Hiroshi Kamiya: ‘Dragonball’ is a ‘magical piece of work’ ‘There are still things to be excited about.’

Dragon Ball Super Super Hero, the 21st film animation of the popular Dragon Ball series based on Akira Toriyama’s manga, was released on 11 June. The film has also attracted attention for the fact that Hiroshi Kamiya and Mamoru Miyano play the new theatre version’s new characters, the Red Ribbon Army’s Android Gamma No. 1 and No. 2. Kamiya-san says he is a big fan of Dragon Ball, having read the original series since its inception.

　Gamma No.1 is a superhero. We are deeply moved by his collaboration with Mamoru Miyano and Miyu Irino.

　　The original author Toriyama wrote the script and designed the characters for Dragon Ball Super Hero. The master-disciple duo of Son Gohan and Piccolo clash with the Red Ribbon Army and new artificial humans.

　Gamma-1, played by Kamiya-san, is a new artificial human created by Dr. Hedo of the new Red Ribbon Army. The trailer depicts a scene in which Gamma-1 calls himself a superhero, and Kamiya also says: “Gamma-1 is a superhero. That’s the only word I can use to describe him.

　Both No. 1 and No. 2 are characters who act with the awareness that they are heroes. Heroes are something to admire, aren’t they? I think it’s different from justice. However, if you push your own sense of justice to the limit, it can turn into evil, but I think the justice that is rooted in them is ‘being a hero’. I don’t think I’ve ever played a character like that before.”

　There is a contrast between the two characters, with Gamma No. 1 being calm and collected, and Gamma No. 2 is a little more light-hearted. Miyano-san, who plays Gamma No. 2, and I have worked together on many other productions, and I was happy to be playing the duo this time,” he says.

He says: “Both Gamma No. 1 and Gamma No. 2 have the same roots, but Gamma No. 2 is more like a hero when people look at him and ask, ‘What should his transformation pose be like?’ and how to be more heroic in the eyes of the people around me. ‘ They have a very positive outlook. Gamma #1, on the other hand, asks, ‘How should a hero be as an action?’ ‘. In embodying this contrast, Mamo-chan (Miyano-san) is the type of actor who can really stretch out, so I thought, ‘There’s no doubt about it’. Also, Dr. Hedo, who created the Android, is played by Miyu Irino. I remember the three of us talking about how happy we were that Mamo-chan, Miyano, and I had been given related roles and that we could be involved in the film.

The greatest and most amazing visual experience I’ve ever had.

　Kamiya-san is from the very same generation that read the Dragon Ball series in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) and says that he has always had the original experience.

”’Dragon Ball’ has been a natural part of my childhood, and even today, it still entertains everyone. Being involved as a voice actor myself taught me that ‘there are still exciting things to do’. Actually, it’s strange that I’m still in the vortex, and I have no idea what kind of work it is for me. I didn’t read the whole serial at the time, but I know the characters and I know how it develops. I don’t understand what that means (laughs). But I feel like many other people like that, so it’s a strange work.”

　When asked about the highlights of Dragon Ball Super Hero, he says: “It’s footage I’ve never really seen before.

　’The pictures on the covers of the comics that Toriyama-sensei draws move all the time. I thought, ‘This is crazy, we’ve finally come this far. It’s like seeing The Matrix for the first time. I had the same feeling when I first saw The Matrix. The images are just amazing. I think it will probably be an epoch-making film.”

　”It’s a happy thing to be able to have the most amazing visual experience at this very moment,” says Kamiya. I want you to experience the “shock”.