Son Goku’s flying cloud was the most important means of transportation in his childhood. Only when he could fly himself did he let go of his cloud. The creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, once explained why this cloud even exists.
Why does the cloud exist? So that Dragon Ball could appear in such a regular rhythm, the mangaka tried to save time wherever possible. This is also one reason why the Super Saiyans have blonde hair. In a black-and-white manga, the hair does not need to be colored in, thus saving the artist a lot of time.
Another object that saved a lot of time is actually Son Goku’s flying cloud. In an interview with Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 4: World Guide, Akira Toriyama explained in 1995 why the cloud even exists:
Even when I imagined it with images in my mind, I could show things from a perspective where I looked down at the landscape. That was also the reason why I originally introduced Kinto-Un [the flying cloud, editor’s note]. Until then, they had to take out planes, cars, and similar things one by one, which was really tedious.
It took more time to draw cars, planes, and other means of transportation than a simple cloud. By flying, Toriyama was able to always draw everything from a bird’s eye view and avoid the cars and trucks on the roads. He simply let the planes be absent.
A loyal companion from Son Goku’s childhood
What kind of cloud is this? In German, the small cloud was called “Überschallwolke” or “Jindujun”. Son Goku received it as a gift from his teacher Muten Roshi. It can only transport those who have a pure heart. All persons with an impure heart simply fall through the cloud.
When Son Goku later learns to fly independently through Ki, this cloud is no longer needed. The Saiyan only used it at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z to save energy. Afterwards, it passed on to his children Son Gohan and Son Goten, who used it for some time.
Toriyama was so clever that he could save time through several tricks. However, for a Dragon Ball movie, there was a scene so intense that the animators nowadays probably wouldn’t depict it anymore. Luckily, CGI technology is available now: A scene in Dragon Ball was so torturous for the animator that it would not be created like that today
