Akira Toriyama's currency unit.
It has been many days since Akira Toriyama passed away, but looking at Dragon Ball again, it really is interesting. Even if I don't go out of my way to write this, it is something the world already recognizes.
I have written an article in the past about how Akira Toriyama's naming sense is amazing. Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, Bulma, Bibidi, Babidi, Buu. They are simple names, yet they don't feel out of place.
Now that I am an adult, I feel the greatness of Akira Toriyama every day, but when I think about it a little, there is a sense that feels even more impressive.
"Zeni".
Among the words Akira Toriyama created in the Dragon Ball series, I think the word "Zeni" is particularly outstanding.
Zeni is the unit of currency in the Dragon Ball world. It is probably a play on the Japanese word "zeni" (money). No, in the case of "Zeni," it isn't even a play on words. It's just elongated. This is amazing.
The distinction between the work and the real world. Furthermore, to make it feel realistic, Akira Toriyama named the currency "Zeni."
I think this is an amazing thing. I resent my own language center for not being able to specifically explain what is so amazing about it.
It is "Zeni," not "Yen" or "Dollar." There are many manga artists who can properly name characters, cities, and fictional companies without it feeling out of place. However, manga artists who are this particular about "money" are in the minority.
Eiichiro Oda of ONE PIECE has publicly stated that he was influenced by Dragon Ball, so he is meticulous about that sort of thing.
The currency unit that appears in ONE PIECE is "Beli." I think this is also brilliant. Thinking of others, I feel like the currency unit in the world of Hunter x Hunter was "Jenie." And in the game Dragon Quest, it is "Gold."
Beli, Jenie, Gold.
All of them are easy to understand.
They are easy to understand, but none of them come close to Akira Toriyama's "Zeni," with its incredibly simple and easily understood origin.
Zeni is in a league of its own.
In any case, the world has lost a great person.
<Afterword> Like Akira Toriyama fans around the world, when I heard the news of his passing, I felt a kind of indescribable emptiness for about three days. Reading Dragon Ball again, I am truly amazed by the suspense and narrative perfection of the Namek arc, and above all, that art style. It really is incredible. Thank you for staying with me until the end today.
[Related] Article on naming sense