, which to some degree follow the classic FromSoftware formula. However, the game has managed to bring one feature, which Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team need to steal in a completely different way.

Black Myth: Wukong’s Unique Boss Fight Mechanism Black Myth: Wukong brings unique boss mechanics. (Image via Game Science)

The Soulslike genre has gone through tons of iterations and evolutions over the past decade, with many Aaa games and indie teams putting their own spin on it. However, we’ve never seen anything like Black Myth: Wukong before,...

PC gamers have a lot of fun titles to look forward to this year. From a brand-new World of Warcraft expansion to epic mythological tales to the first open-world Star Wars game, there are so many worlds to explore, foes to defeat, and adventures to be had.

To help keep things straight, we’ve put together a handy guide of upcoming games that PC owners should definitely keep an eye on in 2024.

Final Fantasy Xiv: Dawntrail

Square Enix – July 2

Final Fantasy fans have even more to be excited about this year with the release of Final Fantasy Xiv: Dawntrail. In this expansion, the Warrior of Light has reunited with their comrades for an unexpected mission on the continent of Tural. Dawntrail not only features new quests, new areas to explore, and new characters to meet, it also includes new jobs like Viper and Pictomancer as well as female Hrothgar as a new playable race.

Owners of the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass subscribers have a lot to look forward to this year between sequels to Dragon Age and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, the first Star Wars open-world game, an exclusive Indiana Jones adventure, and so much more. There are so many new and familiar worlds to explore this year from galaxies far, far away to mythological Africa, Iceland, and China to fantasy realms full of magic and wonder.

To help keep things straight, we’ve put together a handy guide of upcoming games that Xbox owners should definitely keep an eye on in 2024.

The First Descendant

Nexon Games – July 2

Our hands-on time with Nexon’s new third-person looter shooter, The First Descendant, at Summer Game Fest, revealed fun take on the genre that also looks great. The slick art style, empowered by Unreal Engine 5, truly brings the sci-fi world of the game to life.

With changing release dates, surprise announcements, and an ever-fluid development landscape, it can be a challenge to keep track of every single video game coming out in a given year. 2024 may not have titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Spider-Man 2 on the horizon, and Sony has confirmed it won’t be releasing any new installments from its major franchises before 2025, but there are still plenty of noteworthy games coming to the PS5 that are worth checking out in the coming months.

To help keep things straight, we’ve put together a handy little guide here of the upcoming games that PS5 owners should keep an eye on in 2024.

Final Fantasy Xiv: Dawntrail

Square Enix – July 2

Final Fantasy fans have even more to be excited about this year with the release of Final Fantasy Xiv: Dawntrail. In this expansion, the Warrior of Light has reunited with their comrades for an...

Xbox Games Showcase gave us a peek into some of the video game titles that are valid Game of the Year contenders. However, despite Avowed and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 being shown at the biggest games presentation of the year, fans seem more into action RPGs, precisely, Black Myth: Wukong.

Despite bad news from Summer Game Fest saying Black Myth: Wukong is delayed for Xbox X/S consoles, fans of the genre believe is the game of the year. The action RPG pre-orders were opened on June 7 and since then Sun Wukong has made its way to the top on Steam, generating great hype around its release.

Black Myth: Wukong Rooted in Chinese Mythology Black Myth Wukong has stunning visuals

Black Myth: Wukong topped the China charts while also generating significant buzz in the US (#42) and UK (#81) just three days after the pre-order was made available. It is deeply connected to Chinese mythology,...

The anticipation for Shadow of the Erdtree, which arrives in the coming weeks, is high among Soulslike fans. However, the Summer Game Fest has left players equally excited for another title in this genre that has caught the attention of industry giants.

Hideo Kojima, one of the most renowned game developers, expressed his enthusiasm for a new release that promises to bring significant innovations to one of the most popular genres in recent years. Black Myth: Wukong, if it truly delivers the fun and complexity promised by its promotional materials, has everything to be a strong contender for Game of The Year.

Is Kojima More Excited for Shadow of the Erdtree or Black Myth: Wukong? The game by Game Science is a strong contender against Shadow of the Erdtree.

The newest Elden Ring Dlc is certainly on the radar of many players, but it seems that Kojima has a new favorite on the horizon.

The Summer Game Fest 2024, hosted by Geoff Keighley, has concluded, and boy, did we get a lot of new teasers and trailers for upcoming games. This year’s Summer Games Fest showcased a wide range of games, from Lego Horizon Adventures to Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions and more.

Summer Game Fest 2024 was full of exciting teasers and trailers. | via Gamespot

Fans of all genres got a little bit of something as we saw trailers for new games and trailers for content additions to fan favorites like Palworld and Alan Wake 2‘s new Dlc. Here’s every new announcement at the Summer Games Fest 2024

All New Trailers From Summer Games Fest 2024

1. Delta Force: Hawk Ops – The latest installment in the Delta Force shooter franchise, including multiplayer PvP, an extraction mode, and a full remaster of the original Delta Force: Black Hawk Down video game.

2. Lego Horizon Adventures – A Lego-fied take on the open-world adventure series,...

FromSoftware’s Elden Ring has been a monumental success, captivating players with its expansive world and challenging gameplay. In fact, it is still one of the top three best-selling and top ten most-played games on Steam—at the time of writing. However, the upcoming Dlc, Shadow of the Erdtree, is set to face significant competition from another highly anticipated Soulslike game: Black Myth: Wukong.

Developed by Chinese developer Game Science and the title’s release just around the corner, Black Myth: Wukong is generating immense hype, and for good reason!

A “Journey to the West” Like No Other “A world unseen, where new sights rise with every stride.” | Image via Game Science

Black Myth: Wukong (Bm: W?), based on the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” follows Sun Wukong, a.k.a. “The Destined One.” This dark and gritty take on the beloved tale promises to engage players in...

Kaleidoscopic visual overload is on the menu in this chaotic animation from the director of Chinese blockbuster Monkey King: Hero Is Back

Having conquered the Chinese box office with the superhit Monkey King: Hero Is Back in 2015, director Tian Xiaopeng plunges into the whirlpool of childhood blues for his latest animated adventure. In contrast to the earlier film, which was drawn from the 16th-century novel Journey to the West, Deep Sea carries Tian’s first original screenwriting credit. While fantastical elements abound, the story is at its heart a coming-of-age tale about weathering the storm of grief and trauma.

The central figure is a young girl called Shenxiu. Abandoned by her mother after her parents’ divorce, she also feels alienated from her father and his new wife, whose attention is showered solely on their own child. Outside, the world seems as hopelessly grey as Shenxiu’s nightmares, in which she...

Goku’s Saiyan lineage is one of the reasons why the protagonist of Dragon Ball is so overwhelmingly strong. The Saiyans are always looking for fights and battles and are training hard to become stronger. All of these are the defining traits of Goku and make them the perfect main character for Akira Toriyama’s magnum opus.

Goku in Dragon Ball | Toei Animation

Goku’s Saiyan roots not only get him excited for battles but have also become a part of his identity. However, Toriyama initially had no interest in focusing on Goku’s origins. He rather wanted to focus on his upcoming journey. Goku’s origins were reflected in the story only because of Vegeta.

Additionally, he never even thought of Goku being an alien, which later became an important narrative of the story. Toriyama also talked about how he didn’t anticipate that the story would go on...

Exclusive: Buenos Aires-based sales FilmSharks has taken international sales rights to the Chinese animated film A Hero’s Journey to the West.

Made with a budget of $26M, the film is directed by Phil Nibbelink (The Fox and the Hound) and written by James Felder (Ultimate Spider-Man). A Hero’s Journey to the West will have its world premiere on May 18 at the film market during the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

A Hero’s Journey to the West is set to be the first instalment of a trilogy telling the story of Sun Wu Kong (also known as the “Monkey King”), one of the most well-known characters from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West.

The first instalment will focus on Sun Wu Kong’s discovery of his extraordinary fate from birth as well as his fight with the gods. The second instalment will follow Wu Kong’s rise as he meets other heroes.

Dragon Ball is famous for its action scenes, iconic protagonist, and the classic ‘Kamehameha’ move. But did you know that Akira Toriyama began Dragon Ball as a comedy series at first? At its inception, the manga was not very popular, and Akira Toriyama was inspired by Journey to the West and Jackie Chan’s kung-fu movies.

The resulting Dragon Ball manga had a tiny Goku with a lot of gag elements. However, it started gaining popularity only after some of the battles were featured. In the end Toriyama had to change the style of Dragon Ball as well as Goku.

How Akira Toriyama Changed the Original Dragon Ball Manga Kid Goku Vs Popo | Dragon Ball Fandom

When Dragon Ball first began serialization, it was hardly popular. Akira Toriyama was content with his Journey to the West inspired storyline with plenty of gag elements. However, Kazuhiko Torishima, the editor of Dragon Ball,...

Jrpg fans are a starving lot, stuck in an era of replaying their golden oldies and praying the latest indie game on Steam at least partially sticks the landing. Even recommending the classics can be difficult. Many of the best games have never received a revival port, or, worse, the revival is still up in the air. That’s the fate of the Suikoden franchise, whose first two games received a Japan-only PSP port in 2006 and which was originally meant to be released on modern consoles last year.

It’s another indignity for a series whose Western introduction in 1996 was festooned with an infamously bad replacement cover because Konami thought Westerners didn’t like manga. Or something.

Yet the turn-based franchise, which consistently featured a cast of over 100 characters to collect and a lively if simple settlement-building system, remains beloved to those hardcore RPG devotees that can find it. Continually...

After a long wait, Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is finally gearing up for release this year. After being in development for quite some time, the devs revealed that the game would be developed on the Unreal Engine 5. At the Gdc 2023 event, a 68-second video showcasing Senua’s realistic-looking facial animations was also launched.

Earlier this year, Ninja Theory and Microsoft confirmed that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will hit the shelves on May 21, 2024, exclusively on the Xbox Series X/S and PC. It has also been confirmed that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will be made available on day one on Xbox Game Pass.

Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2

Talking of the Unreal Engine 5, it was made available for all game developers during the State of Unreal 2022 event. The latest version of the game engine is a leap forward when it comes to crafting geometry, lighting, and animation. That being said,...

Dragon Ball‘s Goku is often seen as the epitome of a Shonen hero. Goku’s status in the anime world sparks millions of controversies every year. Under the video of any strong anime character, fans comment that they would be defeated by Goku in an instant.

So, how did Goku become a universal scale of strength? Obviously, all credits go to Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, who ensured that Goku stood out in a field of extremely similar protagonists.

From Goku’s struggle to win the Tenka’ichi Budokai to giving him a tail, here are all the things Akira Toriyama incorporated in Dragon Ball to make Goku “not like the rest.”

Why didn’t Goku win the Tenka’ichi Budokai sooner in Dragon Ball? Goku in the Dragon Ball saga.

In an interview, Akira Toriyama revealed that when Goku participated in the Tenka’ichi Budokai in Dragon Ball,...

Zee End Is Nigh

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., the disappointed bride in the failed engagement between Zee and Sony India, has formally ended its quest for a merger. On Tuesday, it withdrew its application before the industry regulator National Company Law Tribunal and said that it will focus instead on internal growth. Pulling the Nclt application also makes it somewhat easier for Zee to pursue its arbitration and other legal actions against Sony.

The plan to merge the two mid-size film and TV businesses was on the table for over two years, but finally (acrimoniously) collapsed in January 2024. Sony is also seeking restitution from Zee, which it says failed to live up to the agreed merger terms. Since the wedding bells stopped ringing, Zee has also announced that it will slice its workforce by 15%.

Netflix Starts Filming Guillaume Canet’S ‘Taken’-Style Thriller

Guillaume Canet, whose latest directorial outing “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom...

The manga and anime fans are intensely shocked and sad as it is revealed that the legendary creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, passed away at the age of 68. The author has left an indelible mark in the world of manga with creations like Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump.

Akira Toriyama and Jackie Chan

Before Akira Toriyama became a legendary figure in the world of manga by creating Dragon Ball, he was driven to mainstream success by his Dr. Slump manga. Interestingly, Dr. Slump manga also had a massive impact on the works of Jackie Chan. Earlier, it was revealed in Toriyama’s interviews that movies by Chan and Chinese literature were the main inspiration behind Dragon Ball. However, in a rare interview, Jackie Chan has also admitted Toriyama’s impact on his films.

What did Jackie Chan say about Akira Toriyama’s Dr. Slump? Dr. Slump

Dr. Slump follows...

Akira Toriyama, the influential manga artist who created the Dragon Ball anime franchise, died March 1 due to an acute subdural hematoma — blood clots on the brain that usually form after an injury. He was 68.

A statement from his Bird Studio said it was “deeply saddened” to report that he had passed on.

“It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm,” the statement added. “Also, he would have many more things to achieve. However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world.”

Toriyama’s most famous work was manga series Dragon Ball, which follows Son Goku, a man who goes from failing martial arts student to a globe-trotting master with powers that defeats all manner of villains while searching for seven Dragon Ball orbs. It was inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Akira Toriyama, the Japanese manga artist who created the incredibly popular Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump series, has died. He was 68.

Toriyama died March 1 from an acute subdural hematoma, the official Dragon Ball website revealed Friday, adding that his funeral was already held by close relatives. “He has left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years,” a statement on the website said.

The statement continued, “We hope that the world of Akira Toriyama’s unique works will continue to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”

One of Japan’s best-known and most-loved manga creators, Toriyama is indelibly linked with Dragon Ball, a series he created, wrote and illustrated that was first serialized in 1984. The martial arts-heavy series, which gave the world characters like Goku,...

Magic Fair, a Miami-Paris based indie sales company and Hong Kong- and Paris-based All Rights Entertainment have launched rights sales on upcoming feature animation “Pigsy,” directed by Chiu Li-Wei (“Barkley”) during the Cannes Film Festival’s Marche du Film.

The film is a reimagining of the classic Chinese tale “Journey to the West.” The story follows a self-absorbed and lazy pig on a journey to lasting happiness. Set in a distant future, the film sees Pigsy embark on a deceitful quest for a better life, only to find that true happiness may be closer than he thinks.

The production has recently added Taiwanese stars Greg Han, Liu Kuan-Ting, Harlem Yu, Tuo Tsung-Hua, Chung Hsin-Ling, Ivy Shao, Waa Wei and K.R. Bros. The film is to be completed in time for release at Chinese New Year in early 2024. Production is by the Netherland’s studio Submarine with Taiwan’s Greener Grass (“GrX”) and Studio2.

When Everything Everywhere All At Once burst into the multiverse, it rocked our cinematic world like never before. Not only did Michelle Yeoh become the first Asian woman to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards, Eeaao captured six other Oscars including Best Picture, and both Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Beyond that, Eeaao collectively earned over 300 honors and nominations from film festivals all over the world.

Hot on heels of the Eeaao victory lap, Disney+ announced the debut of American Born Chinese, a miniseries based on a celebrated graphic novel created by Gene Luen Yang in 2006. Yang is an executive producer of this television adaptation. His original graphic novel won tons of accolades including the 2007 Eisner Award and Best Comic of the Year from Publishers Weekly, Time, Amazon, and others. A pioneering exploration of the Asian American experience, American Born Chinese is even used as a teaching aid in schools to this day.

Further sales titles include Kong Dashan’s ’Journey To The West’ and Zhang Chi’s ’In Search Of Echo’.

Chinese sales agent Parallax Films has closed deals on four titles including The Cord Of Life and Berlinale title Remembering Every Night with buyers in Japan and the US

Japanese distributor Pandora has picked up The Cord Of Life, which marks the feature directorial debut of Qiao Sixue and is among China’s New Talents Going Global programme at the Cannes market. The director is in Cannes with executive producer Yao Chen from Chinese production company Bad Rabbit Pictures.

Set in Inner Mongolia,...

Yao Chen and Cao Yu forged very different paths on their way to success in the Chinese film industry, but after 20 years of work each, they sat down for a chat about where their careers were headed, and they came to the same conclusion.

“We’d reached a similar stage in life,” explains Yao. “We were reflecting on certain work, certain issues of our own. We decided when it comes to genres, we wanted to have a more diversified, more colorful palette. All our projects now center on the predicament that human beings face — we are interested in exploring the difficult choices that people face.”

Partners already in life, Yao and Cao became partners in film by establishing the Bad Rabbit Pictures production house, with Yao drawing on the experience gained from an acting career that has brought acclaim for her television roles that have arguably cemented her as China’s most popular star,...

Netflix has unveiled its slate for Annecy International Animation Film Festival with highlights including “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” and “Nimona.”

The streamer is returning to the French animation festival next month with a range of events including panels, screenings and Q&As. They include a panel titled “From Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget to Blue Eye Samurai – See What’s Next @ Netflix” and a special screening of graphic novel adaptation “Nimona” with the project’s directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane as well as creator Nd Stevenson, which will be followed by a “making of” session.

Netflix’s main panel promises to give fans a sneak peek at a number of upcoming projects including:

“Leo”: a coming-of-age animated musical comedy starring Adam Sandler

“Blue Eye Samurai”: about a master of the sword who lives a life in disguise while seeking revenge in Edo-period Japan

“Exploding Kittens...

New Delhi, April 20 (Ians) A Chinese tourism advertisement portraying a medieval Buddhist fantasy, shot in the prayer hall of Xinjiang’s second-largest mosque, has alarmed the Uyghur diaspora, which is calling it a desecration, a media report said.

They say it is particularly incensing during Ramadan, a time when mosques should host prayer and evening fast-breaking, Rfa reported.

The promotional video, put out by a local propaganda office, features a bare-armed Uyghur woman as a dancer from ‘Women’s Kingdom’, a fictional polity whose queen sought to marry the Chinese protagonist of the classic Ming Dynasty novel ‘Journey to the West’, Rfa reported.

She twirls in the otherwise empty Kuchar Grand Mosque.

The video, which circulated on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, emerged amid a tourism campaign to draw Han Chinese to the far-western region of Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uyghur and other Turkic people now that...

Kelvin Yu, who adapted Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, American Born Chinese, for Disney+, said Yang’s characters belong with the other legends in the Disney pantheon. That includes Disney’s own princess and their Marvel slate.

“I went to Disneyland on Friday with my son,” Yang told Deadline’s Dominic Patton at Contenders TV. “It’s Captain America over here, Ariel over here, Moana. The Monkey King and Guanyin and these characters deserve a place on that shelf.”

Related: Deadline Contenders Television 2023 Arrivals & Panels Gallery

Yang’s graphic novel was an adaptation of the classic Chinese story Journey to the West, which has also inspired many films, including a series by Stephen Chow. The Monkey King (Daniel Wu) is a mythical character, comparable to those American legends.

Related: The Contenders TV – Deadline’s Full Coverage

“It’s honestly like if Batman and Spiderman had a baby and that baby was named Jesus,...