Akira Toriyama’s Chrono Trigger Art Was a Joyful Fantasy

Thirty years ago today, Chrono Trigger hit the SNES in Japan, delivering one of greatest RPGs of its generation—a reputation that has only endured as time has gone on. Mechanically, narratively, graphically, Chrono Trigger has wowed generation after generation of players, but part of that indelible success goes beyond its pixelated aesthetic, and the vision of its world brought to us by the legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama. Chrono Trigger wasn’t Toryiama’s first credits in games—he was a staple designer on the Dragon Quest series since the mid ’80s alongside several of the developers he would work with again on Chrono Trigger, like producer Yuji Horii. But even though stateside Toriyama’s visual style wouldn’t be the vanguard for a new generation of anime fans until the year after when Dragon Ball Z would begin airing in syndication, to many his work on Chrono Trigger would be some of their first introductions to his trademark aesthetic. Working off initial ideas and sketches for Chr ... Read full article.