Callion! 3: Pains Of The Past!

You can Rest Now, Sensei

Recently, we've all been struck by the news of Akira Toriyama's passing.

I'm hurting so deeply right now and I just don't have the words to explain how much I am hurting. To all of Toriyama's loved ones, I am truly sorry for your loss.

I guess I'll start by explaining Toryiama's impact on my life.

As a kid, I always thought that anime was nasty because the kids around me always described it as "naked anime girls with big boobs". As a kid, you know we were all disgusted by this thought, so I never gave anime a try.

It wasn't until I walked into my grandmother's home after school and walked into my grandmother's room that I'd seen a random channel playing Dragon Ball Z Kai. At first I didn't pay it much attention, and walked into the kitchen to find something to eat. Our fridge was empty because my family hadn't had enough money that month to feed a house of eight people.

When I walked back into my grandmother's room, the first thing I saw was Vegeta transforming into a Great Ape, and I was hooked. I'd never seen anything like that before, a person transforming into a giant Gorilla? It was incredible. 

After that, every Friday, I'd come home from school and sit down in my grandmother's room and wait for the next part of the episode to release. I dreaded hearing "next time on dragon ball z" every week and having the next few hours be full of previous episodes.

I can never forget how excited I was too see Goku turn into a super Saiyan for the first time. 

I can never forget putting my hands up to give Goku my energy while Frieza punished him.

I can never forget how excited I was to see Trunks' badass introduction. The way he dismantled Frieza, just after we'd seen just how terrifying Frieza was. 

I can never forget how one of my Uncle's friend walked into the living room as I watched Vegeta turning Cell into a clown. He said "Yo, what is this?"

My answer was something along the lines of "It's Dragon Ball Z Kai"

He looked at me and was like "Kai? Dragon Ball Z came out before Kai, and Dragon Ball came out before then. You should watch Dragon Ball Z instead" or something like that.

All night, I looked for a way to watch Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z Kai until I finally came across a series of websites that would allow me to do just that. I probably added so many more viruses to my grandmother's already slow computer that it probably made it 10x slower. Still, I didn't care.

I binged the series for so long that I caught up the point in Kai in just a matter of weeks. 

I can never forget how I had to be forced to do my homework because I'd just come home after school without even touching my bookbag. I simply wanted to finish the series, to see just how strong Goku, the guy who struggled against Great Ape Vegeta, could get. A low-class warrior. 

As a kid, I was invested.

I can never forget how Gohan shouted at the top of his lungs when Android 16 died. The transformation of my dreams. The moment I walked into the bathroom and yelled, trying to charge up my energy and turn into a super Saiyan myself. Even the moment Gohan was teaching Videl, I was sitting in front of the screen listening to his words as if he was teaching me. 

Even watching the movies gave me so many fond memories such as Future Trunks, Bojack, Bardock, Lord Slug, and damn Battle of Gods gave me chills. 

At this point, my words are getting long and its getting harder to write so I'll just leave it off with this.

If it wasn't for Akira Toriyama, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I wouldn't be an author, trying to create a world just as interesting as Dragon Ball. I wouldn't have the Callion series out right now, and I wouldn't have overcome a lot of obstacles. 

This is for you, Akira Toriyama. 

Thank you. You can rest now.